Dirty Mary, Crazy Larry
Poster
Directed by	John Hough
Produced by	Norman T. Herman
Written by	Leigh Chapman Antonio Santean Richard Unekis (Novel)
Starring	Peter Fonda Susan George Vic Morrow
Cinematography	Michael D. Margulies
Editing by	Christopher Holmes
Distributed by	20th Century Fox
Release date(s)	May 17, 1974
Running time	93 min.
Language	English
Budget	$2,000,000 USD
IMDb profile

Dirty Mary, Crazy Larry is a cult 1974 car chase film starring Peter Fonda, Susan George, Adam Roarke, and Vic Morrow. The film was directed by John Hough. The music score contains no incidental music, apart from the theme song over the opening and closing titles, and a small amount of music heard over the radio. The story deals with two would-be NASCAR hopefuls; the driver, Larry (Peter Fonda), and his mechanic, Deke (Adam Roarke), who successfully execute a supermarket heist to finance their jump into the big-time auto racing world, extorting $150,000 in cash from the supermarket manager (Roddy McDowall in an uncredited role) by holding his wife and daughter hostage. Image File history File links Moviedirtymaryposter. ... John Hough (born 1941) is a British film and television director. ... Peter Henry Fonda (born February 23, 1940) is an Academy Award-nominated American actor. ... Susan Margaret George was born on July 26, 1950, in London, England, UK. // Susan George has been acting since the age of four, appearing on both television and film. ... Victor Vic Morrow (February 14, 1929 - July 23, 1982) born Bronx, New York was a Jewish-American actor. ... Twentieth (20th) Century Fox Film Corporation (known from 1935 to 1985 as Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation) is one of the six major American film studios. ... is the 137th day of the year (138th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar) of the 1974 Gregorian calendar. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... See also: 1973 in film 1974 1975 in film 1970s in film years in film film // Events February 7 - Blazing Saddles is released in USA May 1 - George Lucas creates the first draft of what would eventually become Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. ... Peter Henry Fonda (born February 23, 1940) is an Academy Award-nominated American actor. ... Susan Margaret George was born on July 26, 1950, in London, England, UK. // Susan George has been acting since the age of four, appearing on both television and film. ... Adam Roarke (born Richard Jordan Gerler on August 8, 1937 in Brooklyn, New York, USA-died April 27, 1996 in Euless, Texas, USA of an apparent heart attack) was an American actor and film director. ... Victor Vic Morrow (February 14, 1929 - July 23, 1982) born Bronx, New York was a Jewish-American actor. ... John Hough (born 1941) is a British film and television director. ... A film score is a set of musical compositions written to accompany a film. ... Incidental music is music in a play, television program, radio program or some other form not primarily musical. ... Jeff Burton (99), Elliott Sadler (38), Ricky Rudd (21), Dale Jarrett (88), Sterling Marlin (40), Jimmie Johnson (48), and Casey Mears (41) practice for the 2004 Daytona 500 The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) is the largest sanctioning body of motorsports in the United States. ... Peter Henry Fonda (born February 23, 1940) is an Academy Award-nominated American actor. ... Adam Roarke (born Richard Jordan Gerler on August 8, 1937 in Brooklyn, New York, USA-died April 27, 1996 in Euless, Texas, USA of an apparent heart attack) was an American actor and film director. ... Packaged food aisles in a Fred Meyer store in Portland, Oregon A supermarket is a departmentalized self-service store offering a wide variety of food and household merchandise. ... For the 1967 film, see Robbery (film). ... Roderick Andrew Anthony Jude McDowall (September 17, 1928 – October 3, 1998) was an English/American actor. ...

In making their escape, they are confronted by Larry's one-night stand, Mary (Susan George), who convinces them to take her along for the ride (under the threat of her blowing the whistle on them both). After the heist is reported to the Sheriff, Captain Franklin (Vic Morrow) obsessively sets out to capture the trio in a dragnet, only to find his patrol cars woefully inadequate to catch Larry, Mary and Deke in a high-performance 1969 Dodge Charger. Susan Margaret George was born on July 26, 1950, in London, England, UK. // Susan George has been acting since the age of four, appearing on both television and film. ... Victor Vic Morrow (February 14, 1929 - July 23, 1982) born Bronx, New York was a Jewish-American actor. ... A dragnet is any system of coordinated measures for apprehending criminals or suspects; including road barricades and traffic stops, widespread DNA tests, and general increased police alertness. ... For other models using this name, see Dodge Charger. ...

The trio evades several patrol cars, a high-performance police interceptor, and even Captain Franklin himself in a Bell JetRanger helicopter, before colliding with a freight train in a shocking, totally unexpected ending. Specifications (206) General Characteristics Crew: 1 Capacity: 3-4 Length: 39 ft 1 in (11. ... For other uses, see Helicopter (disambiguation). ...

Trivia

Filmed in and around Stockton, California, mostly in the walnut groves near the small town of Linden, California. The supermarket scenes were filmed in Sonora, California, the drawbridge jump was filmed in Tracy, California, the swap meet scene in Clements, California and the climactic train crash was filmed on the Stockton Terminal and Eastern Railroad in Linden, California, near the intersection of Ketcham Lane and Archerdale Road (38 01'22.01" N 121 06'18.14" W). The track spur is no longer in use, although the tracks are still in place. The locomotive used in the film to collide with the car is now in the collection of the Western Pacific Railroad Museum in Portola, California. Two 1969 and one 1968 model year Dodge Chargers were used in the film. One was destroyed in the train crash, the 1968 model was scrapped, and the remaining 1969 model was sold to a crew member from the film, but was subsequently totalled in a traffic collision in the late-1970s. Nickname: Motto: Stocktons Great, Take A Look! Location in San Joaquin County and the state of California Coordinates: , Country State County San Joaquin Incorporated 1850 Government  - Mayor Edward J. Chavez  - City Manager J. Gordon Palmer, Jr. ... Linden is a census-designated place located in San Joaquin County, California. ... Sonora is the county seat of Tuolumne County, California. ... 11th Street and Central Avenue, Tracy Tracy is a city in San Joaquin County, California, in the United States. ... Linden is a census-designated place located in San Joaquin County, California. ... Logos of the Western Pacific Railroad and the Feather River Rail Society, operators of the Western Pacific Railroad Museum. ... Portola is a city located in Plumas County, California. ... Also: 1969 (Stargate SG-1) episode. ... Year 1968 (MCMLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... There have been many different Dodge vehicles, on three different platforms, bearing the Charger nameplate. ...

The final train crash scene was used during the opening credits of the 1980's TV show "The Fall Guy" starring Lee Majors. The line "I've gotten burned over Cheryl Tiegs, blown up for Raquel Welch" can be heard during the crash

Several chase scenes from near the end of the movie can be seen on a drive in movie screen during an episode of the 2007 Fox TV series "Drive"

The film is referenced several times in "Death Proof," the segment of the feature film Grindhouse which was directed by Quentin Tarantino. A clip of Dirty Mary, Crazy Larry is also visible in Tarantino's feature Jackie Brown. Death Proof is a 2007 film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino, about a psychopathic stunt man who targets young women, murdering them with his death proof stunt car. ... Exploitation films is a loosely defined term to describe a film genre that typically sacrifice the traditional notions of artistic merit for a more sensationalistic display, often featuring excessive sex, violence, and gore. ... Quentin Jerome Tarantino (born March 27, 1963) is an American film director, actor, and Oscar winning screenwriter. ... Jackie Brown is a 1997 motion picture, the third film directed by Quentin Tarantino. ...

Background Of Novel and Film

"Dirty Mary, Crazy Larry" is based on the novel originally titled "The Chase" (later renamed "Pursuit") by Richard Unekis, and published in 1963. The story incorporated a phenomenon that was relatively new in 1963: major auto manufacturers were putting powerful V-8 engines into mid-sized cars (the dawn of the "muscle car" era), and young thieves behind the wheel of these cars were now able to out run the economy 6-cylinder sedans driven by police in many jurisdictions. The protagonists of "The Chase" used such a vehicle, a Chevrolet, and made use of the checkerboard of roads in the farm country of Illinois to outrun the police. The Pontiac GTO is a classic example of the muscle car. ... Chevrolet (IPA: - French origin) (colloquially Chevy) is a brand of automobile, produced by General Motors (GM). ... Official language(s) English[1] Capital Springfield Largest city Chicago Largest metro area Chicago Metropolitan Area Area  Ranked 25th  - Total 57,918 sq mi (140,998 km²)  - Width 210 miles (340 km)  - Length 390 miles (629 km)  - % water 4. ...

According to Unekis' son, the rights to the obscure book were originally bought for very little money by director Howard Hawks who had Steve McQueen in mind for the title role of a future film project. Hawks commissioned three scripts, one of which followed the book very closely (and consequently was out of date with the automobile technology of the 1970's), but Hawks elected to opt out of the project when he was offered $50,000 USD for the film rights by two wealthy English industrialist partners, Sir James Hanson and Sir Gordon White. White and Hanson (who, at the time, owned Eveready Batteries and Ballpark Franks), had purchased the book to read on their plane while flying to the U.S. They both felt "The Chase" would make an entertaining film, and presented the idea to personal friend Michael Pearson, who had produced an earlier successful car chase cult movie "Vanishing Point." Howard Winchester Hawks (May 30, 1896 – December 26, 1977) was an American film director, producer and writer of the classic Hollywood era. ... Steve McQueen (March 24, 1930 – November 7, 1980) was an Academy Award-nominated American movie actor, nicknamed The King of Cool.[1] He was one of the biggest box-office draws of the 1960s and 1970s due to a popular anti-hero persona. ... Energizer Holdings (NYSE: ENR), headquartered in St. ... For other uses, see Vanishing point (disambiguation). ...

After pitching their project to their movie mogul friends, who not only included Pearson but Cubbi Broccoli, Harold Robbins and Sam Spiegel, they soon discovered the movie business was not as easy as they had suspected. In addition, they were saddled with an out of date book with little literary value except for a car chase - and no screenplay - for which they grossly overpaid. With no interest from anyone in picking up the project, Sir Hanson and Sir White soon lost interest in making movies. Harold Robbins (May 21, 1916-October 14, 1997) was an American author. ... Sam Spiegel (11 November 1901 - 31 December 1985) was a successful independent film producer. ...

Over dinner one evening at Hanson's estate in Palm Springs, California they told their plight to friend and neighbor Jimmy Boyd. Boyd read the book and agreed with Hanson and White that it would make a great car chase. Boyd, a race car enthusiast, had successfully built and raced cars along with his friend Lance Reventlow, and had come very close to pursuing race car driving as a career. He guaranteed Hanson and White their fifty thousand dollars in return for the rights to the book. Boyd wrote the screenplay himself, including modern dialogue and humor along the lines of an updated "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid." He also changed the two main characters from the escaped convicts in the book, into a slightly larcenous - but very likable - NASCAR hopeful and his Mechanic, nicknamed Fast Floyd and Dirty Deke. Boyd then incorporated the one night stand female stowaway, and the added dimension of a NASCAR-engined getaway car capable of 185 mph. Jimmy Boyd (born January 9, 1939) is an American singer, musician, and actor. ... Lance Reventlow (February 24, 1936–July 24, 1972) was a wealthy playboy, entrepreneur, and Formula One race car driver. ... Jeff Burton (99), Elliott Sadler (38), Ricky Rudd (21), Dale Jarrett (88), Sterling Marlin (40), Jimmie Johnson (48), and Casey Mears (41) practice for the 2004 Daytona 500 The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) is the largest sanctioning body of motorsports in the United States. ...

It was also Boyd's script that added the critical plot twist of the Police Captain in the helicopter making up units that didn't exist on the scanner to trap the thieves, and the version of the wreck at the end of the movie (from a semi-truck on the highway to the surprise collision with a freight train).

On the strength of his new script, Boyd raised two million dollars for the budget (a big budget at the time). Boyd had two young, unknown actors David Soul and Sam Elliott in mind for the lead roles, when he got a phone call from James Nicholson president and partner of Sam Arkoff at American International Pictures, a major producer of "B Movies". Nicholson was leaving AIP to form his own company, Academy Pictures, in partnership with Twentieth Century Fox: Fox would finance and distribute his films and give him complete control. Nicholson told Boyd he had read his script for "Pursuit," and wanted it to be his first film for Academy Pictures. David Soul (born August 28, 1943 in Chicago, Illinois) is an American actor and British citizen and singer best known for his role as the seat-of-the-pants California police detective Ken Hutch Hutchinson (opposite co-star and long-time friend Paul Michael Glaser) in the cult television program... Samuel Pack Elliott (born August 9, 1944) is an American film and television actor. ... The early AIP logo. ... The term B-movie originally referred to a film designed to be distributed as the lower half of a double feature, often a genre film featuring cowboys, gangsters or vampires. ... Related articles FOX Television Network Fox Searchlight Pictures Fox Entertainment Group List of Hollywood movie studios List of movies Variant of current 20th Century Fox logo External links 20th Century Fox Movies official site Twentieth Century Fox is also the punning title of a song by The Doors on their...

Fox got Peter Fonda interested in the project, and Nicholson hired English director John Hough, who had directed a horror film for him at AIP. After a series of legal battles over control of the film, Boyd accepted a settlement offer and left the project.

Cameras rolled in the fall of 1973.

External links

• Dirty Mary Crazy Larry at the Internet Movie Database