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Over the last couple of years, there has been a resurgence of interest in the 1958 cult classic film Thunder Road, starring Robert Mitchum. This movie was the first film produced by Mitchum's production company DRM Studios and was directed by famed old Hollywood director, Arthur Ripley. We even did a deep dive blog last year in several parts on its history:
Thunder Road is a fun, entertaining movie that has lots of great footage of downtown Asheville in the late 1950s!
However, there are several other quintessential motorsports films with footage in Asheville or that have an Asheville connection. These films would have been on rotation at the local drive-in movie theatres in Asheville like Dreamland and the Star Lite theater. Come along with us, as we briefly explore four other films from the early 1960s to the 1970s that give you a good feel for this era of motorsports history.
Challenge - 1974
Rutherford County native Earl Owensby decided that he wanted to start producing his own movies in the early 1970s. He was from the community of Cliffside and made his money selling pneumatic power tools from the back of his truck. He owned several businesses which included Carolina Pneumatic and Supply Co., Carolina Tools & Specialty Co., Carolina Air Tool and Pollution Free Transportation (pedal car makers) in Cleveland County; Morgan-Neely Furniture Co. and Video Sound, Inc. in Spindale and was president of Shelby Flying Service. Shelby Flying service used his two private planes for transporting passengers around the state.
After visiting production studios in New York and Los Angeles, he decided he wanted to start his own production and film studio in the Carolinas, which he would name EO Productions. He later would go on to build a studio in a partially completed nuclear power plant that was auctioned off by the state in Boiling Springs, South Carolina.
His first movie, Challenge, the main character Frank Challenge is a man running for the U.S. Senate who will not sell out to the Syndicate. As a result of his strong stand against the mob, his family is murdered. Challenge then becomes the judge, jury and executioner of these mobsters. There are scenes filmed in the movie all over Western North Carolina. The beginning of the famous ten-minute chase scene between Frank Challenge and his assailant begins on the Asheville cross town connector, I-240, through Beaucatcher Tunnel down Tunnel Road, out old US-70 through Black Mountain and past the Ridgecrest retreat center. A Pantera and 1972 Corvette Stingray lead this exciting chase all the way down to Marion and highway 221. In the first minute of this chase clip, there is some incredible footage of Tunnel Road in Asheville. One of the old neon signs for the Blue Ridge Motor Lodge is still there, although much of this old neon is missing:
Greased Lightning - 1977
Greased Lightning is a semi-biographical film based on the life of one of the first African-American drivers to compete in NASCAR racing, Wendell Scott. Scott, played by Richard Pryor in one of his only dramatic roles, showcases dirt track racing in the South and the evolution of the sport during this era. Wendell Scott was originally from Danville, Virginia and got his start racing in exhibition races, as a novelty promotional act as "the only negro driver in the field." He would become possessed by the thrill of racing and spend the majority of his life piecing together race cars and trying to compete against the larger white NASCAR teams. The movie had many other great stars including Beau Bridges, Pam Grier, Cleavon Little, Vincent Gardenia and Richie Havens.
Many of the racecars that Pryor drives in Greased Lightning were built by Asheville mechanic, Mickey Miller. Miller, a native of Buncombe County had been a mechanic for many of the famous race team owners and drivers in Asheville including Tom Ingram, Ben Barnes and Banjo Matthews. At the time these cars were built, he had a small shop on Carolina Lane in downtown Asheville where he put together the early Chevy race cars Pryor drives at the beginning of the movie. The black 1940 Ford coupe driven by Pryor in the scenes where he is running moonshine liquor was also an Asheville car, worked on by Miller and powered by a "hot" flathead Ford V8. This car has a lovely sound in the movie, that is very distinct. When the movie premiered in Asheville at the Plaza Theater, several of these cars built by Mickey Miller were parked in front of the theater.
Although the majority of this movie was filmed in Georgia and California, Wendell Scott was a household name in North Carolina. He raced several times with limited success at the Asheville-Weaverville Speedway in Weaverville. He would go on to leave an incredible legacy of hard work and determination to overcome many of the racial barriers in the sport at the time. This entire film can be watched for free on YouTube:
The Last American Hero - 1973
The Last American Hero was a sports drama film based on the true story of NASCAR Driver Junior Johnson. It was directed by Lamont Johnson (no relation to Junior), starred Jeff Bridges as Johnson. The idea for the movie was based on an essay by author Tom Wolfe called "The Last American Hero is Junior Johnson. Yes!" which was published in Esquire magazine in March 1965. It was also featured in his collection of essays called The Kandy-Kolored Tangerine-Flake Streamline Baby, which is an essential read for history enthusiasts. Wolfe and Junior Johnson would later form a life-long friendship after the article debuted.
The plot of the movie centers around Bridges' character, Junior Jackson. Jackson, a restless young man finds himself as the family breadwinner when his father, a career moonshiner is arrested and sentenced to one-year imprisonment. Jackson is a talented driver who can't resist the appeal of competition motorsports. He decides to enter a local demolition derby where a local race promoter is impressed by his driving skills and offers him the chance to drive one of his racecars in the modified class. He later becomes involved in a love triangle with a rival driver's girlfriend, with drama ensuing as he makes his way through the race season. Bridges is joined by a star-studded group of actors that includes Valerie Perrine, Ned Beatty, Gary Busey and Lane Smith among others to make an entertaining movie. The movie's theme - "I Got a Name" by Jim Croce had limited success on the charts.
Much of The Last American Hero was filmed in Georgia and Charlotte, North Carolina. It is featured in this collection as it shows an accurate representation of the racing environment of the time and gives the viewer a good idea what the cars and tracks were like at the time. Junior Johnson was a household name in NASCAR and raced frequently at the NASCAR tracks in Asheville, which included Asheville-Weaverville Speedway and New Asheville Speedway on Amboy Road.
Background information on Junior Johnson and Tom Wolfe's friendship and the article written by Wolfe.
Thunder in Carolina - 1960
Starting after World War II, racing exploded throughout the southeast. Despite its isolation, Asheville was full of talented mechanics and drivers who were swept away in this enthusiasm. Asheville's motorsports history is legendary, including four different racetracks that were part of the NASCAR circuit from 1949 until 1999. These tracks included Asheville-Fairview Speedway off Hollywood Road (1949-1955), Asheville-Weaverville Speedway in Weaverville (1950 - 1969), McCormick Field Speedway in downtown Asheville from 1956 - 1959 and New Asheville Motor Speedway on Amboy Road (1961 - 1999). Many racers came from all over the state of North Carolina to race at these storied speedways. This also included racers from South Carolina and Tennessee.
One of the movies that gives you a good idea of what the cars, racing safety/technology and environment was like at these southern races during the late 1950s and early 1960s is Thunder in Carolina starring Rory Calhoun. The story centers around Calhoun's character Mitch Cooper, an itinerant race car driver/mechanic who wrecks his car and hurts his ankle in a bad crash. Looking for work, he meets an eager young man named Les York who runs a small garage in town. York knows of Cooper's race dominance and asks him to teach him how to drive. York's no-nonsense wife Rene played by Connie Hines objects strongly to her husband racing, which creates tension throughout the movie. The movie culminates in the Southern 500 race held at Darlington Speedway in Darlington, South Carolina. The movie also stars Alan Hale Jr. from Gilligan's Island in one of his earlier roles.
This is a movie that would have played at many local drive-in theaters alongside other "B" movies like Thunder Road over the next two decades. It was always a local favorite with lots of great action sequences, even if the plot and story line were thin. The entire movie is available to watch for free on YouTube.
We hope you enjoy some of these other Carolina themed motorsports movies from this period. If you need a break from Christmas movies or are looking for something you haven't seen before, give them a try!
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