The Last American Hero
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| The Last American Hero | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Lamont Johnson |
| Produced by | William Roberts and John Cutts Joe Wizan |
| Written by | William Roberts based on articles by Tom Wolfe |
| Starring | Jeff Bridges Valerie Perrine |
| Cinematography | George Silano |
| Editing by | Tom Rolf, A. C. E. Robbe Roberts |
| Distributed by | Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation |
| Release date(s) | July 27, 1973 |
| Running time | 95 mins. |
| Country |  United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $2,130,000[1] |
| Box office | $1,250,000 (US/ Canada)[2] |
The Last American Hero (also known as Hard Driver) is a 1973 sports drama film based on the true story of American NASCAR driver Junior Johnson. Directed by Lamont Johnson, it stars Jeff Bridges as Junior Jackson, the character based on Johnson.
The film is based on Tom Wolfe's story, "The Last American Hero", which is included in his 1965 debut collection of essays, The Kandy-Kolored Tangerine-Flake Streamline Baby. The film was favorably reviewed by Pauline Kael in The New Yorker, even though The New Yorker had a long-standing feud with Wolfe.
The film's theme song, "I Got a Name", sung by Jim Croce, became a best-selling single.
Cast [edit]
- Jeff Bridges as Elroy Jackson, Jr.
- Valerie Perrine as Marge
- Geraldine Fitzgerald as Mrs Jackson
- Ned Beatty as Hackel
- Gary Busey as Wayne Jackson
- Art Lund as Elroy Jackson, Sr.
- Ed Lauter as Burton Colt
- William Smith II as Kyle Kingman
- Gregory Walcott as Morley
- Tom Ligon as Morley
- Ernie Orsatti as Davie Baer
- Erica Hagen as Trina
- James Murphy as Spud
- Lane Smith as Rick Penny
References [edit]
- ^ Solomon, Aubrey. Twentieth Century Fox: A Corporate and Financial History (The Scarecrow Filmmakers Series). Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press, 1989. ISBN 978-0-8108-4244-1. p257
- ^ Solomon p 232. See also "Big Rental Films of 1973", Variety, 9 January 1974 p 60. Please note figures are rentals not total gross.
External links [edit]
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