I just watched the 1967 movie Hot Rods from Hell. While it contains some of the worst acting I have ever seen, I have to say I enjoyed it quite a bit.
It has it all - “rock and roll” music, teenage hoodlums, square family with rebellious hot daughter, local lawman exasperated with the young generation, and a local hangout where the kids congregate.
Oh yeah. And hot rods. Really cool hot rods.
Anyone seen this movie? Are there other films of this genre that are actually, you know, good? Or are they all just cheesy fun?
mmm
No help here? Hmm, maybe we have to wait til the few that are still alive from that generation get back from church. Oh, but then there’s the brunch at Mae’s Cafe and the Sunday afternoon nap.
But, seriously, I’m going to find me a Hot Rod movie. Sounds like fun. But didn’t a number of movies at that time have “teenage hoodlums” and adults “exasperated with the young generation”? I remember all the cliches in “Teenagers From Outer Space” on MST3K.
Not a hot rod film, but the first title that popped into my head was Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! (1965). It featured a Porsche 356C, an MGA, an MGB, and a Triumph TR3A.
There’s Rebel Without A Cause, which I think is just a trashy hot-rod movie but has been promoted to masterpiece great because of James Dean’s martyrdom.
I haven’t seen Hot Rod Girl mentioned yet, that’s a good one. Pretty much anything that has “Hotrod” or “Drag” in the title is a winner.
A sub-genre of the hot rod movie are the Southern rebel moonshiner movie, like Thunder Road. They’re often auto-centric, Dukes Of Hazzard being the sanitized version of same. Others in this genre is White Lightning and Last American Hero
Vanishing Point has a lot of the themes you’re looking for, but is outside the Fifties scenario of a small town being overwhelmed by ill-mannered outside influences.
Mad Max? No rock and roll but a similar cars and rebels theme.