Film Flashback May 22, 1976

May 22, 1976 was a Saturday night in Murfreesboro, Tennessee so what better time to go see a movie. You could see a matinee (well, not on a Saturday at the Cinema One), then hop over and see the first showing at another theatre, and still have time to see the late movie even. It's a Burt Reynolds bonanza on this night with your choice of Gator at the Cinema One or The Longest Yard at the Marbro Drive In. Before we go to the movies how about visiting Shoney's since they have a strawberry carnival going on.

Gator is ostensibly the sequel to White Lightning, but it feels more like a reboot to me. Burt plays Gator McKlusky who is back to making moonshine so the Feds pinch him to help in bringing the evil Bama McCall (played superbly by Jerry Reed) down. Lauren Hutton plays Burt's love interest while Jack Weston is the federal agent. There is an awesome boat chase at the beginning of the film and lots of other crazy stunts including one that almost got Hal Needham killed. The movie is really great at times, but it seems to swing wildly in tone like it can't figure out if it's an action drama or action comedy. I do like it enough to own the blu-ray. I didn't get to see it in the theatre, but remember catching it every time it aired on network television. It was the first film that Burt Reynolds directed.

We comin' to getcha Gator

Time to pay some bills here. I promised Frank I would run his Bicentennial ad for the money saving Save-A-Chips. Frank's IGA was one of my father's favorite grocery stores along with A & P which was later changed to Giant Foods, and Darwin's Shop-Rite. 

The Martin Twin has a couple of future drive-in movie staples with The Pom Pom Girls and the Roger Corman produced Eat My Dust. Eat My Dust would play the Marbro in November 1976, February 1977, and May 1978 while The Pom Pom Girls would play at the drive-in March 1979, January 1980, February and August 1981, and February 1982 paired with The Cheerleaders. I know such arcane information since I am compiling a list of every film that played Marbro Drive-In which I plan on sharing here beginning in July. Both films may have played additional times, but I'm just up to March 1982 and still have a few years to go. But for now the movies get their first run at Jackson Heights Center.

The Pom Pom Girls is your typical teen sex comedy of the era with a preoccupation with cheerleaders, football, and R rated hijinks. The movie would actually be re-released later with the nudity removed so the film could get a PG rating. The movie has future Revenge Of The Nerds star Robert Carradine in his first lead role. I've never seen this movie, but I do have this DVD set with it on it so I guess I need to give it a chance. I dig the Seventies cars and fashions in the trailer.

Their last chance to raise hell

Let's pause for another commercial. This time it is for the anchor store at Memorial Village: the great and wonderful Big K which was my second favorite department store in Murfreesboro.

Ron Howard wanted to get into directing so Roger Corman said sure, I'll let you direct a movie for me as long as you star in Eat My Dust first. So Ron starred in this great car chase film in order to direct and star in another car chase film called Grand Theft Auto the next year. Eat My Dust is about a high school kid stealing a stock car to impress a girl who ends up with riding with him. Many of the film's chase scenes were incorporated into the very similarly plotted Smokey Bites The Dust in 1981. This is a movie I really enjoy with great car chase footage and a certain wistful quality later during a time when the car is hidden away.  It was often matched with Gone In 60 Seconds during its drive-in run.

Ron Howard pops the clutch and tells the world to eat my dust

The Marbro Drive-In has a couple of superstar movies with Diana Ross starring in Mahogany while Burt Reynolds is onscreen for almost every scene in another of my favorite films The Longest Yard which was featured in the January 10, 1975 Film Flashback. You can click that link if you want to hear about that one. As for Mahogany I have never seen this movie, but I like Diana Ross and Billy Dee Williams is super cool so I may have to check it out. The movie also features Anthony Perkins and Bruce Vilanch is in it too. If you are unfamiliar with the movie I'm sure you know the massive hit tune from it. The "Theme From Mahogany (Do You Know Where You're Going To)" performed by Diana Ross garnered an Academy Award nomination for best song and hit number one on the Hot 100 Billboard charts. 

Diana Ross not only sings, she is a fashion designer

Do you know where you are goin to....well do you?

I think I broke his @*$&!^G neck!