Old sports cars in old movies

[Rick Helberg]

This might be so far “Off Topic”, I hope Mark does not delete it. If you enjoy viewing old Sports Cars in old movies try this B movie “The Fast and the Furious” 1954, with John Ireland & Dorothy Malone which I recently viewed on TCM. The plot? Who cares….its about the period cars. Well. OK: there is the bad man trying to escape and a good woman with a Jaguar XK 120 going to a sports car race towards Mexico all set in So. Calif. Focus is on the Jaguars as John Ireland (actor/director) finagled a deal with a Jag dealer. Numerous sports cars are seen: Healys, Jags, Allards, Triumph. Your challenge is to identify them all. Hint =the Police cars are Nash. Scene locations were shot from Malibu to Monterey (not really close to Mexican border). There were Fast glimpses of Porsches in a racing scene about 1 hour in. Available on youtube but full screen preferred.

[Mark Roth]

Why would I delete it? Off topic is off topic.

[Brian R Adams]

"On The Beach" (1959; 2h:14m; G. Peck, A. Gardner, F. Astaire, A. Perkins)

Very realistic depiction, with some vintage footage, of a road race w/ 356s, Ferraris, 300SLs, Jaguars, Corvettes etc. Fred Astaire "drives" a 1955 Ferrari 750 Monza Spider which in 2011 was sold at auction for over $2.5m. A couple of 356s and other cars are sacrificed in horrific crashes. The B&W cinematography of the race action is startlingly clear, nothing like the vintage race footage we are used to seeing from the 1950s. The race action appears in the final quarter of the picture, at ~1:44. This film is shown fairly often on Turner Classic Movies (TCM) and is currently available as free on-demand streaming on Spectrum cable thru 1 February.
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[Brian R Adams]

Say, I don't mean to beat a dead horse, but Viva Las Vegas (1964; 1h:24m; E. Presley, Ann-Margret) has a lot of period sports car racing action, and in Metrocolor! Panavision! Damnation.
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[Adam Wright]

I guess neither of you guys read the magazine, I reviewed both those movies over the years. On the Beach is better as a movie, but I would watch Ava Gardner do her taxes....

[Steve Proctor]

I guess neither of you guys read the magazine, I reviewed both those movies over the years. On the Beach is better as a movie, but I would watch Ava Gardner do her taxes....

Great quote about Ava Gardner and the taxes, I'm stealing that but I'll give you credit each time I use it...no really!!

[Adam Wright]

I guess neither of you guys read the magazine, I reviewed both those movies over the years. On the Beach is better as a movie, but I would watch Ava Gardner do her taxes....

Great quote about Ava Gardner and the taxes, I'm stealing that but I'll give you credit each time I use it...no really!!

Feel free.

[Brian R Adams]

Sorry, Adam, I forgot that magazine article. But, the forum stands on its own two feet I suppose.

The mother of a girl in my high school had, in her youth, won an Ava Gardner look-alike contest (obviously back when Ava was considered the world's most beautiful woman.) And, no kidding, mom was a dead ringer for Ava Gardner. It didn't escape my attention that her four daughters were also easy on the eyes. Ah, youth!
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[Adam Wright]

Sorry, Adam, I forgot that magazine article. But, the forum stands on its own two feet I suppose.

The mother of a girl in my high school had, in her youth, won an Ava Gardner look-alike contest (obviously back when Ava was considered the world's most beautiful woman.) And, no kidding, mom was a dead ringer for Ava Gardner. It didn't escape my attention that her four daughters were also easy on the eyes. Ah, youth!
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Man, I'd be a grass cutting/window washing fool at that house!

[John Brooks]

Watching “Harper”. 1966 Paul Newman and Joann Woodward movie, he is driving what look like a dolphin gray or glacier white T2 speedster. Color shifts around in the print and gets wrecked but not bad. Lots of speedster shots.

[Ted Hedman]

It appears that the racing scenes in "On the Beach" were filmed at Riverside Raceway in 1958. I happened upon these photos in the Petersen Digital Archives. Looks like the big wreck between the 356 and Jag was staged at the exit of Turn 6, about where the big Goodyear billboard stood for all those years.

[Steve Proctor]

Re: "On the Beach," great shots, Ted and loved the commentary, Adam. As I watched that movie, I wondered how they staged all the carnage without anyone getting killed, driverless cars, excellent stunt coordinators, whatever? Also, how about the casting for that movie. Fred Astaire? I thought that was a reach, although, guessing he would have been pretty good with his footwork skills during heel and toe maneuvers...