The Fast and the Furious (1955 film)

The Fast and the Furious

Lobby card to The Fast and the Furious (1955)
Directed by John Ireland
Edward Sampson
Produced by Roger Corman
Written by Roger Corman (story)
Jean Howell
Jerome Odlum
Starring John Ireland
Dorothy Malone
Distributed by American International Pictures
Release date
  • February 15, 1955 (1955-02-15) (United States)
Running time
 73 minutes
Country United States
Language English
Budget $50,000[1]
Box office $250,000[2][3]

The Fast and the Furious is a 1955 American crime film starring John Ireland and Dorothy Malone. It was the first film produced by American International Pictures production company. The B movie was co-directed by the film's leading man, John Ireland. The story was written by Roger Corman and the screenplay by Jean Howell and Jerome Odlum.

Plot

Frank Webster (John Ireland) has broken out of jail, charged with a murder he did not commit. While on the run, and the subject of radio news reports, he becomes cornered in a small coffee shop by a zealous citizen. He commits battery to escape, and kidnaps a young woman named Connie (Dorothy Malone) as he gets away. Frank drives off with Connie in her Jaguar. But she soon proves a difficult hostage, trying to escape a few times, which leads him to treat her more roughly than they both would prefer. This mutual struggle soon leads the two to fall in love with each other. Continuing to elude police, the couple slips into a cross-border sports car race, which Frank plans to take advantage of in order to escape into Mexico. Out of sympathy for Frank and a desire to be with him, Connie informs the police of the plan so he might face trial and be acquitted, and at the last moment he, too, decides it is better to turn himself in. The film ends with his capture by police imminent.

Cast

Production

The working title of the movie was Crashout.[4]

The film was shot in ten days. Corman says he "set up a little of the racing car business because I was interested in that, and I did some of the second unit stuff. But I didn't direct as such."[5]

It was picked up for distribution by a new company, American Releasing Corporation, which became American International Pictures.[6]

Corman says that Ireland only appeared in the film on the condition he could direct it. "Personally, I'm not very pleased with his work," said Corman later. "It was after that film that I decided to become a director."[7]

Corman said that Dorothy Malone "had left her agent and, having no work, accepted a part for next to nothing."[7]

Legacy

The plot of the film was used again in The Chase starring Charlie Sheen and Kristy Swanson.

Producer Neal H. Moritz and Universal Pictures licensed the title for 2001's The Fast and the Furious. Moritz had difficulty choosing between proposed titles Racer X, Redline, Race Wars, and Street Wars, and was inspired by a documentary on American International Pictures that included Corman's film. Moritz was able to trade the use of some stock footage to Corman for use of the title.[8]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Alan Frank, The Films of Alan Frank: Shooting My Way Out of Trouble, Bath Press, 1998 p 17
  2. ↑ Samuel Z Arkoff & Richard Turbo, Flying Through Hollywood By the Seat of My Pants, Birch Lane Press, 1992 p 35
  3. ↑ Samuel Z Arkoff Bergan, Ronald. The Guardian (1959-2003) [London (UK)] 27 Sep 2001: 24.
  4. ↑ TWO STUDIOS PLAN JET PLANE MOVIES: Fox to Do 'Pathway to Stars,' Columbia 'Toward Unknown' -- Miss Monroe Returns By THOMAS M. PRYORSpecial to The New York Times.. New York Times (1923-Current file) [New York, N.Y] 09 Apr 1954: 19.
  5. ↑ Goldman, C. (1971). An interview with ROGER CORMAN. Film Comment, 7(3), 49-54. Retrieved from https://search.proquest.com/docview/210229038
  6. ↑ Mark McGee, Faster and Furiouser: The Revised and Fattened Fable of American International Pictures, McFarland, 1996 p21
  7. 1 2 "Corman Speaks". Positif (59 ed.). March 1964. p. 15–28.
  8. ↑ Franich, Darren (2016-05-25). "'Fast & Furious' producer on the first film: 'We were the little movie nobody really cared about'". EW.com. Retrieved 2017-06-12.
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