Hot Rod Gang

American International Pictures led by cigar chomping Hollywood stereotype Samuel Z. Arkoff produced lots of these teen exploitation B Movies in the 50's and 60's and Hot Rod Gang is one of them. The formula was simple, hot rods, fights, drag racing, girls and rock and roll music. This film has all of that plus Gene Vincent! The story is about John Abernathy III played by Elvis sound alike John Ashley who is part of society's upper crust who has to keep his "hot rod gang" a secret from his family. He meets Lois Cavendish played by Jody Fair who also played the heroin junkie in "High School Confidential" and helps keep his secret safe and enjoys his hot rod gang. The '32 Ford roadster Ashley drives is the Bob McGee/Dick Sritchfield roadster. The '32 Ford roadster that Ashley's nemesis Steve Drexel drives is actually the famous Pete Hendersen roadster which is the car that had the famous race with a quarter horse that set the blueprint for quarter mile drag racing. These two have a "curb race" in the beginning of the film that will make any car buff cringe! By the way, the opening sequence was filmed on Santa Monica blvd in Hollywood. The other '32 Ford in this movie is Tony LaMasa's chopped and channeled green roadster that was the same car that was featured in an episode of Ozzie and Harriet where Ozzie raced it in a Model T. Gene Vincent plays himself and sings 2 songs and tries to help Ashley's singing career but Ashley declines because he can't risk a public appearance because the police(Russ Bender)are looking for Ashley for splashing the stodgy old man in the beginning of the film with his hot rod while racing through a puddle...for reals!!! If anything, it's worth seeing this just to see Maureen Arthur sing one of the corniest songs ever "Choo Choo Cha Poochie" in the pointiest bra known to man. The Ala-Kart, a show winning hot rod built by George Barris is also in the film but only in 2 scenes and for some reason, hardly noticeable.

Hot Rod Gang (1958)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

Fun teen stuff from AIP has John Ashley playing John Abernathy III, a cool teen who drives a fast car and even manages to get the pretty new girl (Jody Fair) in town. However, trouble happens when his gang of friends are about to be thrown out of the place they hang out so they decide to use their band to make some money and they also get some help from Gene Vincent. If you're looking for a film that will change your life or change your views on certain topics then HOT ROD GANG certainly isn't for you. If you're just wanting some cheap fun from the 1950s drive-in craze then this film offers up a pretty good time. I thought the story was actually one good enough to where you could get wrapped up in what was going on. Yes, it's pretty far-fetched and you could argue that it was silly but in a teenage guys life is there anything more important than a girl, a car and a place to hang out? I thought director Lew Landers (THE RAVEN) did a very good job at keeping the film running at a nice pace and he also added in some nice touches with the supporting characters. I really liked how eccentric, weird and rather silly all of the adults were. This is something that happened in most of these films but here it's done in a way that was pretty funny to watch and especially the two aunts. The performances really weren't all that bad with Ashley once again playing the type he's best remembered for and he even gets to sing a couple songs. Fair made for a good love interest even though she wasn't all that energetic. Future Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Gene Vincent gets to do a few tunes including his final hit Dance to the Bop. Again, HOT ROD GANG isn't going to change your life but it's fast and fun entertainment.

Hard to rate a movie like this. It really belongs with the popular teenage genre of the 1950's. But judged on that restricted basis, it's a goodie-- roaring hotrods, tight sweaters, poodle skirts, and a nice dash of Gene Vincent r&r. Even multi-talented actor Ashley does his own numbers without dubbing. Forget the plot, something about raising rent money for the clubhouse, and John (Ashley) acing out rival Mark (Drexel). Then too catch the many snappy lines from a better than usual script that plays up the laughs. Even the old gals are a hoot, and I still can't believe the elderly maid did her own acrobatic tricks. See what you think. Note too, how many of the street scenes were apparently filmed alongside the slab-like walls of the movie studio. Still, I'm glad there's some cop catch-up for the wild street racing that may be fun but really is dangerous. So how did I miss this little gem back in '58; I'm sure I would remember it if for nothing more than the bullet-busted Marilyn Monroe look-a-like. But I'm glad to have finally caught it thanks to IMDB. Hard to believe the surviving kids from the flick are as old now as we drive-in freaks. But it was fun while it lasted. And it will be for you too if you still like a can of soda pop now and then.

Lucky enough to catch and record this off of AMC a few years ago. The only thing about this movie that makes me want to view it again is to see what Gene Vincent was like at near the height of his fame. Gene, of course, does 'Be Bop A Lula' in color in 'The Girl Can't Help It' but he has some dialog in this one and does TWO songs with the Blue Caps in this one: 'Dance In The Street' and 'Baby Blue'. You get a good look at Gene's 2nd lead guitarist (after Cliff Gallup); Johnny Meeks and his greasy hair-do and dancer Tommy Facenda doing a frenzied shimmy. Also some Gene stage moves. Apparently his staring up into space and singing was something of a trademark. Anyhow, missing the 50's, this'll have to do for catching Gene. Oh yeah, the rest of the movie. Always nice to see the AIP logo and nice opening credits race scene down some street in the LA are in the 50's. A couple of fights, dances and less hot rod action that I expected. John Ashley apes Elvis the best he can and sings more songs than Gene (boo). ** out of *****. *** if you're a Gene fan.

No, it's no classic, but it has one of the greatest lines ever (heard in narration, it pretty much sums up the film): "This story is true--only the facts have been changed." Honest!