Steelyard Blues

A film that holds up much better than its original reviews would let on. Although Fonda looks a bit disoriented at moments, there are a couple of scenes between her and Sutherland where the two simply radiate the star power that made them famous. Overall the film has a charm and warmth to it that, despite a little clumsyness at times, still makes it very much worthwhile and displays an interesting idiosyncratic type of humor and counterculture charm we haven't seen much of in recent years.

Not a must-see on a saturday night, but a precious gem for the connoisseur.

Career criminal and demolition derby driver Jesse Veldini (Donald Sutherland) gets released from prison. His DA brother Frank Veldin (Howard Hesseman) just wants to keep him out of trouble. He reconnects with hooker/girlfriend Iris Caine (Jane Fonda) and his old friends. They decide to fix up a rundown PBY Catalina airplane. They do various petty crimes to finance the rebuild.

There is a confusing info dump early in the movie. This is trying to be an irreverent comedy but it's more quirky. It's down and out. I don't really know these characters' logic especially Jesse. He seems to be aimlessly searching for something that he doesn't even know. It's a bit muddled. It has the grim of 70's Oakland. I don't find this that much fun but these actors keep me interested. It's a borderline case.

I spent the entire Summer during the making of the film on the set/location of the film, and I would say that being thirteen years of age at the time, it was a heck of ride!!! I learned about racial tension on the streets of Oakland. The local African American population wasn't always crazy about the film crew's presence...lots of discernible anger and tension.I learned about how you try to shoot on location at a real demolition derby with a real live audience. It was organized chaos, and fights were breaking out in the stands and on the track....Peter Boyle was always making everybody crack up with his Marlon Brando imitations.....there was a lot of focus and preoccupation on getting scenes done correctly with pyrotechnics and explosions....hours of debate and preparations...

It was the end of the sixties, and the Vietnam War was going on endlessly with no end in sight....Jane Fonda was blackballed by Hollywood and Steelyard Blues was at least a paycheck.

A piece of Hollywood history during a very uncertain time....

A group of misfits in the Oakland area hang out in a junkyard and an abandoned airstrip. They come up with the harebrained scheme of repairing a PBY Catalina flying boat and escaping their troubles. Donald Sutherland plays the black sheep brother of a district attorney (Howard Hesseman) while Jane Fonda is on hand as a high-priced prostitute sorta romanced by the former. Meanwhile Peter Boyle plays an eccentric bloke who used to work in the circus. John Savage is also on hand.

"Steelyard Blues" was shot in 1971, but not released until 1973. Sutherland & Fonda were an item after the success of "Klute" (1971), but this one understandably failed at the box office and fell into obscurity. It's a drama with amusing touches and not a comedy; although it could be described as a black comedy. It tries to be the early 70's follow-up to iconic counterculture flicks like "Easy Rider" (1969).

In any case, it starts shaky and I was concerned that I had stumbled upon a real dog, but it thankfully finds its footing by the second act as the characters are fleshed out. I suddenly found myself involved in their story. Boyle goes over-the-top to entertain and his Brando scene is a highlight. Another good sequence involves the successful brother (Hesseman) and his 'loser' sibling (Sutherland) having a melee in a cell.

Meanwhile, Fonda's character is a turn-off, but that's just me. The movie was released during the height of the backlash over her 1972 trip to North Vietnam earned her the nickname Hanoi Jane.

The notable soundtrack fittingly features rockin' country blues by variations of the Paul Butterfield Blues Band, then known as Better Days; featuring Nick Gravenites and Mike Bloomfield, as well as Maria Muldaur.

The movie runs 1 hour, 33 minutes, and was shot in Oakland, California, & places nearby.

GRADE: C+

Steelyard blues is a terrific addition to the Woodstock, or anti-establishment, era movies which include Easy Rider, Vanishing Point and Zacharia, to name a few. Peter Boyle is priceless as he does an impression of Marlon Brando and later scales a building without the use of ropes -- also a terrific early performance by KWRP's Howard Hessman. Don't miss this hip, fun farce. They don't make em like this anymore. Fantastic sound track featuring Maria Muldaur -- among others.