billcr12 Robert Mitchum plays a bootlegging driver and his real life son Jim is cast as his younger brother. Jim is the spitting image of his father. Federal alcohol agents are constantly chasing Mitchum as he transports the illegal booze across state lines. He lives with his ma and pa, who are also in what seems to be the family business. At one point, at a meeting of the minds, the family heads discuss the logistical aspects of the operation. As the stills are smashed up by the law, they laugh and say this stuff has been going on for over two hundred years in the backwoods, and will continue, no matter what the law does. Cars are wrecked, a few people killed along the way, but Thunder Road is basically just an old fashioned good guys vs. bad guys movie with the audience mostly cheering on the bad guys, especially the elder Mitchum.

wes-connors In backwoods Tennessee, slick cigarette smoker Robert Mitchum (as Lucas "Luke" Doolin) wins a car chase with federal agents. Fresh out of the Korean War, Mr. Mitchum illegally transports whiskey made in his father's still. As the story progresses, it appears those were bootleggers working for Mitchum's rival, not federal agents. A powerful whiskey racketeer wants to drive Mitchum's family out of business. Hold on, it may be that Mitchum isn't a veteran, after all, because Alcohol, Tobacco and Treasury Department leader Gene Barry (as Troy Barrett) later asks Mitchum's son why his father did not serve in the army. Wait, that's not Mitchum's son turning up his collar in high school, it's his brother James Mitchum (as Robin "Rob" Doolin). Mitchum wants his son out of the family business, which has been bootlegging, way back to their ancestors in Ireland..."Thunder Road" is a great title, especially for a "drive-in" movie. There are a lot of scenes where you can pretend you're actually "in" the on-screen car. No doubt, many guys sat there, spinning their steering wheels. With any luck, one's date got anxious and slide over in the seat, during the chase scenes. Other than that, this Mitchum production is dire. The star looks out of place as a "hardnosed hillbilly" (although "Thunder Road" certainly needed his name in the cast). Mitchum and some of his co-stars may have benefited from some rehearsal time, before facing the camera. The story could have been re-tooled to have the star be a more age appropriate WW II vet, who secretly fathered young Jim Mitchum with girlfriend Francie (contemporary singer Keely Smith). This would give the limp and stilted relationship between the elder Mitchum and Ms. Smith some life...Federal agent Gene Barry doesn't do much to warrant his second billing, but he's dependable. Other multi-TV series favorites Mitchell Ryan (in his first screen role, as Jethro "Jed" Moultrie) and Peter Breck (as Stacey Gouge) are likewise agreeable, early in their careers. Several sources state Elvis Presley wanted to accept the role played by Mitchum's son, but was prevented from doing so when his manager asked for an exorbitant salary. After 1956, it's difficult to believe Mr. Presley would accept a secondary role in this picture, and sing tunes co-written by Robert Mitchum. Perhaps his salary request was a polite way of turning the project down. Interestingly, Mitchum re-recorded his movie theme song and had a big hit record. "The Ballad of Thunder Road" never made the US top ten, but sold steadily enough to be considered one.**** Thunder Road (1958-05-10) Arthur Ripley ~ Robert Mitchum, James Mitchum, Gene Barry, Mitchell Ryan

dougdoepke Whatever the film lacks, which is a lot, focus on the imagery -- duelling hotrods, a dangling cigarette, country two-lanes, and a precious load of illegal booze, family honor, and a good woman. This is movie myth-making at its near purest, so what else could a ducktailed Elvis- clone of the 50's have wanted. Girls may have swooned over treacle like "A Summer Place", but hot-rodders packed this drive-in classic bumper to bumper. Sure, it's badly produced ($50 budget, tops), badly acted (even Mitchum struggles with the hopeless Keely Smith), and features one of the worst canvas backdrops on record (the water-wheel scene). Still it has the King of Cool gunning down the asphalt (don't let the sleepy eyes fool you), pits rugged individualism against angry collectivism (organized crime and big govn't), and opens with a throbbing title tune (composed and sung by Mitchum) -- topped by a look and feel unlike the usual Hollywood contrivance. And who can forget those forlorn headbeams searching their way through an existential void. The imagery was compelling and caught the edgy mood of a drive-in crowd feeling their own way through a world of teenage angst. Few would grow into the mythic shoes of road-warrior, Luke Doolin, but a lot sure wanted to try. Which is why this primitive slice of small-screen black-and-white continues to resonate, even into the big-screen myth-making of souped-up starships, evil empires, and computerized magic.

classicsoncall Hot rods, moonshine and Robert Mitchum - oh baby! - what's not to love about "Thunder Road"? OK, the film gets a little tedious at times with it's dialog and a few scenes that drag, but when it focuses on 'wild and reckless men and illegal whiskey', the picture revs up to a ninety mile per hour pace. And whoa! - long before James Bond - those moonshiners were using gadgets like the oil spray gimmick to run chasers off the road - did that really happen? You have to give Mitchum credit here, not only did he star, but he wrote the story and the title song and produced the picture. He also cast oldest son James as younger brother Robin in the story. It was the perfect part for Mitchum, the perennial bad boy of film in a role that allowed that understated malice and danger to show through.Watch for an obvious continuity goof in that lounge scene near the end of the picture with Lucas Doolin (Mitchum) and Francine (Keely Smith). As they were sitting at the table, a whiskey bottle was positioned at Lucas's elbow. When Francine goes to play a tune at the juke box, she turns around to find Lucas gone, and there are two different non-alcoholic bottles on the table.What would have made the picture better would have been a final showdown between Lucas and gangster Kogan (Jacques Aubuchon). Be that as it may, it's a worthy film that revives a certain nostalgia for those glory days of the Fifties with it's fast cars and sense of imminent danger, best expressed by Kogan when he tried to shake down Lucas with his warning that 'there's no middle way'.