Pit Stop

source: Pit Stop

Automotive shop owner Brian Donleavy (in his last screen role) likes the way Richard Davalos drag races, so he offers to back him as a 'figure 8' racer. Davalos accepts, but will his need to win wind up killing him, or destroying him as a human being? I'm not particularly fond of movies about racing; they usually concern guys sitting in a small set, twisting a steering wheel slightly while images of a track are back-projected behind them. There's that here, but there are also signs of an actual script. real conflict, decent actors -- including Ellen Burstyn in her third movie, and the always amusing Sid Haig -- and the footage of cars in action is pretty good. So is the score. In no way is this a great movie, but for a 1960s grindhouse second feature, it gets the job done.

!There's no pit stop in this movie, which is based on figure 8 racing, which features a track that purposely intersects itself, increasing the risk of collisions. That inspired Jack Hill, who originally wanted to call this The Winner. Rick is an amateur drag racer who is in a racing feud with Hawk Sidney (an impossibly young Sid Haig, who didn't know how to drive a car!) over a sponsorship from Grant Willard. They're also battling over the affections of the gorgeous Jolene (Beverly Washburn, who was Elizabeth in Spider Baby), but finally come to an understanding, even after Hawk destroys Rick's car. Rick's next feud is with the champion, Ed McCleod, and his real conquest is that man's neglected wife Ellen (Ellen Burstyn!). As they have a climactic race, there's a big crash and old Ed walks away instead of being put on a stretcher. This manly act has broken his neck and cost him his life, but as Rick attempts to take his place in the spotlight, he loses the respect of everyone, ending the film as its villain instead of the hero. Man, you can't go wrong with Jack Hill. Whether you pick this movie, the aforementioned Spider Baby or grab Coffy, Switchblade Sisters, Foxy Brown or even Sorceress, you're going to get something way better than you expect, which to me is the hallmark of a great talent.

Recently I watched for the first time Peter Bogdanovich's highly acclaimed "The Last Picture Show". And while watching it, this movie, made only a few years earlier by Jack Hill, came to my mind immediately. Ever since I wonder why I find The Winner so much superior. The Winner has a similar setting and a story with similar protagonists like Picture Show. Both have Ellen Burstyn. Somehow The Winner is very direct. I suppose that whereas Picture Show was intellectual to the point of resembling a theses on film theory, The Winner shows the artisan's approach. It goes to your heart, not to your brain. I could not explain how it is done technically, but it is very effective. Although apparently a "cheapie", The Winner is made by good professionals. The story is simple but coherent, straightforward and always entertaining. The acting performances are convincing throughout; there is screen veteran Brian Donlevy, the most peculiar of all "naturals" and definitively one of my all time Hollywood favorites, playing the type of the greedy sports manager. "Cheapie"-star Sid Haig plays a bad boy with appropriate cartoonish zeal, the same can be said of the performance of "the chick", played by Beverly Washburn. The main character, a young racing enthusiast, is presented like a junk yard gladiator: taciturn, brooding and determined - "existentialistic". It all fits. Ellen Burstyn's low-key performance as a racer's wife is extremely touching - her part again compares favorably with the Oscar winning one in Picture Show. The black and white fotography is excellent, there is a long, almost dreamlike sequence of dragster cars making artful figures in the sand dunes. The soundtrack is fantastic and a good early example of heavy rock music. This is an artful portrait of American provincial youth just before the hippy movement started.

"Pit Stop" feels like an amalgamation between modern day racing flicks "The Fast and the Furious" and "Days of Thunder", only this Jack Hill film is way, way … WAY cooler, of course. Perhaps the aforementioned movies benefice from higher budgets, greater names in the cast and far more impressive (to teenage audiences, at least) car turning gimmicks, but both the characters and the actual racing footage in "Pit Stop" are genuinely more plausible and convincing. Regular race tracks are for pansies now, by the way, as Jack Hill introduces the Figure Eight Race Track! As its name implies, the track is shaped like an eight with a dangerous intersection in the middle and, the more the race gradually evolves, the harder it becomes for the drivers to avoid accidents. The plot centers on big shot Grant Willard (no less than Prof. Quatermass himself – Brian Donlevy – in his last film role) who sponsors young & reckless drivers and deliberately forces up the competition and hostility between them. Willard picks up the handsome and talented Rick from a vile street race and challenges him to defeat the reigning champion and ill-tempered Hawk. The competition between the two racers mutually and between them and the ultimate racing champ Ed McLeod becomes increasingly unbearable and even continues outside the racing tracks, as the men also share a romantic interest in the same women. "Pit Stop" is possibly Jack Hill's most ambitious and intellectual accomplishment as a director to date! Surely his more famous films like "Coffy", "Switchblade Sisters" and "The Big Doll House" are more sensational and easier to categorize as exploitation, but this film is stylish, involving and very realistic. The Figure Eight track was for real and most of the races exist of authentic footage and actual crashes interlarded with obviously fake images of Sid Haig and Richard Davalos pulling crazy faces and grotesquely turning a steering wheel. The character drawings are extremely legit as well, since the racers are depicted as obsessive and one-track-minded daredevils and their women as caring and supportive groupies that pray every race will have a happy ending. The performances are amazing, with a very young Ellen Burstyn in one of her first film roles after a lot of TV-work and Sid Haig portraying yet another delightfully freakish character. The film does run a little long and some of the padding buggy-racing footage in the desert, albeit spectacular, could have easily been cut a little. Jack Hill was also responsible for his own great editing and Austin McKinney's black and white cinematography is terrific. Highly recommended in case you're looking for a REAL cinematic highlight, rather than to watch Vin Diesel's big shiny bald head in a hideous car or Tom Cruise pretending to know anything about NASCAR driving.

Street racer Rick Bowman (Richard Davalos) wins when the other car crashes into a house. The other car is owned by Grant Willard (Brian Donlevy) and he has a proposition. After bailing Rick out of jail, Grant recruits him for a figure 8 race track. Grant's other driver is the arrogant champ Hawk Sidney (Sid Haig). Rick has romantic entanglement with Hawk's girlfriend Jolene. Later, he sets his sight on racing chap Ed McCleod whose wife Ellen McCleod (Ellen Burstyn) is his top mechanic. I can watch the car crashes all day. Those racing clips are pure fun. There are some great real action mixed in with the standard rear projection. The lead Richard Davalos is not the most energetic. He does have the leading man looks or else the much more powerful Sid Haig is the more compelling. Anyways, Sid is perfect as the strutting baddie. It's Donlevy's last film and features a thirtysomething Ellen Burstyn who is still working under the name Ellen McRae. As much as I like me some Ellen Burstyn, I don't see the McCleods as necessary. Rick already has a love triangle. His rivalry with Hawk is already set up. Adding more characters in the middle seems to be beside the point. The fact that Ed is so bland isn't doing much. The story is fine. The acting is fine. There are a couple of familiar faces which is intriguing. The best part of this movie is the car action or more precisely the car crashes.

PIT STOP is a typical drive-in thriller of the late 1960s, set around the virtually unknown world of "figure eight" racing. This is a bit like stock car racing and involves youthful drivers bombing around a circuit and quite often smashing into each other. The edgy protagonist joins up to challenge a seasoned professional, but must first take mentorship from an old timer before he can win out. I found the main actor quite wooden, but there are solid supporting turns from old-timer Brian Donlevy, a youthful Ellen Burstyn, and the great Sid Haig who steals all his scenes as the antagonist of the piece. The film's race sequences are quite ordinary, but exploitation director Jack Hill keeps a tight rein on the proceedings, so this is fast and frenetic, never flabby.

Most of this is footage of stock car racing, so that may limit interest to the general audience. There are really 2 stories here. One of Grant Willard, a poor kid (Brian Donlevy) working his way up the ranks in racing. The other is a love story, First plot follows a young driver's rise to fame, the business men who exploit him, and his rival (Sid Haig), an unhinged guy who boasts he gladly faces death in order to secure his supremacy. There's also an old guy hanging round the track handing out advice. I think he's the real deal, says he's been racing since 1919, and looks it. The second plot is the pit stop, metaphor for the stolen moments for romance between the driver and the tomboy greaser-chaser, unsurprisingly always hanging round the garage, mocked by the rest of the crew, but Grant is special and sensitive. Nothing deep, but Beverly Washburn, as Jolene, is a charming little imp who really brightens the screen. co-starring Ellen Burstyn ("Exorcist", " Alice Doesn't Live Here...")!, credited as Ellen Mcrae

Pure and simple, "Pit Stop" is a car crash movie that happens to have a story attached to it. The figure eight track will quickly remind you of the dirt in your face racing that used to be. Richard Davalos plays sort of an anti-hero, taking advantage of situations that could work in his favor at the expense of others. Brian Donlevy really doesn't fit here, and acts as though he would rather be somewhere else. Meanwhile, Sid Haig steals the movie, and is definitely the most interesting character. Do not come into this with expectations beyond drive in fodder, and you will be pleasantly surprised. It moves along at a nice pace, and the race scenes are well done. If you enjoy car carnage , this is definitely one to seek out. - MERK

A young street punk named, Rick Bowman (Dick Davalos), arrested for drag racing. He is bailed out by racing promoter Grant Willard (Brian Donlevy), who offers to sponsor him as driver in the crazy world of figure-8 racing. Rick at first turns down his offer, but later decides to accept his offer after he sees the current figure-8 champion Hawk (Long Time Hill Regular Sid Haig). Rick sees the arrogance of Hawk and decides that he is better than him and he can beat him. Rick does awful in his first 2 races and seeks some help. He finds an old man who used to be a champ and learns his secrets. Finally, Rick is able to beat Hawk and becomes the winner, but becoming a winner comes with a price. Pit Stop without a doubt is Jack Hill's finest effort as a director. Hill who really didn't want to even do a race film, does a terrific job of creating a realistic feel of the racing circuit. The car crashes are well staged and edited, also the acting is excellent all across the board, especially by Sid Haig as the arrogant Hawk. Pit Stop comes in first place as one of the best films of the drive-in era.