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Dirty Mary, Crazy Larry

post #1 of 18
10/19/06 at 6:33pm
Thread Starter 
Due to a recent craving for classic car chases, I decided to check out this 1970s era Peter Fonda flick. Although it begins slow, the momentum builds throughout, each chase sequence getting progressively crazier. The plot is simplicity itself. Freewheelin' Fonda (as a former racer) and stoic Adam Roarke (as a disgraced mechanic) rob a grocery store and go on the run. Susan George plays Fonda's scorned lover tags along, refusing to let him leave her behind. Their surefire scheme is blocked, however, by the unrelenting pursuit of cagey cop Vic Morrow.

Susan George's American accent isn't terribly convincing and the dialogue occasionally falls flat, but none of that really matters. What matters are crashes, spin-outs, and bridge jumps. I mean, I'm not a car fanatic by any means, but there's something insanely compelling about watching a mid-70s suped up Charger flying around hairpin turns while haplessly pursuing cops swerve into telephone polls.

Watching the film, I couldn't help but consider how damn dangerous those stunts must have been. There's a real thrill to the chases with nothing glossy at all about the filming, not even a soundtrack for the most part. No radio friendly rock accompaniment - just the squeal of tires on asphalt. Purity.

To be enjoyed with a couple of bottles of Pabst Blue Ribbon.
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post #2 of 18
10/19/06 at 7:01pm
That scene with the helicopter is crazy; I was surprised how well choreographed and shot it was for a low budget movie like this one. And perhaps it's my memory playing tricks with me, but I think I remember that in some shots you can really see Vic Morrow actually sitting in the cockpit as the helicopter gets way too dangerously close to the car.
Otherwise, It's one of those guilty pleasure movies I enojoyed a lot.
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post #3 of 18
10/19/06 at 10:17pm
'Clown to Franklin'
'Franklin here...come in, Clown'

Yet another of the many car movies that my older brother forced me to watch whenever it came on tv. God help me, I love em all.
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post #4 of 18
10/19/06 at 10:23pm


Susan George was crazy hot in the 70s.
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post #5 of 18
10/20/06 at 12:33am
Saw this film for the first time last summer and I fell in love with it. I love Fonda's attitude in it. The car chases are great, especially when they pass between the two trucks.

Maybe I'm wrong, but I think this film is meant as a parody of Two-Lane Blacktop and Vanishing Point. See the scene where Fonda convinces George to stay and the out-of-nowhere ending.

There also two of my favorite lines in this film:

Fonda: "Every bone in her crotch. That's what I'm gonna break!"

Fonda: "And you know what it means when I'm behind schedule? (PAUSE) Not a goddamn thing!"
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post #6 of 18
10/20/06 at 9:32am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Papa Quagmire
That scene with the helicopter is crazy; I was surprised how well choreographed and shot it was for a low budget movie like this one. And perhaps it's my memory playing tricks with me, but I think I remember that in some shots you can really see Vic Morrow actually sitting in the cockpit as the helicopter gets way too dangerously close to the car.
Otherwise, It's one of those guilty pleasure movies I enojoyed a lot.
The helicopter scene is one of the best in the movie. When the Charger rounds one particular corner, followed closely by the helicopter, I swear the blades come inches from the ground. Wicked dangerous. I can't imagine any production company having the sheer balls to try something like that these days. And knowing how Vic Morrow would later die filming a helicopter scene, the danger has a genuinely chilling resonance.
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post #7 of 18
10/20/06 at 9:39am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by The Alexor
Saw this film for the first time last summer and I fell in love with it. I love Fonda's attitude in it. The car chases are great, especially when they pass between the two trucks.

Maybe I'm wrong, but I think this film is meant as a parody of Two-Lane Blacktop and Vanishing Point. See the scene where Fonda convinces George to stay and the out-of-nowhere ending.

There also two of my favorite lines in this film:

Fonda: "Every bone in her crotch. That's what I'm gonna break!"

Fonda: "And you know what it means when I'm behind schedule? (PAUSE) Not a goddamn thing!"
My favorite part of the pass between the two trucks is seeing & hearing the sides of the windshield crack under the pressure. Great moment.

I'm not sure if I would go so far as to call it a parody of other car chase films, but it certainly takes itself less seriously than those others. I see it spanning the middle ground between Smokey and the Bandit & Vanishing Point. The ending is certainly a shock, especially for the abruptness.

SPOILER WARNING - As a small bit of trivia, the train collision was later shown during the opening credits of The Fall Guy.
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post #8 of 18
10/20/06 at 9:50am
I've always had fond memories of this movie, having actually seen it as a kid, at the DRIVE-IN! My parents rule. I've never seen it in it's entirety since.

I've thought about revisiting it many times but I find myself not wanting to repeat last weekends bum-out of revisiting GODZILLA Vs THE SMOG MONSTER, which didn't quite hold up to my childhood memory. Some crazy scenes. I suppose it's worth seeing, but not quite the masterpiece I remebered it being when I was 6.

So, not to say DIRTY MARY CRAZY LARRY won't hold up or still entertain, but I don't know if altering my current perception/memory is worth it.
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post #9 of 18
10/20/06 at 10:08am
It does hold up.
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post #10 of 18
10/20/06 at 1:04pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by CaptainZahn


Susan George was crazy hot in the 70s.
Yeah, she really was something special back then, even with her the pride of British dentistry smile. It's a shame Mandingo totally destroyed her film career.
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post #11 of 18
10/20/06 at 4:15pm
She'll always be "that British chick from 'Enter The Ninja'" to me.

And "Venom", which she was also in...scared the crap out of me when I saw it in the theater.
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post #12 of 18
10/20/06 at 6:36pm
This one is one of my personal favorites. The chase between the Charger and the Helicopter are great. My favorite line has to be: "So help me, you ever try another stunt like that again, I'm going to braid your tits". LOL. I found a copy of this on DVD on ebay a year or two ago. Anyone remember seeing Dirty Mary and Crazy Larry on the TV in the background of Samuel Jacksons house in "Jackie Brown" Classic.
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post #13 of 18
10/20/06 at 8:14pm
One of the best car chase movies ever. Fonda is great, but George is a nasty skank- bug-eyes, small titties.

Go great with the a double feature of this and Smokey and the Bandit., which is the superior film, imho.

Vic Morrow was a real prick, he played them well, then he had to go and lose his head.
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post #14 of 18
10/20/06 at 10:23pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by General Zod
George is a nasty skank- bug-eyes, small titties.
One man's bug-eyed and small-titted is another man's doe-eyed and perky-titted. She's like Goldie Hawn and Julie Christie all rolled into one woman to me.



Speaking of Goldie Hawn, has anyone ever seen Dollars with her and Warren Beatty? There's some great chases in that, but I can't remember if any of them are car chases.
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post #15 of 18
10/21/06 at 4:10am
That pic is not here as she is in the film. Look at her, she's been rode hard and put away wet. Something close to a fried monkey.
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post #16 of 18
10/21/06 at 4:56am
I just dig how different most of the characters she played around 1970-75 were. I think her rough-around-the-eges look in that film is kind of enticing.
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post #17 of 18
10/21/06 at 6:41am
That's understandable. Kinda refreshing, especially up next to the robots of today.
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post #18 of 18
10/21/06 at 6:43am
Quote:
Originally Posted by P-3
I've always had fond memories of this movie, having actually seen it as a kid, at the DRIVE-IN! My parents rule. I've never seen it in it's entirety since.

I've thought about revisiting it many times but I find myself not wanting to repeat last weekends bum-out of revisiting GODZILLA Vs THE SMOG MONSTER, which didn't quite hold up to my childhood memory. Some crazy scenes. I suppose it's worth seeing, but not quite the masterpiece I remebered it being when I was 6.

So, not to say DIRTY MARY CRAZY LARRY won't hold up or still entertain, but I don't know if altering my current perception/memory is worth it.
No masterpiece, just solid 70's era fun.
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