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Thunder in Carolina
Thunder in Carolina is a 1960 stock car racing film directed by Paul Helmick and starring Rory Calhoun, Alan Hale, Jr., and Connie Hines. Written by Alexander Richards, it contains 1959-vintage stock car race footage. Filmed at a number of small dirt ovals in the South, the film is set in the 1959 edition of NASCAR's Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina. PlotA stock-car veteran (Rory Calhoun) teaches a grease monkey to race in the Southern 500 in Darlington, S.C. Cast
ProductionAll filming was done during 1959 with much of the footage taken during the actual event. A film car was entered to capture on-track sequences and Rory Calhoun actually ran some laps during the race. Calhoun drives a two-tone 1957 Chevrolet, with a blue body and white top, while his friend-turned-competitor "Les York" is in a 1959 Oldsmobile. The film is a "B" grade production in terms of budget but Thunder in Carolina managed to capture much of the sound and fury of the era. ReleaseThe film had its opening engagements on June 7, 1960, in Darlington, Florence and Hartsville, South Carolina.[1] The film was later marketed on home video as Hard Drivin' with a freeze-frame title spliced into the opening. ReceptionIt grossed $271,847 in its first week in a 100 theater saturation release in the Carolinas.[2] The film was released nationally on July 15, 1960.[1] Quentin Tarantino is a fan of the film.[3] See alsoReferences
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