Grand Theft Auto
Tags: cult

Plot synopsis:
Two young lovers, Sam Freeman (Ron Howard) and Paula Powers (Nancy Morgan), want to get married in Las Vegas. When Paula introduces Sam to her parents they dispute their daughter's decision: they see Collins Hedgeworth (Paul Linke), the son of a wealthy family in the area, as her fiancée. Paula's parents are rich as well and her father, Bigby Powers (Barry Cahill), is planning to run for governor. They think Sam is marrying Paula for the money and call him a fortune hunter, which Paula fiercely disputes.
Sam is thrown off the premises and Paula is sent to her room. She escapes through the window, steals her parents' Rolls-Royce, picks up Sam and hits the road: this is the beginning of two runaway lovers in a wild explosive car chase and race towards Las Vegas. As news of their elopement spreads, several people start off after them to try to stop the fleeing couple.
Paula's father, Bigby Powers starts the chase by arranging his helicopter. Collins Hedgeworth leaves his stable and starts chasing his love interest like mad. When he calls to the TenQ radio station – to DJ Curly Q. Brown (Don Steele) – he offers a USD$25,000 reward for the ones who can catch Paula and Sam. As a result the chase becomes more and more chaotic as many people along and on the road try to stop the couple in order to claim the reward. A number of cars are wrecked and stolen, and a subsequent reward of $25,000 is offered for Collins Hedgeworth, who is wanted by the police for grand theft auto, after he stole a car.
With so many cars following them, Paula and Sam turn onto small, country roads to try to lose their pursuers. He wants to head somewhere else to get married, but she is set on a Vegas wedding. Paula's father makes an emotional appeal to her via telephone, but she refuses to listen to him. As they approach Las Vegas, Sam begins to have doubts about Paula's reasons for eloping, and questions whether she is genuinely motivated by affection for him or a desire to spite her father. She persuades him that she does want to marry him.
The chase is gaining increasing coverage in the news media, with live cameras following the chase. The pursuing cars become involved in a demolition derby, leading to a massive pile-up. The priceless Rolls Royce is totally destroyed, but Paula and Sam manage to escape. They eventually get married.

Review: The seventies, a time when, despite the depressingly high crime rate, people left their keys in the ignition without giving it a second thought; when cars were stolen so often we considered them communal property.(By the way, if you're ever the victim of a car theft, stand in the road shaking your fist as the car drives off, then yell 'come back here!' as loudly as possible.
This is sure to get your car back.)The seventies were a magical time, when gubernatorial candidates wore jumpsuits without fear of ridicule and kept hired goons on retainer; when towns had only one radio station and we all listened to it; when whiny polo players were considered good catches.And the car chases!
Many times, while driving to his job as Jack Lord's shoe buffer, he would come across an impromptu car chase headed to Las Vegas or Tahiti or some other fun place and you better believe he joined in!
In the seventies, radio stations thought nothing of scrapping their entire playlist and sending up a fleet of helicopters manned by skinny DJs in smoked glasses to spend days covering a car chase while whole police forces sat idly by, except for that one wacky policeman who always seemed to show up carrying some personal vendetta against one of the chasers and was in way over his head but didn't know it because he wasn't too bright but we understood and we loved him anyway.Because it was the seventies..
Transitioning from actor to director and writer, Ron Howard is at the top of his game.
In "Grand Theft Auto", Ron plays Sam, a smart, simple man who runs off with a rich man's daughter named Paula ( Nancy Morgan) , whom her father and mother disapproves completely.
The two couple go on into a high speed chase all the way to Las Vegas to elope.Unfortunately, the father wants to put a stop to it.
But, stealing every car cost everyone their chances to stop the couple from heading to Las Vegas.
The fiancé mother (Marion Ross) was in so much trouble with the law from stealing a car, to assault to a policeman, I don't think she''ll ever see the light again.
With so many stars including Happy Days producer Garry Marshall, Marion and Ron weren't very Cunningham like in this movie: the language, obscene gestures, and Marion hitting the officer in the groin.
Instead she and Sam steal her father's Rolls Royce and head to Las Vegas to elope.
From this a large road chase eventuates with Colin calling a radio station to announce a $25,000 reward for Paula.
Soon Paula's father has got out the big guns to stop them, while plenty of nutty people join in chase for the doe and the local radio station DJ happens to be commentating the action in a hovering helicopter.Just sit back, and soak it all up.
Following the success of Ron Howard's starring vehicle "Eat My Dust".
Another chance was on offer, and this follow up had Ron Howard kicking off his directorial debut under the watchful eye of producer Roger Corman and what we get is purely light-headed fun with non-stop bustle and chaos ensured.
This tight budget drive-in, b-film is a madcap chase comedy all the way, which is ebulliently staged and provides such a rush due to Howard's concisely economical and desirable direction.
The animatedly mindless screenplay, which is penned by Ron and his father Rance Howard crackles with plenty of freedom to cluster and stretch out the story with mini sub-plots, clever visual gags, highly witty dialogues and a circus show of colourful characters.
The concept is simple, old-school and cartoonish, but Howard's knowledgeable timing and honest tailoring lets the film open up naturally with its crackerjack pacing that never lets the momentum slip and expansively robust and tightly choreographed stunts that lead onto a smash-a-thon of fast and stolen motor vehicles ending in flourish of explosions.
Nancy Morgan shines excellently in a sprightly cheeky turn as Paula and Ron Howard amusedly sits on cruise control as Sam. The Corman-regulars that co-star on this one range from the eccentrically self-absorbed performance by a fantastic Don Steele, Clint Howard, Rance Howard and a minor appearance by Paul Bartel.
Not Bad For What It Is. Ron Howard's directorial debut (in which he also stars) is a pretty good piece of drive-in movie fun, with a silly but fast-paced story and enough car chases and crashes to keep those who go for this kind of thing plenty satisfied.
Before Ron Howard made his most famous movies, he started with this ultra-wacky car chase story.
Sam Freeman (Howard) and Paula Powers (Nancy Morgan) try to announce their marriage plans to her parents', but the latter refuse to accept it.
Much like in "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World", everyone drives in every direction at top speed, damn the peripheral consequences.One thing that really caught my eye was that Marion Ross starred in "Grand Theft Auto".
Maybe it would look like this:Marion: "Now Richard, always remember to be careful behind the wheel."(Richie zooms off.) Marion: "He always took after Howard when it came to driving."***Either way, the movie's outlandish (in fact, it's done like a B-movie), but it's impossible not to like..
I did buy the DVD of this film because it was a Ron Howard's first movie.
If you're looking for fun, non-boring, happy and even romantic film, you should definitely get this.7 of 10.
GRAND THEFT AUTO (2+ outta 5 stars)Pretty minor car crash movie from the peak of the car crash movie boom of the mid-to-late-70s.
Notable as the directorial debut of star Ron Howard...
so producer Roger Corman deserves some credit for the later *good* movies that Howard directed.
cornball plot about 2 young kids in love stealing a Rolls Royce and heading for Vegas to get hitched.
Last major film role for Ron Howard...
GRAND THEFT AUTO (Ron Howard, 1977) **1/2.
Made for Roger Corman's low-budget outfit (he explains how it all came about in the accompanying interview), this road movie on the lines of VANISHING POINT (1971) and THE SUGARLAND EXPRESS (1974) evolves into one uninterrupted chase along the American midwest.
It's undeniably enjoyable on a non-think level, relying on an endless stream of energetic stunts (mostly gratuitous car crashes and explosions) to carry its thin plot as far as it can go.
Howard also took the lead role and co-wrote the script with his father Rance; fellow cast members from Howard's popular HAPPY DAYS TV series also put in appearances&#8230;and there's even a cameo by director Paul Bartel!
The technical crew holds some surprise: Allan Arkush (who later helmed the Corman-produced ROCK 'N' ROLL HIGH SCHOOL [1979]) served as second-unit director, Gary Graver (best-known for his collaborations with Orson Welles) was the cinematographer, and Joe Dante (even after having started his own directorial career) edited the film!.
The funniest car chase movie of all time!.
Forget Smokey and the Bandit, check out Grand Theft Auto if you want a car-chase movie in the comedy genre!
This was also Ron Howard's directorial debut.
This was also Ron Howard's directorial debut.
It's about these teenagers who go joyriding in stolen cars, and they get into the most deliriously funny situations anyone could imagine in a car-chase movie!I don't care if this movie didn't get any good reviews or if it wasn't considered 'cool', but hey, after all it was Ron Howard's first movie he ever produced.
If you're in the mood for a serious car-chase movie, rent something like Bullitt or The French Connection.
Opie Grows Up & Has Fun Coming Out. The Howard brothers, Ron & Rance got together to write this film.
Plot wise, at least it has a plot, but it gets a little wild at times.Amazing Howards direction is good enough here that for his first film it comes out OK.
Her family is rich, while Ron's TV mom (Marion Ross) is just against the whole thing.
You get the feeling fairly late in the film that some of the characters including Ron & the girlfriends own are just getting developed.
Paula Powers and Sam Freeman (Ron Howard) shock her rich parents with news of their engagement.
After a couple of crashes, Collins offers a reward over the radio and the mad chase go into high gear.This is Ron Howard's full length directorial debut.
The plot is only an excuse to put on a cross-country car chase like "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World".
He can have some fun but he's not changing the way car chases are done..
For any reasons other than nostalgia, I can't imagine anyone wanting to watch this lame film, the actual purpose of which seems to be an excuse to wreck cars and trucks.
It's just kind of entertaining though to look back at a movie that, while totally stupid, shallow and poorly acted, is simultaneously absurdly pure, simple, and innocent, just to remind myself of how different times really were when I was young, and that it wasn't just a dream..
Good For What It Is. Grand Theft Auto (1977) ** 1/2 (out of 4)Ron Howard made his directorial debut with this Roger Corman chase picture.
In the film Howard plays Sam Freeman, a man who runs off with his rich girlfriend (Paula Powers) who just happened to steal her father's Rolls Royce.
Soon her fiancé (Paul Linke) from a pre-arranged marriage is on the chase as is his mother, various cops and countless other people who jump in on the bounty placed on the runaways.
Howard does a pretty good job with this film as there's really not too much you can ask for in a chase picture except that it be fast and fun.
GRAND THEFT AUTO is certainly a lot of fun for fans of the genre because it offers up some non-stop chases, plenty of action and some pretty memorable characters as well.
The action in the film pretty much starts at the two-minute mark and never lets up as we get all sorts of wild chases and car crashes.
It really does seem as if everyone just sat around trying to come up with the various ways you could crash cars either into one another or into various objects.
I thought the supporting group of "chasers" were a lot of fun and especially Marion Ross as the fiancé's mother who won't back down until she gets her baby back.
Howard and Nancy Morgan do a nice job together even with their characters being the least interesting in the film.
Howard was obviously working with a very small budget but the editing really kept the film going, made it rather stylish and also made it look like it was a much bigger picture.
GRAND THEFT AUTO isn't a masterpiece but it's a fun piece of drive-in entertainment..
If there was a genre "Car-chase Movie"....
The only point of the film is to show car chase after one another, on highways and in the desert.
I've always had a soft spot for car chase movies, so naturally this one interested me.
SPOILER WARNINGS:In his directorial debut, Ron Howard plays high school kid Sam who is in love with rich girl Paula.
Her dad wants her to marry rich kid Collins Hedgeworth, whom Paula denounces as a 'flake'.
Her dad tries to get the better of her by confiscating her car keys, but then she gets the last laugh as she purloins her old man's Rolls-Royce and picks up Sam.
The two then set off for Las Vegas to get married.Polo-playing wimp Collins tries to give chase, as does his mother, who is trying to get him back before he hurts himself.
They include: a pair of horny mechanics, a bunch of bumbling private eyes hired by Paula's dad, a money-hungry preacher, a group of dynamite toting rednecks, a group of Hispanic low-riders and an LA cop looking to bust most of the group for grand theft auto.
This film is brilliant and is a must for car chase fans, like me!.
Recap: Paula Powers, daughter of governor candidate Bigby Powers, has decided to spurn the fiancée, Collins, that her parents have chosen for her, and elope with her love Sam. She steals Bigby's Rolls Royce and heads for Vegas.
But when he crashes his car, he calls to a popular radio station offering 25 000 dollars if the pair is caught, then steals a car and restarts the chase.
Everyone that spots the Rolls wants in on the action, and it doesn't help that the whole circus is reported live.Comments: One of a few quite similar movies that appeared at the end of the 70's along with such titles as Smokey and the Bandit and Gone in 60 Seconds.
Like many of the others, Grand Theft Auto has a simple idea, offer a simple excuse for an extended car chase, crash a lot of vehicles in spectacular ways, and run it for approximately 90 minutes.
But at as such it offers some easy entertainment, a few laughs and some very easy watching.A little extra fun to watch as it is the real directing debut of Ron Howard, who also plays the lead character Sam in the movie.
And as in many other of Ron's movies, brother Clint also appears in the cast.But other than that, it isn't much to remember.
If you enjoy a car chase movie, this is maybe something you want to see.
Eloping because her parents were not happy of her marrying against their wishes, Nancy Morgan and boyfriend Ron Howard(who also directed)head for Vegas in papa's(Barry Cahill) Rolls Royce with many vehicles damaged along the way.
Morgan was supposed to marry a rich prick(Paul Linke, who is hilarious) she doesn't even like because her parents wanted her to be a part of his wealthy family.
Set out on the highway, Linke chases after them, with his mom(Marion Ross, Howard's Happy Days co-star)trying to find him.
There's nothing quite like vehicle carnage and director Howard lets out all the stops, with a car destroying something(or being destroyed by something)every five minutes it seems.
Howard and Morgan evading those out to catch them, constantly avoiding "reward seekers", hired men paid by her father(using "G-men", or at least they look like them, and a helicopter crew), and nutty Linke who thinks she's under Howard's mind control(in his mind, he's a hero in pursuit of a damsel in distress).
Like other cross country chase movies, Howard and Morgan's "odyssey" becomes popular news and they reach a form of celebrity.
But, Howard doesn't end there..an obnoxious radio personality, who had been following them from a helicopter, decides to continue bugging them, finding instead a suburban house and outside pool awaiting him(there's nothing quite like seeing a station wagon exploding through the living room of a house).
Clint Howard shows up as one of the gearheads who chases after our eloping young lovers.
Rance Howard, Ron's dad, is hired by Morgan's father to find the kids.
GRAND THEFT AUTO is exactly what it was intended to be, an entertaining comedy action drive-in movie.
I thought Morgan and Howard has wonderful chemistry as the eloping couple, and the cast really inhibit their roles with a great deal of oomph..
Headstrong rich gal Paula Powers (a winningly spunky portrayal by the fetching Nancy Morgan) steals the family Rolls Royce and heads off to Las Vegas to marry her amiable working class boyfriend Sam Freeman (a likable turn by Ron Howard, who also made his directorial debut with this film).
Director Howard, who also co-wrote the simple script with his dad Rance, tells the entertaining story at a zippy pace, maintains an engaging light-hearted and good-natured tone throughout, and stages the assorted wild'n'wacky vehicular carnage with considerable go-for-it brio.
Better yet, the enthusiastic cast attack the material with infectious aplomb, with especially energetic contributions from Marion Ross as the disapproving Vivian Hedgeworth, Peter Isacksen and Clint Howard as a pair of loony hot-rodders, Rance Howard as no-no0nsense private eye Ned Slinker, Paul Linke as pompous preppy Collins, Don Steele as obnoxious disc jockey Curly Q.
Ron Howards' humble but diverting beginning as a director..
Ever amiable Ron Howard stars in this typical enough entry into the chase-and-car-crash genre.
He plays Sam Freeman, the young man whom rich girl Paula Powers (Nancy Morgan) intends to marry, against the wishes of her snooty, judgmental father Bigby (Barry Cahill).
Bigby, who's running for governor, would rather she marry another rich person, the *really* schmucky Collins Hedgeworth (Paul Linke).
So what Paula does is appropriate her fathers' Rolls Royce and take off with Sam for Las Vegas.
The story escalates into a circus as Collins takes off after Sam & Paula, Collins's mother Vivian (Howards' 'Happy Days' mom Marion Ross) takes off after *him*, and other assorted greedy individuals join in the pursuit hoping to obtain the awards offered for the return of both Paula and Collins.Howard had already starred in the thematically similar "Eat My Dust" for Roger Corman, with the proviso that he get to direct their next joint effort.
Howard and his dad, character actor Rance Howard, devised this story, in which Ron could technically be billed as the star but not have to be in every scene so that Ron could focus on the direction.
Of course, despite the game efforts of this cast (also including Rance, Rons' brother Clint, The Real Don Steele, Hoke Howell, Ken Lerner, and Leo Rossi, with Paul Bartel and Garry Marshall in cameos), the real "star" of course is the intense action; Allan Arkush (who has an uncredited bit as the clown) handled the second unit direction and the vehicle stunts are absolutely first rate.
The script by Jr. and Sr. Howard does have some good laughs going for it, to be sure; it's a hoot to see Ross actually flip off a cop!The music by Peter Ivers is quite catchy, Gary Graver handles the cinematography, and the editor was Joe Dante.