Hot Rod Gang
Hot Rod Gang is a 1958 drama film directed by Lew Landers and starring John Ashley. The working title was "Hot Rod Rock" with the film also released under the title Fury Unleashed. American International Pictures released the film as a double feature with "High School Hellcats". The production includes performances by rock and roll musician Gene Vincent, and was the final theatrical feature directed by the incredibly prolific Landers, whose career dated to the mid-1930s. Plot. John Abernathy III needs to lead a blameless life to inherit his father's estate, but he also engages in  hot rod car racing. Production. The film was known during production as "Hot Rod Rock". Reception. The "Los Angeles Times" called it "a film of juvenile violence." The "Monthly Film Bulletin" said "the comedy misfires woefully, the performances are overstated to the point of caricature and the general level is decidedly moronic." "Diabolique" magazine wrote that "Ashley's limitations are exposed a little in this film – I don’t think he was a great comic actor – but it is entertaining and good-hearted."