''Hot Rod Gang'' is a 1958 drama film directed by Lew Landers and starring John Ashley. The

working title A working title, which may be abbreviated and styled in trade publications after a putative title as (wt), also called a production title or a tentative title, is the temporary title of a product or project used during its development, usually ...

was ''Hot Rod Rock'' with the film also released under the title ''Fury Unleashed''.

American International Pictures American International Pictures (AIP) is an American motion picture production label of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. In its original operating period, AIP was an independent film production and distribution company known for producing and releasing fi ...

released the film as a double feature with ''

High School Hellcats ''High School Hellcats'' is a 1958 American exploitation film starring Yvonne Lime, Bret Halsey, and Jana Lund and directed by Edward L. Bernds. It is part of a series of exploitation films about juvenile delinquents produced during the 1950s b ...

''. The production includes performances by

rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It originated from African-American music such as jazz, rhythm a ...

musician

Gene Vincent Vincent Eugene Craddock (February 11, 1935 – October 12, 1971), known as Gene Vincent, was an American musician who pioneered the styles of rockabilly and rock and roll. His 1956 top ten hit with his backing band the Blue Caps, " Be-Bop-a-Lula ...

, 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.

Cast

* John Ashley as John Abernathy III * Jody Fair as Lois Cavendish * Steve Drexel as Mark * Scott Peters as Jack * Helen Spring as Abigail Abernathy *

Lester Dorr Lester Dorr (born Harry Lester Dorr; May 8, 1893 – August 25, 1980) was an American actor who between 1917 and 1975 appeared in well over 500 productions on stage, in feature films and shorts, and in televised plays and weekly series. Even ...

as Dryden Philpott *

Doodles Weaver Winstead Sheffield Glenndenning Dixon "Doodles" Weaver (May 11, 1911 – January 17, 1983) was an American character actor, comedian, and musician. Born into a wealthy West Coast family, Weaver began his career in radio. In the late 1930s, he p ...

as Wesley Cavendish *

Dub Taylor Walter Clarence "Dub" Taylor Jr. (February 26, 1907 – October 3, 1994),Dub Taylor, 87, Actor in Westerns, The New York Times, October 5, 1994, Section B, Page 12 was an American character actor who from the 1940s into the 1990s worked extens ...

as Al Berrywhiff * Gloria Grant as Tammy *

Maureen Arthur Maureen Louise Arthur (April 15, 1934 – June 15, 2022) was an American film, television, and stage actress. Life and career Arthur appeared in numerous movies and television programs from the late 1950s through the early 1990s as well as on Br ...

as Marley * Dorothy Neumann as Anastasia Abernathy (as Dorothy Newman) *

Russ Bender Russ Bender (January 1, 1910 – August 16, 1969) was an American actor. Career Before becoming an actor, Bender wrote detective stories for magazines. That part of his life was interrupted when he joined the Army. By the time he returned to c ...

as Motorcycle cop *

Claire Du Brey Claire Du Brey (born Clara Violet Dubreyvich, August 31, 1892 – August 1, 1993) was an American actress. She appeared in more than 200 films between 1916 and 1959. Her name is sometimes rendered as Claire Du Bray or as Claire Dubrey. Ear ...

as Agatha

Production

The film was known during production as ''Hot Rod Rock''.

Soundtrack

* "Hit and Run Lover", performed by John Ashley * "Annie Laurie", performed by John Ashley * "Dance in the Street", performed by Gene Vincent and The Blue Caps * "Baby Blue", performed by Gene Vincent and The Blue Caps * "Lovely Loretta", performed by Gene Vincent * "Dance to the Bop", performed by Gene Vincent * "Choo Choo Cha Poochie", performed by Maureen Arthur

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."

References

External links

*
Review of film
at Variety *
Review of film
at Harrison Reports 1958 films Films directed by Lew Landers 1958 drama films American International Pictures films American drama films American auto racing films Films scored by Ronald Stein 1950s English-language films 1950s American films {{1950s-drama-film-stub