''The Lively Set'' is a 1964 American color

action Action may refer to: * Action (narrative), a literary mode * Action fiction, a type of genre fiction * Action game, a genre of video game Film * Action film, a genre of film * ''Action'' (1921 film), a film by John Ford * ''Action'' (1980 fil ...

drama Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has b ...

sport film A sports film is a film genre in which any particular sport plays a prominent role in the film's plot or acts as its central theme. It is a production in which a sport, sporting event, athlete (and their sport), or follower of sport (and the spo ...

directed by Jack Arnold and starring

James Darren James William Ercolani (born June 8, 1936) known by his stage name James Darren, is an American television and film actor, television director, and singer. During the late 1950s and early 1960s, he had notable starring and supporting roles in fi ...

Pamela Tiffin Pamela Tiffin Wonso (October 13, 1942 – December 2, 2020) was an American film and television actress. Early life Tiffin was born in Oklahoma City to Stanley Wonso and Grace Irene (Tiffin) Wonso of Russian and British ancestry, but grew up in ...

Doug McClure Douglas Osborne McClure (May 11, 1935February 5, 1995) was an American actor whose career in film and television extended from the 1950s to the 1990s. He is best known for his role as the cowboy Trampas during the entire run from 1962 to 1971 o ...

and

Joanie Sommers Joanie Sommers (born Joan Drost, February 24, 1941) is an American singer and actress with a career concentrating on jazz, standards and popular material and show-business credits. Once billed as "The Voice of the Sixties", and associated with to ...

Plot

Casey Owens, a young mechanic, has developed a design for a turbine car engine, paving the way for a jet-powered auto certain to set a new land speed record. Wealthy playboy Stanford Rogers hires Casey to build the car for him to race in the Tri-State Endurance Run. Chuck Manning, an engineering student whom Casey had met in a drag race, discovers potential flaws in the car's design. After an unsuccessful test run, Rogers abandons the turbine-powered car for a traditional racing model, but Casey and Chuck rework the turbine vehicle to compete with Rogers in the endurance run. Chuck's sister Eadie becomes Casey's love interest.

Cast

as Casey Owens *

as Eadie Manning *

as Chuck Manning *

as Doreen Grey *

Marilyn Maxwell Marvel Marilyn Maxwell (August 3, 1921 – March 20, 1972) was an American actress and entertainer. In a career that spanned the 1940s and 1950s, she appeared in several films and radio programs, and entertained the troops during World War ...

as Marge Owens * Charles Drake as Paul Manning * Peter Mann as Stanford Rogers *

Carole Wells Carole Wells (born August 31, 1942) is an American actress, opera singer, producer and author. Early years The daughter of a doctor, Wells was born Carole Maureen Wells in Shreveport, Louisiana, the fourth of six children in her family. Her ...

as Mona * Frances Robinson as Celeste Manning *

Greg Morris Francis Gregory Alan Morris (September 27, 1933 – August 27, 1996) was an American actor. He was best known for portraying Barney Collier on '' Mission: Impossible'' and Lt. David Nelson on ''Vega$''. Early life and career Born in Clevela ...

as Highway Patrol Officer *

Ross Elliott Ross Elliott (born Elliott Blum, June 18, 1917 – August 12, 1999) was an American television and film character actor. He began his acting career in the Mercury Theatre, where he performed in ''The War of the Worlds (radio), The War of t ...

as Ernie Owens *

Russ Conway Russ Conway, DSM (born Trevor Herbert Stanford; 2 September 1925 – 16 November 2000) was an English popular music pianist and composer. Conway had 20 piano instrumentals in the UK Singles Chart between 1957 and 1963, including two number on ...

as Dave Moody * Martin Blaine as Prof. George E. Collins * Max Schumacher as Himself (as Captain Max Schumancher) * Dick Whittinghill as Himself *

Mickey Thompson Michael Lee "Mickey" Thompson (December 7, 1928March 16, 1988) was an American auto racing builder and promoter. A hot rodder since his youth, Thompson increasingly pursued land speed records in his late 20s and early 30s.

as Himself * James Nelson as Himself *

Duane Carter Duane Carter (May 5, 1913 – March 7, 1993) was an American racecar driver. He raced midget cars, sprint cars, and IndyCars.Dave MacDonald as Himself

Production

Filming started in January 1964. Bobby Darin was hired to write three songs for the film, but

Universal Universal is the adjective for universe. Universal may also refer to: Companies * NBCUniversal, a media and entertainment company ** Universal Animation Studios, an American Animation studio, and a subsidiary of NBCUniversal ** Universal TV, a ...

was so pleased with the results that they enlisted him to write the entire score. The film's release, originally set for July 1964, was delayed until October, and the film was heavily edited out of respect for Dave MacDonald, who played himself and was a stunt driver in the film. MacDonald died on May 30, 1964 during the

Indianapolis 500 The Indianapolis 500, formally known as the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, and commonly called the Indy 500, is an annual automobile race held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) in Speedway, Indiana, United States, an enclave suburb of Indi ...

in a fiery crash that also killed

Eddie Sachs Edward Julius Sachs Jr, (May 28, 1927 – May 30, 1964) was a United States Auto Club driver who was known as the "Clown Prince of Auto Racing". He coined the phrase "If you can't win, be spectacular". Early life Sachs was born May 28, 1927 in A ...

, who had also been in some scenes, during the second lap. Scenes featuring Sachs and all but one scene featuring MacDonald were removed from the film, and neither driver's name appears in the on-screen credits. Years later, son Rich MacDonald contacted James Darren in order to put his father's name in the Internet Movie Database (IMDB). Chrysler mechanic George Stecher appeared in reshot scenes that had originally featured MacDonald.

The turbine car

The turbine car used in the film is the famous 1963 Chrysler Ghia Turbine Car developed by George Huebner and his team. The car's engine is realistically described in the film, particularly Chrysler's use of heat regenerators, which cooled the car's exhaust to a temperature even lower than that of a traditional piston engine. The

Chrysler Turbine Car The Chrysler Turbine Car is an experimental two-door hardtop coupe powered by a turbine engine and manufactured by Chrysler from 1963–1964. The bodywork was constructed by Italian design studio Carrozzeria Ghia and Chrysler completed the fi ...

is mentioned in the opening credits of the film. Chrysler participated in the film's development as the car was its exclusive property and the patented engine design was extensively advertised as the "engine of the future."

Reception

The ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the U ...

'' called the film "... the most awful little time waster." Writing in ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'', critic Eugene Arthur wrote, "By the fadeout, everyone up there on the screen is positively beaming with joy. Before congratulating them on their acting ability, though, remember that they, unlike the helpless customers, were paid."

Awards

''The Lively Set'' was nominated at the

37th Academy Awards The 37th Academy Awards honored film achievements of 1964. For the first time, an award was presented in the field of makeup. The Best Picture winner of 1964, director George Cukor's ''My Fair Lady'', was about the transformative training o ...

for Best Sound Editing ( Robert Bratton).

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lively Set 1964 films 1960s action films 1960s sports films American auto racing films American road movies 1960s English-language films Films directed by Jack Arnold Universal Pictures films 1960s American films