I thought you folks might enjoy this. The 1958 Robert Mitchum movie, "Thunder Road" is available on DVD! I found it at our local library. It was nice to see all those '57s running around back when they were new. The movie production company must have gotten a good deal from Ford because there were several '57s. Lots of other older cars also.
Tony in New Braunfels, TX
There are at least 2 factory supercharged 57s in that picture, including the one he's driving. When he in the mobs garage look behind him, the is a complete factory supercharged engine on the hoist. I often wondered what color Mitchums car was in that picture, I'm thinking it was Mocca Brown and White, as black does not phoagraph well on black and white film.
Check this out, scroll down to "FUN STUFF" <http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0052293/>
Hey Lou,
Thanks for posting that web site. I spent waaaaaaay too much time there, but really enjoyed it. OK, now I have to get the DVD again and use the freeze frame to check out a few things. Hey, I'm retired and deserve a little indulgence ... :002:
Tony Colbert in New Braunfels, TX
Hey Lou, how could we find out about the color of his '57. My car came Mocha and white. I was thinking changing the color but A tribute to THUNDER ROAD would be an intersting idea. I bought the DVD on eBay for $6.
Ron
Ron, I have never been able to find out what the color of the car was, but I also have thought about building a clone, but the suppercharger parts are way over my budget. I haven seen the movie in 15 years, time to put it on my Netflix list.
Here some 57s for you guys can look for in the Perry Mason TV show. In at least one episode, maybe more Perry Mason is driving a 57 Retrackable and Paul Drake is driving a 57 Fairlane 500 Victoria, In another Perry has the 57 retackable and Paul has a 57 Bird. The episodes filmed in 1957 Mason drove several different cars. Starting in late 1957 Mason drove only a Caddy with one exception in 1958 in one episode he drives a solid black 58 Retrackable, and I think Paul drake has a light color 58 T-Bird.
Lou:
Where in the movie does it picture the engine with a blower? In the shot of Luke and Robin prepping the car, it clearly has the D code air filter, not a supercharger bonnet. I don't recall any other open hood shots of the car.
John
John: Is been at least 15 years sence I seen the movie, I could be mistaken. I was lead to belive that there were 2 cars used in the movie, one was a single carb car (the one that gets wrecked, twice) and the other was a SC car that was used in the action shots. My information was based on a article in a car magazine I read years ago. I'm going to get the movie from Netflix and watch it again.
I watched Thunder Road last night and I didn't see a super charger anywhere. And the colors on the '57 seem too light to be Mocha... maybe somthing in the mid tones like medium blue or green...?
Ron
I like that most colors can be imagined as the movie car in black and white, but still I did way too much research trying to find out the color of the actual car anyway. Based on lighting and contrast tests, which included screen captures of the interior, I strongly believe both cars used in the filming were Cumberland Green and Willow Green Style Tone. My references are posted on the 1957 Ford Fans page of FaceBook. https://www.facebook.com/1957FordAuthority/photos/a.225475440977782.1073741829.180415625483764/318554221669903/?type=1&theater
In the movie , Lucas Doolin's little brother Robin Doolin was actually played by
James (Jim) Mitchum who in real life is the son of Robert Mitchum.
Jim is busy these days getting a new business started. I believe the business is called Thunder Road Distillery . His business partner is a friend of mine so I'll get a message to him to find out what color the 57 Ford actually was. They are also working on getting a Thunder Road Tv series started.
This could take a little time. When I find out, I'll let you guys know the answer.
Jay
Well this thread just cost me $20. I HAD to buy the DVD.... :003:
Quote from: lalessi1 on 2015-08-21 05:41
Well this thread just cost me $20. I HAD to buy the DVD.... :003:
Lynn
If you like old cars and 57 Fords, that is going to be money well spent because you will be looking at it several times.
The email has already been sent requesting the 57 color. Jay
I saw the movie at the drive in with my parents when I was 10 or so, I watched it again on TV as a teenager. It gave me a strange almost magic feeling then that I still can't put in words....looking forward to seeing it again, thanks.
This is the answer to the color question. Note also that I had mentioned earlier on another post about Mitchum's 57 having a Lincoln engine. It was mentioned again in this email that I just received about the color. The 50 that he's talking about is the clone to the one that got blown up in the film . Somewhere I have pics of Jim pouring out a cup of shine from the rear of the clone car.
Jay:
It's good to hear from you. Yes, the summer is slipping away but with the hot weather we have had down South I am ready for some fall weather. I have not driven my 50 much this summer and don't have any set plans for the fall; however, Oct. is the best month for tours and car shows down here. The distillery in Tennessee is up and running. As for the Lucas Doolin 57, I have heard Jim say that as he recalls the Ford was either beige and green or light green and darker green. He said that his dad had a deal with Ford Motor Co. to furnish cars for the movie and the 57 supposedly had a Lincoln Y block engine that made it a real runner. If you can find Ford's paint chips used in 1957 you may be able to figure out the two tone combination. Take care and keep the wheels on the ground!
Cool . . . now the mystery is down to a choice of two color combinations but both include green. That's progress.
I haven't seen the movie in years but my dad had a movie theater back then I watched the movie several times . . . and I have a faint recollection of a scene in the movie where the 50 crashes thru a road block. If my memory hasn't completely gone south I remember the car coming out on the other side of the crash-thru was a 57 and not the 50. Now I have to try Netflix and watch the movie again.
I was told that the 50 did get wrecked in the movie and they pinned the nose of a 50 onto a 51. In the explosion scene scene where it is parked next to the gas station it is very obvious that it has a 51 dash when the left door is open. Notice also that the 49 gets a color change during one of the scenes. The clone car has a Y block with triples and is running my old Borg Warner that was in my 58 during the late 50's and early 60's. When they were all done with the movie, they just pushed a lot of the cars over a dirt road hill that is paved now. Can't remember the name of that famous road.
I just found this piece over on the fordbarn.
There were several 50 Fords used in Thunder Road. The most prominent one is the black one used in the speed shop scene and used in the roll over scene (bumper snatcher scene); however, the one actually rolled in the first scene is a 51 with a 50 front clip and a 55 T-Bird y block engine with three 94 carbs. The roll over was not intended and when it occurred it delayed filming for a week while repairs were made. The color was changed from black to light gray and later scenes even show over spray paint on the left rear wheel. The 51 that was blown up in the gas station scene along with the 49 Mercury were procured from a local junk yard, stripped of running gear and interior and rigged with explosives for the scene which was staged in a set built to look like a local gas station. If you will look closely you can see in the scene just before the explosion a cable attached to the Mercury which was used to pull it over into the gas pumps at the point of the explosion. The gray 51 with 50 front clip was returned to California and used by Jim Mitchum for a while and then sold to another high school kid who supposedly cut out the fender wells, and added a blower to the engine and then drove the hell out of it. More than likely it wound up in a junk yard, sadly to say.
That is awesome knowledge Jay! Thanks for that information!
Here is more information on the color and no super charger Jay
Jay:
Here are a couple of shots of the 57 as clipped from the movie. I would be on off white or beige and clearly there is an air cleaner as opposed to a super charger.
Quote from: Ecode70D on 2015-08-21 08:51
This is the answer to the color question. Note also that I had mentioned earlier on another post about Mitchum's 57 having a Lincoln engine. It was mentioned again in this email that I just received about the color. The 50 that he's talking about is the clone to the one that got blown up in the film . Somewhere I have pics of Jim pouring out a cup of shine from the rear of the clone car.
Jay:
It's good to hear from you. Yes, the summer is slipping away but with the hot weather we have had down South I am ready for some fall weather. I have not driven my 50 much this summer and don't have any set plans for the fall; however, Oct. is the best month for tours and car shows down here. The distillery in Tennessee is up and running. As for the Lucas Doolin 57, I have heard Jim say that as he recalls the Ford was either beige and green or light green and darker green. He said that his dad had a deal with Ford Motor Co. to furnish cars for the movie and the 57 supposedly had a Lincoln Y block engine that made it a real runner. If you can find Ford's paint chips used in 1957 you may be able to figure out the two tone combination. Take care and keep the wheels on the ground!
Well, that statement certainly supports my conclusion that the Mitchum's '57 was light green with dark green since beige and green were not offered together.
Here are a couple screen shots from the movie with color images converted to black and white for reference.
Quote from: enthusiastm on 2015-08-22 12:36
Well, that statement certainly supports my conclusion that the Mitchum's '57 was light green with dark green since beige and green were not offered together.
enthusiastm
I clicked on that link which somehow got me into how people on Facebook were wondering what color RM's 57 Ford was. It also brought me into the accessories that were available for the 57's. Those $1.85 seatbelt belt brackets bring crazy prices these days.
I like the way that you put that color on the picture of RM's car.
Light green and dark green sounds good to me. Jay
"The 57 Ford was white and kinda avocado green. I lived in Asheville and watched some of the filming. I remember the car."
This quote was found in the message board in the movie link at the start of this thread.
Lou, if you're interested in a 312 supercharger setup, send me an email I have most of a setup, only missing the air cleaner assemby. I might be inclined to sell it.