Corvette Summer (1978)

Director:

Matthew Robbins

Writers:

Hal Barwood (writer)
Matthew Robbins (writer)

Release Date:

2 June 1978 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Comedy

Tagline:

And he thought fast cars were a thrill...

Plot:

Ken (Mark Hamill) is a high school student who dreams of driving Corvettes. His passion leads him to a perfect job as a Corvette mechanic...

Plot Keywords:

Tracking | Shop Teacher | Robbery | First Love | Van

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe.

Cast

Mark Hamill	...	Kenneth W. Dantley, Jr.
Annie Potts	...	Vanessa
Eugene Roche	...	Ed McGrath
William Bryant	...	Plainclothes Police Lecturer
Richard McKenzie	...	Principal Bacon
Kim Milford	...	Wayne Lowry
Philip Bruns	...	Gil
Danny Bonaduce	...	Kootz
Albert Insinnia	...	Ricci
Jane A. Johnston	...	Mrs. Dantley
Stanley Kamel	...	Las Vegas Con Man
Clifford A. Pellow	...	Older John, Rosalind's Admirer (as Cliff Pellow)
Jason Ronard	...	Wayne's Chain Wielding Henchman
Brion James	...	Wayne's Carwash Henchman
Morgan Upton	...	New Owner of Vanessa's Van

Also Known As:

Stingray (USA) (working title)
The Hot One

Runtime:

105 min | Argentina:108 min (video)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:12 | Australia:M | Finland:K-16 | Norway:16 | Sweden:15 | USA:PG | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:PG (Manitoba/Ontario)

Filming Locations:

Auto Shop, Burbank High School - 902 N. Third Street, Burbank, California, USA

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

The Corvette was a 1973 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray converted to right hand drive so that Mark Hamill could hang out of the curbside window looking at the ladies.

Goofs:

Continuity: In the car chase at the end, both cars are almost completely covered with dust. When shown from overhead, they are sparkling clean.

Quotes:

Principal Bacon: You, young lady, do you have an explanation to offer?
Vanessa: Sure don't, jack.
Principal Bacon: Well who does?
Vanessa: Ask Bozo.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Brain That Wouldn't Die (#6.13)" (1993)

that 70's movie.....

I'd love to see a show where actors take questions and answers about their experience and thoughts on their past films that quickly ended up becoming obscure, or collecting dust at Blockbusters. I mean, in 2003 we have available to us on DVD every nuance of every film made from the mid-80's on. I suspect "Corvette Summer" will never quite get that amount of respect. Indeed, it shouldn't. Mark Hamill looks tired in this flik. As unwilling as he is to have sex with Annie Potts it seems so was his enthusiasm to play in this role. Still, if nothing else, the film does bring back memories of a now bygone era. I also (surprisingly) found myself being quite entertained by this movie, expect for the drawn out and unnessary car chase scenes at the end, the movie held my interest. Most appealing was the acting of Annie Potts and the on screen chemistry between her and Hamill. She undergoes some physical transformations here, all of them cutesy. It was also interesting to notice that bike helmets and H2O bottles (for bikes) were on the market back in '78, my wife and I didn't recall that these products were available during this era. Anyhow, in summary, this is a very light but fun film that unintentionally evokes some chuckles and is worth checking out. Just seeing that late 70's Corvette (and that groovy van!) is worth the price of admission, not to mention Danny Partridge before his DJ/VJ days!