This peterbilt is the only surviving truck from steven spielbergs first film. The film, adapted from a short story that originally appeared in playboy magazine, is a hitchcockesque tale about a middleaged salesman named david mann dennis weaver who, on a business trip in his red 1971 plymouth valiant, is stalked and terrorized for reasons unknown by an unseen, but apparently malevolent driver of a rustedout, smoke. Paul walker, steve zahn and leelee sobieski made for a very appealing trio, and ted levine the silence of the lambs supplied plenty of menace as the voice of rusty nail, the revengeminded trucker. Arguably hollywoods greatest stunt driver ever, carey loftins amazing driving and stunt skills were utilized in dozens of hollywood productions over a period of nearly half a century. Duel was a made for television movie that originally aired in 1971, then remade for theatrical release. Did the duel truck driver openly presented what he did. For the general concept of persons fighting in arranged combat for honor, see duels duel is a 1971 television movie about a salesman driving through the california desert who is suddenly attacked by a large tanker truck after passing it on the deserted road directed by steven spielberg. He was portrayed by the late carey loftin biography. Duel tv movie 1971 carey loftin as the truck driver imdb. I saw this movie on american movie classics one of those movies that you watch and have to watch the whole movie to find out who the truck driver was. For most people, duel was a forgettable tv movie with a rather weak plot, nothing more than a beatup old semitruck chasing david mann, played by dennis weaver, in. Since owning the duel truck, brad has not done much to the truck, but he did add the swamp cooler to the back of the cab and he did climb up on the roof and bend the horn to look more like the main truck used in the filming of the movie the one that went off the cliff and was destroyed at the end. Steven spielberg said that the multiple license plates on the front bumper of the truck suggested that the truck driver is a serial killer which ran down other drivers in other states. The movie was good but who was the truck driver and what guy was he in the cafe scene with the guy with the cowboy boots.
It is driven by an unseen trucker who uses it as a weapon by attempting to kill those who overtake him. Brilliant in its simplicity, the cult favorite takes road rage to a dangerous level as the traveler and the mysterious truckdriver are pitted against one another in a motorized duel to. From theaficionauto this is the real duel movie truck. Loftin was born on january 31st, 1914 in blountstown, florida and broke into movie stunt work in the late 1930s. Edgar wright interviews steven spielberg about duel. Menacing 1960 peterbilt from truck movie duel rolling back onstage. Stars aligned five iconic trucks together for the first time duration.
In 2001, joy ride followed three young people on a crosscountry trip who run afoul of a psycho truck driver. College students enrage a murderous truck driver with a prank. I cant verify the name of the mesa but i believe it is called black mesa. With minimal cast, the antagonist is an old rusty fuel truck.
Peterbilt tanker from movie duel on farm near lincolnton. Truck collector brad wike with the 1960 peterbilt used in filming the movie duel. This movie was a lot of fun and i hadnt seen it since i was a kid. He knows the duel will soon be over, one way or another. Pace of editing, noise and music increases as the demon truck is now openly out to get driver dave dennis weaver in steven spielbergs tv movie duel, 1971. Dennis weaver and his apocalyptic duel with the driver. Its taking place in a grounded reality, but there are hints of something supernatural in the way you portray the truck driver. The movie starred dennis weaver as a motorist on a business trip that was being terrorized by a murderous tanker truck on a desolate stretch of road in california. David mann is a middleaged salesman driving on a business trip. On paper, this sounds like another bmovie, and in fact, it was originally made for television instead of the big screen the very definition of a lowbudget production. He wins the race up the mountain barely but it badly damages his car. He encounters a dilapidated tank truck in the mojave. Steven spielberg directs duel, a highvelocity thriller about a motorist terrorized by an evil truck. He is considered to be one of the film industrys most accomplished stunt drivers.
And we all know very well that there is a driver because of his legs and arms being shown plain as day several times throughout the movie. Cary loftin, carry loftin, carey lofton, gary loftin, william carey loftin was an american professional stuntman, stunt coordinator and actor in the u. In some shots, such as the gas station scene where david mann is on the telephone, or the railroad crossing scene, the air conditioning unit has a support structure to hold it in place. He eventually found it in the tv movie duel, about an anonymous truck driver stalking a hapless businessman driving around the lonely canyon roads of.
The truck driver is the main antagonist of the 1971 short story duel by the late richard matheson, and the 1971 television film of the same name, which is steven spielbergs first directed film. I simply thought during the film it was like those other decorations people have. Duel was a madefortv movie from the 1970s, but its biggest claim to fame is that it was steven spielbergs first big break. Duel the best bits of film trivia the tanker driver. Peterbilt tanker from movie duel on farm near lincolnton charlotte. Moments later, the truck dangerously tailgates weaver before. The first two pics are from the net and the last pics is a frame from the movie, that i enhanced with a photoimpression program. Additionally, spielberg said that the multiple license plates on the front bumper of the peterbilt subtly suggested that the truck driver is a serial killer, having run down other drivers in other states. In the rest of the film however, there is not any support structure to be seen. Duel was one of stephen spielbergs first films, and it was an incredible start to what would would become an amazing filmmaking career. Essentially, duel tells the story of our main character, who is an everyday man, pursued for unknown reasons by a malevolent truck driver. The duel peterbilt movie truck american nightmare or american dream. Duel unfolds with the valiant trying to outrun the peterbilt, the peterbilt boxing out the valiant in passing lanes, the truck driver cooping, stalking, rampaging and the valiant skidding. He is the nameless and unseen driver of a large rusty 1955 peterbilt 281 gasoline tanker truck.
In a lengthy career spanning 61 years, his body of work included classic films. Only one example of the films uncredited main character, a 1955 peterbilt 281, remains in existence. What happened in reality though is that whatever mechanism was supposed to keep the truck either moving forward or going straight i forget which one failed, so stuntman and truck driver cary loftin agreed to drive as far along as he dared and then jump out at the last minute, leaving the door hanging open. Sure, that is an optional interpretation if one so wishes. Duel is a 1971 television thriller film written by richard matheson, which is based on his own short story. The truck itself has an anthropomorphic appearance making it very iconic and. Duel is a 1971 television and later fulllength theatrical thriller film directed by steven spielberg and written by richard matheson, based on mathesons short story of the same name. After duel, the creeper truck and the semi from joyride are pushovers. In steven spielbergs first fulllength movie, duel, a traveling salesman dennis weaver is harassed by a menacing 40ton truck on a remote desert highway. The duel truck is a dilapidated peterbilt 281 starring as the main antagonist in steven spielbergs duel.
So its quite obvious that it was never meant to be an empty truck driving by itself. Might be the same model truck but at the end of duel the truck was really crashed off of a mesa. Written by richard matheson, based on his short story. William carey loftin january 31, 1914 march 4, 1997. After the truck driver waves him in front of his truck, manns plan at the end is to get the truck on a steep grade where he could easily outrun him on upside. In this tv movie, dennis weaver is driving down a deserted southern california highway when he passes a large gas trailer truck. Though we know stunt driver carey loftin of bullitt fame was behind the wheel, the truck driver is never seen in the film, giving it a hint of the supernatural. Theres an element of this in jaws too, but more so in duel. Play now duel 1971 movie clip opening credits the p.
Duel i always got the impression that the truck driver. I always got the impression that the truck driver was never in the cafe. With dennis weaver, jacqueline scott, eddie firestone, lou frizzell. On the truck cabs rear window, there is some sort of air conditioning unit installed.
The truck driver is the main antagonist of the 1971 short story duel by the late richard matheson, and the 1971 television film of the same name, which is. But im glad that they never really show his face in the movie and the few times that they do you really have to hunt for it. As a tribute to the intense car and truck chase movie, ive put together a list of 10 fun facts that you might not know. The truck from duel is a piece of movie history the drive. Spielberg had seven trucks to choose from, all lined in a row, and he picked a 1955 peterbilt 281 tanker, the smallest of the trucks. It stars dennis weaver as a terrified motorist stalked on a remote and lonely desert highway by the mostly unseen, psychotic driver of a mysterious tanker truck. Steven spielberg directs this highvelocity thriller about a motorist terrorized by an evil truck. Pictures of the truck driver pictures of the truck driver. Unfortunately, the strain of it finally burst his radiator hose. It will be on display saturday at a truck show near lincolnton. Spielbergs first fulllength movie, duel, helped jumpstart the directors bigscreen career, with a gripping, actionpacked story hailed by critics as a film that belongs on the. This simple premise a killer truck stalks a driver becomes the basis for an exceptionally fraught and well made suspense film. The first encounter between driver dave dennis weaver in his red plymouth valiant and a nasty looking tanker truck, with radio entertainment, from steven spielbergs tv movie duel, 1971.
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