Co-Written and Directed by Matthew Robbins
Hey kids! Have I got an out of sight gas of a summer romp ready for you to see before you reach summer’s end!
I have to express to you that I have never been the sort of male who has ever contained a passion for cars. I can honestly tell you that I know absolutely, positively nothing about the variety of car makes, engines, horsepower, pick-up and the like and frankly, I just don’t care. When I do hear that sort of intense “car speak” from friends or on public radio, the words all become a jumble to my ears, sounding like the immortal guttural slowed down muted trumpet noises of Miss Othmar. But, I will make this admittance. When I was a kid, I did hold one car fantasy close to my chest. And, I guess in some ways, I still hold it dearly. It was a deep love for…brace yourselves…VANS!
Now, I certainly do not mean anything like the mini/mega/family vans of today and I never held a taste for trailers or RV vehicles either. What I am talking about is the classic, groovy 1970s styled, Scooby Doo “Mystery Machine” fashioned van. The ones with the massive sliding doors, the 8 Track player on the console and a bed in the back. It presented some sort of odd fantasy I held about life on the road. When Pete Townshend sang the lyrics, “I can lay in bed with only highway ahead,” on The Who’s classic 1971 selection, “Goin’ Mobile,” I related to every single word. I just wanted my parents to obtain that specific automobile so badly, fully knowing it was a wish that would never come to pass. Even now, when I hear that song by The Who or catch a rare glimpse of one of those vans, my heartbeat begins to quicken with longing nostalgia and starry-eyed childhood dreams.
I can certainly relate to a guy like Kenny W. Dantley Jr., the hero of my latest Buried Treasure selection, Director Matthew Robbins’ 1978 feature, “Corvette Summer,” a breezy, exciting, fast paced, action romantic comedy. I fell in love with this film at the age of 9 and it is a feature that I have returned to quite often over the years, still as heavily entertained as I was the very first time. Despite the relative obscurity, I hope you take the time to seek this one out.
Mark Hamill, in an absolutely winning performance sandwiched between the first two entries of the original “Star Wars” trilogy, stars as Kenny, a lonely, unmotivated, underachieving Southern California 5th year high school senior whose only love is his Auto Shop class and his teacher Mr. McGrath (Eugene Roche), his only friend. On a high school field trip to an auto junkyard, inspiration and purpose for Kenny literally falls from the sky as the metallic insignia for a Corvette lands in his lap. After madly convincing Mr. McGrath and his classmates, Kenny lovingly and obsessively devotes his life and school career to rebuilding the Corvette from scratch as the annual class project. By year’s end, the project is gorgeously completed, revealing a lushly designed Chevrolet Corvette Stingray with right hand drive and Kenny is hopelessly in love!
Fate intervenes when Kenny and his class, which includes a teenaged Danny Bonaduce, takes the Corvette out for a nighttime celebratory drive on the California streets, during which Kenny’s beloved Corvette is stolen!! Refusing to accept this horrid transgression, Kenny begins his summer long odyssey in pursuit of his car. After hitchhiking to Las Vegas and obtaining a job as a gas station attendant, Kenny’s path crosses fate once again. Enter Vanessa (Annie Potts in her DEBUT performance), a self-described and self-employed “hooker in training,” complete with wigs, a snappy attitude, and yes…a stunning, groovy 1970’s, Scooby Doo “Mystery Machine” styled VAN with massive sliding doors, an 8 Track player, a waterbed (!) and her name colorfully splashed across the exterior.
The two join forces to find Kenny’s enormously adored Corvette, an adventure that runs them through a series of romantic complications, a surprising betrayal, a gang of car thieves, led by the feather haired, slick clothed punk Wayne Lowry (Kim Milford) and of course, thrilling car chases.
“Corvette Summer” is a film that is sun drenched and sun kissed in ways not experienced since the days “Frampton Comes Alive” blared from every single car radio on the road. It seems to be the type of movie made exclusively for the summertime Drive-In experience but it works so impressively well for home viewing as you just cannot help but to feel the warmth emanating from the screen. Robbins keeps the story of Kenny and Vanessa flowing quickly and neatly, never over-playing any moments and also bringing a surprising level of melancholy underneath the proceedings.
Mark Hamill gives a sensationally manic and comically intense performance as Kenny, the school misfit who enthusiastically engages in his first rite of passage. Kenny’s journey allows him to learn about true commitment, passion, purpose, loyalty, the abuse of power and money and of course, his first real experience with a girl! His comic energy is completely infectious as he gives a completely open and whole hearted performance that exudes boyish charm. The “Star Wars” trilogy aside, when I watch “Corvette Summer,” I cannot help but to wonder what exactly kept Hamill from becoming an even bigger movie star, as he served this character and this story so completely that there is NO ONE else that could have played this role as well.
Annie Potts is the definition of a delight as she makes a perfect foil for Hamill and possesses loads of comical moxie in a highly impressive debut. The two have excellent chemistry, their rapid banter and romantic charisma happily race along, and I enjoyed every moment keeping up with their shenanigans. I felt as if Potts and Hamill were having a blast during the shoot which translated fully through the screen (If not, then they are even better actors than they have been given credit for.)
“Corvette Summer” may not have too much else on its mind than cars and girls but when it is presented with this much fun, excitement and joy, what else could you ask for? Not every movie needs profuse levels of “Sturm und Drang” to be effective. It does not need to save the world or bring out the cosmic questions of humanity. All any movie needs to-do is to tell a story and tell it in the very best way possible.
In the case of “Corvette Summer,” Director Matthew Robbins, Mark Hamill and Annie Potts delivered a piece of seemingly simple entertainment that gave me memorable characters, and an involving story presented with nothing else but the best of positive energy. And you know, I cannot think of a better type of summer movie to see.
And I’ll bet its even better to watch it in one of those groovy 1970s Scooby Doo “Mystery Machine” styled vans!
I’ll bring the 8 Track player!
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