cult film freak: SUE LYON RIDES W/ GEORGE HAMILTON PLAYING 'EVEL KNIEVEL'

Written by James M. Tate / 9/10/2019 / No comments / action , biker , biopic , exploitation , george hamilton , marvin j. chomsky , ron masak , seventies , sport , sue lyon

SUE LYON RIDES W/ GEORGE HAMILTON PLAYING 'EVEL KNIEVEL'

9/10/2019 | No comment

Sue Lyon sits by her man George Hamilton as Evel Knievel YEAR: 1970

It's hard to believe that tan man George Hamilton playing Evel Knievel would turn out working pretty good, and, despite the sub-par quality releases — from an online stream where every frame looks like a last known photo, or a myriad of public domain discs in bargain bins — this simple and sparse biopic tells its story quite well, beginning with the titular motorcycle stunt king about to make the jump of his career...

We see Knievel's life in several long flashbacks, creatively weaving (upon narration) from the central venue's groovy waiting room where Sue Lyon as wife Linda waits faithfully and patiently by his side, and somehow this makes their initial schoolgirl-meets-leather-jacket-hood courtship seem more important: even though we know she'll eventually melt to his coolness, they have warm and relaxing chemistry with each other and the audience. Neither try too hard to play their real life counterparts: not an easy task when the subjects are still alive, and relevant.

George Hamilton as Evel Knievel in EVEL KNIEVEL

The parts that don't work are also semi entertaining distractions: His rebellious youth while robbing a few banks is played up as practical jokes like a fraternity kid on a cranky dean, and the schemes get a bit overwhelming and complicated: it's hard to keep score of what exactly Knievel's doing to the hick police and townspeople that he'd one day be more famous than. In this, the story juggles that era's devil-may-care rebellion with anti-EASY RIDER moral patriotism...

Meanwhile, Sue Lyon does a good enough job, going a few breezy steps beyond the usual pretty ingenue role, given she has a fair amount of screen time in the present and past. And in the lead, Hamilton sells it like a newscaster telling an interesting story while producer/director Marvin J. Chomsky keeps it rolling like a made-for-television that, in this case, is a good thing.

Sue Lyon as Linda Knievel in Evel Knievel starring George Hamilton

Sue Lyon as Linda Knievel in Evel Knievel

George Hamilton in Evel Knievel

Sue Lyon as Linda Knievel in Evel Knievel

Sue Lyon as Linda Knievel in Evel Knievel with Ron Masak

Sue Lyon as Linda Knievel in Evel Knievel

Sue Lyon as Linda Knievel in Evel Knievel starring George Hamilton

Sue Lyon and George Hamilton in Evel Knievel

Share This Post :

Tags : action , biker , biopic , exploitation , george hamilton , marvin j. chomsky , ron masak , seventies , sport , sue lyon

James M. Tate

No comments:

Post a Comment

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.

FAVORITES SHORTLIST

1)OTLEY 2)HELL IS A CITY 3)ROBBERY 4)THE FEARMAKERS 5)CANYON PASSAGE 6)VIOLENT SATURDAY 7)HOT CARS 8)JUNGLE STREET 9)THE CROWDED SKY 10)THE ROARING TWENTIES 11) ANATOMY OF A MURDER 12)CALCULATED RISK 13)SWEENEY TWO 14)RAIDERS FROM BENEATH THE SEA 15)HARDCORE 16)THE BREAK 17)WHITE HEAT 18)AL CAPONE 19)THE SERGEANT 20)FALLEN ANGEL 21)SHARKS' TREASURE 22)THE ASPHALT JUNGLE 23)ASH WEDNESDAY 24)THE SYSTEM 25)AIR PATROL 26)THE STONE KILLER 27)SANDS OF THE KALAHARI 28)WILLIAM CONRAD'S BRAINSTORM 29)RIOT 30)THE MAN FROM LARAMIE FAVORITE ACTORS 1)DANA ANDREWS 2)JAMES CAGNEY 3)STANLEY BAKER 4)MARLON BRANDO 5)JACK NICHOLSON 6) CHARLES BRONSON 7)BURT REYNOLDS 8)WILLIAM LUCAS 9)TOM COURTENAY 10)GENE HACKMAN DIRECTORS 1)JACQUES TOURNEUR 2)RICHARD FLEISCHER 3)VAL GUEST 4)STANLEY KUBRICK 5)OTTO PREMINGER 6)ORSON WELLES 7)JOHN GUILLERMAN 8)JOHN LANDIS 9)SAM PECKINPAH 10)MICHAEL WINNER