Corvette Summer
Corvette Summer is a 1978 American adventure comedy film released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. It was Mark Hamill's first screen appearance after the unexpected success of Star Wars the previous year. Hamill stars as a California teenager who heads to Las Vegas to track down his beloved customized Corvette Stingray. Co-star Annie Potts, playing the quirky young woman he meets along the way, was nominated for a Golden Globe award in her first movie role.
| Corvette Summer | |
|---|---|
 DVD cover of "Corvette Summer" | |
| Directed by | Matthew Robbins |
| Produced by | Hal Barwood |
| Written by | Hal Barwood Matthew Robbins |
| Starring | Mark Hamill Annie Potts Eugene Roche Kim Milford Richard McKenzie William Bryant Philip Bruns Danny Bonaduce |
| Music by | Craig Safan |
| Cinematography | Frank Stanley |
| Edited by | Amy Holden Jones |
Production company | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Plotto Productions |
| Distributed by | United Artists (United States/Canada) Cinema International Corporation (International) |
Release date |
|
Running time | 104 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $9,000,000 |
| Box office | $36,479,000 |
Corvette Summer was a box office success, making about $36 million at the worldwide box office, on a relatively high budget (for that era) of $9 million. The film however, received a divided response from critics, and was nominated for a Golden Globe.
Plot
Kenny Dantley is a car-loving Southern California high school senior. For a project in his shop class, Kenny helps build a customized right-hand-drive Chevrolet Corvette Stingray with outrageous bodywork. Shortly after the new set of wheels is unveiled, the car is stolen from the streets of Van Nuys. After hearing that the car is in Las Vegas, Kenny immediately sets out to take back the stolen car. On the way, he meets the seemingly confident drifter Vanessa, who is a self-described "prostitute-in-training."
Kenny finds work in a Vegas car wash, and spots his car on more than one occasion. He tracks it down it to a local garage, where he has an incident with the garage owner, Wayne Lowry, before being bailed out by Vanessa. Kenny’s high school teacher, Ed McGrath comes to Las Vegas, and Kenny is upset to learn that the teacher he once admired had arranged for the theft of the Corvette to help supplement his low earnings as a teacher. McGrath arranges for Kenny to go to work for Lowry. For his sake and that of his family, McGrath begs Kenny not to take the matter to the police. McGrath also ominously notes that if Kenny doesn't agree, one of Lowry's men will "handle it his way." Kenny agrees, but secretly plans to take the Corvette back.
Eventually, Kenny takes the car back, saves Vanessa from an unusual scenario in a hotel, wins a wild car chase, and returns home with Vanessa riding shotgun in the Corvette. He keeps McGrath's secret, but rebuffs his attempts to repair their friendship. He gives the car back to the school, but walks away with Vanessa and his newly-earned high school diploma.
Production history
Working titles for the film were Dantley & Vanessa: A Fiberglass Romance, Stingray and The Hot One.[2][3] Scenes of Kenny's high school were filmed at Burbank High School (Burbank, California) in the San Fernando Valley, and Verdugo Hills High School outside of Los Angeles.
The novelization of Corvette Summer was written by Wayland Drew. The book was published by the New American Library of Canada in 1978.
The film's theme song, "Give Me the Night", was sung by Dusty Springfield.
Cast
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| 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 |
| Jane A. Johnston | Mrs. Dantley |
| Albert Insinnia | Ricci |
| Stanley Kamel | Las Vegas Con Man |
| Jason Ronard | Tony |
| Brion James | Jeff |
| John Miller | Principal |
| Dick Miller | Mr. Lucky |
| Isaac Ruiz | Tico |
| Jonathan Terry | Van Nuys Policeman |
| Wendie Jo Sperber | Kuchinsky |
The Corvette
There were two Corvettes made for the film (both 1973 model years): a main car and a "backup" model, both built for MGM of Korky's Kustom Studios. The main car was often displayed during the film's publicity tour, and both cars were later sold by MGM to private parties. The original car was sold to an Australian collector and "restored" to look different from how it appears in the film.[4] An original mold of the car was displayed at the Corvette Americana Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York, and is now part of the collection of the National Corvette Museum. The "backup" car remained in the U.S., was owned for a while by Mike Yager of Mid America Motorworks in Effingham, Illinois, and was on display there between periodic car shows. Yager sold the car to a private collector in late 2009. That car is now believed to be in New Zealand.
Release
The film was released in more than 60 Red Carpet Theaters in the New York area on August 4, 1978.[5]
Critical reception
Janet Maslin of The New York Times wrote that the central portion of the film "has a visual zaniness that meshes effectively with the script. But for the most part, the movie takes a slender, boyish conceit — of the sort that is suddenly so popular among Hollywood's current batch of boy wonders — and invests it with silliness rather than whimsy."[6] Gene Siskel gave the film two stars out of four and wrote that it "would like to develop the same wistful quality as 'American Graffiti.' It doesn't."[7] Arthur D. Murphy of Variety called the film "a most delightful comedy," adding, "Robbins' direction is assured and the performances are all super."[8] Linda Gross of the Los Angeles Times called the film "a well-made love story about a boy, a girl and a souped-up sports car with outstanding performances by Mark Hamill and Annie Potts as two innocents afoot in a terrible world."[9] Gary Arnold of The Washington Post wrote, "It comes as a keen disappointment when the movie's initially promising plot begins coughing, sputtering and misfiring incessantly."[10] David Ansen of Newsweek wrote, "This is Robins's first chance to show his stuff as a director, and from the evidence he has a good future behind the camera. His story may be predictable, his aim modest. But he demonstrates a fluid eye, and his flair for pacing and inventive use of locations make 'Corvette Summer' pleasant to watch whether or not you know a Stingray from a Monte Carlo."[11] Critic Frank Rich of Time magazine thought the movie was an appropriate summer "popcorn flick." He wrote "As long as one doesn't demand too much of it, Corvette Summer delivers a very pleasant two hours of escape."[12] TV Guide agreed, calling the film "all in all a very funny movie with enough solid, believable story to take it beyond the realm of teenage summer fare."[13]
Overall, the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reported that 57% of critics gave the film a positive review, based on seven reviews.[14]
Box office
Corvette Summer grossed $15,514,367 in the United States and Canada.[15]
Awards and nominations
In 1979 Annie Potts was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for "Best Motion Picture Acting Debut—Female" for her work in the film.
Legacy
In Episode 513 (The Brain That Wouldn't Die) of Mystery Science Theater 3000, Mike Nelson exclaims, "Luke, join me or you'll star in Corvette Summer." This is an allusion to Mark Hamill's role in the Star Wars films. The Beck song "Corvette Bummer" is an allusion to the film.
In the 2017 Justice League Action mini episode "Missing the Mark", Trickster (voiced by Hamill) mentions Corvette Summer as his favorite movie to an animated Mark Hamill.
References
- Corvette Summer at the American Film Institute Catalog
- "Fun Fact", Mark Hamill's Facebook page. Accessed September 23, 2018.
- "FAQ & Trivia", The Unofficial Corvette Summer Web Site. Accessed May 17, 2009.
- Street & Strip magazine (Australia) #7.
- "'Corvette' Opens Friday". Variety. August 2, 1978. p. 29.
- Maslin, Janet (August 4, 1978). "Screen: Saga of a Car in 'Corvette Summer'". The New York Times. C13.
- Siskel, Gene (September 4, 1978). "'Significance' wrecks crash film". Chicago Tribune. Section 3, p. 5.
- Murphy, Arthur D. (May 24, 1978). "Film Reviews: Corvette Summer". Variety. 27.
- Gross, Linda (August 30, 1978). "Boy, Girl, Car in 'Corvette Summer'". Los Angeles Times. Part IV, p. 13.
- Arnold, Gary (August 5, 1978). "'Corvette Summer': An L.A. Car Kid in Love". The Washington Post. D1.
- Ansen, David (July 10, 1978). "Boy Meets Car". Newsweek. 83.
- Rich, Frank. "Hot Car," Time magazine (September 25, 1978). Accessed May 17, 2009.
- TV Guide review. Accessed May 18, 2009.
- Corvette Summer, Rotten Tomatoes. Accessed December 17, 2018.
- "Corvette Summer". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved December 20, 2019.
