White Lightning (1973 film)

White Lightning is a 1973 American action film directed by Joseph Sargent and starring Burt Reynolds as the main character Robert "Gator" McKlusky,[3] Jennifer Billingsley, Ned Beatty, Bo Hopkins, R.G. Armstrong, and Diane Ladd. It was written by William W. Norton.

White Lightning
Theatrical release poster by Tom Jung
Directed byJoseph Sargent
Produced byArthur Gardner
Jules V. Levy
Written byWilliam W. Norton
StarringBurt Reynolds
Ned Beatty
Bo Hopkins
Music byCharles Bernstein
CinematographyEdward Rosson
Edited byGeorge Nicholson
Distributed byUnited Artists
Release date
Running time
101 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$6.5 million (US/ Canada rentals)[2]

Plot

Bobby "Gator" McKlusky is serving time in an Arkansas prison for running moonshine when he learns his younger brother Donny was murdered and that Sheriff J.C. Connors was the one behind it. Gator knows the sheriff is taking money from local moonshiners, so he agrees to go undercover for a federal agency (presumably the IRS or BATF) to try to expose the sheriff. His handlers force him onto Dude Watson, a local stock car racer and low-level whiskey runner. Watson has no choice but to cooperate because he himself is on federal probation or parole. To infiltrate the local moonshine industry, Gator lands a job running moonshine with Roy Boone. He also starts an affair with Boone's girlfriend, Lou. When the sheriff discovers Gator is working for the federal government, Connors sends his enforcer, Big Bear, after him. Gator decides to go after the sheriff, leading to an epic car chase finale.

Cast

Production

The film was originally called McKlusky. It was announced by Levy-Gardner-Laven in October 1971 as part of a seven-picture slate they intended to make for United Artists over two years.[4] It was an original script by Norton, who often wrote for the producers. The villain of the script was based on the real life Sheriff Marlin Hawkins.[5]

Burt Reynolds' casting was announced in February 1972. He had worked with the writer and producers previously on Sam Whiskey (1969).[6]

Reynolds called the film "the beginning of a whole series of films made in the South, about the South and for the South. No one cares if the picture was ever distributed north of the Mason-Dixon line because you could make back the cost of the negative just in Memphis alone. Anything outside of that was just gravy. It was a well done film. Joe Sargent is an excellent director. He's very, very good with actors. And it had some marvellous people in it whom nobody had seen before. Ned Beatty for example. I had to fight like hell to get Ned in the film."[7]

The film was almost directed by Steven Spielberg. He had made Duel, Something Evil and Savage and decided to direct White Lightning the same year. "I spent two-and-a-half months on the film," said Spielberg, "met Burt once, found most of the locations and began to cast the movie, until I realized it wasn't something that I wanted to do for a first film. I didn't want to start my career as a hard-hat, journeyman director. I wanted to do something that was a little more personal." So he quit White Lightning and went to do Sugarland Express, which he found more challenging for three reasons, "the changing relationships among the trio in the car, the nature of 'the chase,' and how to handle the digressions."[8]

Joseph Sargent signed to direct in May. Filming began July 15, 1972.[9] Shooting took place in and around Little Rock, Arkansas. Hal Needham did stunts on the film.[5]

The film's music was written by Charles Bernstein. Some of this score was also used by Quentin Tarantino in his 2003 film Kill Bill: Volume 1 and his 2009 film Inglourious Basterds. Bernstein's score was released by Intrada Records in May 2010.

Reception

The film has a score of 83% on Rotten Tomatoes based on 6 reviews.[10]

Roger Greenspun of The New York Times called it "a fairly awful movie" with "endless car chases, which are a crushing bore."[11] Variety characterized the film as "hit-and-miss," adding, "Reynolds is quite up to all the demands of his smashing role, as he forges toward his goal. Too often, though, too much footage is devoted to incidentals that detract."[12] Gene Siskel of the Chicago Tribune gave the film three-and-a-half stars out of four and wrote that "what sets 'White Lightning' apart from a demolition derby is the special work of the entire cast in creating a totally believable world out of characters that we've seen countless times before ... Only an abrupt ending keeps 'White Lightning' from achieving some level of greatness."[13] Charles Champlin of the Los Angeles Times called it "that scarce commodity, a stirring, satisfying summer-weight entertainment ... Reynolds delivers a varied, screen-commanding star turn which is a pleasure to watch."[14] Gary Arnold of The Washington Post wrote that the film "begins straight and then starts messing around at random. The inevitable result is an expendable movie, neither straightforward crime melodrama nor consistent shaggy-dog comedy."[15] Clyde Jeavons of The Monthly Film Bulletin declared, "Moonshine melodrama with a veneer of serious intent which is rapidly planed away by Burt Reynold's frivolous acting and Joseph Sargent's weakness for car chases."[16]

A sequel, Gator, was released in 1976.

Legacy

On the TV series Archer, the film and its sequel are favorites of the title character, Sterling Archer, though he believes Gator to be the stronger installment. He gets the films easily confused, though, as he believes several key scenes from White Lightning to be in the sequel.

Reynolds later said the film "was a breakthrough in that area of blending comedy and action. And it made a lot of money, so other people began trying to do the same thing. They thought, 'Well, he smashed up sixty cars and it made a lot of money, so we'll do a hundred crashes.' But that had nothing to do with its success as a comedy."[17]

gollark: OH NO. Siri?!
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See also

References
  1. "'White Lightning' Record". BoxOffice. July 30, 1973. E-3.
  2. "All-time Film Rental Champs", Variety, 7 January 1976 p 46
  3. Variety. film review; June 6, 1973.
  4. "Production of Seven Films Told by Trio". Los Angeles Times. October 16, 1971. p. A6.
  5. Grenier, Cynthia (October 1, 1972). "Moment of Truth in a Make-Believe World: Stunt Man's Moment of Truth in a Make-Believe World". Los Angeles Times. p. 22.
  6. Haber, Joyce (February 28, 1972). "Friends in a Salute to Liza Minnelli". Los Angeles Times. p. G12.
  7. Workaholic Burt Reynolds sets up his next task: Light comedy Siskel, Gene. Chicago Tribune 28 Nov 1976: e2.
  8. Tuchman, Mitch (Jan–Feb 1978). "Close Encounter with Steven Spielberg". Film Comment. New York. 14 (1): 49–55, 80.
  9. "MOVIE CALL SHEET: Blocker, Gould to Costar". Los Angeles Times. 5 May 1972. p. G22.
  10. "White Lightning". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved December 29, 2018.
  11. Greenspun, Roger (August 9, 1973). "'White Lightning' Strikes Local Houses". The New York Times. 30.
  12. "Film Reviews: White Lightning". Variety. June 6, 1973. 18.
  13. Siskel, Gene (July 17, 1973). "Burt mixes 'shine and fists in 'White Lightning'". Chicago Tribune. Section 2, p. 4.
  14. Champlin, Charles (August 16, 1973). "A Star Turn in 'Lightning'". Los Angeles Times. Part IV, p. 11.
  15. Arnold, Gary (July 19, 1973). "'Lightning' Strikes Out". The Washington Post. B15.
  16. Jeavons, Clyde (October 1973). "White Lightning". The Monthly Film Bulletin. 40 (477): 215.
  17. McBride, Joseph; Riley, Brooks (May–June 1978). "'The End' is just the beginning". Film Comment. New York. 14 (3): 16–21.
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