Background
During the late 1970s an article titled “Thunder Road” appeared in an issue of New West Magazine, the article detailed some of what was going on in the canyon and made specific reference to two particular drivers; Chris Banning, who owned and raced a heavily modified Porsche 911 and Charles “Crazy Charley” Woit, who owned and raced a vintage, 427 cubic-inch Big-Block powered Chevrolet Corvette. The article provided the inspiration for the film, and its two main characters, who were based on Banning and Woit.
Movie Plot
Steve (Harry Hamlin) works at a Porsche repair garage by day and by night reigns as the “King of The Mountain”, the most successful and talented of a group that organize, wager on and participate in races up and down the narrow, winding roads of Mulholland Drive in the hills on the edge of the San Fernando Valley. In his highly tuned 356 Speedster, Steve races against both newcomers and veterans alike, never really considering the risks associated with the lifestyle or if there might be more for him elsewhere.
Steve’s friends Buddy (Joseph Bottoms) and Roger (Richard Cox) want to get into the music industry, and although they once raced alongside Steve, their focus has shifted away from racing in favor of their potential careers, leaving Steve to reign as King alone, racing night after night for the thrills, but without much of the joy he once got from the racing. Aside from wanting the thrill, Steve is egged on by Cal (Dennis Hopper), a co-worker and the former King who reigned until a near-fatal accident destroyed his now aging, dilapidated Corvette and drove him over the edge mentally.
When Steve meets Tina (Deborah Van Valkenburgh), a young singer working with Buddy and Roger, he quickly falls for her and tries to introduce her to the world of street racing but finds that she isn’t as enthralled with it as he is and isn’t interested in returning to the races or in being involved with a man who is constantly risking his life for a thrill. Torn between Tina and his life as a racer, Steve must choose to either remain King, or abdicate and leave so that he can start over in “real life”. All the while, Cal is secretly rebuilding his Corvette, and he wants a shot at winning his title back.
The film’s climax depicts a dangerous, high-speed race down the hill between Steve and Cal.
Personal Reaction
I didn’t see ‘King of the Mountain’ when it first came to the theaters like I had ‘The Cannonball Run‘. I saw it about 2-years later when I was 16 years old. Smokey and The Bandit was an awesome movie. It was fun watching the Bandit get chased by the Smokey and all of their banter. The Cannonball Run was a great movie as well watching people race from New York to California while trying to not get caught. But the King of the Mountain was a much different movie. Here were average people racing down the hills of Mulholland Drive in the middle of the night. It wasn’t just about going fast. It was about feeling the road, knowing when to brake, when to gas, and when to shift. It was about cars and drivers that could handle the road at fast speeds. It was exciting.
After seeing the movie, I jumped in my Datsun pickup, went and found a curvy road with some hills, and enjoyed driving the road and shifting through the gears of my 5-speed manual transmission. I loved it, and I haven’t lost the love of a winding road since.
Preview
The Final Race Scene
Watch The Movie
Youtube won’t allow me to imbed the video, but you can watch it here: King of The Mountain