Corvette Summer is an American film, released in 1978 starring Mark Hamill and Annie Potts. It tells the story of a lonely, car-obsessed California teenager and the theft of his beloved customized Corvette Stingray.
Plot summary
Kenny Dantley (Mark Hamill) is a car-loving Southern California high school senior. For a project in his shop class, Kenny helps build a customized Chevrolet Corvette Stingray with right-hand-drive. Shortly after the new set of wheels is unveiled, the car is stolen from the streets of Van Nuys. Kenny immediately sets out on the trail of the thieves, which takes him to Las Vegas. On the way, he meets Vanessa (Annie Potts) who is a self-described "prostitute-in-training."
Kenny finds work in a Vegas gas station, and one day spots his car. He follows it to a local garage, where he has a run-in with the garage owner, Wayne Lowry (Kim Milford), before being rescued by Vanessa. Lowry contacts Kenny’s high school teacher, Ed McGrath (Eugene Roche), and McGrath then comes to Las Vegas. During a conversation with McGrath, Kenny is crushed to learn that this admired teacher of his had arranged for the theft of the Corvette to help himself out of financial trouble. When McGrath suggests Kenny go to work for Lowry, Kenny agrees to it. He will make good money, but secretly plans to steal the Corvette back from Lowry.
Eventually, Kenny completes his plans, steals the car back, saves Vanessa from her life of prostitution, wins a wild car chase, and returns in triumph with the Corvette – and Vanessa – to his old high school.
Production history
Working titles for the film were Stingray and The Hot One.[1] Scenes shot of Kenny's high school were filmed at Verdugo Hills High School outside of Los Angeles.
The novelization of Corvette Summer was written by Wayland Drew and was published by the New American Library of Canada in 1978.
Cast
The Corvette
There were two Corvettes made for the film, a main car and a "backup" model, both built for MGM by Dick Korkes 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.[2] 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. and is currently owned by Mike Yager of Mid America Corvette in Effingham, Illinois. It is periodically shown at car shows to this day.
Critical reception and box office
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."[3] 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."[4]
Janet Maslin of The New York Times, however, wasn't as taken with the film. She wrote, "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."[5]
Overall, the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reported that 57% of critics gave the film a positive review, based on seven reviews.[6]
Corvette Summer generated a total domestic gross of $15,500,000.
Awards and nominations
Allusions in popular culture
In Episode 513 ("The Brain That Wouldn't Die") of Mystery Science Theater 3000, a character exclaims, "Luke, join me or you'll star in Corvette Summer."
References
- ^ "FAQ & Trivia," The Unofficial Corvette Summer Web Site. Accessed May 17, 2009.
- ^ Street & Strip magazine (Australia) #7.
- ^ Rich, Frank. "Hot Car," Time magazine (September 25, 1978). Accessed May 17, 2009.
- ^ TV Guide review. Accessed May 18, 2009.
- ^ Maslin, Janet. "Screen: Saga of a Car In 'Corvette Summer': A Double Debut," New York Times (August 4, 1978). Accessed May 18, 2009.
- ^ Corvette Summer, Rotten Tomatoes. Accessed May 17, 2009.
External links
