![]() ![]() ![]() In many ways this isn't much different from the old Beach Party movies of the 60's, but now spiced up with Nudity and Drug use. I had a town Selectman where I was at the time even declare these vans to be "dens of sin on wheels!" A perfect ad line for the film! There are the usual assortment of "good" and "bad" girls, muscle-heads and low-brow hijinks (including a supporting bit by Danny DeVito). As others have noted, it is ironic that the "hit" song in the film refers to a Chevy when the title vehicle is a Dodge in the film itself. Here, it was sex, drugs, rock 'n roll and the brief "Custom Van" fad. THE VAN was a perfect example of Crown's hit strategy of seizing upon the mood of movie-goers at the time of a film's release. ![]() A film like THE VAN may now seem like a disposable piece of Drive-in esoteria, but it was a sizable hit when it was released (not to mention subsequent re-releases as a double feature with other Crown hits). Because the folks at Crown International were so key, they haven't been elevated to the status they richly deserve. The cult of personality has elevated the status of Roger Corman, Sam Arkoff, Lloyd Kaufman etc. In short, it's great groovy retro-70's fun! I especially love the scene where two thugs brutally beat Danny up - one holds his arms behind his back while the other guy works over Danny's torso! And Sammy Johns' insidiously catchy fluke hit theme song will be bouncing around your skull for at least a week. A pre-stardom Danny DeVito in particular is an absolute riot as Getz's cranky carwash owner boss Andy, a lovably cantankerous ne'er-do-well slob who wears very ugly loud Hawaiian shirts and suffers from a severe gambling habit. Stuart Getz as our gawky protagonist makes for an endearingly dorky lead, Deborah White as the main object of Getz's affection is a definite cutie, Connie Lisa Marie is likewise quite luscious as a beauteous blonde babe, and sneering beefcake Neanderthal Stephan Oliver (a 60's biker movie perennial) is wonderfully hateful as the brutish Dugan Hicks. Sure, it's essentially a blatant adolescent male fantasy pic - the main teen goofus character Bobby Hamilton gets the girls, the respect of his friends, and a chance to show-up a local van-racing bully - but it's way too dopey and good-natured to hate. It does attempt to make a sincere point about true love and friendship being more important in life than a cool set of wheels and a quick piece of tail. It's a really goofy and enjoyably inconsequential flick with a nicely breezy'n'easy 70's vibe to it. I am proud to say I own an uncut copy of this choice chunk of 70's Crown International drive-in sexploitation comedy cheese on DVD. ![]()
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