Pit Stop

No offense to Roger Corman, but most of his best work was accidental. As a producer, his financial success was always a numbers game. But his creative success usually came at the hands of hungry young filmmakers who jumped at the chance to make a film their way within the boundaries of the Corman aesthetic. Pit Stop (1969) should have been nothing more than a down and dirty stock car picture designed to play drive-ins throughout the south, but writer / director Jack Hill had art film aspirations and gave Corman’s assignment a complete overhaul.

Drag racer Rick Bowman (Richard Davalos) is recruited by track owner and master manipulator Grant Willard (Brian Donlevy) to compete on the chaotic figure-eight circuit, where drivers cross a deadly intersection twice every time around the track. Part demolition derby, part suicide run, the races are ruled by Hawk Sidney (Sid Haig), a gonzo competitor who takes an instant dislike to Rick. Willard uses their natural animosity to concoct a deadly rivalry on the track…that eventually spills off it, as well.

As it stands, the plot hits all the requirements for a Corman exploitation picture. There are plenty of crashes, fistfights and wild go-go dancing set to a hip soundtrack. But Hill steers the story on an interesting course that involves a startling role reversal for its main characters. Not much of a traditional hero to begin with, Rick is nevertheless the focus of the film; an aggressive underdog with aspirations that should be admired, no matter how much hair gel he applies. So the film’s final twist, which finds Rick achieving his goals but losing our respect, is a cinematic sucker punch in the best possible way.

While admitting he didn’t have much of a touch with actors. Hill drags out great performances from the cast, especially his frequent collaborator Sid Haig (House of 1000 Corpses) whose natural energy makes him a delicious villain. Davalos’ wooden intensity – obviously inspired by James Dean who he played opposite in East of Eden - work just fine here. And Ellen Burstyn (billed as Ellen McRae) pops up in a role that’s buried deep in her IMDB resume.

Sure, some of the racing sequences are cut rate (Hill and crew filmed for six weekends and wrote the story around them) not to mention difficult to follow in a play-by-play sense. But they’re also a beautifully authentic time capsule of some genuine Americana. Corman might not have asked for anything more than a few exciting laps around the track, but Jack Hill gave him the Indy 500 of exploitation pictures.

Arrow Video’s Blu-ray is a real piece of work, starting with a cleaned-up high definition transfer that does wonders with the black-and-white image. Hill contributes an audio commentary and sit-down interview that covers his aspirations for the film and the challenges the budget provided. Corman also adds his two-cents, generously giving Hill the credit for everything that ends up in the plus-column. Sid Haig repeats much of the same info from an actor’s perspective while Arrow’s Technical Supervisor James White contributes a short piece on the film’s restoration. Liner notes and a reversible sleeve complete what is another awesome US premiere for Arrow.