Woefully Overlooked Counter-Culture Screwball Comedy
When this film was released on national teevee, the network, in its infinite wisdom (or something) decided that we wouldn't want to watch a film with a title so irrelevant to what they perceived as the main thrust of the film, and so they retitled it "The Final Crash" -- i assume it was because the main character (Donald Sutherland as Veldini) is a demolition derby driver when he isn't in jail (he was in jail for robbing gas stations in order to pay for the demolition derby driving habit...).
This, of course, is almost irrelevant to the main themes of the film, except as it is to be seen as one more example of a free spirit trammeled 'round by petty mundanity, i guess.
That aside, this is a nice little surreal comedy about a group of non-conformist types who want to fly away and a society that cannot tolerate their oddnesses nor grant them the freedom to opt out, as personified in Veldini's brother, DA "Veldin" (Howard Hesseman, against type as an uptight Establishment...
Steelyard Blues
Steelyard Blues, with Fonda, Sutherland, and Boyle (C1973) was arguably one of the most hysterical cult movies ever made. I saw it several times when it first came out. Unfortunately, Jane Fonda was having problems with her North Viet Nam excursion at that time and the movie never was promoted as it should have been. If you think Peter Boyle is great on Raymond, please availe yourself of his talent over a quarter of a century ago. An absolutely must see.
Finally a cult I want to join
Fonda, Sutherland, and Peter Boyle make this an unforgettable cult film. It captures the wacky counter- cultural sixties-seventies anti-hero perfectly - an urban Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Liondrops keep falling on my head (see film to get reference).
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