Used Cars

Used Cars (1980)

Timing: 1:53 (113 min)

6.36/10
236

All about film

Video 1

Photo 13

Actors and characters

Release date

1980-07-11

Country

United States

Production

Columbia Pictures

Genre

Comedy

Budget

$8 000 000

Revenue

$11 715 321

Website

Director

Robert Zemeckis

Actors

Kurt Russell, Jack Warden, Gerrit Graham, Frank McRae, Deborah Harmon, Joe Flaherty, David L. Lander, Michael McKean, Michael Talbott, Harry Northup
All actors and roles (10)

Scenario

Robert Zemeckis, Bob Gale

Producer

Bob Gale, John Milius, Steven Spielberg

Operator

Donald M. Morgan

Composer

Patrick Williams

Artist

Bo Welch

Audition

Sally Dennison

Editing

Michael Kahn
All team (18)

• In the scene where Jeff shoots at the cars of the character played by Jack Warden (1920-2006) for advertising purposes, live ammunition was used.
• A used car lot was built in Arizona near a major highway, which significantly complicated filming.
• After the commercial where Jeff shoots at the cars, he is interrogated by FBI agents, and Jeff blames the incident on students from Iran. During the film's production, a diplomatic crisis unfolded with the hostage situation of American citizens in Iran. Screenwriter and producer Bob Gale commented on the film, stating that an alternative version of the same scene had been filmed, in which Jeff blamed not Iranians – in case the hostage situation was resolved before the film's premiere. This did not happen, and the mention of Iranians in the film remained.
• The stunt coordinator decided not to expose the stuntman to unnecessary risk in the scene where a 1974 Mercury Montego flies out of a train. A dummy was placed in the driver's seat.
• John Candy (1950-1994) was cast in one of the roles in the film, but he left the project when it turned out that his agent had mistakenly booked him for a role in Steven Spielberg's satirical comedy "1941" (1979) at the same time.
• The final scene of the film was shot at an abandoned airfield east of Phoenix, Arizona. 200 extras were involved in the filming, and each was instructed to arrive in their own car.