Used Cars
Short description
Used Cars is a 1980 American comedy set in the world of competing used-car dealerships. Two brothers, Roy and Luke Fuchs, run lots directly across the street from each other, and their rivalry is fought over customers and salesmanship. Roy is the unscrupulous one; Luke is more good-natured. When Luke dies, Roy sees a chance to take over his brother's business, but he does not count on the arrival of Luke's daughter, who stands to inherit the lot. Meanwhile, Rudy Russo, the smooth-talking salesman who works for Luke, has ambitions of his own: he wants a seat in the state senate and needs a large sum of money to fund a campaign. The struggle over the property and Rudy's political hopes drive the story forward.
The film was directed by Robert Zemeckis, who also wrote the screenplay with Bob Gale; Gale produced. It is the first of 23 films Zemeckis has directed, followed by Romancing the Stone in 1984. Kurt Russell plays Rudy, with Jack Warden in the dual role of the Fuchs brothers. Gerrit Graham, Frank McRae, Deborah Harmon and Joe Flaherty appear in support.
Released in July 1980, Used Cars had a budget of 8 million dollars and returned 12 million worldwide. On IMDb it holds a 6.7/10 from 31 reviews, while on TMDB it rates 6.4/10 from 305 votes.
What's left behind the scenes
- 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 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.
- A used car lot was built in Arizona near a major highway, which significantly complicated filming.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- John Candy was cast in one of the roles in the film, but he left the project when it was discovered that his agent had mistakenly booked him for the comedy '1941' (1979) during the same filming period.
Auditions in India
Casting calls in USA
Castingi w Polsce
Кастинги в Україні
