The Chevrolet Corvette is a worldwide symbol of America’s prowess in car design, so it’s no great surprise that filmmakers have chosen to include it in their works. Here then, in chronological order, are some films – some notable, others obscure – in which Corvettes play a starring, supporting, or incidental role (click on the links to view clips from each film on YouTube).
Blast of Silence (1961)
https://youtu.be/QfQDRmL4P8U?t=16m24s
Allen Barron’s low-budget noir masterpiece, Blast of Silence, is chock-a-block with authentic New York street scenes “stolen” (shot without a permit) to save money and trouble. In the linked sequence, we can clearly see a first-generation Corvette convertible parked outside an old-fashioned convenience store, providing the only note of happiness in an otherwise grim tale of predator and prey.
Hot Rods to Hell (1967)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ji5t0SiyD8w
A perfectly normal family from Boston on an innocent road trip to California becomes the target of a group of demented hot rodders, prompting unprecedented roadside mayhem. Plenty of vintage American cars — in varied states of hot rodded-ness — are evident in this low-budget potboiler, but an orange, racing striped, roll bar-equipped first-generation Corvette plays the biggest part in making this road trip memorably apocalyptic.
American Graffiti (1973)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L8TDBSlgFAw
“I just saw a vision,” says the kid in the back seat of the 1958 Edsel. “I saw a Goddess!” The kid (played by a very young Richard Dreyfuss) is referring both to the first-generation Corvette that’s just pulled up to the Edsel at an intersection, and, naturally, its mysteriously elusive driver. Set in 1962, George Lucas’ American Graffiti remains a great flick for car-watchers and fans of early rock & roll and 1960s roadside Americana.
Corvette Summer (1978)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Qnud8v7WZM
The plot of Corvette Summer, a classic teensploitation film starring Star Wars’ Mark Hamill, involves a car-loving high school senior’s attempt to retrieve his beloved stolen Corvette from a bunch of bad guys in Las Vegas. Intrigue, romance, and vigorous street racing action are among the results. The Corvette in question – a customized, right-hand drive, third-generation Stingray built by Dick Korkes of Korky’s Kustom Studios, is now in the National Corvette Museum.
Body Heat (1981)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zPOjV9Gdk7U
Body Heat made Kathleen Turner a star, but a crimson second-generation Corvette convertible also figures prominently in the action. The Corvette, driven by predator-turned-victim lawyer Ned Racine (played by William Hurt) perfectly symbolizes the film’s sultry, seductive feel, appearing in many pivotal scenes.
The Junkman (1982)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rUoPaKwLCVk
OK – a warning. More than 250 vehicles were wrecked in this low-budget flick – billed as “The Chase Thriller of the 80s” – earning it a dubious mention in the Guinness Book of World Records. Unfortunately, Corvettes don’t evade the cinematic carnage. Still, it’s great to see a yellow, third-generation Corvette burn rubber and corner like mad on LA’s freeways and side streets, escaping its pursuers until the last (inevitable) moment of destruction.
Terms of Endearment (1983)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NIrF-rsXWJM
Shirley MacLaine and Jack Nicholson are the romantic leads in Terms of Endearment, an emotional tear-jerker that won both MacLaine and Nicholson Oscar awards. In a wild drive on a California beach, Jack controls a gorgeous third-generation Corvette Stingray’s steering wheel with his feet while Shirley handles the brake and accelerator pedals. Naturally, all three wind up in the Pacific Ocean.
The Dead Pool (1988)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TzUtXMNizVo
The Dead Pool featured Clint Eastwood’s fifth and final performance as “Dirty Harry,” and while the film is by no means the best Dirty Harry vehicle, it includes the best sequence involving a Corvette (although the Corvette in question is miniature, radio-controlled, and packed with explosives). Filmed on location in San Francisco, The Dead Pool’s chase sequence is loaded with humorous references to the classic car chase of 1968’s Bullitt, starring Steve McQueen.
Con Air (1997)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WqY1HgfPY8k
The official mechanical star of Con Air is a hulking Fairchild C-123K military transport aircraft ferrying an all-star cast of bad guys around the unfriendly skies. On the ground, however, a second-generation Corvette convertible — driven by Irish actor Colm Meaney — seems faster and more airworthy than the aircraft with which it shares the frame. As Meaney (playing over-the-top DEA agent Duncan Malloy) observes, this particular Corvette is more than “beautiful;” it’s (expletive deleted) “spectacular!”
Star Trek (2009)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MeRghYqi090
A 10-year old kid (young James T. Kirk) driving a speeding red Corvette (convertible, second-generation) is pursued by police down a desert road whose only exit is a yawning chasm. What could go wrong? (Spoiler alert: – the Corvette in question meets a terrible end, but remember folks: it’s just CGI – of which there’s much in 2009’s Star Trek, the first reboot of the classic film and TV franchise.)
Looking for a Corvette to co-star in your own dramatic life story? Come on down to Bical Chevrolet of Valley Stream and we’ll introduce you to the latest manifestation of Chevy’s proud and cinematic Corvette tradition. Call us at 866-468-1413 or use this website’s online contact form.
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