The Sweet Ride
Encyclopedia
The Sweet Ride is an American
counter-culture drama with a few surfer/biker
exploitation film
elements. It stars Anthony Franciosa
, Michael Sarrazin
and Jacqueline Bisset
in an early starring role. The film also features Bob Denver
in the role of Choo-Choo, a Beatnik
piano-playing draft dodger
. Sarrazin and Bisset were nominated for the Golden Globe Award
for Most Promising Newcomer, Male and Female respectively.
The Sweet Ride was directed by Harvey Hart
and written by Tom Mankiewicz
, based on a 1967 novel of the same name by William Murray (d. March 2005), a native of New York City
, who had moved to southern California
in 1966.
The story, told in flashbacks, concerns a middle-aged tennis bum (Franciosa) who shares a beach house with Sarrazin and Denver. Their carefree life becomes complicated, and later turns tragic, after they become involved with a mysterious young woman (Bisset) and a biker gang.
The San Francisco rock and roll
band Moby Grape
contributed to the soundtrack, and appeared, credited, in the film, performing the song "Never Again" in a Sunset Strip
nightclub called the Tarantula. Other famous Sunset Strip locations include Gazzarri's
and Scandia
, as well as location filming in Malibu, according to reviews of the film.
Dusty Springfield
sings "Sweet Ride" over the film's credits.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
counter-culture drama with a few surfer/biker
Motorcycling
Motorcycling is the act of riding a motorcycle. A variety of subcultures and lifestyles have been built up around motorcycling.-Benefits:Robert M. Pirsig's book Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance was a paean celebrating motorcycling...
exploitation film
Exploitation film
Exploitation film is a type of film that is promoted by "exploiting" often lurid subject matter. The term "exploitation" is common in film marketing, used for all types of films to mean promotion or advertising. These films then need something to exploit, such as a big star, special effects, sex,...
elements. It stars Anthony Franciosa
Anthony Franciosa
Anthony Franciosa was an American actor, usually billed as Tony Franciosa during the height of his career.-Early life:...
, Michael Sarrazin
Michael Sarrazin
Michael Sarrazin was a Canadian film and television actor who found fame opposite Jane Fonda in the drama film They Shoot Horses, Don't They? .- Early life :...
and Jacqueline Bisset
Jacqueline Bisset
Jacqueline Bisset is an English actress. She has been nominated for four Golden Globe Awards and an Emmy Award. She is known for her roles in the films Bullitt , Airport , The Deep , Class , and the TV series Nip/Tuck in 2006...
in an early starring role. The film also features Bob Denver
Bob Denver
Robert Osbourne "Bob" Denver was an American comedic actor known for his roles as Gilligan on the television series Gilligan's Island and the beatnik Maynard G. Krebs on the 1959–1963 TV series The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis.-Early life:Denver was born in New Rochelle, New York, and raised in...
in the role of Choo-Choo, a Beatnik
Beatnik
Beatnik was a media stereotype of the 1950s and early 1960s that displayed the more superficial aspects of the Beat Generation literary movement of the 1950s and violent film images, along with a cartoonish depiction of the real-life people and the spiritual quest in Jack Kerouac's autobiographical...
piano-playing draft dodger
Draft dodger
Draft evasion is a term that refers to an intentional failure to comply with the military conscription policies of the nation to which he or she is subject...
. Sarrazin and Bisset were nominated for the Golden Globe Award
Golden Globe Award
The Golden Globe Award is an accolade bestowed by the 93 members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association recognizing excellence in film and television, both domestic and foreign...
for Most Promising Newcomer, Male and Female respectively.
The Sweet Ride was directed by Harvey Hart
Harvey Hart
Harvey Hart was a Canadian film director and television producer.Hart studied at the University of Toronto, before being hired by the CBC in 1952...
and written by Tom Mankiewicz
Tom Mankiewicz
Thomas Frank Mankiewicz was a screenwriter/director/producer of motion pictures and television, perhaps best known for his work on the James Bond films and his contributions to Superman: The Movie and the television series, Hart to Hart.-Early life and career:Mankiewicz was born in Los Angeles on...
, based on a 1967 novel of the same name by William Murray (d. March 2005), a native of New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, who had moved to southern California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
in 1966.
The story, told in flashbacks, concerns a middle-aged tennis bum (Franciosa) who shares a beach house with Sarrazin and Denver. Their carefree life becomes complicated, and later turns tragic, after they become involved with a mysterious young woman (Bisset) and a biker gang.
The San Francisco rock and roll
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
band Moby Grape
Moby Grape
Moby Grape is an American rock group from the 1960s, known for having all five members contribute to singing and songwriting and that collectively merged elements of folk music, blues, country, and jazz together with rock and psychedelic music...
contributed to the soundtrack, and appeared, credited, in the film, performing the song "Never Again" in a Sunset Strip
Sunset Strip
The Sunset Strip is the name given to the mile-and-a-half stretch of Sunset Boulevard that passes through West Hollywood, California. It extends from West Hollywood's eastern border with Hollywood at Harper Avenue, to its western border with Beverly Hills at Sierra Drive...
nightclub called the Tarantula. Other famous Sunset Strip locations include Gazzarri's
Gazzarri's
Gazzarri's was a nightclub on the Sunset Strip in West Hollywood, California, United States. It is most notable as the location where The Doors, and Van Halen were featured house bands for long stretches before being discovered...
and Scandia
Scandia
Scandia was a name used for various uncharted islands in Northern Europe by the first Greek and Roman geographers. The name originated in Greek sources, where it had been used for a long time for different islands in the Mediterranean region...
, as well as location filming in Malibu, according to reviews of the film.
Dusty Springfield
Dusty Springfield
Mary Isobel Catherine Bernadette O'BrienSources use both Isabel and Isobel as the spelling of her second name. OBE , known professionally as Dusty Springfield and dubbed The White Queen of Soul, was a British pop singer whose career extended from the late 1950s to the 1990s...
sings "Sweet Ride" over the film's credits.
Cast
- Anthony FranciosaAnthony FranciosaAnthony Franciosa was an American actor, usually billed as Tony Franciosa during the height of his career.-Early life:...
as Collie Ransom - Michael SarrazinMichael SarrazinMichael Sarrazin was a Canadian film and television actor who found fame opposite Jane Fonda in the drama film They Shoot Horses, Don't They? .- Early life :...
as Denny McGuire - Jacqueline BissetJacqueline BissetJacqueline Bisset is an English actress. She has been nominated for four Golden Globe Awards and an Emmy Award. She is known for her roles in the films Bullitt , Airport , The Deep , Class , and the TV series Nip/Tuck in 2006...
as Vickie Cartwright - Bob DenverBob DenverRobert Osbourne "Bob" Denver was an American comedic actor known for his roles as Gilligan on the television series Gilligan's Island and the beatnik Maynard G. Krebs on the 1959–1963 TV series The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis.-Early life:Denver was born in New Rochelle, New York, and raised in...
as Choo-Choo Burns - Michael WildingMichael Wilding (actor)-Early life:Born in Leigh-on-Sea, Essex, England, Wilding was a successful commercial artist when he joined the art department of a London film studio in 1933. He soon embarked on an acting career.-Career:...
as Mr. Cartwright - Michele CareyMichele CareyMichele Carey is an American actress. She was also a child piano prodigy and a model. Touted as a discovery of Howard Hawks, she made her film debut in Hawks' El Dorado , starring John Wayne and Robert Mitchum...
as Thumper Stevens - Lara Lindsay as Martha
- Norma CraneNorma CraneNorma Crane was an actress of stage, film and television. Among her best known roles was that of Golde in the 1971 film adaptation of Fiddler on the Roof. She also starred in They Call Me MISTER Tibbs! and Penelope...
as Mrs. Cartwright - Percy RodriguezPercy RodriguezPercy Rodriguez was a Canadian actor who appeared in many television shows and films from the 1950s to the 1980s...
as Lieutenant Harvey Atkins - Warren StevensWarren StevensWarren Stevens is an American stage, screen, and television actor.Born in Clarks Summit, Pennsylvania, Stevens began his acting career after serving in the U.S. Army Air Force as a pilot during World War II. He trained at The Actor's Studio in New York, received notice on Broadway, and thereafter...
as Brady Caswell - Pat ButtramPat ButtramMaxwell Emmett "Pat" Buttram was an American actor, known for playing the sidekick of Gene Autry and for playing the character of Mr. Haney in the TV series Green Acres. He had a distinctive voice which, in his own words, "... never quite made it through puberty"...
as Texan