Truck driver in the movie duel

Although spielberg permitted star dennis weaverwho played a motorist chased by a homicidal truck driverto register a one. The 281 series had a single drive axle, the 351 two. What happened in reality though is that whatever mechanism was supposed to keep the truck either moving forward or going straight i forget which one failed, so stuntman and truck. He is believable enough to taste the evil truck drivers bait and foolish enough to continue nibbling. Duel the best bits of film trivia the tanker driver was. Dennis weaver drove a plymouth valiant and the truck from the movie duel was a 1955 peterbilt 281 driven by carey loftin. He encounters a dilapidated tank truck in the mojave. Duel, movie made for tv, 1971 internet movie cars database. Duel was one of stephen spielbergs first films, and it was an incredible start to what would would become an amazing filmmaking career.

Loftin was born on january 31st, 1914 in blountstown, florida and broke into movie stunt work in the late 1930s. Sure, that is an optional interpretation if one so wishes. It was very popular with truckers, with the 351 series outlasting the 281 a needlenose. Pace of editing, noise and music increases as the demon truck is now openly out to get driver dave dennis weaver in steven spielbergs tv movie duel, 1971. Duel tv movie 1971 carey loftin as the truck driver imdb. Dennis weaver and his apocalyptic duel with the driver. A business commuter is pursued and terrorized by the malevolent driver of a massive tractortrailer. The fear dennis weaver encounters consists not only of the monster truck itself, which is on an unexpected death chase, but of the inability to see who or what is behind the wheel. And considering that this is widely recognized as his feature debut, thats even more impressive. After the truck driver waves him in front of his truck, manns plan at the end is to get the truck on a steep grade where he could easily outrun him on upside. Author richard matheson conceived duel after a similar experience with a reckless trucker. Paul walker, steve zahn and leelee sobieski made for a very appealing trio, and ted levine the silence of the lambs supplied plenty of.

Ive seen a few bits where you get a glimpse of the truck driver. In 2001, joy ride followed three young people on a crosscountry trip who run afoul of a psycho truck driver. Pictures of the truck driver pictures of the truck driver. It stars dennis weaver as a terrified motorist stalked on a remote and lonely road by the mostly unseen driver of a mysterious tanker truck. Early in the movie, the truck rams the car and breaks the tail light. The duel peterbilt movie truck american nightmare or american dream. He eventually found it in the tv movie duel, about an anonymous truck driver stalking a hapless businessman driving around the lonely canyon roads of. I cant seem to see the truck the trucker that david mann attacked in chucks cafe drove away in. The film throttle 2005 has a scene featuring a dennis weaver lookalike driving a red plymouth valiant as an overt reference to duel. The movie starred dennis weaver as a motorist on a business trip that was being terrorized by a murderous tanker truck on a desolate stretch of road in california. George raft and humphrey bogart are truckdriving brothers who must navigate through business, romance and murder in. The movie was good but who was the truck driver and what guy was he in the cafe scene with the guy with the cowboy boots. Though we know stunt driver carey loftin of bullitt fame was behind the wheel, the truck driver is.

The movie starred dennis weaver as a motorist on a business trip that was being terrorized by a murderous tanker truck on a. For most people, duel was a forgettable tv movie with a rather weak plot, nothing more than. David mann is a middleaged salesman driving on a business trip. It stars dennis weaver as a terrified motorist stalked on a remote and lonely desert highway by the mostly unseen, psychotic driver of a mysterious tanker truck. May 07, 2016 steven spielberg said that the multiple license plates on the front bumper of the truck suggested that the truck driver is a serial killer which ran down other drivers in other states. Duel the best bits of film trivia the tanker driver. The first fulllength feature directed by spielberg, this madefortv movie was adapted from a short story by richard matheson who also wrote the script. The movie was released november 11th, 1971, which is 43 years ago today. Steven spielberg said that the multiple license plates on the front bumper of the truck suggested that the truck driver is a serial killer which ran down other drivers in other states. Richard matheson also wrote i am legend,the incredible shrinking man, devil doll part of a tv movie with karen black called trilogy of terror and several other short stories all available on amazon as is duel. The peterbilt 2851 was a line of tractor units built by peterbilt that ran from 1954 until 1976.

Duel 1971 writer richard matheson drew from his own unpleasant experience with a tailgating truck to devise a script in which mildmannered dennis weaver is pushed to the breaking point by an incredibly menacing 18wheeler on a lonely highway in the southwestern desert. Suddenly, he finds himself randomly stalked by a homicidal truck driver. This simple premise a killer truck stalks a driver becomes the basis for an exceptionally fraught and well made suspense film. According to richard matheson, he was inspired to write the original short story duel after an encounter with a tailgating truck driver on november 22, 1963, the day that john f. The truck driver is the main antagonist of the 1971 short story duel by the late richard matheson, and the 1971 television film of the same name, which is. With minimal cast, the antagonist is an old rusty fuel truck. It will be on display saturday at a truck show near lincolnton. Duel was a made for television movie that originally aired in 1971, then remade for theatrical release. What happened in reality though is that whatever mechanism was supposed to keep the truck either moving forward or going straight i forget which one failed, so stuntman and truck driver cary loftin agreed to drive as far along as he dared and then jump out at the last minute, leaving the door hanging open.

He is the nameless and unseen driver of a large rusty 1955 peterbilt 281 gasoline tanker truck. The driver has no name in the movie just like you dont see the truck driver in duel or see whats in the briefcase in ronin. The recommendation service has sorted out realistic, serious, road movie, suspenseful, rough and cult film films and tv shows about with truck. For the next 90 minutes, mann and the neverseen truckdriver. Unfortunately, the strain of it finally burst his radiator hose. Arguably hollywoods greatest stunt driver ever, carey loftins amazing driving and stunt skills were utilized in dozens of hollywood. Since owning the duel truck, brad has not done much to the truck, but he did add the swamp cooler to the back of the cab and he did climb up on the roof and bend the horn to look more like the main truck used in the filming of the movie the one that went off the cliff and was destroyed at the end. In a lengthy career spanning 61 years, his body of work. The truck from duel is a piece of movie history the drive. For the general concept of persons fighting in arranged combat for honor, see duels duel is a 1971 television movie about a salesman driving through the california desert who is suddenly attacked by a large tanker truck after passing. Duel is an allegorical quasisilent film about a salesman, mann, driving through rural california on a business trip.

Spielberg was shown seven different semitrucks to choose from for the movie. Spielbergs first fulllength movie, duel, helped jumpstart the directors bigscreen career, with a gripping, actionpacked story hailed by critics as a film that belongs on the classics shelf reserved for top suspensers dailey variety. Despite the tv movie limitations, steven spielberg has managed to convey an illogical yet completely visceral thriller better than most filmmakers today. Essentially one long faceoff between a salesman driving through the desert and the giant tanker truck that decides to chase him down for no apparent reason, 1971s duel was director steven spielbergs first feature film. Duel i always got the impression that the truck driver. Arguably hollywoods greatest stunt driver ever, carey loftins amazing driving and stunt skills were utilized in dozens of hollywood productions over a period of nearly half a century. Throughout the film, the driver of the truck remains anonymous and unseen, with the exception of three separate shots, where the stunt driver can be seen in the trucks cab, where his arm waves weaver on into oncoming traffic, and where weaver observes the drivers snakeskin boots. Though we know stunt driver carey loftin of bullitt fame was behind the wheel, the truck driver is never seen in the film, giving it a hint of the supernatural. Spielberg had seven trucks to choose from, all lined in a row, and he picked a 1955 peterbilt 281 tanker, the smallest of the trucks.

Duel unfolds with the valiant trying to outrun the peterbilt, the peterbilt boxing out the valiant in passing lanes, the truck driver cooping, stalking, rampaging and the valiant skidding. Did the duel truck driver openly presented what he did. The list contains the best, new and most relevant truck driver movies ordered by relevance. He also acted as a truck driver in stroker ace 1983 in which his face is never seen as in duel, but not as a villain this time. Oct 22, 2017 duel was a madefortv movie from the 1970s, but its biggest claim to fame is that it was steven spielbergs first big break. At the end of the film, david man comes to a dead end, so he spins the car around and waits for the truck to appear. Cary loftin, carry loftin, carey lofton, gary loftin, william carey loftin was an american professional stuntman, stunt coordinator and actor in the u. In some shots, such as the gas station scene where david mann is on the telephone, or the railroad crossing scene, the air. Duel is a 1971 television thriller film directed by steven spielberg and written by richard matheson, based on mathesons short story of the same name. He is considered to be one of the film industrys most accomplished stunt drivers. With dennis weaver, jacqueline scott, eddie firestone, lou frizzell.

Peterbilt tanker from movie duel on farm near lincolnton charlotte. The truck driver is the main antagonist of the 1971 short story duel by the late richard matheson, and the 1971 television film of the same name, which is steven spielbergs first directed film. This movie was a lot of fun and i hadnt seen it since i was a kid it still stands up, even today. Sep 21, 2011 the driver has no name in the movie just like you dont see the truck driver in duel or see whats in the briefcase in ronin. Stars aligned five iconic trucks together for the first time duration. Aug, 2010 a tense, relentless little tale, it does a stunning job of making a vehicle we never fully see the trucks driver, only an arm here and there as frightening a villain as any fleshandbone killer. In the duel book, the truck driver is called keller. For most people, duel was a forgettable tv movie with a rather weak plot, nothing more than a beatup old semitruck chasing david mann, played by dennis weaver, in his plymouth valiant for 74. A business commuter is pursued and terrorized by the malevolent driver of a massive. Truck collector brad wike with the 1960 peterbilt used in filming the movie duel. While duel was originally a madefortv movie shot on a shoestring budget and a tight schedule, we think it became pretty clear to many that the movies director. I always got the impression that the truck driver was never in the cafe.

Apr 20, 2018 duels truck is one of films great monsters. Loved this video, this guy is a role model to truck driving. For the next 90 minutes, mann and the neverseen truckdriver are pitted against one another in a motorized duel to the death. Duel is a 1971 television and later fulllength theatrical thriller film directed by steven spielberg and written by richard matheson, based on mathesons short story of the same name. Oct 01, 2014 duel was a made for television movie that originally aired in 1971, then remade for theatrical release. Duel is probably the most literal example of nightmare fuel i have ever seen. The first two pics are from the net and the last pics is a frame from the movie, that i. This peterbilt is the only surviving truck from steven spielbergs first film. As the movie progresses, the truck and its unseen driver continues to stalk david, getting more and more aggressive in its attacks, until david has no choice but to fight back. May 15, 2018 for most people, duel was a forgettable tv movie with a rather weak plot, nothing more than a beatup old semi truck chasing david mann, played by dennis weaver, in his plymouth valiant for 74.

I saw this movie on american movie classics one of those movies that you watch and have to watch the whole movie to find out who the truck driver was. The author of the short story that the film is based on, richard matheson, was inspired to write it after an encounter with a tailgating truck driver on november 22, 1963, which is the day that john f. Additionally, spielberg said that the multiple license plates on the front bumper of the peterbilt subtly suggested that. The aficionauto recently took a tour and a test drive of one of the most famous trucks in movie history. Stripped down to the suspensegenre basics chase and be chased, duel is a film worthy of its title. Duel was a madefortv movie from the 1970s, but its biggest claim to fame is that it was steven spielbergs first big break. Steven spielberg directs duel, a highvelocity thriller about a motorist terrorized by an evil truck. As a tribute to the intense car and truck chase movie, ive put together a list of 10 fun. On the truck cabs rear window, there is some sort of air conditioning unit installed. William carey loftin january 31, 1914 march 4, 1997. Duel stars dennis weaver as a terrified motorist stalked on a remote and lonely road by the mostly unseen driver of a mysterious tanker truck.

Peterbilt tanker from movie duel on farm near lincolnton. Duel begins from the point of view of a driver, and never lets up. Despite the tv movie limitations, steven spielberg has managed to convey an. Steven spielberg directs this highvelocity thriller about a motorist terrorized by an evil truck. The first two pics are from the net and the last pics is a frame from the movie, that i enhanced with a photoimpression program. Since owning the duel truck, brad has not done much to the truck, but he did add the swamp cooler to the back of the cab and he did climb up on the roof and bend the horn to look more like the main truck used in the filming of the movie the. The movie was good but who was the truck driver and what guy was he in the.