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Two-Lane Blacktop (1971)
In Hollywood, 54 degrees.
# 93 KHJ # #KCRC, San Bernardino # Radio for California - Keeping an eye out the window, we have the showers - There. That Plymouth had a hemi with a torque flight. I believe we sawed the guy off, even if we did lose 200. - What do you need? - High-test. - Want me to fill it up? - Yup. Where's the gas tank at? - Chevy block? - Yeah. Sure looks like an awful lot of work. 396? - 454. - No shit? - What kind of transmission? - Four-speed. - You build the headers? - Yeah. How fast will she run? It depends on who's around. Anything fast around here? Got a Thames panel truck. It's got a little bit of transmission trouble right now though. Probably blow our doors right off, wouldn't it? This is K-triple "A" radio, Kingman, the alphabetical apex of Arizona - #Mmm, oh, woman, oh, woman oh, you treat me so mean # # The meanest old woman that I've ever seen # #I guess if you say it's so # #I got to pack my things and go # # That's right, hit the road, Jack # # Whoa, and don't you come back # #No more, no more, no more, no more # #Hit the road, Jack and don't you come back no more # - # Whoa, now # - #Hit the road, Jack # #And don't you come back no more, no more, no more, no more # #Hit the road, Jack and don't you come back no more # # Oh, yeah # # Yeah ## Ha ha hal It's really bumpy back here. What kind of car is this anyway? You guys aren't the Zodiac killers or anything like that, are you? J ust passin' through. L.P.'s truck was worse. Wouldn't even be up in the morning before he wanted to smoke up a joint. Supposed to go to the Grand Canyon... but he kept getting stoned and pulling off to the side of the road. - Say, which way are we going? - East. That's cool. I've never been east. She don't seem to be breathin' right. Might be the jets. # Stealin', stealin' # # Pretty mama don't you tell on me # # I'm stealing back to my same old used-to-be ## Don't you wanna race him? Isn't that what you guys do? I mean, didn't a car just come up and challenge you? It's too heavy to do in a Porsche just for kicks. We'd take him in the quarter mile, but he'd probably lose us in long time. How much bread we got? We got 300 racing bread, 20 to spend. # Whoo-hah # Excuse me, sir. Could you spare some change? I need to catch a bus for San Francisco. Thank you very much. Excuse me, sir. I'm trying to catch a bus back to San Francisco. - I got sick and I - - Good luck. Good luck to you. And the greatest selection of flared slacks and jeans. - Excuse me, sir. I'm trying to catch a bus back to San Francisco. I got sick, and I used up the allowance my parents gave me, and I have to get back. I need some money to catch the bus. Excuse me, sir. I'm trying to catch the bus back to San Francisco. Can you help me out? - You need money? - Can you spare any change? - I - H-He can't? - Well, I I'm trying to catch the bus back to San Francisco. - You're gonna need a lot. - You're welcome. - Can you wait till Monday? There's a '70 Camaro. A '68 Barracuda. Nothing there. There's a Roadrunner with a hemi in it. '70 'Cuda. They got some muscle here tonight. Hey. Old '55. Listen, all we gotta do is rope one. #Surrender to the waking world # - I think I spotted something. It's a '32 Ford. It's got a 427 in it. And, uh, those are Carter carburetors. Eleven inches of rubber on the rear. #Moonlight drive # #Let's swim to the moon # #Let's climb through the tide # - Clean machine. It's clean enough. Not bad for home-grown. It's a little bit more than that, sonny. Say, you must have somethin' real special here. Gee, mister, I'll bet it's pretty quick. You wanna find out? Well, ordinarily, I'd jump at the, uh, opportunity... but the thing is, I'm just not in the habit of seeing the Chevy work against a two-bit piece of junk. Let's make it 50. Make it three yards, motherfucker, and we'll have an automobile race. Hey, this guy just bet 300 bucks! - Where to? - Airport Road. You can follow me. I'll walk to the motel. #And I wanna see the country # Uh, let me have, uh, a glass - a shot of rye and a glass of beer, please. #He's a very fine man and I don't wanna rest # #And as a matter of fact there just ain't nothin'he lacks # # You know he's sure got me guessin'# #So if you wanna play well, I will stay here all day # #And I won't even taunt you # #So you can try and hold me down or even push me around and be a jerk # # Or you can do just about any other little things you want to ## Now I don't even know who I am anymore. So you got a little upset, and I backed off. Now I can't do it anymore. You get upset now, you've upset me, and I get angry. - Well, don't do it. - Look, you're not- Let me have a double scotch on the rocks with a twist, and a beer on the side. - All right. - You wanna use me. I'm tired of that. I'm not gonna deal with that, baby. Every time I hit you where it hurts, you don't wanna deal with it. I want a response from you. Don't you withdraw from me... because every time I need you, you withdraw from me. You don't need me. You need a lamppost out in the street. If I walk out of here tonight, I'm walking out. - You're out of your fucking tree. - Oh, fuck you! Fuck you! Yeahl Yeahl - Where you goin'? - Amarillo. Well, you're in luck. Thank God Almighty, mister. She's got a hard pull, doesn't she? Zero to 60 in 7.5. She'll do a quarter of a mile, 13.40. Rerformance and image - that's what it's all about. It's a mighty fancy automobile. I bought her in Bakersfield, California. I was testing jets at the time. It got so I wasn't getting enough action on the ground. You know what I mean. I mean, you just can't stay with the same high forever. So, when the 455 came out with a Mark IV ram air and a beefed blower in... a Carter high-riser setup, I was on line. 390 horsepower. 500 foot pounds of torque... whatever that is. It's all in the folder right there in the glove compartment, if you wanna take a look at it. Oh, she's a real road king, all right. How come you ain't still in Bakersfield? Because I'm in the Southwest. What kind of sounds you like? - Beg pardon? - Rock? Soul? Hillbilly? Western. - What's your taste? - It don't hardly matter to me. Might be a fouled plug. Wish we were back in Santa Fe. So, after I got shot down twice over Korea... I decided it was time for some fun and games. Take a couple years off. You know what I mean? Then I ran out of cash and had to take a job testing jets. After a while it got so that I needed a little more action on the ground. I mean, you can't stay with the same high forever. Right? Well, about that time the 455 came out with a Mark IV ram air... and a beefed blower - Those son of a bitches. They've been following me clear across two states. Three states. They keep wanting to challenge me. They come up behind me and they honk. But I keep my cool. I don't get into it with 'em. They get hysterical. They're just a bunch of small-town car freaks. That's all they are. But I tell you one thing, mister. They'll run right over you if they get the chance. That's homemade stuff. They can't stand up to a 455. No way. Shit. I'd run off and leave them in 20 minutes. J ust color me gone, baby! Why can't I ever sit up front? What is this, anyway, some kind of masculine power trip? I'm shoved back here with these goddamn tools. Screwdrivers and wrenches don't make it for me, you know. We oughta get some action soon. We'll need bread to do a little work on the carburetors and check out the rear end. I don't see anybody paying attention to my rear end. Listen. I've gotta take a leak. Honest. You gotta stop this car. Put her flat out for a while. - Good morning. - Fill it up. - May I check the oil, sir? - Yes, you may. - Good morning. - Mornin'. We need a tank of- It's not in there. Can I check the oil, sir? No, he'll get that. I don't like being crowded by a couple of punk road hogs clear across two states. I don't. I don't believe I've ever seen you. Course, there's lots of cars on the road like yours. They all get to look the same. They perform about the same. If I wanted to bother, I could suck you right up my tailpipe. Sure you could. 14.9- $ 5.00. Thank you, sir. And you come back. # Well, a truckload of art # #From New York City # Hear those cicadas? Yeah. You talk about survival. Man, those are some freaky bugs. They spend, uh - They come out of the ground every seven years. They live underground the rest of the time... and the only time they come out of the ground is to crawl out of their skins and grow some ring - grow some wings so they can fuck. And then they die. But before they die, they manage to lay some more eggs so that these bugs - We've got a better life, haven't we? - We make them look sick. - Oh, boy, I'll say. Well, don't get any splinters. You bore me. These are groovy records. Play one. - You travelin' with those guys? - Yeah. Say, where'd you get such a far-out car? Vegas. I won it shootin' craps. Thought I'd drive to New York and spend some money. I don't care. I'm just gonna hang loose. #Busted flat in Baton Rouge # How fast'll that car go? - Oh, I don't know. Pretty fast. I can take 'im. I know I can take that antique. # Took us all the way to New Orleans # #I took my harpoon out # # Of my dirty red bandana # # Was blowin'sad while Bobby sang the blues # # With them windshield wipers slappin' time # #And Bobby clappin'hands # # We finally sang up every song that driver knew # How you doin'? - #Freedom's just another word # - Fine. - #For nothin'left to lose # - Better. I think we got us a squirrel to run. #Nothin'ain't worth nothin' but it's free # #Feeling good was easy, Lord # # When Bobby sang the blues # #Feeling good was good enough for me # # Good enough for me and Bobby McGee # - You got nothin' in that engine but a bunch of- - We'll race. Sure, we'll race. You're damn right we'll race. For pinks. Pink slips? You mean, for cars? You wanna race for the whole shot? That's right. All the rolling stock. - Where to? - You name it. I n that case, smart-ass, Washington, D.C. Right. Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C. J ust a second, man. No, you're on. You're definitely on. - I was going there anyway. - Show him how to do it. We put the pinks in an envelope, send 'em to D.C., general delivery. First one there waits for his car. I'll do that. I've done it before. - How much do we owe you? - 8.15. Thank you. You all come back. We stay on the country roads. Less heat that way. Never say you're racing, or they'll bust you for it. No way, baby. They ain't gonna see me. The sun is still soft, but not for long. #First, foremost, factual # First, Foremost and Factual News, presented by- - Turn that shit off. - What? - Turn it off! It gets in the way! We had some good sleep last night. Leastways I did. We could be eating better for a long race. All that sweet stuff and Coke get to you come night. - How are your eyes? - Good. It all feels good. I figure we can go straight through. Three or four stops for gas. Eat light. It's best to keep a hunger on. - I'll relieve you in six hours. - I feel good. I can take it all the way. Okay. There's a little muscle jumping around in your neck. I like it that way. It's gonna rain. He'd better find himself a relief driver, or he's in trouble. Unless he has some uppers. -# Well, as I was motivatin' over the hill # # Seen Maybelline in a Coupe de Ville # # Cadillac a-rollin' on the open road Nothin' outrun my V-8 Ford # # Cadillac doin' up to 95 Bumper to bumper, rollin' side by side # # Maybelline Why can't you be true # # Yeah, Maybelline Why can't you be true # # Well, you done started back doing those things that you used to do # - It's a real pretty car. My cousin used to have one of these. Tore up the road with it. It's a test car. I'm driving a test now, as a matter of fact. Racing a Chevy cross country. Detroit set it up. If I win, it could mean millions for the organization. - How far you goin'? - Oklahoma City. - You ever been there? - No, I never been there. Do you mind if I stretch out, make myself comfortable? No. Go right ahead. # Well, the motor cooled down the heat went down # # That's when I heard that highway sound # # Cadillac looked like it was standin' still # # Well, I caught Maybelline at the top of the hill # # Cadillac looked like a hunk of lead # # Well, 110, half a mile ahead # # Maybelline Why can't you be true # # Maybelline, why can't you be true # # You done started back # # Doin' the things you used to do # I'm not into that! I just thought it might relax you while you drive. This is competition, man. I got no time. Hey! Hey, sweetheart! Come on! Yeah, well, we gotta get on it. Don't go! You son of a bitch. You would've left me, wouldn't you? - Okay, get your ass outta here. - It's raining. You can't let me out here. Out. I told you to keep your claws off of me. Oh, come on. How was I supposed to know? We can still be friends, can't we? Out. I ain't movin'! - First town we come to, you're out. I got no time for sidetracks. I'm gonna change the jets on the carburetor. Get me a cheeseburger with everything on it and a Coke. Step back over here for me. Howdy. Can I help you? Yeah. This man's dangerous, Officer. He passed us on the right a couple of miles back. - I swear he was going about 90. - Step back over here for a minute. Howdy. Did he pass you in the ditch? That's right. He was weaving all over the road. Scared my wife about half to death. He must be on something. Say, do you need me as a witness or anything like that? No, sir. I believe we can handle it. - I did pass him, but my wife - Hi, man! Listen, you creep, I don't need any help from you. Understand? I'm in this race all the way, and I don't need to be patronized. Don't put me on. I been around the track too many times for that. You understand? We just wanted to let you know that we're right along with you on the road. We're all in this together, right? Look, shit-for-brains, I had those cops eatin' right out of my exhaust pipe. You blew the whole thing. I had a police escort across the state line... because my wife happens to be having a set of twins. That's beautiful! Just don't fuck around with me. Okay, why don't we take a truce for a few minutes? Would you like a, uh, hard-boiled egg or something? Here. I've got other items, depending on which way you wanna go - up, down or sideways. - Here's to your destruction. - Same to you. You want another egg? No. Well, here we are on the road. Yeah, that's where we are, all right. I'm not worried about shutting you down. I hope you know that. Yeah, I figured as much. However, I have been around. I get to one end of this country, and I bounce off like a rubber ball... and head right back to the other side. I've been scouting locations for a down-home movie on fast cars. But the real race, it's more interesting. I could choose locations as I go along. You been doing this much? A little, yeah. I knew you were a car nut. I can spot the type. But all that speed, it's gonna run over you one of these days. You can't be a nomad forever... unless you flow with it like me. Now, you take the trips that I've - Listen, why don't you ride with me? They're not for you. All they think about is cars. They can't show you the kind of time I can. - Where would we go? Miami. Maybe Montreal. Mexico. Mexico is out of sight. The thing is, you got to keep movin'. A few dashes out of the country every now and then. You got to have a foreign taste just to keep balance. Otherwise, you'll fall apart. I don't know. Not right now. Anyway, you'll probably lose the race. I'm serious, you know. I'm not just kiddin' around. #I'm stealin'back # # To my same old used-to # #Stealin'back to my same old used-to ## You'd have yourself a real street sweeper here if you put a little work into it. - I go fast enough. - You can never go fast enough. I'll tell you another thing. You're not gonna make it another 50 miles... the way the carburetor is. You're leaking gas all over the engine. Well, what I gotta do? Get it fixed in the next town. If they have the parts, it should only cost you an hour. That's all I need. I can't survive a breakdown. It's all right for you guys. You got a relief driver. You can change over. But you oughta see what I'm pickin' up on the road - one fantasy after another. Look, we'll wait for you. It doesn't interest me to be 500 miles ahead. How in the hell I know you'll wait? I'll go with you, man. It's only 10 miles from here, the next town. - I'll go with him. - I can go. I like the tape recorder. No. I'll ride in the Chevy. I never rode in one of those things. It's not too comfortable in here. Yeah, it doesn't even have a heater. It slows it down. Holy shit! Come on, man! You can do it! Pull up! Come on! What are you tryin' to do, blow my mind? - #I want air conditionin'# - # I want air conditioning, oh # - #Automatic heat # - # And an automatic heater # - #And a rollaway bed # - # And a rollaway bed # - #I n my backseat # - # I n my backseat # - #A shortwave radio # - # A shortwave radio # - #A TVand a phone # - # TV and a phone # # You know I gotta talk to my baby when I'm # # When I'm ridin'alone ## Everything fell apart on me - my job, my family, everything. I had this job as a television producer, and I walked into the office - I don't wanna hear about it. What do you mean you don't wanna hear about it? It's not my problem. - Hey. - The men's room is locked. What are you doin' that for? I get nervous around this part of the country. - You seen her around? - Who? The girl. You know, Higgins - whatever her name is. No. Do you know where I can get a plate? I don't wanna be left out in the cold. You know what I mean? I don't wanna be from out of state. Hey! All right, let's try it again. Put it in neutral. Okay, start it. That's right. Now push in the clutch. Okay, put it in first. - Oh, fuck it! I can't do it. Shut your eyes. Okay, this is first. This is second... third, fourth - not that you'll ever use it - and reverse. And this is neutral. Is this a game? I don't know. Not yet. You try. - You're right. You can't do it. I can do this. It must be Saturday. We better get G.T.O. Together. - What's happening? - The town woke up. I'll meet you on the south of town on a dirt road. Okay. Throw me my shirt. Yes, sir. Can I help you? Yeah, I need a carburetor rebuild kit for a 1970 GM Quadrajet. All right, sir. I believe I've got one, sir. 6.95 plus tax. Hey, man, we don't need to burn that kind of rubber. Don't have to worry about it. Do a - Do a couple burnouts with liquid rosin - Did you fix my leak? Yeah, but that's artificial traction, man. They can't let you do that. - You mean your car? - My car. That's a thing you get into and go from one place to another. It takes a shorter time. - 670s, 640s. No problem. - They fixed it. Yeah, we'd be "B" class. If we could get our E.T.'s down to - I'd just like to know one thing. Are we still racin' or what? - I got speed to think about. - What do you want? I'd like a hamburger and an Alka-Seltzer. - We're broke. - Broke? What do you mean? No bread. We gotta get some competition. Oh, broke. Yeah, well, that's a problem. # I can't get no satisfaction # # I can't get no girl reaction # # 'Cause I try # # And I try # # And I try and I try # # I can't get no ## - Howdy. - Howdy. Say, my buddies and I, we been wonderin' where you all might be from. Well, we're passin' through. Passin' through. Well, now, what do you all mean by that? Goin' to Tennessee. Tennessee? That's a piss-poor state if I ever seen one. Sir, I work for these boys. I'm their manager. We race that '55 Chevy sittin' outside. We heard there's a good racetrack down around Memphis. They're racin' that Chevy out there. Well, now, we got one of the best tracks in this part of the country... - right out here by the state line. - I'll be darned. Yeah. We got some boys, uh, that'd shut you all down, no problem. Ain't that right, boys? - Right. - You bet. - We'll make it. - Be sure that you do. Say, you all wouldn't be... hippies, would ya? No, sir. I take care of these boys myself. They're hometown boys. John is married to Mary over there, and Davis is his brother. We're a big family, but we know how to keep it together. - You know what I mean? - Yeah. Well, sure did talk to ya. - Sure did see ya. - Yeah. You all make it down to Carlyle, you hear? - Oh, we'll do 'er. - All right. One of them Dodge Chargers. Let him go by. - Not today. Are you all right? I'm okay. I'm scared. I'm just scared. His neck is broke. He was tryin' to pass this other car, you see. He come around that curve there on the wrong side of the road. Nothin' I could do. He just kept comin' at me, the damn fool. The goddamn fool! I couldn't - I - Whoa, big fella. Easy now. Nothin' to be afraid of. Appreciate it. No trouble. - How far you goin'? - East. Well, I can take you 200 miles. I'm goin' up to Memphis to run a few of my cars. Oh. A couple of Cobras, a Camaro. Should do okay. - It doesn't matter. - Beg your pardon? What do we have, 30, 40 years? You don't exactly read me right. It's not that I give a shit. I'm into a little caper of my own. I believe everything that you're sayin', man. Listen, you don't have to put me on. I'm gettin' sick and tired of creeps gettin' in off the road and puttin' me on. What'd you say? You said something. You might as well go ahead and tell me what you said. I said, "Stop the car." What do you mean, "Stop the car"? I mean take your foot off the gas and pull over. I just want to get off this machine. I pulled something in my neck. But if that's all we got, we're in good shape. I gotta check the points and the valves when we get there. Also the jets in the carbs. Going to Pine Grove. Ten mile on. Goin' to the graveyard. Glad to help you out, ma'am. Goin' to the graveyard. Her folks, buried there. Both of'em. Killed on Saturday night. Out of state. Well, yes, ma'am. I'm drivin' through to Florida. I bought my mother a house down in St. Petersburg... and I wanna get down there and fix it up before she gets there. City car. Well, it could be a city car or a country car, ma'am. Folks all over have 'em, you know. City car is what killed 'em. Oh. I'm sorry, ma'am. City car is what killed 'em. Comin' out of the hole first is a little G.T.S. They said they wanted these things to be about that. Chevy guy's got more carburetor. I think he thinks it's a hemi. We tried polar plugs, everything. Polar plugs are workin' a little better when there's more pressure. All right. Callin'cars to the line. Gonna be a fine run. 396-cubic-inch Camaro versus a 302-cubic-inch Camaro. Don't forget, this day is the record run. Out of Memphis, Tennessee, we have the record run right here at Lakeland I nternational. Try it out. Go down and check the board. Please stay away from the walls. I would appreciate it. Little Fury goin'all the way for the win. A 15-65 and 15-24. Gimme "D"stop for Lane Number 3. Gimme "E"stop for Lane Number 3. Gimme "K"stop to Lane Number 3. That is K.S. For Lane Number 3. All right. Comin' to the line. Little '55 runnin'hot rod. Number one. Little '55 really sounds strong. Tree come down. Little '55 comes out of the hole real strong. Real lean-soundin little '55. Goin'down the big quarter mile. He gonna run well into the 12s. Where to? Around the block. I think there's someone following us. You'll get used to it. Where'd Harry run off to? Oh, I think he's settin' up a grudge race over there somewhere. Oh, he's crazy, man. He won't even qualify. Yeah, well, he's been pretty weird lately, all right. I'll see you all up at Vic's after I shut old Sam down. - Good luck. - Thanks. Mr. Tommy Briggs stops the clock at 11:34. We'll be in D.C. Tomorrow night for dinner. I set it up. We're goin' against a 'Vette. I put up the tools against 300. I gotta check the valves. - She's runnin' fine. - Beautiful. After D.C. We'll go on down to Florida. They've got some nice beaches down there. Comin' to the line, a little '55 Chevrolet... goin'down against Mr. Barthall and CH-1. At H-5 it's the little '55I I got a good lead on 'em. They ain't gonna catch me now. We'll take their pinks and we'll go to New York. Right? Right. That's right. The tires didn't bite out of the hole. I just barely got him. Where is she? - They split. - Let's go. Don't matter. We don't want the Goat anyway. Come on. Okay. She's gonna burn you. By golly, we got time for a quick bite. Then we'll go on. Doesn't matter where. As long as we got time to grab off a quick piece every now and then. Oh, no. Forget I said that. I'm crazy about you. Here's the way it's gonna be. When we get the Cobra, we're gonna go to Florida. And we're gonna lie around the beach and just gonna get healthy. Let all the scars heal. Maybe we'll run over to Arizona. The nights are warm and... the roads are straight. And we'll build a house. Yeah, we'll build a house. Because if I'm not grounded pretty soon... I'm gonna go into orbit. Easy. Take it easy, man. You're gonna kill us. Baby. I gotta get some food. I'm fallin' asleep. Where are we? Food. Breakfast. Champagne, caviar, chicken sandwiches under glass. No. Bacon and eggs, over light. Coffee, toast, jelly. And tea. Maybe we ought to go to Chicago. I got some connections in Chicago that are out of sight. I don't want to go to Chicago. That's cool then. We'll check out New York. We passed 'em five miles back. Where? I said, where? It's gonna take a long time. You'll have to pull over first. They're at a diner on the right side of the road. - Shit. I figured we'd go on up to Columbus, Ohio. There's a man there who's got some parts he wants to sell real cheap. No good. This is a bitch of a car. Yeah, yours isn't bad either. - What do you got in it? - What's it worth to you to find out? - Fifty. - See ya. Make it a hundred. Where do you guys race around here? Down at the old airport. Nice set of wheels you have here. - How far are you goin'? - New York City. We're on a 10-day leave. Well, you're in luck. I can take you all the way. What's it got, 390 horse? Yeah, 390. I won it flat out. I was drivin' a '55 stock Chevy across country and I got in a race with this G.T. O... for pink slips. I beat the G.T.O. By three hours. Of course, the guys in the G.T.O. Couldn't drive worth a damn. But I'll tell you one thing. There's nothin' like buildin' up an old automobile from scratch... and wipin' out one of these Detroit machines. That'll give you a set of emotions that'll stay with you. Know what I mean? Those satisfactions are permanent. |
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