The Fast and the Furious (1955)
Director: John Ireland
Actors: John Ireland, Dorothy Malone, Bruce Carlisle
Runtime: 73 min.
An escaped convict (John Ireland) takes refuge in a roadside coffee shop while on the run from the police. To make good on his escape, he kidnaps an attractive Jaguar-driving socialite (Dorothy Malone) and enters a cross-country road race in order to get to Mexico.
Trivia: Made for $66,000 and filmed in Carmel, Malibu, Monterey, and Point Dume, California. Dorothy Malone won an Oscar for Best Supporting actress for her work in Written on the Wind (1956). She also starred in the 60s hit TV series Peyton Place and played Sharon Stone's friend in Basic Instinct. John Ireland was nominated for Best Supporting Actor for All the King's Men (1949). The Fast and the Furious was the first film produced by American International Pictures production company, who created the Annette Funicello and Frankie Avalon beach party films. Their low budget film formula was, To catch your greatest audience you zero in on the 19-year old male.