The Ron Howard Action Pack (Eat My Dust! / Grand Theft Auto) [Roger Corman's Cult Classics]

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The Ron Howard Action Pack

Eat My Dust! (1976) Grand Theft Auto (1977)

directed by Charles B. Griffith
USA 1976

Eager to impress short-shorts wearing right-side-of-the-tracks gal Darlene (Christopher Norris, AIRPORT '75), Puckerbush sheriff's son Hoover (Ron Howard, TV's HAPPY DAYS) steals "Mabel" the race car of Big Bubba Jones (Dave Madden, TV's THE PARTRIDGE FAMILY). They rack up much property and vehicle destruction outrunning the cops (to be fair, a good share of the destruction is caused by the careening police cars). Eventually, Bubba convinces the sheriff (Warren Kammerling, FAMILY PLOT) to let him and his drunken race car driving buddies join in on the chase, but Hoover and Darlene are willing to push "Mabel" to the limits to avoid jail time.

Eric Cotenas

Poster

Theatrical Release: April 1976 (USA)

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DVD Review: Shout Factory (The Ron Howard Action Pack) - Region 0 - NTSC

Big thanks to Eric Cotenas for the Review!

DVD Box Cover		CLICK to order from:
Distribution	Shout Factory Region 0 - NTSC
Runtime	1:29:30
Video	1.78:1 Original Aspect Ratio 16X9 enhanced Average Bitrate: 6.2 mb/s NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s
	NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.
Bitrate
Audio	English Dolby Digital 2.0 mono
Subtitles	none
Features	Release Information: Studio: Shout Factory Aspect Ratio: Widescreen anamorphic - 1.78:1 Edition Details: • New Interview with star Ron Howard (16:9; 15:15) • How to Crash on a Dime: The Making of EAT MY DUST (4:3; 9:31) • Leonard Maltin interviews Roger Corman (4:3; 2:59) • The Illustrated Man: a conversation with Corman poster artist John Solie (16:9; 13:03) • Theatrical Trailer (4:3; 1:00) DVD Release Date: May 24th, 2011 Amaray Chapters 12

Comments

Previously released by Buena Vista as a fullscreen transfer with the retrospective featurette "How to Crash on a Dime" (featuring editor Tina Hirsch, cinematographer Eric Saarinen, and actress Christopher Norris) and a theatrical trailer, EAT MY DUST! has been released by Shout Factory as part of THE RON HOWARD ACTION PACK in a new 16:9 transfer.

Besides the carried-over featurette and trailer, Shout has added a new interview with Howard (which actually focuses more on New World Pictures directorial debut GRAND THEFT AUTO), a segment of Leonard Maltin's interview with Roger Corman focusing on EAT MY DUST!, and a conversation with Corman poster artist John Solie. The new transfer is clean, with the exception of the usual reel change mark damage and the mono audio cleanly renders the dialogue, effects, and score. Although I have not seen the Buena Vista version, the 16:9 transfer and greater number of extras suggests that the Shout Factory edition is the better choice.

- Eric Cotenas

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Screen Captures

directed by Ron Howard
USA 1977

It's ROMEO AND JULIET meets IT'S A MAD MAD MAD MAD WORLD when Paula (Nancy Morgan, THE NEST) steals her father's Rolls Royce so she and her socially unacceptable boyfriend Sam (Ron Howard, TV's THE ANDY GRIFFITH SHOW) can elope in Vegas. Her gubernatorial hopeful father Bigby (Barry Cahill, COFFY) enlists a P.I. (Howard's father Rance Howard, CHINATOWN) and his goons to get his daughter back (actually, he seems more concerned for his Rolls Royce). When Paula's fiancee Collins Hedgeworth (Paul Linke, ) learns that she is eloping, he assumes she has been brainwashed and goes in pursuit of her. After crashing his sports car as well as a stolen Charger, he calls the local radio station and offers $25,000 for Paula's safe return. This sets a pair of mechanic (Peter Isaksen and Howard's brother Clint) in pursuit of the young couple. Collins' doting mother Vivian (Marion Ross, Howard's TV mother in HAPPY DAYS) steals her butler's car to go in pursuit of her son. She, in turn, is pursued by a cop (Howard regular James Ritz, APOLLO 13) for the stolen car and moving violation. When Vivian offers up another $25,000 for her son's safe return, a preacher (Huke Howell, HUMANOIDS FROM THE DEEP) steals a police car and takes off in pursuit of Collins. Local radio personality Curly Q. Brown (Los Angeles radio personality Don Steele) takes to the air (literally) to follow the action. The chase comes a grand climax in a demolition derby invaded by the Rolls Royce and its several pursuers (in various stolen vehicles, including an ice cream truck).

Eric Cotenas

Posters

Theatrical Release: 16 June 1977 (USA)

Reviews More Reviews DVD Reviews

DVD Review: Shout Factory (The Ron Howard Action Pack) - Region 0 - NTSC

Big thanks to Eric Cotenas for the Review!

DVD Box Cover		CLICK to order from:
Distribution	Shout Factory Region 0 - NTSC
Runtime	1:24:24
Video	1.78:1 Original Aspect Ratio 16X9 enhanced Average Bitrate: 6.77 mb/s NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s
	NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.
Bitrate
Audio	English Dolby Digital 2.0 mono
Subtitles	none
Features	Release Information: Studio: Shout Factory Aspect Ratio: Widescreen anamorphic - 1.78:1 Edition Details: • Introduction by Roger Corman (4:3; 0:35) • Audio Commentary with Ron Howard and Roger Corman • Audio Commentary with actor/co-writer Rance Howard, second unit director Allan Arkush, editor Joe Dante, and key grip Ben Haller • A Family Affair: an interview with Rance Howard and Clint Howard (4:3; 8:39) • Interview with Ron Howard and Roger Corman (4:3; 13:39) • Leonard Maltin Interviews Roger Corman (4:3; 5:30) • Theatrical Trailer (4:3; 2:18) • TV Spot 1 (4:3; 0:30) • TV Spot 2 (4:3; 0:30) DVD Release Date: May 24th, 2011 Amaray Chapters 12

Comments

The source used for GRAND THEFT AUTO is in better condition than EAT MY DUST! - although it was also produced for a higher budget - and the mono audio is fine throughout (the previous New Concorde was remixed in stereo and the Buena Vista reissue in reportedly less impressive 5.1).

The Ron Howard/Roger Corman commentary was carried over from the New Concorde 25th anniversary DVD (which sported an open matte transfer), while Shout Factory has added a new commentary featuring second unit director (and uncredited co-editor) Allan Arkush, editor Joe Dante, co-writer Rance Howard, and key grip Ben Haller. Both tracks are entertaining (Howard points out several of his later regular collaborators as well as various crew members doubling as actors, and a few family members in addition to Rance and Clint Howard). The Corman/Howard interview and Maltin interview have also been carried over from the New Concorde disc, while the Rance Howard/Clint Howard featurette came from the Buena Vista edition.

- Eric Cotenas

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