In a decided
fashion, post-1970 film and literature featuring auto theft celebrated rather
than decried the act of automobile theft with one caveat--namely, that the car
stolen was insured. Beyond that qualifier, professional car thieves were
elevated to an almost heroic status, and amateurs were portrayed in a comic
light. Automobiles were often portrayed as being objects of desire, but at the
same time in various chase scenes, police cars and everyday "drivers"
were depicted as disposable objects, wrecked and destined to be forgotten. But
in most cases the cars stolen were luscious, high performance vehicles that
were normally not attainable to any but the highest class of thieves and
bandits.
The two Gone in Sixty Seconds films--one done in 1974 and the other in 2000--entertained
millions of viewers worldwide. These two films celebrated both the professional
thief and the high performance, elegantly styled automobile. And while the
story was appropriately centered in car-culture dominated southern California,
the original 1974 version was written by an unlikely outsider originally from
Dunkirk, New York, H.B. “Toby” Halicki (1940-1989).2 Halicki, with
no formal education in film or practical experience in the industry, conceived,
wrote, directed, produced, and starred in the version released in 1974. From a
rough and tumble Polish-American family, Toby began his work life as a tow
truck driver before migrating to California, where he succeeded in a number of
businesses, including automotive recycling, body shop repairs, and real estate.
It comes as no surprise that in an early scene Halicki handles a tow truck
pulling a car like an expert driver behind the wheel of a sports car. He put
together a remarkable low budget independent film, relying on friends, family,
everyday police officers, fire fighters, and pedestrians to play supporting
roles. And quite modestly, Halicki lists the star of the film as a 1973 Mustang
Mach I named Eleanor.
Halicki plays the part of Maindrain
Pace, a respected insurance investigator and owner of Chase Research by day. At
night and in and around parking lots, streets, the chop shop, and dealerships,
however, Pace is the head of a highly organized car theft ring. Despite what
one might think of his illegal activities, Pace is a criminal with principles,
for he will not steal a car that is not insured (ironic given his day job!). As
the film opens, the work of a chop shop is detailed, as valuable and tagged
parts, along with the vehicle identification number (VIN) sticker, are “switched
over” from a wrecked red Dodge Challenger to one stolen from an airport parking
lot. A bit later, with an order from an Argentine general to steal 48 cars in
four days, Pace and his associates quickly got to work. Here the film illustrates
the many ways in which a professional thief can steal a car without making a
mark on it. Members of this outfit did not make mistakes; Pace stated to one of
his associates that “The amateurs are in jail. Professionals never are caught.”
He goes on to explain that the only professionals who are in jail are those who
were sloppy. Each associate is given a specially equipped briefcase containing
tools, magnetic license plates, and anything else that one might need to
quickly and cleanly “boost” a car. And a number of these devices are shown in
action--the Slim Jim, door button pry bar, and separate ignition switch. Newer
additions to the briefcase include a walkie-talkie and a compact key cutter. A
number of car culture notables from the era play minor roles in the film--Parnelli
Jones, J.C. Agajanian, and Tony Bettenhausen. Given the fact that there was no
script, the flow of the film is rather remarkable, culminating with a thirty-four
minute chase scene and a jump that left Halicki with ten crushed vertebrae and
a limp. Among the cars stolen were a 1924 Rolls Royce Silver Ghost (Eileen);
1970 Jaguar E-type (Claudia); 1959 Rolls-Royce Phantom V (Rosie); 1972 Ferrari
Daytona 365 GTB 4 (Sharon); 1973 Jensen Interceptor (Betty); 1971 Citroen SM
(Patti); 1962 Ferrari 340 America (Judy); 1971 Chevrolet Vega (Christy); and a
1967 Lamborghini (Tracy). The connection between the beautiful cars and
women's' names raises an obvious inference concerning the hot cars and sexuality,
although the Chevrolet Vega appears as an outlier. It has been postulated that
the Vega was a Cosworth model, but that remains only a conjecture. Despite the
low budget, absence of professional actors, and organizational methods that
children have exceeded when making home movies, perhaps Halicki succeeded in
ways in which the 2000 release fell short. While it may be argued that Halicki
was far more interested in making a chase movie than one illustrating the
nature of auto theft, the most enduring message is the scene that features a
battered Eleanor still running at the conclusion of the film.
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