Everything you need to know about Damnation Alley (1977)
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- čas přidán 6. 11. 2019
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My mother brought me to see this when I was five years old. One thing I can certainly give it credit for is that it started my love for post-apocalyptic stories.
My parents took me when I was 7 & my brother was 4, at a drive-in. I thought it was cool because it had motorcycles & Jan-Michael Vincent.
This is a movie that screams for a remake! They could even still use the original Landmasters
Very unlikely. Nuclear war seems a somewhat forbidden theme in today's cinema.
I loved this movie as a kid
Wait for the Fallout movie (not the MI one)
They would have to remake it from the original book. It ought to have the same look and feel as the remake of Battlestar Galactica.
But no Kevin Heart
I remember the theater laughing at George Peppard yelling "This whole town is infested with killer cockroaches!"
An "illustrated radio" line...
I think I found my ring tone!
He never saw my old apt. in Kew Gardens, Queens, then. The roaches invaded later and took over the building.
I cannot forget that line. I would like to.
I think the real cockroaches were the studio execs, heh.
The cockroach scene messed me up for weeks after seeing it.
edhombre weeks? Years for me. I saw this as a kid. Scared the crap out of me. 😬. Years later, I really like the movie!
Me too. I had nightmares about them for days after watching the movie
Yeah that scene disturbed me when I was a kid too.
So I'm not the only one?
Killer Cockroaches!!
The Landmaster was on Jay Leno's Garage recently. It still drives and looks cool ;-)
Damn did he upload that here?
@@1pcfred >>> YEAH!!
@@Allan_aka_RocKITEman I couldn't find it.
@@1pcfred >>> It'll turn up eventually....
I'm happy he has it. It used to be at a car place on the Hollywood Freeway near the Hollywood Bowl and I'd always get a kick out of seeing it. Movie stunk, but loved the Landmaster.
I swear I thought I imagined that this movie existed, as if I got sick one day and just hallucinated seeing it on television.
This and the original Death Race... pre-internet, you speak of these flicks and everyone looks at you like you full of sht.
lol i know exactly what you mean, i remembered seeing this on Tv when i was very young and didnt know the name of the movie but it left an impression and i never forgot the movie, then I saw this vid and thought OMG that's the movie.
I had the same feeling about”where have all the people gone”. I saw it when I was little on tv and I couldn’t figure out what it was until a few years ago.
You're lucky -- my hallucination has me seeing it in the theater.
@@bf6159 Don't hold back and self censor will you?
I am still quite fond of Damnation Alley. The Landmaster was definitely the star of the show but yes the FX work always bugged me. Loved the soundtrack as well.
On my first trip to Universal Studios in 1980 the Land-master was parked in front of a gas station not even related to the studio. We drove by and I yelled to my boyfriend and pointed like an idiot. I do not know if the darn thing even exists any longer.
The movie Logan's Run was another movie made around the same time that had awful special effects....
@@ericzerkle5214 that was in 1976.same as Jaws
@@Laceykat66 the Land-master sat at that petrol station for years but eventually ended up being sold, restored and put in a car museum with a bunch of other movie cars... like it deserved.
@ William Porter... Ha! You said the SFX "bugged" you. LOL
You 'hit the nail on the head' with this review, Jonny. I absolutely love Roger Zelazny's novel, but the movie sadly has so very little to do with the original story. Jan-Michael Vincent, Paul Winfield and Jackie Hale Early all did a fine job despite such a poor script. The true star of this trainwreck of a film is undoubtedly the Landmaster vehicle, tho.
I agree. Poor script with lousy special effects however I have a fondness for this film despite its major flaws. I had to buy it on BlueRay. Too bad it wasn't directed by anyone else--even Michal Crichton. The man-eating cockroaches was the highlight of the film although I didn't want them to eat away Paul Winfield.
I was a Roger Zelazny fan about this time and the only books I hadn't read were the Amber/Corwin books. Roger Zelazny had won many of the science fiction Nebula and Hugo awards and was well respected for his integration of various mythologies into science fiction adventure.
Damnation Alley is a good book about a group of people in three vehicles travelling from the west coast to Boston to deliver plague serum. One of the drivers was a former Hell's Angel, Hell Tanner. The reason why he was a former Hell's Angel is because the rest of the gang had been killed off. The reason Tanner was one of the drivers was that he was one of the few that they thought could travel cross-country through Damnation Alley (a hard reference to the mid-west's Tornado Alley, only much worse).
There was a really good story there and the producer, writers and directors really screwed it up right from the git-go. It was apparent how bad this movie was going to be in the first five minutes. Sadly, I sat through the entire movie because I like a good wreck. Jonny Baak says this isn't that bad a movie. Yes, it is. It is that bad if not worse. It is bad writing, bad acting, bad special effects and bad badness throughout. It is stupid and immature. It is like taking 10 lbs. of fecal matter and compressing it down to the size of Campbell's Soup can of condensed fecal soup. I wasn't a fan of Star Wars either, but this was far worse.
Once again I saw this movie around 1980 I was 12 and I could not take my eyes off it. It scared me and those roaches gave me chills , what a way to go be eaten alive. I still watch it if it pops on TV even though at 50 now the CGI is not the best but I just really like it and this movie would be a great one to reboot. Thanks and great job on the video
It's a guilty pleasure.
there was no cgi
Damnation alley Jan-Michael Vincent has Jake's own stunts owner stuntsthat Michael Jan Vincent fantastic portrait makes films in saitl lake Utah state southern California
I dont care what the reviews were, I loved this movie and still watch it occasionally. I was 14 years old when it came out and I was instantly in love with Jan Michael Vincent lol. I really like the special effects when the axis was turning back. It truly seemed very apocalyptic to me at that age. I have been fascinated with anything apocalyptic since.
100% absolutely agree.
I used to see that Land master parked behind a fence in L.A. ..
I can’t remember the exact spot but it was there for quite a while. Now I know what movie it was in !
rex racer saw it too it was by a 7/11 in studio city
It was on Cahuenga for years
I also remember seeing it parked in a garage & visible from the 101 as you drove past Universal City heading over the Cahuenga Pass.
Cahuenga Pass. A sfx garage at the time had it. Now its a used car repair lot and the Landmaster is long gone.
@@SNSWoTClan I remember driving by there, too.
A score by Jerry Goldsmith can make even the worst movies enjoyable😀
too true!! A great composer can make even the crappiest movie a bit cool.
Great topic! Thanks for the video
this would have been cool as an "Airwolf" type show worked around the Landmaster and crusing around the post-apocalyptic wasteland. Oh, well...
Stick on some run-flat tires, push a button and mini-Sidewinder missiles pop out of the trunk, wire up an infrared camera to a chaingun... 😀
I always thought Damnation Alley was made for TV for some reason
Me too. Granted I was 4 when it came out. All of my exposure was on tv.
That's because it did so bad in he theater, it went right to television. LOL
@@Donegal62 that makes sense cuz I was about 10 years old when I first saw it
I thought so, too. I think most people saw it on TV. I remember it was quite the event when it reached our small town that way. We didn't have a movie theater, and it wasn't long in the theaters it did go to.
Ark II had many of the same elements of the movie but was aimed at the Saturday morning children’s TV market. Check it out. It may be what you’re thinking of
This show ruled my childhood. I gave up trick or treating one Halloween to stay home by myself and watch this movie for like the sixth time. And I freakin' *LOVE* Halloween!
great video. jan michael vincent is one of my favorite actors. R.I.P. Jan.
I always loved the way the sky looked in this movie with those eerie light effects. And I want a LandMaster.
This movie was one of my favorites back then. I was 22. I was more interested in the vehicle than the story but enjoyed it all.
I grew up in Los Angeles county as a teenager through the late 70's and early 80's.
I traveled by bus throughout the LA and Hollywood areas. I used to see the Landmaster as well as several Colonial Vipers is an old wrecking yard off the Hollywood freeway. I even walked upto the yard and could look through the fence at all the old movie prop vehicles in the yard. But the Landmaster and the vipers are all I really remember any more.
It was originally dumped in a lot off Sepulveda Blvd. I last saw it when I was there in 1979. It was resurrected in 2007, rebuilt and makes car shows on the odd occasion.
Are you talking about near Barham and Cahuenga? I remember seeing that tank thing there forever and always wondering what it was from. There are some other random props just inside the gate at a warehouse facility by the 210 and 118 on Foothill Blvd, it's an almost life size space capsule, but there has also been a giant golf ball next to it and other random stuff. Never could figure out why.
@@TheRadioAteMyTV Methinks, so. I recall many other 'cars' that were from Sci Fi movies, n such. I recall some, took pics of the rest.
Glad you mentioned this because even thought I live in Washington, I remember, distinctly, my first visit to Disney and later universal studios (late 70s early 80’s) and seeing the land masters from the highway. Funny what you remember in life but the design was so distinctive.
Like most, those cockroaches scared the hell out of me, and the Landmaster was cool.
I love this movie! It's a classic to me and i can watch it over and over again. Can't beat the unique story line.
SIR U BROUGHT BACK ALL MY CHILDHOOD INTERESTS IN WANTING MORE OUT OF THE MOVIES THAT I WANTED MORE FROM THANK YOU I'M 58 NOW AND ENJOYING ALL THE EXTRA INFO THAT U ARE PROVIDING THAT I COULD EVER HOPE FOR THANK YOU AGAIN THIS ONE IS A GEM
Great movie and your doc great. Love the rig they used in the movie. Just watched it a couple of weeks ago. Thanks
I saw this as a kid but couldn't remember anything about it other than the giant scorpions. Thank you for adding a title to my memories.
The Landmaster is now parked at Gene Winfield's Custom Shop on Sierra Highway between Rosamond, California and Mojave, California. It can be seen from the road plus you can check it out in person during the week.
I LOVE THIS MOVIE!!!! I saw it at the theater when it was new, and when it came on HBO i recorded it, and it is still in my collection to this day!!! This is one of my all time FAVORITES!!! I must have watched this movie over a dozen times in my lifetime.
Who else feels compelled to watch some UFO episodes when they hear the intro music to JonnyBaak vids?
I have the UFO opening music on one of my playlists. And when that isn't enough, I watch an episode or two...if I can spare the time.
The whole premise sounds like it should be a TV series and not a movie
is Netflix listening?
My dad took me to see this for my 10th birthday. In the opening scene when the nuclear war happens I asked him Dad what's going on? He said in a very serious voice something you hope you never see. Hahaha this movie was great
I'm a fan of Roger Zelazny and I've never seen the movie- now I'm glad. Yet another case where "hollywood" makes a movie that has very damn little in common with the source material.
The greatest most entertaining reviews ever!
I know this is not considered among one of the best science-fiction movie, and it has little to do with the novel (which I read much later), BUT, when I saw this movie as a young teenager, I loved it so much that I went to see it 7 times at the local cinema. The landmasters vehicles were so cool! It still holds a special place in my heart to this day.
I saw this at the "Liberty" theater in Mexico Missouri on Nov. 19th 1977. It was a Saturday night. My friend and I were both just 16 years old at the time and loved it. This is also where we saw "Star Wars" on Oct 29 1977 for the first time. Those were some fun times.
Loved the book,Hawkwind song and Judge Dredds cursed earth 😀
The original Landmaster sat for many years out in front of the now defunct Jefferies Automotive on Cahuenga Boulevard near Universal Universal Studios. On Christmas Day in 1979 I stopped there to check it out and take copious photos. The flexible membrane that filled in the gap between the front and rear body sections had torn so I was able to get photos of the U joint that delivered power to the rear axle. It was a very impressive vehicle indeed.
I saw it parked there too 1977, or 78.
What a great totally under appreciated movie! I think my brother and i saw it around 79 or 80 and thought it was the greatest!
I didn't think anyone else knew this movie existed. Went to see it when it came out and it was a pure B movie, but it was fun if you took it that way. A favorite scene is George Peppard yelling about "Killa Cockroaches!"
I remember watching this on TV here in the UK back in the 70s - I was 7 or 8
This is actually one of the first movies my father ever took me to see. I don't recall if he took me to this or Star Wars first, but I vividly remember going to see both of them with him.
Many years later, probably around 1984 or so, my friends and I went through a phase where we played a role-playing game called, "Gamma World." In the game, we built a vehicle very heavy inspired by the Land Master. We drove around in that thing for a couple of years.
Loved this movie as a kid. The landmasters are still one of my favorite movie props ever.
Back in the mid-70's custom vans were the craze, and the Landmaster hit all the right buttons!
Just found your channel. Love late 70's early 80's scifi . This was a classic from my childhood. Still watch it once in a while. Just watched Ice Pirated the other day, curious if you've made a video on it . If not , please do
This is def. a guilty pleasaure film. I remember catching the scene of them in the casino when I was eight because we walked into the wrong theater where we were supposed to see Star Wars instead. I was intrigued by what I saw, but didn't get to see the full movie until many years later when it was on TV somewhere and now I own it on DVD. It's cheesey and as B-rated as they come, but brings back memories more than anything else. Thanks for the insight on it. Always fun to learn about movies I have watched and hold a place in my library of films that everyone should see, even if they aren't ever up for any awards.
See this when it came out and loved it. Granted I was only about 10 then.
One of my favorite pre-Star Wars Sci fi films. Damnation Alley was a staple on TV when I was a kid. Oddly enough I saw it for the first time being showed in the auditorium at the high school I eventually would attend. Pretty neat film. The Landmaster is my dream car.
Good film , seen on cable when I was kid , thank you so sir . Great vid about this movie . Man U.S. cable back then was awesumm!.
You need Giant Mutant Scorpions......you call Ray Harryhausen.
They probably couldn't afford him
@@mikegrossberg8624 they clearly couldn't afford not to have him.
@@1pcfred Even with using REAL scorpions
@@mikegrossberg8624 yeah they were just matted in like crap. When you watch the skeleton fight scene in Sinbad it looks like the live action is in frame with the miniatures. czcams.com/video/PiTSyZbIjAg/video.html
Saw the movie in cinema on initial release. A year later in LA July '78 on a local bus tour, one of the feature sights was the vehicle parked off the side of the highway - basically abandoned there.
Your the man.
This was a very enjoyable, cheap cheerful movie, I didn't realize the excellent Jackie Earl Haley was in it til now
I remember seeing bits of that movie on tv back in 77 when it came out, and the bugs were indeed scary. I only saw it the first time completely recently 2 years ago and I absolutely loved it, don't care the critics. The score is really fantastic.
I use to see the vehicle was on chuenga next to the 101 freeway everytime I was driving into Hollywood. The place was sold later in the early 2000's never saw it again
I saw it in a theater in Portland Oregon. I think it’s a great movie . Thanks for the video . Good content .
Obviously there was zero understanding or empathy for the excellent novella.
Agreed, the movie seemed to go a predictable "B" movie route. But, $17 Million 1977 dollars? Where???
@@sacramentoguy949 especially considering Star Wars went over budget to 12 mill.
Damn it took a long time for movies to hit TV back then. I remember how exciting it was when ATV10 here in Melbourne first played Star Wars (I _think_ in 1980).
Nice one Jonathan not seen this will take a look.
Enjoying the Invaders! (:
Finally,saw this movie for the very 1st time early this year shown on a movie cable channel(Showtime or Cinemax)late at night.Heard about this movie back during the decade of the 1980s but was not found or available at afew membership local video rental stores.
One great movie that came out a year later that seemed to get ignored due to the new Star Wars fever is "The Driver" with Ryan O'Neal. I have no idea if the Ryan Gosling "Drive" was influenced by that movie. However Walter Hill would go on to direct the cult favorite "The Warriors" in 1980.
As a kid, i had this thing about building (attempting at least) movie scenes and vehicles from legos. I spent days building the big survival rig from this lol
I’ll have to check out this movie and watch out for it on my travels. It sounds like it might be quite good . And for a Jan Michael Vincent fan like me it’s a must!
Read the book. Forget the movie
Mike Grossberg I’ll do both if I can tho I’ll take your words on.
Good job. The vehicle was also used on the Chris Elliot TV show “Get A Life” as an automated newspaper delivery machine. I think it was called “Papeboy 2000”
I like it, especially where Jan Michael and Paul Winfield are signing in the Landmaster.
Still one of my favorite movies
The land master reminds me of the vehicle judge dredd takes across the cursed earth in 2000AD comic good video sir thumbs up from south Wales
I was about to post the same thing when I saw your comment. The Judge Dredd vehicle could split into two sections (Land Raider and Killdozer).
Roger Zelazny's book was good but the movie was not, that's what happens when studio execs get involved. They utterly screw a good story up.
Agreed!
I've seen the film but not read the book. What are the biggest differences?
Damation Alley came out the same year as another 20th Century Fox post apocalyptic flick - Wizards. Writer and director Ralph Bakshi originally called the movie "War Wizards". But, George Lucas asked him to change the title to avoid confusion with Star Wars and the title was changed to Wizards. George Lucas suggested to Ralph Bakshi that Mark Hamill do a voice cameo in the movie as the ill fated fairy Sean.
I never went and saw Star Wars but did go to see Damnation alley I was 16 and loved it happy memories of my youth
I read the original book and it was great sadly the movie wasn't.
in the novel the character portrayed by Jan Michael Vincent on the movie should sound familiar. he is an outlaw biker and former green beret marine type, who happens to have an eye patch. he is perty much Snake Pliskin from escape from new tork.
Loved the original novel. The movie paled by comparison. The lead character was basically neutered.
As always with Hollywood they are not going to stick to the book. I've stopped hoping that some books I've read will be movies due to this fact.
6:05 That was what I wanted to exist in real life :) I loved that one :) I used to watch that show back when I was a kid :) Now, that's an RV that I would love to have :)
I remember seeing this at the Drive-in with Star Wars in '77. The only thing I remembered was the giant scorpions and the three wheels flipping over. Have seen it twice since, now I also remember something about killer cockroaches.
Great movie saw it when I was a kid. Very accurate!
I'd read the book years earlier and was excited for the movie. Luckily I missed it at the cinema. I remember George Peppard's character died early in the book but he was the lead character in this, um, damnation!
I'd love to see them remake this only THIS time stay true to the original novel (yeah, like a movie will ever do THAT). Zelazny was a master and probably rolls in his grave every time anyone mentions this bit of tripe. I'd like to see many of his books made faithfully into movies, and a mini-series of Chronicles of Amber ... but ... alas.
Feel up to a Hell ride somewhere in Shadow? ✌🏻🐱
Yes I like this when it came out. But this is one movie I would agree needs a remake badly
The explosion inside the military base was originally used in a movie that George Peppard started in Operation Crossbow 1965.
I liked the vehicle above all else myself...
I think I saw it in the theater back then, can't recall now...
The first time I saw this, I was ticked off they hadn't followed the book. Then I watched again, and thought it was pretty cool. The sky and bringing the Landmaster to life sold me. I also had a crush on Vincent! I recorded it to VHS, minus commercial breaks, and watched it til the tape was stretched to the point everything lagged. Still love Hell Tanner and Jake Tanner both, and this is a cult classic.✌🏻🐱
Still liked the film watched it again recently made me chuckle quite a bit
thanks
I'm a huge fan of post apocalyptic movies, books, comics, you name it. Damnation Alley was the first one I saw as a kid that kicked off my interest in the genre. It will always have a special place in my 💓. I just watched again for, probably, the 200th time just last week.
That was my movie when it came out!... I loved it, and was a big fan of George Peppard, from his time on doing Banacek! I enjoy the work you do on the shows I love and grow up on and have become part of my adult life.
In 1977 I wasn't allowed to watch Damnation Alley by my parents!! I am not sure why, but they were weird like that!! It took me a few more years to actually have a chance to watch it....so in 1983 at 18 years old, I finally got to see it!! It wasn't the worst movie I have ever seen, and even though it has a "cheese to it", it does rank up there with one of the movies I never actually HATED either!! Yeah the movie is a bit slow in parts an you really have to WATCH IT, to follow it. BUT like I say that isn't the worst thing about the movie either, though I agree the effects could have been better had somebody else (Lucas or SOMEBODY who knew effects) had of worked on it instead!!!! The Landmaster WAS one my most favorite parts of the film!! And it is funny that sometimes the best "character" in a show or movie at times is just the prop that is "basic transportation" who seems to outlive the movie or show!!! After all a lot of people DO NOT recall THX1138 but they remember the car chase scene in the Tunnel, or they always seem to remember the White 440 Challenger from Vanishing Point, or they hate the show Firefly, but remember Serenity the space ship!! Funny how that works, and many of these are my "favorite movies" for my own reason!!!
Damnation Alley is NOT unwatchable!! You just have to "focus more on it" than most science fiction flicks!! Sadly most people don't have that kind of attention span though!! And I recall they used the Landmaster in a Amoco gasoline commercial back years ago too for about a year, which was too cool as well!! And I even remember the show Ark II but the Landmaster type vehicle in that WAS DIFFERENT than the true Landmaster machines!!!!
It does make me wonder what they could make today with today's technology to make this a better movie!! But apparently nobody in Hollyweird is bright enough to say "Hey wait a minute, why don't we try to "repair what is broken in Damnation Alley?"" But there is no accounting for taste in a land where "celebrity is run by pedophiles and freaks and idiot liberals I guess....which is Hollywood in a nutshell!!!
I remember seeing this one on TV in the '80s and then VHS many years later. The Landmaster made an appearance on an episode of the Chris Elliott show Get a Life.
1977 was such a great year for movies!
Thank you Jonny! Love this info. Are you in US or AUS?
I loved this movie, but then again I was nine when it came out.
Back when there were still video stores I looked everywhere, but could never find this film. I guess I'll try Amazon.
It's on CZcams in several places, but some have the audio out of synch. Try czcams.com/video/L87KKuhJ_ss/video.html
Thanks for that. It should be noted that this movie did inspire some aspects of the highly successful Fallout game series, including the rad roaches and rad scorpions which are quite common foes in the Fallout universe.
It's not a good film. But I love it. Because I have warm memories of seeing it when came it out. I was just a kid. And my dad took me. We had great fun with its B movie elements. Especially the bug scene. We also both enjoyed the very cool, very seventies cast. There are some movies you connect with such warm memories. And no amount of objective criticism can separate can diminish those feeling. DAMNATION ALLEY is one of those films for me. And I still love watching it today, enjoying it as much, if not more, than the first time I saw it, with my dad, on that October evening back in 1977.
Definitely needs a reboot - but faithfully on the source material not studio interference (no one needs THAT!)
This was a Saturday afternoon movie on many weekends when I was a teen....Jan m. Vincent was a big name to back then.... it's wasn't a horribly movie....it did have special effects shortcomings.... but the story was solid enough to keep you involved
I really liked that movie. I really like bad movies, though.
OMG you used music from Meteor (1979) for background music for this video? 👍🤣
P.S. I hit like!
I saw this at the long gone Arcade Theatre Pittsburgh PA as a lad of 13. I know kids grow up fast now but 13 is still such an awkward time. You spend the day playing Star Trek or Planet of the Apes. We’d then spend our evenings smoking weed and breaking into trains. Ah, youth. Even then you could tell Peppard had C list talent and A list self-esteem. Arguably his best since the Blue Max ;-)
Saw in my local cinema as a kid ha ha ha!
Loved by some , hated by others . I loved this movie when it came out . It scared the heck out me! Damnation Alley is a Cult Classic Horror movie I will never forget .
The film had an alternative title "Survival Run while it was in pre-production, and that name came back as a possible re-titling after it failed.
That's interesting as I've often though 'Damnation Alley' doesn't feel like it's quite spot on as a title. I haven't seen the film in a few years and can't remember if Damnation Alley is a reference to something referenced in the actual movie or not.
@@pjgathergood6987 Damnation Alley refers to the route the "trucks" would take in the novel (Landmaster was a term coined for the movie). The route goes from the Nation of California, through Salt Lake, past St. Louis and eastward to the Free State of Boston. James "Hell" Tanner had been as far as the 'Missus Hip' in the novel before tasked to take the Haffacaine antiserum to Boston to combat the plague there.
Reminds me of the computer strategy RPG game Wasteland from which Fallout was based on. It was about a US Army engineering battalion who teamed up with civilian survivalist trying to survive in a heavily fortified military base in a post-apocalyptic nuclear world against cannibal road bandits and mutant creatures.
Love damnation alley from 1977 it was a lot of fun to watch 😌