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Thunder in Carolina is a 1960 stock car racing movie starring Rory Calhoun, Alan Hale, Jr., and Connie Hines. It was written by Alexander Richards, directed by Paul Helmick, and contains remarkable 1959-vintage stock car race footage. Filmed at a number of small dirt ovals in the South, the script is based around the Southern 500 NASCAR race in Darlington, SC. All filming was done in 1959 with much of the footage taken during the actual event. A film car was entered to capture on-track sequences and Rory Calhoun actually ran some laps during the race. Calhoun drives a 1957 Chevrolet while... MORE

Thunder in Carolina is a 1960 stock car racing movie starring Rory Calhoun, Alan Hale, Jr., and Connie Hines. It was written by Alexander Richards, directed by Paul Helmick, and contains remarkable 1959-vintage stock car race footage. Filmed at a number of small dirt ovals in the South, the script is based around the Southern 500 NASCAR race in Darlington, SC. All filming was done in 1959 with much of the footage taken during the actual event. A film car was entered to capture on-track sequences and Rory Calhoun actually ran some laps during the race. Calhoun drives a 1957 Chevrolet while his friend-turned-competitor "Les York" is in a 1959 Oldsmobile. The movie is clearly a "B" grade production but Thunder In Carolina managed to capture much of the sound and fury of the era. The film was later marketed on video tape as "Hard Drivin'" with a freeze-frame title spliced into the opening. Rory Calhoun ... Mitch Cooper Alan Hale, Jr. ... Buddy Schaeffer Connie Hines ... Rene York Race Gentry ... Les York (billed as John Gentry) Ed McGrath ... Reichert Troyanne Ross ... Kay Hill Helen Downey ... Eve Mason Van Casey ... Stoogie Tripplie Wisecup ... Myrtle Webb Carey Loftin ... Tommy LESS