FAST FACTS Vol. 1, Issue 29 – Thelma & Louise

Starring two chicks and a 1966 Ford Thunderbird Convertible

“It’s not about the journey, it’s about the destination…”

(at least in this movie)

Thelma & Louise was controversial when it was released on Memorial Day weekend in 1991. Starring two female actors whose weekend road trip getaway goes horribly sideways, as they blossom into feminist outlaws, the film is now considered an important classic.

It featured two, leading women, who don’t fight over a man, but instead, depict true friendship.

A friendship that beats the crap out of a really sweet T-Bird.

The unsung hero of Thelma & Louise is, of course, the 1966 Ford Thunderbird Convertible. Often referred to as a “land yacht”, this car was a movie set in itself. Convertibles are often chosen for action films because of the ease of shooting the actors. And while the T-Bird has that perfect cruising persona, it also had a massive back seat, for other characters along the way.

Five identical, but functionally different, cars were used for the filming; the “hero car”, a camera car, one backup car, and two stunt cars. The full-featured T-Bird was 17 feet long, 6 ½ feet wide, and weighed in at 4,700 lbs. It had a 345 horsepower 428 cu. in. V8 engine, an automatic transmission, dual exhausts with resonators, a turquoise (which often looked powered blue) paint job, a slick white leather interior, and a true-technological marvel, Ford’s “swing away” steering wheel.

Interestingly, in 1957 Ford introduced a slick new convertible top that disappeared into the trunk, where motorized body panels folded out and back in place leaving no sign of the retracted roof; just the smooth curves of the car.

It’s obvious these cars were “Built Ford Tough”, as they were the only five used in the filming. Often action movies have upwards of 10 or more. And none of them were customized in any way.

For motorheads, here are the undercarriage specs:

Amongst all the mayhem the movie journeys through, the real memorable scene is referred to as the “Off The Cliff” shot, and amazingly, this famous flying-car scene was (luckily) achieved on the second take. The production team only had three Thunderbirds to get it right, two shell-stunt cars, and the backward-driving one. So, they worked for hours rigging ramps and cables, but the first T-Bird launched a little crooked, and fell like turkey. A few tweaks and tequilas later… on the next day, the second launch was an airborne success, and the final scene you see… was filmed in just 45 minutes.

Director Ridley Scott, famous for Aliens, brought the action scenes to life, providing the audience with gunshots, screeching tires, sirens, and Susan Sarandon driving like a maniac in many of the shots. And in the final scene, that really is Gina Davis in the car speeding along the rim of the canyon. The driver, though was a seasoned pro.

And the outtakes from the film eventually won an award at a soft-porn festival. (You better get the Blu-ray for the extra content.)

FRASER FAST FACTS

• It was the writer’s first screenplay.
• George Clooney auditioned five times to play J.D., but it went to Brad Pitt.
• Brad Pitt earned $6,000 for his work on the film, and five years later received $10 million for Sleepers.
• The actors definitely were not always sober.
• The Grand Canyon scene was really shot in Dead Horse Point State Park, in Utah.
• There is an alternate ending (lurking on the Internet.)
• The film grossed $45 million in the U.S. on a $16.5 million budget.
• The “star” car sold for $71,000 at auction
• The tanker explosion was WAY bigger than anyone expected.
• Only Susan Sarandon and Gina Davis knew they were going to kiss in the last scene. It was totally unscripted.