Late Night Retro Television Reviews: Friday the 13th: The Series 1.8 “Shadow Boxer”


Welcome to Late Night Retro Television Reviews, a new feature where we review some of our favorite and least favorite shows of the past! On Fridays, I will be reviewing Friday the 13th, a show which ran in syndication from 1987 to 1990. The show can be found on YouTube!

This week’s episode is a creepy one!  Read on!

Episode 1.8 “Shadow Boxer”

(Dir by Timothy Bond, originally aired on November 21st, 1987)

Tommy Dunn (David Ferry) is a punch drunk boxer who barely makes a living working at a local gym.  No one takes him seriously.  The other boxers taunt him.  The owner of the gym treats him like a slave and continually tells him that he’ll never be a champion.  However, Tommy has a secret weapon.  He’s found an old pair of boxer gloves.  The gloves used to belong to a savage boxer known as the Killer.  When Tommy puts the gloves on and touches his shadow, his shadow comes to life.  While Tommy is throwing punches either in the gym or in the ring, his shadow is beating someone else to death.  As long as his shadow is beating someone up, Tommy is unstoppable.

After Tommy’s shadow murders the owner of the gym, Micki, Ryan, and Jack show up to investigate.  (The gloves were, of course, bought from Curious Goods.)  Micki brings her camera and takes pictures of all of the boxers so that Ryan and Jack can later look to see if any of them are wearing the “Killer” gloves.  It doesn’t take them long to discover that Tommy is currently in possession of the gloves.  When Micki flirts with Tommy at a diner, Ryan and Jack break into his apartment and search for the gloves.  This leads to three things happening.  First off, Micki has a really awkward date with a murderer.  Secondly, Ryan and Jack fail to find the gloves before Tommy returns.  Third, Tommy now knows that Ryan, Jack, and Micki are onto him.

During his next fight, Tommy sends his shadow after Jack but fortunately, Micki is waiting with a flashlight.  Shining light on the shadow causes it to disappear and it also causes Tommy to get beaten unconscious in the boxing ring.  With Tommy temporarily out of commission, Ryan steals the gloves.  Tommy can no longer use the gloves to kill but, as Micki bitterly points out, Tommy will also never be prosecuted for all the people that he killed.

Of course, Tommy then shows up at Curious Goods and tries to force Micki to tell him where the gloves are.  Ryan puts on the gloves and proceeds to beat up Jack, which leads to Ryan’s shadow beating Tommy to death.  Jack isn’t particularly happy about getting beaten up but it does save Micki’s life.

This was a well-done episode.  There weren’t many twists to the story but the sight of Tommy’s shadow following people around was undeniably creepy.  The shadow was probably the scariest of all of the threats that have appeared on the show so far.  Even when the shadow was saving Micki’s life by beating Tommy to death, it was still scary to watch.  When Ryan hit Jack, it was left ambiguous as to whether or not he was trying to save Micki’s life or if the evil of the cursed gloves had briefly possessed him.

The only unfortunate thing about this episode is that it led to me going down the Wikipedia rabbit hole of researching boxers who have died in the ring.  Boxing is a brutal sport, whether you’re fighting with cursed gloves or not!

Retro Television Reviews: T. and T. 1.13 “Sweet Tooth” and 1.14 “Playing With Fire”


Welcome to Retro Television Reviews, a new feature where we review some of our favorite and least favorite shows of the past! On Fridays, I will be reviewing T. and T., a Canadian show which ran in syndication from 1987 to 1990.  The show can be found on Tubi!

This week, the adventures of T.S. Turner continue!

Episode 1.13 “Sweet Tooth”

(Dir by Don McCutcheon, originally aired on March 28th, 1988)

“In this episode,” Mr. T tells us, “a former con man claims to be starting a new chapter in his life, but I keep hearing the same old story.”

At the Toronto courthouse, T.S. and Amy are approached by a prosecutor named Billings (David Ferry).  He’s wearing a plaid suit, which is the show’s way of indicating that he’s not as good an attorney as Amy.  Billings says that he needs to discuss a private matter with T.S.

“Maybe he wants fashion tips,” T.S. growls.

Billings explains to T.S. that a man with whom T.S. served time, a conman named Lee Boone, has been released from prison.  The police think that Boone is trying to set up a new con in T.S.’s neighborhood but Billings thinks that Boone is trying to go straight.  Billings asks T.S. to investigate.  He also asks T.S. to keep their arrangement strictly confidential.

“And I’d appreciate it if you changed that jacket,” T.S. replies, “It gives me an earache.”

That said, T.S. agrees to check out Lee Boone, especially after he hears that Boone is the father of a seven year-old son.

Meanwhile, Lee Boone (Anthony Sherwood) is giving a speech in front of an old church.  He’s asking for donations to turn the church into a community center.  Among those donating money is T.S.’s aunt, Martha (Jackie Richardson).  T.S is stunned to discover that Lee is the man who he knew in prison as “Sweet Tooth.”  After Boone finishes his speech, T.S. confronts him and accuses him of trying to con people out of their money.  Boone argues that he’s changed and he’s just trying to give back to the community.  T.S. doesn’t buy it, later telling Billing that he judges a man not by his words but by his eyes and, “I looked in Sweet Tooth’s eyes and nothing had changed.”

On T.S.’s recommendation, Boone is arrested.  Guess who is assigned to be Boone’s lawyer?  Amy Taler!  Now, considering that Amy is partners with someone who would undoubtedly be called as a witness if the case ever went to trial, this seems like a clear conflict of interest but maybe they do things different up in Canada.  Amy is not only convinced that Boone is innocent but she’s also angry at T.S. for working with prosecutor’s office.

You know who else is angry with T.S.?  Aunt Martha!  Aunt Martha brings Boone’s 7 year-old son down to the gym and orders the kid to ask Turner, “Why did you put my Daddy in jail?”

“I wasn’t trying to hurt him, son,” T.S. says, “I was trying to help him.”

Aunt Martha announces that Lee Boone is back on the street and the entire community is rallying around him and donating their money for the community center.

Stunned, T.S. returns to his office and contemplates the mysteries of life.  When Amy tells him that she believes that everyone deserves a second chance, T.S. says, “And what if you’re wrong?  What if all those people get kicked in the teeth again?”

The next morning, Amy goes down to the church and waits, with Aunt Martha, for Boone to show up and announce his plans for the money that’s he’s raised.  However, Boone never shows up because it turns out that T.S. Turner was right and it really was all an elaborate con!  Instead, having packed all of his money in suitcase, Boone and his son prepare to leave their apartment building and head to another town.

However, T.S. is waiting for them in the stairwell.  When Boone claims that he was just about to head for the church, Turner declares, “With a suitcase full of money?  Come on, brother!  Give me some rap!  Give it up, Sweet Tooth!  Your son deserves better!  If you want a better life for your kid, you need to go to that church and stand by your word.  You just gotta believe your own rap!  EVERYONE ELSE DOES!”

At the church, Aunt Martha tries to keep the crowd calm by singing a gospel song.  Given how I feel about gospel music, you can imagine how relieved I was when a reformed Sweet Tooth finally showed up at the church and everyone stopped singing.  Sweet Tooth goes straight and uses the money to open up the community center.  All it took was T.S. Turner showing up at his apartment building!

As I watched this episode, it occurred to me that Mr. T’s main strength as an actor was his innate earnestness.  As limited as his range may have been, the viewer never doubted for a minute that he believed everything that he said.  This episode worked because it allowed Mr. T. to be himself.

Episode 1.14 “Playing With Fire”

(Dir by Harvey Frost, originally aired on April 11th, 1988)

“In this episode,” Mr. T says, “the heat is on a teenage girl who’s charged with arson.”

Across Canada, someone is setting fires.  After teenager Felicity (Susannah Hoffman) is found playing a flute in front of a fire that’s raging in a park, she’s arrested.  Because Amy is the only defense attorney in Toronto, she’s assigned to the case.  And when Amy is assigned to your case, that means that T.S. Turner is assigned to it as well!

Unfortunately, Felicity isn’t very helpful and gets defensive whenever Amy asks her why she always goes to the park to play her flute, even in the middle of the harsh Canadian winter.  Turner goes down to the park to investigate on his own and he meets Kramer (Alan Fawcett), a real estate developer who wants to build a luxury condo in the middle of the park.  Since this is T. and T., “luxury condo” is all we need to hear to know that Kramer is a bad guy.

Another building in the park burns down and again, for some reason, Felicity is nearby playing her flute.  Felicity is again accused of being the arsonist, which leads to a police interrogation scene where we discover that, as an attorney, Amy’s main legal strategy is to dramatically roll her eyes whenever anyone asks her client a question.  Meanwhile, T.S. heads down to the park and discovers that the building was insured for a million Canadian dollars.

“The only way we’re going to avoid paying,” the claims agent explains, “is if that lady lawyer gets that flutist off.”

“Lady lawyer!?” Turner replies, “You mean Ms. Amy Taler!”

“I hope she pleads as good as she looks,” the agent says.

T.S. nods.  “I’ll pass it on.”

Felicity is dragged down to a mental hospital, where she is committed for a week-long evaluation.  She sits in her room and plays her flute and I have to say that it didn’t take me long to get really sick of Felicity and her stupid flute.  Seriously, every time we see her, she’s playing the flute and getting angry about Amy trying to clear her name.  What an annoying character!

Anyway, Felicity overhears Turner telling Amy that he thinks that Kramer is behind the arsons so Felicity breaks out of the mental hospital, goes down to one of Kramer’s buildings, and starts playing her flute.  When Kramer confronts Felicity, she threatens to burn down the building for real.  This leads to Kramer confessing, just in time for Turner to show up and subdue him.

That’s the end of that.  Felicity’s name is cleared but Felicity is still such an annoying character that it’s difficult to really care.

Next week: Amy’s frequently frazzled administrative assistant gets an episode of her very own!

Retro Television Reviews: T and T 1.5 “The Drop” and 1.6 “Something In The Air”


Welcome to Retro Television Reviews, a new feature where we review some of our favorite and least favorite shows of the past! On Fridays, I will be reviewing T. and T., a Canadian show which ran in syndication from 1987 to 1990.  The show can be found on Tubi!

This week, Mr. T takes on drug dealers and mad bombers!

Episode 1.5 “The Drop”

(Dir by Allan Kroeker, originally aired on February 8th, 1988)

“In this episode,” Mr. T tells us, “a kid’s life is shattered when he’s arrested for dealing drugs.  Amy and I try to pick the pieces, with some unexpected help from Renee!”

This episode begins with one of my favorite cop show clichés.  A suspected drug courier is grabbed by two cops.  They open the envelope that he was carrying and discover a white powder.  One of the cops puts some of the power on her fingers and then sticks her fingers in her mouth.

“High grade crack!” she announced.

Hey, just be happy it wasn’t anthrax!

In this case, the accused courier is a 14 year-old named Norm (Gerry Musgrave), who says that he has no idea what was in the envelopes and he was only carrying them because he answered a classified ad asking for delivery people.  However, the prosecution is determined to send a message by trying Norm as an adult!  Fortunately, Norm is friends with T.S.’s goddaughter, Renee (Rachael Crawford).  Renee brings T.S. and Amy onto the case.

“Loosen up, brother, you already convinced us,” T.S. tells Norm, “Now we just got to the convince the court.”

Norm moves into T.S.’s home, where he is looked after by the gospel-singing Aunt Martha (Jackie Robinson).  While Jackie helps Norm get settled in, Renee approaches T.S. and says, “I’ve seen the ads on crack.  I know what it does.”

“And you want to help Norm,” T.S. says, “Don’t get involved!  People dealing drugs are very dangerous!”

Renee does not take T.S.’s advice and instead, approaches the school drug dealer, Bob Douglas (Jeremy Ratchford).  She compliments Bob on his red trans am and Bob invites her to meet up with him at a local disco.  Renee’s friends tell her that she might be making a mistake but Renee snaps that she can’t look the other way like everyone else at school.

While Renee skips class so she can meet up with Bob at the most depressing nightclub I’ve ever seen (seriously, there’s just one very sad disco ball hanging over the dance floor), T.S. meets with Fat Sam, who is not fat and who is played by future television director Clark Johnson!  (As an actor, Johnson is probably best-known for playing Meldrick Lewis on Homicide and later Gus Johnson on The Wire.)

“Fat Sam,” T.S. says, “you’re the coolest dude I know!”

“As long as the dice keep rolling my way,” Fat Sam replies, “Rumor on the street has it that you’re looking for a specific crack dealer.”

“Be honest with you, Fat Sam,” T.S. replies, “I want to bust all the crack dealers but I want this one first.”

Fat Sam makes some phone calls and tells T.S. that the crack dealer he’s looking for is …. BOB DOUGLAS!

“Thanks, Fat Sam, I owe you one,” T.S. replies.

Meanwhile, Bob Douglas has taken Renee to his loft apartment!  When Bob discovers the Renee has been searching his apartment while he was distracted, Bob has a paranoid breakdown, accuses Renee of being a narc, and makes a run for it.  Fortunately, T.S. and Amy show up in time to catch him and clear Norm’s name!  Yay!

This episode suffered a bit because, for all the build-up, it turned out that all Amy and T.S. needed to do to prove Norm’s innocence was to get Fat Sam to make one phone call.  It felt a bit anticlimactic, to say the least.  This is a case where the limits of that 30-minute running time really worked against the story the show was trying to tell.  That said, Mr. T growling against crack is always enjoyable to watch.

Episode 1.6 “Something In The Air”

(Dir by Allan A. Goldstein, originally aired on February 15th, 1988)

“In this episode,” Mr. T tell us, “a radio DJ is the target of an angry phone caller.  While Amy fights to keep the D.J. on the air, I get to make a few calls of my own.”

After radio DJ PJ Reynolds (Lee Curreri) encourages his listeners to “take it to the streets,” one of his listeners blows up a mailbox.  The district attorney wants to take Reynolds off the air!  Fortunately, Reynold is a client of Amy Taler’s!  When Louney (Neil Munro), the smarmy D.A. tries to convince Amy and T.S. to deliver a court summons to the DJ, T.S. replies, “Sorry, brother.  We ain’t a delivery service!”

Because there’s only one explosives dealer in all of Canada, Turner confronts his friend Whisperer (Martin Donlevy) and demands to know who he has been selling to.  Whisperer says that he sold a timer to a man who said that he wanted to take down Reynolds.  “He sounded like someone who was used to getting what he wants.”  Somehow, T.S. figures that this means Louney is behind the bombings.  Turner needs Louney to call the show again but Reynolds has voluntarily taken himself off the air.

“Let’s talk responsibility,” Turner snaps at the DJ, “That’s the big talk!”

Convined that he has a responsibility, Reynolds goes back on the air and Louney can’t help but call him.  Though Louney hangs up before the police can trace the call, T.S. is staking out Louney’s house and, as soon as Louney steps outside with a briefcase bomb, Turner goes after him.  It leads to a car chase that ends with T.S. capturing Louney and forcing to Louney to defuse his latest bomb right before it detonates.

A grateful PJ promises that, from now on, he’s going to be “Mr. Mellow” on the air.  When Amy says she doesn’t think it’ll happen, PJ says, “You’ll have to tune in and see.”

“Not me, brother,” T.S. replies, “I’m going to stick to my TV …. it’s my favorite medium!”

I liked this episode because it stood up for free speech.  Any show that exposes a power-crazed bureaucrat, I’m going to enjoy.

Next week, Amy and T.S. search for …. THE SILVER ANGEL!

Retro Television Reviews: T. and T. 1.1 “Extortion in Chinatown” and 1.2 “Mug Shot”


Welcome to Retro Television Reviews, a new feature where we review some of our favorite and least favorite shows of the past! On Fridays, I will be reviewing T. and T., a Canadian show which ran in syndication from 1987 to 1990.  The show can be found on Tubi!

Now that we’ve finished up The Master, it’s time to review a new show on Fridays.  After much thought, I’ve decided to go with a Canadian show called T. and T., which featured Rocky III‘s Mr. T as an ex-con turned private investigator who worked for a crusading lawyer named Amy Thaler (Alex Amini).  Why did he work for Amy?  Let’s let the opening credits explain things:

The show was also produced in Canada for their Global Television Network but it aired in syndication in the United States and, despite the fact that it was technically a drama, each episode was only 30 minutes long.  So, feel free to think of T. and T. as being a part of the Degrassi Cinematic Universe.

Episode 1.1 “Extortion in Chinatown”

(Directed by Doug Williams, originally aired on January 11th, 1988)

“In this episode, an extortion ring turns up the heat in Chinatown.  It’s up to Amy and me to put out the fire!”

So begins the first episode of T and T, with Mr. T gruffly telling us what’s going to happen in the episode that we’re about to see.  This is followed by the opening credits, in which we get the backstory about how T.S. Turner (Mr. T) was thrown in prison for a crime he didn’t commit and how Amy Taler (Alex Amini) got him released so that he could work for her as a private investigator.  It’s a good thing that the opening credits tell us all that because the episode itself doesn’t provide any sort of backstory for T.S. or Amy.  If you were a viewer who missed the opening credits, you would have no idea why T.S. and Amy were working together.  To be honest, I’m a bit confused by the conditions of T.S.’s release.  It sounds like he was released specifically so he could work with Amy.  So, if Amy fires him, does that mean T.S. goes back to jail?

While leaving court, T.S. and Amy are approached by their teenage friend, Renee (Rachael Crawford), who introduces them to her friend, Kin Ling (Wayne Lam).  Kin explains that his father, Ho Ling (Harvey Chao), owns a grocery store in the city’s Asian district but that he is being extorted by a gangster named Quang (Leonard Chow).  Unfortunately, the Lings are undocumented and fearful of going to the authorities.  While Amy tries to make a deal with the prosecutor’s office to keep the Lings from being deported, T.S. confronts Quang at his health club.  T.S. tells Quang to back off so Quang sends his thugs down to a gym owned by T.S.’s friend, Decker (David Nerman).  When T.S. sees that Decker has been beaten up, he decides to confront Quang at his office.

“A couple of your boys took their chopsticks to a friend of mine, didn’t do his health no good!” T.S. explains to Quang.  Quang throws a ninja star at T.S., which causes T.S. to pass out.  Quang’s men stuff T.S. in the trunk of their car and drive out to a river so that they can dump his body.  However, it turns out that T.S. has woken up in the trunk and, as soon as they stop the car, T.S. bursts out of the trunk and tosses Quang’s men into river.

“I can’t swim!” one of them shouts.

“Then surf!” T.S. snaps back.

T.S. returns to Ling’s shop, just in time to capture Quang and to save the shop from being blown up.  (It’s a good thing he did, since both Amy and Ho Ling were tied up in the shop.)

“Mr. Quang,” T.S. says, “Don’t you know what is taken by force is lost by force?  So, take a long look around you because it’s going to be a long time before you see this place again!”

Later, at the courthouse, Amy informs Ho Ling that he was now have “official status” in Canada.  “Welcome aboard, brother,” T.S. adds.

This was an odd first episode.  You would expect the show to start with Amy getting T.S. out of jail and maybe some sort of explanation about how T.S. is now going to work as her private investigator.  Instead, as the show opens, it appears that Amy and T.S. have been partners for a while and there’s very little said about either one’s backstory.  As an introduction to the characters, the show failed but perhaps the backstory doesn’t matter when the star of the show is a performer like Mr. T.  As for show’s actual plot, it was a bit predictable and Quang was not exactly an intimidating villain but, with only a 30-minute running time, at least the action moved quickly.

Episode 1.2 “Mug Shot”

(Directed by George Mihalka, originally aired on January 25th, 1988)

“In this episode,” Mr. T informs us, “an innocent picture turns into a deadly situation as Amy and I get a lesson in photography.”

Sounds like fun!

“He sings pretty good but he just don’t rap!  And rappin’ is where it’s at!  Can you dig it?” is what Mr. T has to say when Amy asks him if he’s ever heard of a singer named Adam Dalton (Mark Holmes).  Dalton’s manager, Sam Roman (Rex Hagon), is suing Amy’s newest client, photographer Kate Richardson (Marnie McPhail).  Roman is suing for two million dollars because he wants possession of some pictures that Kate took of Dalton.  Kate is insulted that Roman is only willing to pay $5,000 for them.

Amy and Turner investigate why Roman is so determined to get those pictures and it turns out that is has nothing to do with Adam Dalton.  In fact, Dalton turns out to be a nice guy who takes Amy out to dinner and then insists on helping T.S. solve the case.  Instead, it turns out Kate took some pictures of the owner of a trucking company mere moments before he was murdered by a bunch of union goons.  Evil union boss Gallagher (Terry Harford) is pressuring Roman to get the pictures.  Take that, North American labor movement!

It may seem like a big case but, due to the show’s 30 minute run time, it’s resolved quickly.  Gallagher tries to attack Kate and Amy at Kate’s studio.  T.S. grabs him and tosses him through a door in slow motion.  Kate is so grateful that she gives T.S. a camera and Adam and Amy go to lunch.  Awwww!

This episode opened with a really fun scene in which Adam filmed a music video while surrounded by dancers who were holding plastic tommy guns.  And I actually enjoyed the scenes of the gruff T.S. Turner having to deal with the perpetually enthusiastic Adam.  That said, this is an episode that really would have benefitted from an extra 30 minutes.  The mystery was kind of intriguing but the resolution ultimately felt a bit too rushed.

Next week, T.S. confronts the man who framed him!

What Lisa Watched Last Night #216: The Danger Next Door (dir by Bill Corcoran)


Last night, I watched the latest Lifetime film, The Danger Next Door!

Why Was I Watching It?

Because it was on Lifetime, of course!  It’s been a while since I’ve gotten a chance to watch a Lifetime film on the night that it aired.  Seriously, my DVR is full of Lifetime films right now and waiting for me to dig into them come November.

What Was It About?

After getting mugged, pregnant Robin (Hannah Emily Anderson) and her husband, Ben (Jake Epstein) move to a small town.  At first, the town seems perfect but it’s hard not to notice that their next door neighbors, Guy (David Ferry) and Sharon (Kyra Harper), are a little bit too friendly.  Anyone who has watched a Lifetime film knows that no one that nice can be trusted and that’s certainly the case here.

What Worked?

I always love a good “small towns are evil” Lifetime film so, in that regard, The Danger Next Door delivered exactly what I wanted.  The town was pretty, the houses were big, and the melodrama was embraced.  Yay!

The film also featured Jake Epstein, playing a sympathetic character for once!  Epstein previously played Craig Manning on Degrassi.  I’ve seen him in a lot of other movies and shows since then but he’ll always be Craig to me!  Craig was one of the best characters on Degrassi, a bipolar musician with drug problems and a habit of breaking everyone’s heart.  I always hoped that Craig and Ellie would get together, though I do think Ashley was Craig’s soul mate.  Anyway, where was I?  Oh yeah, Jake Epstein was in this movie and it was good to see him!

What Did Not Work?

Towards the end of the movie, there were a few plot twists that demanded a lot of suspension of disbelief, even for a Lifetime film.

“Oh my God!  Just like me!” Moments

I have never been mugged but, when I was 16 years old, the house that I was living in was burglarized.  My mom, my sisters, and I woke up one morning to discover that the garage door was open, the microwave was missing, and someone had emptied out my mom’s purse.  Even more than that, though, they stole our feeling of being secure in our home.  I had nightmares for weeks afterwards and I even took to sleeping with a baseball bat next to my bed.  However, the bat was a bit heavy so, after a few days, I switched it out for a golf club.

One night, I thought I heard someone creeping outside my bedroom door at 3 in the morning.  I got up, grabbed my golf club, and creeped over to the door.  I took a deep breath, raised the club over my head, threw the door open, and swung at the first dark shadow that I saw.

“What the Hell, Lisa Marie!?” Erin exclaimed, as she (rather easily) avoided the club.

Looking back at it, I’m glad that I didn’t hit my sister in the face with a golf club.  I would have felt bad about that.  But there’s no worse feeling than having some stranger invade your personal safe place.  All these years later, I’m still a fanatic when it comes to locking all the doors, checking all the windows, and making sure I’ve got a golf club near the bed.

The movie did a good job of capturing that trauma.  I could definitely relate to Robin’s fears.

Lessons Learned

Never move to a small town.  No matter how bad and scary the city gets, it’s still safer than living in a small town.

A Movie A Day #347: High-Ballin’ (1978, directed by Peter Carter)


Hey, good buddy, remember the Snowman?

The Snowman was the handle of Cledus Snow, the independent trucker who, along with his basset hound Flash, helped the Bandit escape Smokey in three different movies.  Cledus was played by the country western singer, Jerry Reed.  Interestingly, when Smokey and the Bandit was still in preproduction, the film’s producers envisioned a low-budget drive-in movie with Reed in the role of the Bandit.  When Burt Reynolds signaled that he would be interested in playing the man in the black Trans Am, Reed was instead cast as Cledus.

The box office success of Smokey and the Bandit led to several road films being rushed into production and more than a few of them starred Jerry Reed.  Several other of them starred Peter Fonda, who had already proven himself to be the king of the road with Easy Rider.  However, High-Ballin’ is the only trucker film that can claim to have starred both Jerry Reed and Peter Fonda.

In High-Ballin’, Jerry Reed may be playing “Iron Duke” Boykin but he might as well just be Cledus Snow again.  Once again, Reed is an independent trucker with a family at home and a love for the road.  (Just as he did with Smokey and the Bandit, Reed even performed High-Ballin‘s theme song.)  The local trucker’s union is putting pressure on the independent truckers and trying to intimidate them into joining.  Iron Duke has no intention of doing that.  Iron Duke has been hired to haul a load of liquor to an isolated lumber camp and he is not going to let the union or its thugs stop him.  Helping him along the way is his friend Rane (Peter Fonda) and another independent, Pickup (Helen Shaver).

High-Ballin‘ was not as bad as I was expecting it to be.  Reed, Fonda, and Shaver are likable in the lead roles and the action scenes are exciting.  Fonda may have been a notoriously inexpressive actor but he was always believable whenever he was cast as a rebel or an outsider and the friendship between him and the more expressive Reed is as believable as the friendship between Cledus and the Bandit in Reed’s previous trucking film.  Of course, the main reason you are going to watch a movie like High-Ballin’ is to see how many different ways that a car or a truck can be destroyed and this movie does not skimp on the vehicular destruction.  It’s nothing great but, as far as 70s trucking films are concerned, High-Ballin’ is better than average.

One final note: keep an eye out for Michael Ironside in an early role.

10-4, good buddy.  I’m out.