''Steelyard Blues'' is a 1973 American

comedy Comedy is a genre of fiction that consists of discourses or works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. The term o ...

crime film Crime films, in the broadest sense, is a film genre inspired by and analogous to the crime fiction literary genre. Films of this genre generally involve various aspects of crime and its detection. Stylistically, the genre may overlap and combin ...

directed by

Alan Myerson Alan Myerson (born July 1, 1940) is an American film and television director. Career Myerson began working in theatre in New York City, then directing The Second City in Chicago. He founded the improvisational comedy troupe The Committee in San F ...

and starring

Donald Sutherland Donald McNichol Sutherland (born 17 July 1935) is a Canadian actor whose film career spans over six decades. He has been nominated for nine Golden Globe Awards, winning two for his performances in the television films '' Citizen X'' (1995) a ...

Jane Fonda Jane Seymour Fonda (born December 21, 1937) is an American actress, activist, and former fashion model. Recognized as a film icon, Fonda is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Jane Fonda, various accolades including two ...

and

Peter Boyle Peter Lawrence Boyle (October 18, 1935 – December 12, 2006) was an American actor. Known as a character actor, he played Frank Barone on the CBS sitcom '' Everybody Loves Raymond'' and the comical monster in Mel Brooks' film spoof '' Young ...

Plot

A group of misfits tries to find a happier life against the norms of society. Donald Sutherland plays an ex-con with a passion for demolition derbies. He has wrecked almost every possible car. He violates his parole when confronted by a 1950

Studebaker Studebaker was an American wagon and automobile manufacturer based in South Bend, Indiana, with a building at 1600 Broadway, Times Square, Midtown Manhattan, New York City. Founded in 1852 and incorporated in 1868 as the Studebaker Brothers M ...

. This embarrasses his brother, a politically ambitious district attorney played by

Howard Hesseman Howard Hesseman (February 27, 1940 – January 29, 2022) was an American actor known for his television roles as burned-out disc jockey Dr. Johnny Fever on ''WKRP in Cincinnati'', and the lead role of history teacher Charlie Moore on '' Head of ...

in an unlikely respectable role. Jane Fonda plays a prostitute engaging in an off-again/on-again relationship with Sutherland's character. The plot hilariously thickens when this gang of merry misfits tries to repair an old

Consolidated PBY Catalina The Consolidated PBY Catalina is a flying boat and amphibious aircraft that was produced in the 1930s and 1940s. In Canadian service it was known as the Canso. It was one of the most widely used seaplanes of World War II. Catalinas served wi ...

airplane, and get it flying again.

Cast

* Mel Stewart – Black Man in Jail *

– Jesse Veldini *

– Frank Veldini *

Morgan Upton Morgan may refer to: People and fictional characters * Morgan (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Morgan le Fay, a powerful witch in Arthurian legend * Morgan (surname), a surname of Welsh origin * Morgan (singer) ...

– Police Capt. Bill *

– Eagle Thornberry * Jessica Myerson – Savage Rose *

Beans Morocco A bean is the seed of several plants in the family Fabaceae, which are used as vegetables for human or animal food. They can be cooked in many different ways, including boiling, frying, and baking, and are used in many traditional dishes t ...

– Rocky (as Dan Barrows) * John Savage – Kid *

– Iris Caine *Nancy Fish – Pool Hall Waitress * Roger Bowen – Fire Commissioner Francis * Garry Goodrow – Duval Jax *

Lynette Bernay Lynnette, also spelled Lynette, is a feminine given name. People * Lynette Boggs (born 1963), American politician * Lynnette Brooky (born 1968), New Zealand golfer * Lynette Chico (21st century), Puerto Rican fashion model and actress * Lynnett ...

– Bar Waitress *

Richard Schaal Richard Schaal (; May 5, 1928 – November 4, 2014) was an American film and television actor born in Chicago, Illinois. Career In 1962, Schaal joined Chicago's famed Second City, becoming skilled in sketch and improvisational comedy. H ...

– Zoo Official Mel *

Edward Greenberg Edward is an English given name. It is derived from the Anglo-Saxon name ''Ēadweard'', composed of the elements '' ēad'' "wealth, fortune; prosperous" and '' weard'' "guardian, protector”. History The name Edward was very popular in Anglo-Sa ...

– Rookie Cop

Alternate title

In 1979, the film was broadcast on

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...

under the title, ''Final Crash''.Listings for

KSD-TV KSDK (channel 5) is a television station in St. Louis, Missouri, United States, affiliated with NBC and owned by Tegna Inc. The station's studios are located on Market Street in Downtown St. Louis, and its transmitter is located in Shrewsbury, Mi ...

fro
Radio-Info: "Retro: St. Louis Tues, July 31, 1979", July 31, 2012.
/ref>

Soundtrack album

All tracks written by

Nick Gravenites Nicholas George Gravenites (; born October 2, 1938) is an American blues, rock and folk singer, songwriter, and guitarist, best known for his work with Electric Flag (as their lead singer), Janis Joplin, Mike Bloomfield and several influentia ...

and Mike Bloomfield, except where indicated.

Side One

# "Swing With It" # "Brand New Family" # "Woman's Love" # "Make the Headlines" # "Georgia Blues" (

Maria Muldaur Maria Muldaur (born Maria Grazia Rosa Domenica D'Amato; September 12, 1942) is an American folk and blues singer who was part of the American folk music revival in the early 1960s. She recorded the 1973 hit song " Midnight at the Oasis" and has ...

/Bloomfield/Gravenites) # "My Bag (The Oysters)" # "Common Ground"

Side Two

# "Being Different" # "I've Been Searching" # "Do I Care" (

Merl Saunders Merl Saunders (February 14, 1934 – October 24, 2008) was an American multi-genre musician who played piano and keyboards, favoring the Hammond B-3 console organ. Biography Born in San Mateo, California, United States, Saunders attended Polyt ...

/Muldaur) # "Lonesome Star Blues" (Maria Muldaur) # "Here I Come (There She Goes)" # "If You Cared" # "Theme from Steelyard Blues (Drive Again)" Performers:

John Kahn John Kahn (June 13, 1947 – May 30, 1996) was an American electric and acoustic bassist. From 1970 to 1995, Kahn was Jerry Garcia's principal musical collaborator outside of the Grateful Dead. Biography John Kahn was born in Memphis, Tennessee ...

, Chris Parker, Merl Saunders, Annie Sampson, Mike Bloomfield, Maria Muldaur, Nick Gravenites,

Paul Butterfield Paul Vaughn Butterfield (December 17, 1942May 4, 1987) was an American blues harmonica player, singer and band leader. After early training as a classical flautist, he developed an interest in blues harmonica. He explored the blues scene in his n ...

References

External links

* * {{rotten-tomatoes, steelyard_blues 1973 films 1970s crime comedy films American aviation films American crime comedy films Films directed by Alan Myerson Films produced by Michael Phillips (producer) Films produced by Julia Phillips Films with screenplays by David S. Ward Warner Bros. films 1973 directorial debut films 1973 comedy films 1970s English-language films 1970s American films