''The Gravy Train'', also commonly known as ''The Dion Brothers'', is a 1974 American

crime In ordinary language, a crime is an unlawful act punishable by a state or other authority. The term ''crime'' does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition,Farmer, Lindsay: "Crime, definitions of", in C ...

comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending ( black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the o ...

directed by Jack Starrett, written by

Terrence Malick Terrence Frederick Malick (born November 30, 1943) is an American filmmaker. His films include ''Days of Heaven'' (1978), '' The Thin Red Line'' (1998), for which he received Academy Award nominations for Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay ...

(under the pseudonym David Whitney) and

Bill Kerby Bill Kerby was a screenwriter for several Hollywood films and television series who wrote and co-wrote the 1970s films '' Hooper'' and '' The Rose''. Education and early career Kerby received a B.A. from Kent State University in 1962 and an M.F.A ...

, and starring

Stacy Keach Walter Stacy Keach Jr. (born June 2, 1941) is an American actor and narrator. He has played mainly dramatic roles throughout his career, often in law enforcement or as a private detective. His most prominent role was as Mickey Spillane's fiction ...

and

Frederic Forrest Frederic Fenimore Forrest Jr. (born December 23, 1936) is an American actor. Forrest came to public attention for his performance in ''When the Legends Die'' (1972), which earned him a nomination for the Golden Globe Award for Most Promising N ...

. Although initially overlooked by audiences and critics alike, it has in recent years developed a

cult following A cult following refers to a group of fans who are highly dedicated to some person, idea, object, movement, or work, often an artist, in particular a performing artist, or an artwork in some medium. The lattermost is often called a cult classic. ...

, and has been highly praised by filmmakers such as

Quentin Tarantino Quentin Jerome Tarantino (; born March 27, 1963) is an American film director, writer, producer, and actor. His films are characterized by stylized violence, extended dialogue, profanity, dark humor, non-linear storylines, cameos, ensembl ...

and

David Gordon Green David Gordon Green is an American filmmaker. He directed the dramas ''George Washington'' (2000), ''All the Real Girls'' (2003), and '' Snow Angels'' (2007), as well as the thriller '' Undertow'' (2004), all of which he wrote or co-wrote. In 20 ...

. The film is still relatively obscure and hard to find, as there has never been any official VHS or DVD release.

Plot

Two West Virginia brothers quit their jobs as coal miners in order to make their fortune from armed robbery.

Cast

as Calvin *

as Rut *

Margot Kidder Margaret Ruth Kidder (October 17, 1948 – May 13, 2018), known professionally as Margot Kidder, was a Canadian-American actress whose career spanned five decades. Her accolades include three Canadian Screen Awards and one Daytime Emmy A ...

as Margue *

Barry Primus Barry Primus (born February 16, 1938) is an American television and film actor, director, and writer. Career While Primus is primarily an actor, he has also worked as a writer and director in films in which he has acted. For the first decade ...

as Tony * Richard Romanus as Carlo *

Denny Miller Denny Scott Miller (born Dennis Linn Miller; April 25, 1934 – September 9, 2014) was an American actor, perhaps best known for his regular role as Duke Shannon on '' Wagon Train'', his guest-starring appearances on '' Gilligan's Island'' and ' ...

as Rex * Robert Phillips as Gino

Legacy

Despite a limited theatrical run and no subsequent VHS or DVD releases, ''The Gravy Train'' has still become somewhat of a

cult film A cult film or cult movie, also commonly referred to as a cult classic, is a film that has acquired a cult following. Cult films are known for their dedicated, passionate fanbase which forms an elaborate subculture, members of which engage i ...

has cited it as one of his five favorite films of all time, as a major influence on his film '' Pineapple Express'' (2008), and as "the funniest movie ever made". Green also screened the film in a film series he curated at the

Brooklyn Academy of Music The Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) is a performing arts venue in Brooklyn, New York City, known as a center for progressive and avant-garde performance. It presented its first performance in 1861 and began operations in its present location in ...

screened the film at his 2nd QT-Fest in 1998, and again in 2006 at his Best of QT-Fest.

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Gravy Train 1974 films 1970s crime comedy films American crime comedy films Films directed by Jack Starrett Films scored by Fred Karlin Columbia Pictures films 1970s English-language films 1970s American films