I was a kid in 1968 when the movie came out, not old enough to see it in theaters. But somehow it made quite an impression on me. Not sure when. Oldest bro Tom was 15 at the time, so maybe via him?
From WP -
Bullitt is a 1968 American crime action thriller film directed by Peter Yates from a screenplay by Alan R. Trustman and Harry Kleiner and based on the 1963 crime novel Mute Witness by Robert L. Fish. It stars Steve McQueen, Robert Vaughn, Jacqueline Bisset, Don Gordon, Robert Duvall, Simon Oakland, and Norman Fell. In the film, detective Frank Bullitt investigates the murder of a witness he was assigned to protect.
I have no idea the first time I saw it, but later, in the 70's when I owned a 4-speed Dana 60 rear equipped '68 Charger R/T, I knew that chase scene was bunk. No way the 390 Mustang would be able to outrun the 440 magnum. There were interesting details everywhere in that chase scene. Getting air, the Charger losing a handful of hubcaps, that Beetle getting in the way multiple times. The burning rubber in reverse scene. Seems odd. Did they speed that up or something?
Such a badass movie to a young guy. I never challenged my older brother Ralph to a drag race, but I was quite certain my Charger would punish his 289 65 coupe. Hell, I freight trained my buddy's 389 GTO which was probably faster than the 289 coupe. That Charger could pass anything but a gas station.
Then later, Steve McQueen emerged as a personal hero. Tough guy, car guy. The unsung hero of that movie though is the driver of the Charger. Bill Hickman. Noted stunt driver, stunt coordinator and hobby racer. He was close with James Dean and coached him on his driving technique. Unfortunately Bill was the first person on the scene of Dean's death in Cholame (pronounced show-lamb.)
Bill Hickman should be a household name. But he is not. For car guys the chase scenes Bill created should be required regular watching. Eff FaceBook, binge on Bill Hickman chase scenes.
His film career spanned from the 1950s through to the late 1970s, and included films such as Bullitt, The French Connection and The Seven-Ups.
Of course, it’s the car chase with Steve McQueen in Bullitt for which he is usually remembered. The French Connection (also produced by Bullitt's producer, Philip D'Antoni) was a much bigger box office movie, but it is known for its car-chase sequence. FC was shot in the Bensonhurst borough of Brooklyn. Unbelievably, the chase was performed in real traffic, as Hickman drove the brown 1971 Pontiac LeMans at speeds up to 90 mph.
One you probably don’t know of is the 1973 film The Seven-Ups. Probably because the cars were ugly post-smog barges that nobody gives a damn about. Hickman again worked with Philip D'Antoni, who had also produced Bullitt and The French Connection. Hickman drove the car being chased by Roy Scheider’s character. Scheider’s stunt driver was Hickman's friend, Jerry Summers. The chase itself echoes the Bullitt chase, with the two cars racing around uptown New York. Hickman was driving a large 1973 Pontiac Grand Ville four door sedan pursued by Scheider's Pontiac Ventura.
And maybe the best thing of all about Bill Hickman is that he and RPM's dad are dopplegangers.
Last edited by RCodePaul (2/18/2025 11:28 AM)
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