FAST FILM: The Last American Hero (1973)

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Film buffs often point to classics like ‘Grand Prix‘ and ‘Rush‘ as the best racing movies ever made. But for gearheads on this side of the Atlantic, F1 is very foreign. Here, many consider stock car drivers as the real racing heroes, particularly because they are so relatable. One of the best examples is this 1973 film ‘The Last American Hero’ which is the fictionalized story of Robert Glenn Johnson Jr, known professionally as Junior Johnson, the NASCAR Hall of Fame racer.

Jeff Bridges plays Elroy ‘Junior’ Jackson, a restless young man living with his family in North Carolina. He spends his days tuning his souped-up 1968 Ford Mustang fastback, but at night, he speeds through the back roads transporting illegal ‘moonshine’ whiskey that his father Elroy Sr distills. Junior’s relationship with his family is very strong. His little brother Wayne helps ready the car to run moonshine, but the family ‘business’ relies on star driver, Junior. In a funny scene, Junior’s mom approaches her son as he wrenches on his Mustang’s engine, and asks if he bolted on the Holley yet (a powerful carburetor) and Junior is shocked. He asks his mom if she’s been reading his hot rod magazines, and she admits that’s its the only way she’d know what her boys are talking about at the dinner table.

When Junior’s father is convicted of making illegal moonshine, he is slapped with a one-year jail sentence. As the new man of the house, Junior becomes the family breadwinner, and steps up to the responsibility. He continues to run moonshine and evade the police, but can’t earn enough to feed the family. So, out of necessity, Junior enters races at the local oval track for extra money. Years of moonshine running have made Junior a driving prodigy.

With myopic determination and incredible skills, Junior quickly rises through the ranks. He graduates from the demolition derby to the short oval. His aggressiveness and ‘checkers or wrecker‘ style make him a fan favourite, but also attract the ire of fellow racers. Much of the movie is spent following homesick Junior as he makes a name for himself on the NASCAR circuit.

Racing is an expensive vocation, and Junior is must return to running moonshine, but Junior’s family commitments and personal ambitions start to collide. When his father is released from incarceration, Junior show pops a secret underground moonshine still he’s built on the family farm. Expecting his father’s approval, Junior is shocked when pops angrily smashes the equipment. Senior doesn’t want Junior to end up in the clink by following in the family business.

Showing again that it’s all about family, his father sets Junior free to pursue racing glory. With moonshine running in his rear window, and his family firmly behind him, Junior returns to the track for the climactic final race.

Whether you’re a fan of classic American muscle cars, or just want to see what Jeff Bridges looked like when he was 25 years old, ‘The Last American Hero‘ is a hidden gem of a movie that will surely be enjoyed.

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NOTE: Back in 1965, Esquire Magazine sent a well-dressed member of the New York intelligentsia to watch a NASCAR race in North Carolina. In his white suit and fedora, author Tom Wolfe was completely out of his element, and the magazine expected a ‘fish out of water‘ article.

But Wolfe and Johnson really clicked, and remained friends for decades afterwards. The result was the article “The Last American Hero Is Junior Johnson. Yes!” in which Wolfe depicted Johnson as smart and cunning, a mountain of a man and a hero of the new South. That article was the basis of this movie and helped break the ‘redneck’ stereotypes about southern drivers.

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