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Dirty Mary, Crazy Larry, beyond any reasonable hubris, is one of the more underrated car-chase movies of decades past. With a copious amount of gritty, unadulterated, muscle car mayhem that stems throughout the entire feature, this film violently pushed the boundaries of automotive stuntwork, and continues to leave audiences in awe with its spectacular chase sequences.
More notable examples of old car movies, like Steve McQueen's Bullitt, seem to stand out more in modern society. Unfortunately, Dirty Mary, Crazy Larry doesn't get nearly that much fanfare these days, but it's definitely worthy of far more.
The plot and overall story aren't necessarily terrible, at least for a 1970s car-chase movie, but the utter intensity of the bold and reckless stunts exhibited throughout the entirety of this movie makes it stand out among its contemporaries. The film primarily featured two cars from Chevrolet and Dodge; a seemingly mundane 1966 Chevy Impala and an interesting 1969 Dodge Charger R/T. This is the story of two distinctive classics from the height of the 1970s car-chase craze.
The 1966 Chevy Impala From Dirty Mary, Crazy Larry
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A blue,1966 Chevy Impala sedan is utilized by the main characters throughout the first half of the movie. The plot essentially involves Larry, a stock car racer, planning a robbery with his mechanic, Deke. Their sole motivation for this larceny is to obtain the cash necessary to finance a hopeful entry into the top tiers of NASCAR. However, the pair become unwillingly joined by Larry's one-night stand, Mary, who tracks him down after blatantly abandoning her on the morning of the robbery. The blue Impala was chosen for its overall regularity and the ability to blend in, but as shown in some death-defying stunt scenes, this Impala is clearly not the ordinary family sedan it's perceived as.
Two 1966 Chevy Impalas were utilized when filming began in 1973. At that point in time, these cars were incredibly common along America's roads, which made it the perfect getaway car for the trio. The characters' nemesis, a police captain known only as "Franklin", even states that he can locate 50 of them in the time it takes to pick his nose.
Sadly, details on these cars remain virtually non-existent. No specifications are available in the public realm, nor is there any form of confirmed fate for the pair of vintage Impalas. Some cars used in this movie were sold off from the studio after filming, which is likely what happened to the blue Chevies. Although, considering the then-mundane nature of the cars in question, it could be safe to suspect that they were simply used as basic transportation by a prospective buyer. At the same time, it's definitely possible that both of them could have been destroyed in the chaotic punishment they'd endured while filming, which was the fate of several other vehicles from Dirty Mary, Crazy Larry.
The Infamous 1969 Dodge Charger R/T From The Dirty Mary, Crazy Larry
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On the other side of things, much more information is present on the Dodge Chargers that were used for this production. Three of these cars were used for Dirty Mary, Crazy Larry in total, although one of which was a 1968 model, and another was a non-R/T variant. Those last two were used primarily for stunts, whereas an authentic 1969 Charger R/T was also among the lineup for close-ups. The Chargers took a severe beating at the hands of Peter Fonda and the stunt drivers. There are countless instances of these cars ramming police vehicles, speeding over disheveled, dirt roads, experiencing plenty of collisions, and engaging in an absurdly insane chase with a helicopter towards the end of the feature.
One of the three Dodge Chargers was confirmed to have been destroyed during filming, specifically in the train collision at the very end of the film. The battered remains of the two existing Chargers were then reportedly sold to the public. According to Street Muscle Magazine, a man had purchased one of the surviving Chargers directly from the studio afterwards. According to him, the cars were listed without any description of their prior film roles, but he'd still recognized this as one of the cars from the film (and even found one of Peter Fonda's shirts in the trunk afterwards). Sadly, this car was badly damaged in an accident, and the owner claimed to have traded it in towards a new car.
Unfortunately, he'd failed to inform the dealership the significance of the car in question. It doesn't appear that any VIN numbers were ever properly recorded, or still exist if they were, meaning that if the car still exists, it would likely be impossible to confirm any authenticity. As for the third Charger, it was also allegedly sold off in the same manner as the second. According to IMDB, this car is allegedly sitting in someone's backyard in Sun Valley, California. They claim it's not for sale and is still sporting its original paint, but details are very vague and not much else is known about the car at this point in time.
Why Dirty Mary, Crazy Larry Stands The Test Of Time
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Dirty Mary, Crazy Larry is remembered for its absolutely absurd vehicular mayhem, plain and simple. Very few films can capture this type of stuntwork properly on camera, and even fewer can keep this theme going throughout the entire feature without losing quality or boring the audience. Truthfully, the film itself is virtually one entire chase sequence. Another interesting point is that no form of soundtrack exists throughout the film, aside from the opening credits. The sounds of American V8s are more than enough music to satisfy the film's target audience. Clearly, this is one of the definitive car-chase movies of its era, but it remains largely forgotten.
The inherent realism of Dirty Mary, Crazy Larry is also a notable focal point. Aside from an infamous bridge-jumping scene, the vast majority of the stunts performed are entirely practical and created by real people with real cars. This type of authenticity is becoming far rarer as the years go by, which is a sad sight to behold.
Sources: IMDb, StreetMuscleMag