Hell Drivers

[Nick Dando]

An excellent piece of work.

Nick

[Wee Sonny MacGregor]

Top stuff, Biffer. Great work

Sonny

[Biffer]

A big thank you to all my fans ... er ... well ... to all two of you. It was a labour of lurv, but your acknowledgement is appreciated (Sonny & Nick).

Some of the snippets I left out were, the uncredited cast members, as follows:

Anthony John ... Man at dance
Charles Lamb .... Pull Inn Cafe Owner
Hal Osmond .... Station Ticket Clerk
Jean St. Clair .... Spinster
Ian Wilson .... Gibson, Hawlett Paymaster

The film was titled "Hard Drivers" in the US, where it's running time was cut to a paltry 91-mins.

Finally, some European release dates:

Sweden: 26 August 1957
Denmark: 15 November 1957
Finland: 29 November 1957
West Germany: 29 November 1957
Austria: January 1958

If anyone out there has more location info' (or knows the colour of those chuffin' trucks), please, please, please post the info' on here. By the way - did I say 'please'?

Biffer

[David Brent]

I must join in the praise....well done Biffer.

Have you ever revisited the location sites?
I was wondering whether the country areas used in the film have now been redeveloped? Have any housing estates sprung up, making the same roads now much busier with traffic?

Dave.

[Wee Sonny MacGregor]

Biffer,

I can now some light on Janes. According to Kelly's 1939 Directory of Buckinghamshire they were "Janes Bros (Contractors) Ltd, Haulage Contractors, Buckingham Avenue Trading Estate, Slough." The telephone number was given as Slough 20631 and 20632. Couldn't find a later Kelly's in my library.

Buckingham Avenue runs from Burnham Station parallel to the railway line. One possible way to find out more about the company is the National Archives who have Board of Trade records for dissolved/defunct limited companies. But there is a possibility the company was taken over by another firm.

Sonny

[Biffer]

Thanks for your comments, Sonny & Dave.

Great bit of detective work there, Sonny (Slough reference library need people like you). I'll try and follow up on that and post anything that comes up.

Dave, I haven't visited any of the location sites. This is mainly because I live in the far, flung, frozen North (Lancashire). One day, however, I plan a major expidition to revisit these, plus loads of sites from all those wonderful ITC-produced TV series from the 60s ... one day. If you have GoogleEarth, though, it gives a good idea of what the locations look like now (assuming GE covers that area in sufficient detail - not all parts of the country can be 'zoomed in' far enough).

One area covered in detail is Ford airfield, which has hardly changed. I've tried to estimate where the 'Hawletts' yard set would have been, using the large hanger buildings seen as the trucks leave the compound ... still not sure, though. A local contact believes it to have been where the open prison is now situated, but I'm not convinced of that. As always, if anyone knows for sure .......

Cheers!

Biffer :)

[Moor Larkin]

I too was most impressed with the exposition by Biffer.......

Funnily enough I have lived in Sussex for over ten years now. I recently got the Hell Drivers DVD and when I was watching it, I immediately remarked to myself that the quarry scenes must be in Sussex because it just looked so local. It was evidently chalk downland and the whole landscape looked right. I made a vague resolution to study it more at some later time..... Now I know I was right!

The big cement works near Beeding has been closed for some years but is still un-redeveloped. There was a madcap scheme proposed to turn it into Europe's largest artificial Ski Centre......:eek: but it came to nought.....

I note from my OS 2.5in-to-the-mile map that there is a 'yellow' road running up the hill behind the quarry-works, that might be the place to get a view-point. The small stands of trees that Red and Cartley parked behind, whilst waiting for Tom to come past, might be still there. Trees along the South Downs can be few and far between.

One forum debated that the tipper trucks were Leyland Comets:
Leyland Comet 90 photo from trucks pictures on webshots

but the Dodge bonnet is clearly distinctive:
Dodge Kew 103 Perkins NTT72 1952 photo from trucks pictures on webshots

I can feel a visit to Beeding and Ford coming on......;)

[Biffer]

Thanks, Larkin (I knew your Pa - one for classic TV fans there).

If you ever get to Beeding, and especially if you ever find the correct stand of trees, don't forget to take some nice pic's and post them on here. Ta!

Same for Ford airfield. I reckon you might still be able to identify the exact site of the 'Hawllets' yard set, based on a careful study of the DVD. Some of the factory buildings in shot as the trucks leave the yard are apparently still there (based on a perusal of GoogleEarth shots and a phone conversation with a local chap).

Good luck!

Biffer

[spinalman]

Originally Posted by Moor Larkin I too was most impressed with the exposition by Biffer....... Funnily enough I have lived in Sussex for over ten years now. I recently got the Hell Drivers DVD and when I was watching it, I immediately remarked to myself that the quarry scenes must be in Sussex because it just looked so local. It was evidently chalk downland and the whole landscape looked right. I made a vague resolution to study it more at some later time..... Now I know I was right! The big cement works near Beeding has been closed for some years but is still un-redeveloped. There was a madcap scheme proposed to turn it into Europe's largest artificial Ski Centre......:eek: but it came to nought..... I note from my OS 2.5in-to-the-mile map that there is a 'yellow' road running up the hill behind the quarry-works, that might be the place to get a view-point. The small stands of trees that Red and Cartley parked behind, whilst waiting for Tom to come past, might be still there. Trees along the South Downs can be few and far between. One forum debated that the tipper trucks were Leyland Comets: Leyland Comet 90 photo from trucks pictures on webshots but the Dodge bonnet is clearly distinctive: Dodge Kew 103 Perkins NTT72 1952 photo from trucks pictures on webshots I can feel a visit to Beeding and Ford coming on......;)

I lived in Shoreham and so know Truleigh Hill well. The cliff sequence was not at the cement works, nor the depot sequences. if you approach the Cement works from Bramber you'll see a quarry/cliff on the left to the north of the cement works. I reckon that is the location. The trucks turn to our left past some trees - they may be at the 90deg. bend on the road to truleigh. this point there is a track northwest down towards Beeding (very rough). maybe this leads to that quarry.

[Moor Larkin]

Originally Posted by spinalman The cliff sequence was not at the cement works, nor the depot sequences.

Oh, I agree the actual truck over the edge was not at the chasm-like Cement works. Could have been a myriad of old chalk pits all round the area - that old working you mention is more than likely. The shot I thought might have been the cement works is seen as a cut-away long shot in the closing duel sequences. It looks across some sort of wooden object to where Tom's truck is seen entering the long-distance shot from the right-hand corner. It is running down a shoulder of land which has to it's left a very substantial rectangular Working. It is that I suspect might be the cement works. I have a feeling this 'placement-shot' is used earlier in the film too.

If Biffer is still reading...... I think Hell Drivers was released in soviet Russia in 1960. I have a scratchy print-out of something I came across once, which was a Russian film poster. It has a very angular 'soviet' drawing of a tough guy with a cigarette in the corner of his mouth. Most of the writing is too small to read on my scrap but the title reads "Agckue Bogumenu" (except the n looks like the symbol for pi, so is presumably another Russian letter. It must have been a sales page because it notes the thing as "Russian 28x29" and the asking price was $300.

I expect Red was dubbed as a criminally capitalist lackey of the bourgeois Cartley whilst Tom was fighting for the rights of the working classes....:)

[mondeum]

It would appear the Russian title of the film was pretty much a literal translation from the English - Agckue Bogumenu - though not using the correct cyrillic alphabet is pretty close to адский водитель meaning "hellish driver".

The very rough track towards Beeding emerges at the bottom of the hill near The Towers Convent School. I've driven both up and down it, though I wouldn't recommend doing it in anything other than a 4x4 - it is both bumpy and heavily gullied in places.

Will attempt to get some photos to post here.

[alan gowdy]

I'm always amazed by the skill and ingenuity shown by my fellow forum members in tracking down locations - an activity dear to my heart. Keep it up.

[Biffer]

Not exactly 'on topic' but I thought followers of this thread might like to know that Network plan to re-issue "Hell Drivers" on DVD on 19 March 2007. Only brief details on their site, so no info' on 'extras', etc, but you never know what might turn up.

For those who missed the issue first time round (it sold out quite quickly, I believe), here's your chance - and you can't beat a DVD version for the ability to pause in full clarity to check out those elusive locations.

Check out progress for yourselves on Network's site: Forthcoming Releases

Cheerio the noo!

Biffer

[Jim]

What I've always said before that if i had a particular vehicle that was wanted for a film, I'd tell 'em to get lost!!! They always wreck 'em!!

[Biffer]

Originally Posted by Jim What I've always said before that if i had a particular vehicle that was wanted for a film, I'd tell 'em to get lost!!! They always wreck 'em!!

Any film directors out there looking to hire a 'vintage' Ford Escort should please contact me a.s.a.p. (preferably before the MoT runs out next month!)

Right! I'm off down the shops to get the old rust-bucket - er - vintage Ford - insured up to the big-ends and beyond ..... :

"Biffer"