Hot Cars (1956)

Not Rated   |    |  Crime, Drama, Film-Noir

Hot Cars (1956) Poster

A salt-of-earth family man needs money for his sick son, and decides to keep a job at a used car lot despite realizing it is selling stolen cars.

6.5/10
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Photos

  • John Bromfield and Joi Lansing in Hot Cars (1956)
  • John Bromfield and Carol Shannon in Hot Cars (1956)
  • John Bromfield and Joi Lansing in Hot Cars (1956)
  • Joi Lansing in Hot Cars (1956)
  • Joi Lansing in Hot Cars (1956)
  • Joi Lansing in Hot Cars (1956)

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Reviews & Commentary

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User Reviews
28 July 2017 | boblipton
6
| Mixed Bag
John Bromfield is an honest young man with a pretty wife and a new baby. He's also a used car salesman, who gets fired for not pushing junk to a customer. That customer turns out to be the owner of a chain of used car lots, looking for someone like Bromfield to sell stolen cars.

HOT CARS, like many a Schenck-Koch production in this period, has an interesting story, people who look good on the screen and fine visuals. Not only is it shot in the "Southwest Noir" style, but there's a fine noir ending on a roller coaster. What it lacks is good performances. The line readings all seem a bit droning, like a bad episode of DRAGNET. It even results in calling attention to the actors. Joi Lansing, in particular, seems to hit her mark and pose before reciting her lines.

Still, the careful visuals and bravura ending add to the story to keep things interesting all the way through.

Critic Reviews

Did You Know?

Trivia

Though Marilee Earle (best known for The Fearmakers (1958) opposite Dana Andrews) is uncredited alongside an actor whose character has the same last name, neither appear in the film at all, and here's why: 30 minutes in, when Nick (John Bromfield) talks to his single secretary about marriage, giving her a few tips, he tells her, "Okay, back to the newlyweds," who he had obviously been selling: but right as he walks outside, and before we see the husband or wife, the scene fades to black.

Quotes

Nick Dunn: What a hunk of stuff. Built like a hardtop convertible.

Crazy Credits

The following acknowledgment appears on screen at the end of the film: "The producers of 'Hot Cars' wish to thank Big John's used car lot and Johnny O'Toole's used car lot in Culver City, California, for their help in making this picture possible".

Storyline

Plot Summary

Genres

Crime | Drama | Film-Noir | Thriller

Details

Release Date:

2 November 1956

Language

English

Country of Origin

USA

Filming Locations

Ocean Park Pier, Santa Monica, California, USA

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