The Junkman

The Junkman

Official Poster
Directed by H. B. Halicki
Produced by H. B. Halicki
Written by H. B. Halicki
Starring H. B. Halicki
Christopher Stone
Susan Shaw
Lang Jeffries
Hoyt Axton
Music by Hoyta Axton
Freddy Cannon
Cinematography Jack Vacek
Dominic Sena
Edited by Warner E. Leighton
P. J. Webb
Distributed by H.B. Halicki Junyard and Mecantile Company
Release dates
  • August 28, 1982 (1982-08-28)
Running time
98 minutes
Country United States
Language English
Budget $1,000,000

The Junkman is a 1982 independent film which spent two years in production. To make the film, H. B. Halicki used his own personal collection of over 200 cars, toys, and guns - including Eleanor, the star of his 1974 cult classic Gone in 60 Seconds.

The Junkman is the second installment of Halicki's film trilogy. It presents Gone in 60 Seconds and Deadline Auto Theft as films within a film. The opening car chase sequence, which involves a 1974 Bricklin SV-1, is part of Deadline Auto Theft's storyline.

Plotline

Harlan B. Hollis (H. B. Halicki) struggles to stay alive when a jealous public relations manager (Christopher Stone) hires a team of assassins to kill him. The manager, also Hollis' brother-in-law, resents Hollis for making the movie Gone in 60 Seconds, which is premiering at the Cinerama Dome.

The film starts with the head hitman Frank Spyros (Sotiropulos) answering a pay phone and getting instructions from a then unknown person to go ahead with a hit on Hollis as he drives to the James Dean Festival in Cholame, California. The same unknown person inserts a video tape into a VCR, a highlight video of Hollis's life. The person ejects the video and crumples up a publicity shot of Hollis.

Later, Clark shows Hollis a picture found in the burned wreckage of one of the air covers' planes. Hollis identifies it as an unreleased publicity shot, indicating someone from inside of his own company is trying to kill him.

With the aid of Goodyear Blimp, he travels to the Cinerama Dome, where the premier is held. He discovers the mystery man to be Fox, who subsequently slips off the edge of the theater roof. Clark's crew find the bomb in the limo, throw it into a parking lot, and it explodes, blowing up several cars in the process.

At the end of the film, Hollis embraces Kelly, and he begins her surprise birthday party, where he gives her a new 1982 Pontiac Trans Am for a birthday present.

Cast

Actor Role
H.B. 'Toby' Halicki Harlan B. Hollis/Maindrian Pace
Christopher Stone Michael Fox
Susan Shaw Susan Clark
Lang Jeffries Arthur Wheeler
Bruce Cameron Bruce
Jack Vacek Jack
Richard L. Muse Richard Hill
Dan Grimaldi Larry Bergleman
Kelly Busia Kelly Hollis
Lynda Day George Festival News Reporter
Dennis Stouffer Dennis ( The Security Man )
Brian LaBonge Brian
Judi Gibbs Christine
Tony Ostermeier Air Cover
Dave Logue Magnum
Rita Rickard Blackbird ( Murderess )
Mike Brennan Festival MC/Nursery Truck Driver
Kopi Sotiropulos Frank Spyros
Jewel Shepard Gloria
John Halicki Man In Horse Carriage
Ronald Halicki The Pig Man
Maureen Coddington Female Police Dispatcher
Butch Stockton Datsun Crash Policeman
Phil Boroff Sgt. Gullen

VHS and DVD release

In 2001, Denice Shakarian Halicki, along with her business partner Michael Leone under the banner Halicki Films, released the restored film in 5.1 Dolby surround sound on DVD and VHS to American viewers. It included H. B. Halicki hosting a documentary about film making. The Junkman holds the Guinness World Record for wrecking over 250 cars, trucks, motorcycles and planes in one movie. In the DVD release, all of the rock and roll, country music soundtrack from the original film including title tracks have been completely replaced by a generic synthesizer music score. A number of dialogue changes were also made. The original version was released on video in the '80s but is very hard to find today

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