The Van (1977) on Netflix
Bobby, a recent high school graduate, spends his college savings on a customized van to improve his social life. Tina, a shy girl, is not impressed by its flashiness.
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- Netflix2.3/5
- IMDb4.6/101,168 votes
- Rotten TomatoesNot available
Trailer
Plot summary
Having just finished high school, Bobby puts all the money he has saved for college into a custom Dodge Tradesman van, outfitted with a waterbed, a high-end stereo and plush carpeting, at a time when custom vans were a craze. He expects the vehicle to raise his standing with women, though his best friend Jack already does well on his own and Bobby's confidence trails his plans. He takes the van to shows and drag races, and he grows fond of Tina, a shy girl who is not won over by the van's flashiness. A local bully named Dugan gives him trouble.
Cast
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about The Van (1977)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- Because the original theatrical prints of The Van carried no formal copyright notice, the film is often cited in legal and film-history discussions and may have entered the public domain the moment it was released.
- Car customiser George Barris was hired to build two Dodge B300 extended-length Tradesman vans: the main picture car and a backup that handled all the stunt driving, plus a third "Van Killer" van for the antagonist Dugan.
- The soundtrack was assembled almost entirely from Sammy Johns recordings made for GRC Records in Atlanta between 1973 and 1975, with Michael Lloyd supervising the reuse of existing masters such as the 1975 remixes of "Chevy Van" and "Rag Doll".
- In six days over the July 4 holiday, The Van took $2.5 million from 360 theaters, which was a record for distributor Crown International Pictures at the time.
- The Van was one of four Crown International Pictures releases, with The Pom Pom Girls, Malibu Beach and Van Nuys Blvd., that helped usher in the teen sex comedy later exemplified by The Hollywood Knights and the Porky's series.
- The Van is referenced in every single episode of the Grindbin Podcast, an exploitation-film show; it was the subject of the first episode, and host Mike Wood created a recurring segment asking guests how its characters would fit into other films.
