NOW ON DVD! The Seven-Second Love Affair Lions Drag Strip at the peak of drag racing's "Golden Age" is the backdrop for this legendary Robert Abel documentary about the record-holding Adams, Wayre & Stewart Top Fuel team's trials and tribulations in 1965. Never released to theatres and previously unavailable on video (except as poor-quality bootlegs), this DVD was made from a master print by Les Blank, the original cinematographer. Thus, the picture & sound are top-notch — including multiple-camera footage of Rick Stewart's wicked tumble through the shutdown area at Lions. Professional narration is complemented by terrific music from the little-known Canned Heat Blues Band. Director Abel (who went on to pioneer computerized animation & special effects in feature films) follows Stewart — now NHRA's chief starter — to the Bakersfield hospital where he worked as an X-ray technician, & eavesdrops on Gene Adams as he prepares a couple of early Chryslers inside the simple garage that served as this famous team's race shop. Towing footage from the just-completed, uncrowded San Diego Freeway (I-405) is an unexpected treat, four decades later, as are flashes of Lions operators C.J. & Peggy Hart in action. This is one racing video that captures race fans & newcomers alike! DVD(52 min.) # 2026 Price: $29.95    The Movie: The Way It Really Was (4-DVD Set) Dedicated to Gray Baskerville, the late Hot Rod magazine staffer, this four-DVD set is the most-comprehensive video history yet of not only drag racing and land-speed racing, but of hot rodding itself. Producer Scot Hamilton grew up on the dry lakes and salt flats and drag strips, thanks to an uncle who raced. Thus did young Hamilton gain the friendships and confidence of the pioneers who would later share their "home movies" for his ambitious project. This amazing footage dates back to the earliest days of straight-line-acceleration contests. Track and pit action are complemented by retrospective interviews with famous personalities such as Al Teague, Art Chrisman, Ed Iskenderian, Don Garlits, Tony Waters, Gene Winfield and the late C.J. "Pappy" Hart, among many more. The four-disc set opens with a classic clip from a 1950s' feature film depicting a young roadster owner terrorizing pedestrians and being chased by police. The next five hours are spent documenting "the way it really was" -- and it was all amazing! DVD (four discs) # 6955 Price: $69.95  California Hot Rod Reunion 2006 Everyone seems to have an opinion about "Cacklefesting," whether or not the opinionated has actually experienced this relatively-recent "show within a show." While you can't exactly breathe the strangulating exhaust fumes, viewing this DVD is the next-best thing to sitting in the old, wooden bleachers of Famoso Raceway while 40-odd nitro-burners are cackling simultaneously. You also get lots of track time with terrific sound from the vast numbers of fuel dragsters, fuel funnies and fuel altereds in open competition at NHRA's 15th-annual California Hot Rod Reunion. Coproducers Gil Rebilas and Paul Sadler have both been photographing drag races since the late '60s, and that experience shows in multiple camera angles and locations. From rod-stretching burnouts to top-end explosions, these guys captured the action at both ends of the 1320. You'll also eavesdrop on a warm conversation between John Wiebe and Wally Parks that turned out to be one of the last recorded track appearances by the late NHRA cofounder and longtime president. This is the first joint effort from RSVP (Rebilas-Sadler Video Productions), and we're looking forward to more of the same. DVD (67 min.) # 2025 Price: $24.95  Part Two: Lions, The Greatest Drag Strip (1962-66) We couldn't see how documentary-filmmaker Don Gillespie could possibly follow up his first Lions DVD -- until a few minutes into this second edition, which has the advantage of being set in "the Golden Age of drag racing." Picking up where Part One left off, nitromethane is just returning to Lions in 1962 as the nationwide Fuel Ban collapses (though NHRA attempted to extend it for another season). "The Beach" soon becomes the most-significant drag strip on the planet. Fuel and gas world records fall nearly every Saturday night, including the first widely-accepted 200-mph speeds (by Frank Cannon's Hustler). The track also made drag-rag headlines behind the scenes. This dynamic era saw founder Mickey Thompson cede control to C.J. Hart -- who defied NHRA's attempted influence by switching sanctions to the arch-rival American Hot Rod Association. By the end of 1966, where this video ends, Hart was hosting the biggest and best weekly Top Fuel, Top Gas, Funny Car, Fuel Altered and Supercharged Gasser shows in the world. He also invented Junior Fuel Eliminator and mastered the art of promoting match races, pitting rival drivers against each other on both the radio and the starting line. Gillespie tells these stories and others by intersplicing old footage with modern interviews of key players. Among those on camera are Lions regulars "Pappy" Hart, Don Garlits, Roland Leong, Tom McEwen, John Force, Willie Borsch, starter Larry Sutton, reporters Ralph Guldahl and Dave Wallace, track-photographer Jim Kelly, PDA-founder Doug Kruse, Chris Karamesines, Dale Armstrong, Paula Murphy, Pat Foster, Don Prieto and Rick Stewart. As does its predecessor, "Lions: Part Two" expertly documents the development of not just a drag strip, but of a major American sport. DVD (100 min.) # 7701 Price: $29.95  Lions: The Greatest Drag Strip, Part 1 If you've ever wondered why Lions Associated Drag Strip is so often remembered as the ultimate race place, here's the story of how people like manager Mickey Thompson made it that way. Former-track-photographer Don Gillespie does "The Beach" justice in this amazing documentary. The story begins even before the track's Oct. 9, 1955 opening day. Recent interviews are combined with old, black & white TV-news coverage of the joint effort made by local car clubs, policemen, individual hot rodders & nine Lions Clubs in the Los Angeles Harbor region to get a drag strip approved and constructed. Several segments of never-before-seen film document virtually every part of the famed facility. Car-mounted cameras captured the anticipation of the fire-up road & the excitement of accelerating down the quickest, fastest quarter-mile of the 1950s & '60s in a slingshot dragster. Stockers & gassers are so plentiful that they're run off four at a time. Among the historic events replayed here is the 166.97-mph blast by Emory Cook on February 3, 1957, that fueled the infamous fuel Ban. Another is the first live-television coverage of drag racing in a major media market, if not anywhere in the world. Way back in 1961, L.A. station KTTV dispatched local-legend Bill Welsh and a camera crew to the Western Drag Racing Championships. That this historic B&W film survived the subsequent 45 years is remarkable. The live action & interviews it captured are downright unbelievable, from dual-engined gas dragsters on the track to Don Prudhomme and Jack Chrisman in their cockpits, suited up & waiting to race. Serving as color commenator — right on the starting line! — is none other than Mickey Thompson, the original track manager. Nitromethane returned to Lions on January 28, 1962 — after five seasons of suffering with pump gasoline — and someone captured that happy occasion on movie film, luckily for us. Featured fuelers include the Earnie's Camera Shudderbug, driven by Tommy Ivo, and the Hustler of Art Chrisman. More than 50 influential individuals were interviewed throughout the U.S. for this project. Part One shares the personal memories of Prudhomme, John Force, Ed Iskenderian, Louie Senter, Gene Adams, Judy & Danny Thompson, Chet Herbert, Art Chrisman, Fritz Voight, Joe Reath, Nick Arias, starter Larry Sutton, Ivo, Goob Tuller, Ralph Guldahl Jr., & the late C.J. Hart, among others. Many more were interviewed for Part Two of this series (now in production), which will pick up where this initial installment leaves off, in early 1962. Make sure you have a fresh beer and a couple of hours before you pop this baby into your DVD player, because you won't be getting up until it's over. Then you'll think about watching the whole thing again, like our reviewer did! DVD (114 min.) # 7700 Price: $29.95
Fast Lane Summer Everyone roots for the underfunded underdog, hopelessly hooked on nitro, who defies long odds by mixing it up with the well-heeled racers who dominate. A trip to the March Meet's Top Fuel final with "Nitro" Neil Bisciglia in the seat reminded us all of the Foothill Flyer's ability to jump up and bite the big guys where it hurts. Several years of ups and (mostly) downs later, the low-buck effort attracted the attention of a veteran filmmaker, Eli Bleich. This unlikely pairing of a New York director with Sierra Nevada racers produced the first in-depth look at people determined to run a type of race car that supposedly went out of style in 1971 (when Don Garlits sat down in front of his engine, and changed the face of a sport) -- even if they go broke and/or crazy in the process. Adding to the inherent drama of any such operation is a less-than-unaimous decision to put a road racer in the seat; the subsequent starting-line explosion of an aluminum Hemi that lived just long enough to make one burnout plus one launch, in front of the home crowd; and multiple investors who'd all rather be chiefs than braves. Nevertheless, these irreverent veterans also have more fun than most in the course of one racing season, as illustrated in shop segments from rural Sutter Creek, California. Here's a good film to play for that neighbor or in-law who wonders why we all do what we do. DVD (77 min.) # 2028 Price: $29.95		The Way It Really Was (The Rough Cut) Imagine being invited to watch the "home movies" of straight-line pioneers such as Don Long, Al Teague & Pete Millar, to name just three of the many racers who allowed their 8mm film from the 1950s, '60s and '70s to be transferred to DVD for this incredible compilation. Burt Munro, Mickey Thompson, Norm Thatcher & the Summers brothers are among the legends who were filmed by fellow racers at Bonneville. Sleepy downtown Wendover of the '50s is shown, as well as just about every streamliner that hit the salt, in color. Extensive dry-lakes film includes scary, in-car footage of a roadster spinning out at El Mirage. Racing action & pit close-ups from legendary California drag strips (Long Beach, Santa Ana, Riverside, Pomona, Fontana, Saugus, Fremont, Famoso) illustrate the evolutions not only of slingshot dragsters, altereds, gassers & drag bikes, but also of customized "push cars" & female fashions. Many of the cars and stars are identified in captions. Donated film reels are spliced together in no particular order (thus the "Rough Cut" title reference) & accompanied by original blues music. Only 1320 copies of this limited-edition DVD were produced, so don't delay! DVD (120 min.) # 6930 Price: $24.95
Famoso 2001: Pure Nitro! Professional-quality video follows the Foothill Flyer fueler's ill-fated trek to Bakersfield for the Goodguys March Meet. Rich Raymond, a 40-year dragster racer & real-life photojournalist, led a team of TV-production pros & fellow gearheads. The cameras were rolling when driver Glen Hutchison swapped lanes & slammed Lance Osborn's new car into the guardrail — & continued taping when the two crews clashed in the shutdown area! At that point, the focus switches to excellent coverage of AA/FD eliminations. Live-action noise, PA announcing & racer interviews supply the soundtrack. Highly recommended! VHS(60 min.) # 2021 Price: $19.95		Hot Rodders: A Video History Of Acceleration Here's the best film record of pioneer rodders & racers to come to HRN's attention in some time. Never-before-seen, well-preserved footage documents some of the earliest action at Muroc dry lake, the Bonneville salt flats & historic southern-California drag strips such as Paradise Mesa, Carlsbad & San Diego Raceway. A real bonus is recent interviews with some of the stars of this footage, including low-profile industry-pioneer Bruce Crower. Unlike too many amateur videos, "Hot Rodders" is enhanced by good editing & excellent narration, with accurate descriptions of race cars. Sure to surprise & amaze your bench-racing buddies this winter! DVD (70 min.) # 2023 Price: $19.95  VHS (70 min.) # 2022 Price: $19.95
Wheels Of Fire After 25 years, this full-length motion picture is finally for sale! An Academy-Award-winning creative team ("Endless Summer"; "On Any Sunday" "Great American Cowboy", etc.) followed NHRA's 1977-championship contenders in Top Fuel (starring Garlits, Shirley, Tharp) & Funny Car (Prudhomme, Meyer), documenting the points chase with action & interviews. Additional scenes were filmed into 1981. McEwen, Beadle, McCulloch & real-life wives, girlfriends & crews play supporting roles. Emotional & action highlights include McEwen's Indy upset of the Snake & Meyer's fiery explosion. First drag-racing use of "super-slow-mo" yields awesome footage! Never released in theatres, this "docudrama" (narrated by a young, shaggy-haired Dave McClelland) is arguably the finest drag-racing film ever. VHS(85 min.) # 2020 Price: $24.95		The Hot Rod Story No collection is complete without the very first one: "The Hot Rod Story." This version of Alex Xydias' classic motion picture professionally documents hot rodding's first four decades, beginning with 1930s' dry-lakes action. Enjoy rare color coverage of the '55 NHRA Nationals; early March Meets; Mickey Thompson's 406-mph Bonneville pass; the first Super Stockers; L.A. Roadster Club run, etc. Professionally filmed & narrated. VHS (80 min.) # 2325 Price: $24.95  DVD (80 min.) # 2324 Price: $24.95

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