Corkey was released in 1972.
One of race scenes was filmed in Crandall, Texas at the Thunderbird
Speedway, which claims to be the oldest continually-operating dirt track in
Texas. This was the race with Ben Johnson playing the track owner. The scene
was supposed to take place in Louisiana to show that Corky was headed to
Atlanta.
The figure-8 race scene where Corky pops his hood and deliberately rams his
rival was filmed at Sportsdrome Speedway on Davis St. in Grand Prairie, Tx.
It is long gone, but was adjacent to where the still-operating Yello Belly
Drag Strip is.
The scene where they ride the Ferris wheel at the carnival was filmed at the
grand opening of a Leonard's department store at the corner of St. Hwy. 360
and Pioneer Parkway in Arlington, Texas. The scene where Robert Blake and
Christopher Connelly were trying on women's wigs was filmed inside that
store. The Forum 303 mall was added onto that store about a year later. The
whole thing was demolished a few years ago and an office park was erected in
its place.
You can clearly see the Dallas skyline when Corky and his friend are driving
out of Dallas to Atlanta.
Parts of this film were shot in Farmers Branch,
TX. One screen was shot from the Valwood Cleaners (The two story white
building with "Valwood Cleaners" on the side. This building was part of the
old Downtown Farmers Branch area, now completely gone. A little later, the
garage scene was shot near the corner of Valwood and Denton Drive. You can
see the Texaco and Jack-in-the-Box that are still there. I remember the
filming, helicopters flying up and down Denton Drive for a few days.
Everyone went out to watch the filming !
I remember parts of it being filmed in
Farmers Branch along Denton Drive. Bill Sheppard, a realtor in Farmers
Branch back then, let them use his house. I think it was used as the
Beer Store. The movie apparently never released on VHS or DVD but
can be found in boot-let versions.
The movie stared Robert Blake
and is posted on www.imdb.com |
Comments
Submitted by Edward
Lynn Williams
|