Today’s pic takes another look at Earl Bellamy‘s drive-in crash-em-up Speedtrap (1977). Henchman Loomis is busy making a drug drop-off at the airport. You could still do that in the Seventies.
What really makes this picture is the little girl in the foreground. “Look Mom, I’m in a movie! And look at this weird guy in the Hawaiian shirt!”
For mindless summer drive-in fare, you could hardly do better than Earl Bellamy‘s Speedtrap (1977). Here Larry Loomis, Italian gangster (??), has been sucker-punched by private eye Pete Novick (Joe Don Baker) and is none too happy about it.
Baker, from Groesbeck, Texas, has been a solid presence in films and on television for nearly fifty years. He hit the big time with Phil Karlson‘s Walking Tall (1973). Rough-and-tumble good guys like cops, cowboys and g-men are his specialty. He previously appeared with Timothy in John Flynn‘s The Outfit (1973).
This week’s video showcases Timothy’s best scene from Earl “No Strain” Bellamy‘s Speedtrap (1977). He first appears, quite memorably, at about the 4:26 mark.
Also featuring Joe Don Baker, Robert Loggia, Tyne Daly, Lana Wood, and Richard Jaeckel. Tim, Baker and Jaeckel were also in John Flynn‘s The Outfit (1973).
Sorry I missed the last couple days – still disorganized after our California adventure. But I finally got it together enough to post our Video of the Week, and it’s a good one. It’s part one of “The Velvet Jungle,” the Starsky and Hutch episode that first aired on March 5, 1977. It contains the entirety of Timothy’s priceless performance as Danny, the unfortunately racist creator of “super pancakes.”
He really puts himself into his work, doesn’t he? Heh. This episode was directed by Earl Bellamy, who also directed Tim the same year in Speedtrap. He and Tim shared a birthday – March 11. He directed gobs and gobs of television from the 1950s through the 1980s.
Today’s pic is a nice close-up of Tim from Speedtrap (1977), directed by Earl Bellamy. He is sizing up Joe Don Baker right before attempting to land a punch.
Bellamy also directed Timothy in the Starsky and Hutch “super pancakes” episode (“The Velvet Jungle”) that same year. He was another hard-working television director who helmed over 1,600 episodes over 30 years.
This week’s video is a segment of Earl Bellamy‘s Speedtrap (1977), the goofy drive-in smash-’em-up starring Joe Don Baker. This section includes the classic moment when Timothy suddenly appears in the back seat of Joe Don’s car, trains a gun on him and intones “Good eeeeevening.” It’s priceless. The famous “library” scene follows shortly thereafter.
Bellamy was a hard-working television director who also directed Tim that same year in the Starsky and Hutch episode “The Velvet Jungle.”
We’re jumping the gun a bit this week with our video, which is usually presented on Wednesday. But since today is the birthday anniversary of the fabulous Robert Loggia, I couldn’t wait til tomorrow to show you this clip from Speedtrap (1977), directed by Earl Bellamy. Tim is Loggia’s torpedo, escorting Joe Don Baker to “the library” for a meeting with the patrone.
This movie would make a great double bill with Mitchell (1975). Take special note of the boom mike making an unscheduled (I’m guessing) appearance after they go through the door. As I’ve mentioned before, Tim and Loggia play off each other well, and it’s a shame this is their only screen appearance together. Loggia has always been one of my favorite character actors, and seeing him and Tim together is quite a treat. Happy birthday, patrone!
Our last pic of the work week is from Earl Bellamy‘s Speedtrap (1977). Timothy plays a gangster by the name of Larry Loomis, who speaks Italian to his boss (Robert Loggia), has a very unusual facial hair configuration, and rocks a Hawaiian shirt that would make Bruce Campbell proud.
Bellamy also directed Tim in the Starsky and Hutch episode we saw earlier this week. Tim’s co-star from The Killing of a Chinese Bookie, the great Morgan Woodward, also appears here. Tim and Loggia make a great team; I wish they had more screen time together and had been in other projects with each other.
The Timothy Carey Experience 