The Making of THE NICKEL RIDE (1974)

45 years ago, Robert Mulligan's neo-noir gangster thriller "The Nickel Ride", starring Jason Miller, premiered in competition at the Cannes Film Festival, but then it inexplicably disappeared under the radar during general release.
In this video, I go into extensive detail about the making of the film, based on conversations I had with screenwriter Eric Roth, actress Linda Haynes, actor Bo Hopkins, production designer Lawrence G. Paull, and various others who worked on the film.
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Music by Dave Grusin and Peggy Lee.

[@adamzanzie]

"I thought you did a great job for a small piece of film history." -Eric Roth's comments to me, after watching this video.

[@ccl7983]

Jason Miller is one of my favorite underrated actors .

[@fivestatedrive]

Great video! Thanks for posting it. My dad was an extra in the movie at about the 1 hour 28 minute mark. He walks in front of both Jason Miller and John Hillerman as they are talking in their final scene together.

[@bryanpalmer9660]

I first saw this film on tv in the 80s,had never heard of it but watched it and found it a good movie with a good cast thanks for the documentary a very intriguing look at an intriguing movie Auckland New Zealand

[@etluxaeterna]

first of all this is one of the most in depth and amazing film documentaries I've ever seen, the attention to detail was insane (linda hayne's hair?? etc). Secondly, I was shocked at how accurate the actors' comments on the film were. I totally agree that one of the main weaknesses is 1. you never quite get a sense of what the hell Cooper's job is. I never really 'understood' it til finishing the movie and reading a synopsis afterwards. The whole "key man" that watches a 'block' needed to be explained better and shown in action. 2. I totally agree with the other guy's comments the film could have used more comedy to give it a real Scorcese-esque flair because the movie already had very authentic grit going for it, great acting, amazing though understated cinematography, etc but it was plain dour in terms of its mood and atmosphere. With that said I still really like the movie and is one of my fav 70's films

[@TheCynthiahawkins]

Never understood the title, and had it been distributed widely, I might have gone to see it because I am a Jason Miller fan. It's a shame, because it is an L.A. gem.

[@josephcornelison6511]

This is fantastic, thanks for all the hard work.

[@AFaceintheCrowd01]

I watched the actual film five or six times. It has the feel of The Friends of Eddie Coyle. Looking forward to this doc.

[@adamzanzie]

Enjoy.

[@chickencharlie1992]

Well now I gotta see this

[@undertaker.1986]

Jason miller for me the best actor all of time the best damien karras

[@dominiopublico6322]

Great, fantastic documentary on this film. I allways wandered why almost nobody knew about "The Nickel ride" .I am a fan of the movie, saw it for the first time in Spain on a tv broadcast, bout 30 years ago, and got haunted by it since then . In my opinion, the script is the gem in this movie, and talks about how Cooper gets kind of the signs of his own inminent end, (the fellows give him a clock as birthday present, his time is commng to an end ) , the rabbit foot talisman, everybody knows he is soon going to be hit, and he sort of reads all these signs.And the top-guy that says to him that "times are changing, all they want is yes , no, the money people, old times are over" Big film.Thanks.

[@adamzanzie]

Yes, the film has a very good script. Unfortunately, I can't find a copy of the original "50/50" script; even Eric Roth can't find his old copy of it.

[@popvoid]

Great analysis of a film that really deserved more attention.

[@GhostlyEddie]

Another wonderful video essay. For me the theme of just about every Mulligan film is meloncholy. Sometimes it worked well for him with audiences with a film like , Summer of 42. Sometimes not as well as in , The Nickel Ride. Maybe audiences were not ready for this kind of film. Mulligan reminds me of Jack Clayton who also seemed drawn to meloncholy themes. Anyway, this was a wonderful tribute to another Mulligan classic.

[@adamzanzie]

Mulligan may also have been a melancholy man in some ways, hence the alcoholism which damaged his relationships with certain members of his family. A great director whose talents probably could have amounted to more.

[@erikreedy9397]

Interesting. I always thought “The Nickel Ride” was referring to the neighborhood in which Cooper hangs out and does business which is at the intersection of 5th and San Julian in downtown Los Angeles. 5th Street has always been referred to as “The Nickel”.