Now Playing: BREAKER! BREAKER!
Undefeated World Middleweight Karate champion Chuck Norris had established a franchise of karate schools and was teaching martial arts to Hollywood personalities like Steve McQueen when he got the bug to try acting. Small roles in drive-in flicks like THE STUDENT TEACHERS and RETURN OF THE DRAGON eventually led to his first project as a leading man: a shaggy AIP cheapie titled BREAKER! BREAKER! that attempted to cash in on the then-current truckin’ craze that erupted with the success of pop songs like C.W. McCall’s “Convoy” and hit films like SMOKEY AND THE BANDIT.Chuck is appealing but very stiff as J.D. Dawes, a truck driver who enters the tiny burg of Texas City, California in search of his younger brother, who was waylaid by the town’s corrupt police force and held captive. Norris became more appealing as his screen career grew, but, of course, he never has loosened up much. In the inexperienced hands of director Hulette, who also composed the score and the country-western songs on the soundtrack, Norris kinda flounders about, following the story from A to B to C and barely registering against the eye-rolling bluster of George Murdock as Texas City’s venal boss. Not just the cops, but practically the entire town leaps when Murdock yells “Jump”, leading to some appealing scenes of Chuck running around the cheap-looking ghost-town facades masquerading as Texas City and thumping and kicking a succession of rednecks as if he were inhabiting a side-scrolling video game.
BREAKER! BREAKER! suffers from its small budget and uncertain direction, but probably still managed to make some bucks for American International on the Southern drive-in circuit. Norris learned from a steadier hand in his next production, GOOD GUYS WEAR BLACK, which was directed by veteran Ted Post (MAGNUM FORCE) and co-starred name actors like James Franciscus, Dana Andrews and Anne Archer.
On the personal end, I finally got my "new" car back from the shop today, $359 better, I hope. Took the new '94 Altima in for new bearings and a new axle. It's certainly a quieter drive than it was, and I don't have to worry (as much) about the wheel falling off while driving.
I also received my very first cellular phone tonight. I believe people generally need cell phones like they need a hole in their heads, and I don't really see any reason why I needed to jump on the bandwagon. When I'm out driving around or heading to work or hanging out with my friends or going to the movies or sitting in a restaurant, the last thing I'm thinking of is talking on the phone. People will come over to my house to socialize, and then start talking on their phones right in the middle of the living room. I have had groups over to watch movies, where two (!) people were having separate cell phone conversations without even leaving the room. That's inexcusable behavior, I think, and I have no desire to become one of those people. What I find really strange is that these phones all come with voice mail, so why do people feel the need to answer when it rings?
Anyway, my phone is a hand-me-down from my dad, who received it from my brother's wife. It's a prepaid phone with so many minutes paid for in advance. It's not very attractive and doesn't come with a bunch of bells and whistles. Or instructions--I felt like Bill Katt fiddling around with the menus. It charges in the lighter of your car, which is where I plan to keep it. One very good reason to have a cell phone is in case of an auto accident or breakdown or emergency, which is why I'll keep the phone in the car and maybe take it out with me if I need to stay in touch with somebody, like in a massive, crowded convention hall (Wizard World is coming up fast!).
I don't think I've sold out yet, but I'm closer than I was.
Posted by Marty
at 11:25 PM CDT
