Top Qs
Timeline
Chat
Perspective
Race for the Yankee Zephyr
1981 New Zealand suspense-action-thriller film by David Hemmings From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Remove ads
Race for the Yankee Zephyr (also known as Treasure of the Yankee Zephyr) is a 1981 action adventure film directed by David Hemmings and starring Ken Wahl, Lesley Ann Warren, George Peppard and Donald Pleasence.
Remove ads
Plot
Gibbie Gibson has discovered a World War II-era plane wreck in the mountains of New Zealand. When his discovery becomes known Gibson, his daughter Sally and his lodger Barney Whitaker find trouble from a group of treasure hunters led by a Mister Theo Brown, who are intent on finding the cache of money they believe is on the wreck.
Cast
Ken Wahl as Barney Whitaker; a hunter who owns a helicopter and lives with Gibbie Gibson. He is the nemesis of Theo Brown who kidnaps Gibbie and Barney eventually falls in love with Gibbie's daughter Sally Gibson.
Lesley Ann Warren as Sally Gibson; a receptionist who is the daughter of Gibbie Gibson. She is caught up between the war between Gibbie's lodger Barney Whitaker and his rival Theo Brown, but eventually falls in love with Barney.
Donald Pleasence as Gibbie Gibson; a hunter and the lodge host of Barney Whitaker, he finds the plane wreck in the mountains and is the father of Sally Gibson and Gibbie is eventually taken prisoner by Theo and his henchmen.
George Peppard as Theo Brown; a gangster who is the arch rival of Barney Whitaker. He kidnaps Barney's lodge host Gibbie Gibson, bent on finding the wreck.[2]
Bruno Lawrence as Barker; one of Brown's henchmen.
Grant Tilly as the Collector; a civilian and owner of a local pawn shop.
Remove ads
Production
The film was an original story by writer Everett De Roche, who said he got the idea from a neighbour of his in Mount Isa. It was based on a true incident about the war-time disappearance of an American DC3 military aircraft carrying the payroll for the Pacific fleet which was later discovered off Cape York. Richard Franklin was originally attached as director, and Antony I. Ginnane produced.
The script was originally set in Queensland, Australia, but the producers wanted to import four overseas actors, and Actors Equity objected.[3] De Roche re-wrote the film so it was set in New Zealand. Richard Franklin dropped out of the film because he was unhappy with the change in location, and David Hemmings, who was attached to the film as a producer, was appointed director.[4]
Funding was obtained privately.[5]
The film was one of the leaders of Soviet film distribution in 1983, when it was seen by 29 million Soviet viewers.[6]
Jetboat accident and dedication
Due to the misreading of a closing credit dedication to three names who died in connection with the film and while operating jetboats, it has been wrongly assumed (e.g. on IMDb etc.) that there was a triple fatality boating accident during filming on the Kawarau River in New Zealand. However, contemporary local news reports[7] make clear that only one boat driver, Bill Clarke, drowned during a practice run, from which another passenger, Colin Robinson, survived that capsizing. However, 6 months later that survivor died in another jetboat crash on the same river, but unrelated to the film. Another film crew member in his twenties suffered a severe asthma attack during production in an isolated mountain location, but not during a stunt.[8]
Remove ads
Reception
Ginnane was so annoyed with Australia's Actors Equity that he made his next four films in New Zealand.[1]
References
External links
Wikiwand - on
Seamless Wikipedia browsing. On steroids.
Remove ads