Clearly made for the drive-in movie crowd of the day, the AIP film Hot Rod Gang features John Abernathy III (John Ashley), a young man who leads a double life. To his matronly spinster aunts, he’s a respectful and respectable young man (he stands to inherit a substantial amount of his grandfather’s estate if he leads a virtuous life, and his aunts hold the key).
But when the adults (“squares”) aren’t around, John is into playing rock ‘n roll (he sings with a “combo” at their clubhouse) and racing his jalopy – and romancing new girl in town, Lois Cavendish (Jody Fair).
A sub-plot has some bad guys attempting to expose John’s double life and frame him for crimes he didn’t commit (stealing hub caps – seriously!).
Gene Vincent and his Blue Caps provide a couple of great tunes.
John Abernathy III
John Ashley Lois Cavendish
Jody Fair Gene Vincent
Himself Bill
Russ Bender Mark
Steve Drexel Dave
Henry McCann Marley
Maureen Arthur Tammy
Gloria Grant Al Berrywhiff
Dub Taylor Jack
Scott Peters Abigail Abernathy
Helen Spring Anastasia Abernathy
Dorothy Neumann Agatha
Claire Du Brey Wesley Cavendish
Doodles Weaver Dryden Philpot
Lester Dorr Jimmy
Robert Whiteside The Blue Caps
Themselves
