Harold Robbins' THE BETSY (1978) Retired and 50 similar items

Vintage original 27x41 in. US one-sheet poster from the popular 1970's automobile design-themed drama, THE BETSY, released in 1978 by Allied Artists and directed by Daniel Petrie. Based upon the smash novel by Harold Robbins, Sir Laurence Olivier stars as the aging, retired founder of an auto giant who comes out of retirement to try to develop a safe, fuel-efficient car. The terrific cast also includes Robert Duvall, Katharine Ross, Tommy Lee Jones, Jane Alexander, and Lesley-Anne Down. This vintage original one-sheet poster is unrestored and folded as originally issued in fine+ condition with a few small creases of varying sizes on the bottom left corner. There are no pinholes, tears, stains, or other flaws. Novelist Harold Robbins considered this movie to be the "best movie adaptation of any of his works." The film was shot entirely on-location without any filming done on studio soundstages. The "assembly line" scenes for BMC (fictional Bethlehem Motors Company) were filmed at the AMC (American Motors Corporation) plant located at Kenosha, Wisconsin. In several shots, you can catch glimpses of 1978 AMC Gremlin, Pacer, and Concord models being built and painted. The plant was purchased by Chrysler, along with the rest of AMC/Jeep in 1987, and demolished by Chrysler in the early 1990s. Interestingly, most of the BMC models on display were not disguised AMC models. Almost all of the contemporary "BMC" model automobiles were poorly redecorated and remodelled Ford cars. Recognizable 1970s era Ford cars included the Granada and the LTD, among the unfortunate victims of fairly hideous restyling. The only car which did not seem easily recognizable, or quite so bad, was the title model itself, "The Betsy", which was probably a skinny restyled mid 1970s Ford Mustang II. Three famous Newport, Rhode Island mansions were used for filming Loren Hardeman's home. They were The Elms, Rosecliff, and The Breakers, all of which have been featured in many other movies, before and since. Also featured in the movie are glamorous estate houses in Palm Springs, California and Santa Barbara, California.