Get ready for rush hour! 50 MPH is a podcast dedicated to the making and legacy of Jan de Bont’s 1994 summer movie blockbuster SPEED. Across 50 episodes, this o...
Get ready for rush hour! 50 MPH is a podcast dedicated to the making and legacy of Jan de Bont’s 1994 summer movie blockbuster SPEED. Across 50 episodes, this o...
More
Available Episodes
5 of 17
16 MPH / Speed and the Action Movie Canon (with Nick de Semlyen)
In his new book "The Last Action Heroes," author Nick de Semlyen charts the rise and stall of the '80s action gods. This week 50 MPH talks to de Semlyen about the era that paved the way for SPEED and where Jan de Bont's film fits in the action movie canon.
2023-09-25
1:05:51
15 MPH / Dennis Hopper, Hollywood Hotshot (with Mark Harris)
An examination of the Easy Rider himself! 50 MPH talks to journalist and author Mark Harris (Pictures at a Revolution) about the life and times of one Dennis Hopper and what he brought to SPEED.
2023-09-18
1:02:57
14 MPH / The Perfect Foil
We still need a bad guy! And we won't get one until two weeks into production. The team recounts the whirlwind search for Howard Payne, a role that would be offered to any and everyone under the sun, from Robert Duvall to Christopher Walken. In the end, the film ends up with American icon Dennis Hopper. Hopper passed away in 2010 but his spirit is kept alive by those who remember him and his impact on SPEED.
2023-09-11
24:11
13 MPH / Jeff Daniels Needs a Job
We need a bad guy, but it's hard to discuss the villain of SPEED without also discussing the journey of Harry Temple, Jack Traven's LAPD SWAT team partner who, until the big 11th-hour rewrite, was actually revealed to be the mad bomber at the center of the story. Actor Jeff Daniels comes to the table with his memories and experiences as a character actor, at the time, desperate for a career turnaround.
2023-09-04
27:18
12 MPH / The Script Doctors Are In
With production imminent, the suits at Fox decide the script for SPEED needs a tune-up. In a sprawling, uncommonly candid account that takes you behind the scenes of the screen(re)writing process and the under-the-hood efforts that get a project camera-ready, screenwriters Paul Attanasio and Joss Whedon chime in along with producers Walter Parkes and Laurie Macdonald. All would be uncredited for their considerable contributions to the success of SPEED.
Get ready for rush hour! 50 MPH is a podcast dedicated to the making and legacy of Jan de Bont’s 1994 summer movie blockbuster SPEED. Across 50 episodes, this one-of-a-kind oral history takes you on a breakneck journey from conception to execution, distribution and beyond. Join entertainment journalist Kris Tapley as he talks to the people who made it happen and discusses their memories of an electrifying thrill ride that defied expectations and became a global, star-making phenomenon. Through conversations with actors, executives, filmmakers, film scholars and film fans, 50 MPH will attempt to secure SPEED’s rightful place in the canon of action cinema on the way to celebrating its fast-approaching 30th anniversary in style. Don’t forget to fasten your seatbelts!