When Convoy & the Rubber Duck came to Belen (Part II)

Last week’s edition of La Historia told the story of how “Convoy,” a star-studded Hollywood movie, was created to capitalize on the American fascination with big rigs in the 1970s. Mostly made in New Mexico, the movie was directed by Sam Peckinpah and stared Kris Kristofferson, Ali McGraw and Ernest Borgnine.

A small part of Convoy was shot in Belen, with scenes of cheering local citizens greeting a convoy of maverick truckers driving down Main Street. While most Belenites enjoyed having even a small part of “Convoy” filmed in their hometown, others, including several small businesses, did not. Extras were annoyed when they were not paid until late on the day they worked. Only two bars were pleased to have more business.

Problems abound

Problems with small businesses and payrolls were only some of the seemingly infinite number of problems movie makers faced during their months at work in New Mexico.

Some problems were beyond anyone’s control, as when rain fell during New Mexico’s monsoon season and shooting had to be stopped for hours at a time.

Most problems were human caused and often preventable. Vandals, for example, set fire to a barn that was about to be used in a crash scene. Another barn was found but had to be continually guarded until the moment the shot was taken. A stunt man was nearly killed when they miscalculated the distance needed to land his car after it drove off a cliff and crashed into the barn.

Soon thereafter, director Sam Peckinpah’s mobile home was burglarized while parked in the Hilton Hotel’s parking lot in Albuquerque. $10,000 worth of goods were stolen.

Other thefts occurred. Many valuable CBs “disappeared” from the set.

Vehicles were also damaged. Soon after a helicopter had landed with Peckinpah on board, vandals put what appeared to be human excrement in the motor. Trucks, including Rubber Duck’s Mack truck, broke down or were badly damaged. The battery in Ernest Borgnine’s police vehicle died.

As in Belen, some townspeople in other towns resented the making of “Convoy” in their backyards. In Estancia, which movie makers renamed Alvarez, Texas, protesters hung a big new sign that declared, “We’re Estancia, N.M., and proud of it.”

But of “Convoy’s” many problems, Peckinpah’s poor leadership caused the greatest concern. Never well organized, he changed schedules with little or no notice, often causing scenes to be shot in hours when they should have taken only minutes. A brawl scene took ten days.

Crew members and extras often stood around, growing more and more annoyed and physically uncomfortable in the desert heat and frequent dust storms.

Observers confirmed that Peckinpah’s addiction to drugs and alcohol led to additional delays as he stayed in his trailer for hours at a time. He truly believed, “I can’t direct when I’m sober.”

Frustrated by Peckinpah’s behavior and poor leadership, 65 members of the crew, or about a third of the total, quit their jobs during shooting. This meant those who remained had to take up the slack or leave the work undone.

Peckinpah’s reprehensible behavior reached a new low in his mistreatment of his leading lady, Ali McGraw. Giving her only a few lines in the entire script, some accused Peckinpah of exploiting McGraw as little more than a “seductive ornament.”

Far worse, Peckinpah berated McGraw, calling her “stupid” and degrading her with a string of expletives in front of the cast and crew. This brutal verbal abuse often left McGraw in tears, requiring makeup redos that drew additional admonishment by Peckinpah.

Upset by this mistreatment and concerned about the outcome of the entire project, McGraw told reporters, “I’m happy I’ll be out of the country when ‘Convoy’ is released. I’m scared to death. I haven’t seen ‘Convoy’ yet, but I’m terrified of audience reaction.”

Sharing Peckinpah’s substance vice, the movie’s leading man, Kris Kristofferson, could not remember acting in “Convoy”, no less if he thought it was any good.

Peckinpah’s downward spiral continued, ruining his life and once-promising career. The director made only one more movie after “Convoy,” dying in 1984 at the age of 59.

Only Ernest Borgnine had such good, clear memories about the making of “Convoy” that he devoted a whole chapter to it in his 2002 autobiography, “Ernie.”

World premier

With Convoy’s constant controversy and perpetual problems, Peckinpah missed his July 14, 1977, target date of completion. Filming dragged on until Oct. 1, far longer than the 79 days he had promised his producers and financial backers. No one was surprised that he overspent his $6.5 million budget by about a million dollars.

Despite additional post-production problems, “Convoy” was finally released in mid-1978, almost exactly a year after its brief filming in Belen. With all its violence, sexual content and obscene language, it was somehow rated PG.

“Convoy’s” world premiere took place at Albuquerque’s Coronado Theater on June 27, 1978. Appropriately, it began with the arrival of Ernest Borgnine, Gov. Jerry Apodaca, Mayor David Rusk and other celebrities riding in 25 big rigs that took them to the theater in a small convoy down Menaul Boulevard.

Tickets sold for $10 (or $50 in today’s money) to benefit the Albuquerque Association of Children with Learning Disabilities. The performance was sold out.

“Convoy” opened in 700 American theaters the following day. Unfortunately, 1978 was one of many years when Belen’s Oñate and the Zia Drive-In theaters were closed. Belenites who wanted to see themselves or their friends in the movie had to go to theaters in Albuquerque.

The movie appeared in in-door and out-door theaters across New Mexico, including in Albuquerque, Deming, Española, Roswell and Santa Fe. It was especially popular in Albuquerque’s drive-ins where it was shown almost continually until April 1979.

An estimated 7.8 million Americans watched the movie, which earned $22.8 million at the box office. It represented Peckinpah’s most successful film, at least in profits.

Released overseas, “Convoy” enjoyed success in at least ten countries. It proved especially popular among male viewers in Japan and the Soviet Union. Worldwide ticket sales more than doubled ticket sales in the United States.

Unfortunately, the movie’s reviews were overwhelmingly negative. Only New Mexico’s landscape, including White Sands, and some well-choreographed action shots were admired. Almost everything else, from the movie’s thin plot to its empty dialogue, were panned.

Critics dismissed “Convoy” with unflattering words like “bomb,” “flop” and “fiasco.” The movie was lucky to receive a rating of two stars out of four.

Fortunately, Belen never suffered from the stigma of “Convoy’s” terrible press. In fact, to this day most Belenites simply smile with pride when they remember the famous movie that showed their hometown and themselves in a favorable light.

At least one actor praised Belen at Convoy’s world premiere in Albuquerque. When a News-Bulletin reporter asked him about the town, the always congenial Ernest Borgnine replied, “Oh yeah! Great little town, nice people!”

That’s a big 10-4, good buddy!

(La Historia del Rio Abajo is a regular column about Valencia County history written by members of the Valencia County Historical Society since 1998.

Opinions expressed in this and all columns of La Historia del Rio Abajo are the author’s alone and not necessarily those of the Valencia County Historical Society or any other group or individual.)