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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sugarland_Express

We just got through watching the 1974 classic movie "The Sugar Land Express". It's based on a true, epic 1969
event. A wife springs her husband from a pre-release prison near Richmond, in Fort Bend County, Texas. Steven Spielberg made
the movie version 5 years later, in 1974. He stated that the original slow speed chase/caravan included 80 police
cars. He had 40 cars available with his movie's budget.

The Texas geography of the real chase included the towns of Beaumont, Dayton, Houston, Cleveland, Conroe, and Wheelock.
The movie version uses a mix of apparently fake Texas town names and real Texas places. When they are in Sugar Land, they
state that they are only a few miles from Mexico! I tried to follow the movie's progress on a decent Texas map, but the movie
appeared to play fast and loose with the map's reality. They are supposed to finish up in Sugar Land, but it appears that the
final scene may have been filmed in Del Rio, on the Rio Grande River.

Two Texas Ranger snipers are called in to try and take out the 2 fugitives because they have a Texas DPS trooper as their hostage.
One of the snipers says that he is using a 7MM Magnum, 148 grain bullet with Mauser action. Both the snipers seem to have a
superstitious way of prepping their rounds - they lick them, then rub them inside their ears. Has anyone ever heard of this before?

Do any of you recall this event when it took place in 1969?

I love Netflix. I would recommend this movie. One of the interesting aspects of this film is to watch the dysfunctional couple and
their twisted look at how life works, expecting the LEO's to just forget about their crimes when they go to retrieve their baby boy
from the foster couple.

SIA

I remember a scene in the movie where they said they were at airline dr. If they were around Sugarland it would be airport dr. Airline is on the north side of Houston. Good movie though.

surprise_i'm_armed wrote:I love Netflix. I would recommend this movie.

Shoot! I can't find it searching in Netflix. Must not be available as a "Watch Instantly" movie.

Most people don't recall that Steven Spielberg directed it. I remember my dad taking me to see it when it came out. We were living in Alaska at the time. Cool show.

Amazon Video link: http://www.amazon.com/The-Sugarland-Exp ... B00028HBIE" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

http://www.houstonculture.org/cr/lead.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Some attribute the song to Leadbelly - January 21, 1885- December 6, 1949

If you're ever down in Houston
Boy, you better walk right
And you better not squabble
And you better not fight

Bason and Brock will arrest you
Payton and Boone will take you down
You can bet your bottom dollar
That you're Sugar Land bound

Let the Midnight Special
Shine the light on me
Let the Midnight Special
Shine the ever-lovin' light on me

The train from Houston to San Antonio, approximating the route of Alternate 90, would arrive in Sugar Land at midnight, it's light shining brightly.
more ... Explanation etc at http://www.houstonculture.org/cr/lead.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

hi-power wrote:

surprise_i'm_armed wrote:I love Netflix. I would recommend this movie.

Shoot! I can't find it searching in Netflix. Must not be available as a "Watch Instantly" movie.

You are correct in assuming that it's not available as a "watch instantly". I had it on a hardcopy Netflix DVD.

Netflix is kind of funny in how they list "Your Queue". Sometimes they list the "Play Instantly" on the main, large
queue, but you really have to select the "Instant" queue on the main page to see some "Play Instantly" movies that
somehow aren't listed as such on the main page.

Someone who uses Redbox thought that Redbox was the best way to get movies (just better than Blockbuster-type
stores, IMHO) until I explained to her how good Netflix is.

By the way, does anyone have any thoughts on the movie snipers' use of a 7MM Magnum, 148 grain bullet, from 300 yards, having
to penetrate auto glass, and hit the intended target? The movie snipers at first said they couldn't miss, but when
pressed by the DPS boss, they changed their tune to 90% chance of perfect shots.

If you think about 1969 tactics, compared with 2012 police tactics: Today's LEO's restrict the BG's movements much more quickly.
Today's LEO's have stop sticks, more choppers, and better rifles. I believe today's LEO's would take the sniper shots effectively,
saving the State of Texas from paying for a multi-county road trip by 80 police units. IMHO.

SIA

surprise_i'm_armed wrote:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sugarland_Express

We just got through watching the 1974 classic movie "The Sugar Land Express". It's based on a true, epic 1969
event. .................................
Do any of you recall this event when it took place in 1969?


SIA

I do remember the incident and what comes to mind is how the movie romantacized the kidnapping and threats of death of the trooper by two inept losers that put their families through a tragic and needless ordeal, in addition to the stress the trooper's family must have endured. When I saw he movie I recall comparing it to the reality I knew. I was hanging around a lot of LEO's when it happened and when the film came out, so I didn't have much sympathy for the characters.

TxLobo wrote:it's been a long time since I watched the movie.. I do remember that one of the troopers that retired from our county was in the movie... I'd have to watch it again to find him..

The trooper involved died a year or so ago I think. The curious part about "Sugarland (sic) Express" is it started when the real couple ran into the woods to get away from police near Port Arthur and kidnapped the DPS officer in Winnie and drove around for a few hours before it ended in death for the BG. I guess the Winnie Express doesn't sound as snappy. It was supposedly all about the kids, but the BG never even knew them. The Hollywood folks even mispelled Sugar Land.