In a surprising turn of events at the Tribeca Festival, Steven Spielberg found himself momentarily interrupted by his own Apple Watch. The legendary director was in the midst of a discussion celebrating the 50th anniversary of his debut feature, “The Sugarland Express,” when his watch suddenly alerted him with a message that read, “It looks like you’ve taken a hard fall.” Spielberg, known for his quick wit, humorously responded, “I’m not going to press the SOS [button],” before dramatically tossing the watch to the ground. “I’ll pick it up later,” he added, only to retrieve it a few minutes later when it began emitting another distress signal.
The event, held at the BMCC in Lower West Side Manhattan, was a nostalgic trip down memory lane for Spielberg and his fans. Before the Q&A session, a pre-recorded message from Goldie Hawn, the star of “The Sugarland Express,” was played. Hawn expressed her gratitude to Spielberg and reminisced about the film’s impact on both their careers. Released in 1974, the film received positive reviews but was pulled from theaters by Universal after just two weeks due to poor box office performance. Spielberg noted, “You’re the first audience to ever see ‘Sugarland Express’ in 50 years.”
During the discussion, Spielberg shared the inspiration behind the film. He recounted reading an article titled “Modern Day Bonnie and Clyde” in a local Los Angeles Valley newspaper, The Citizens News. The story of a Texas couple, Bobby and Ila Fae Dent, who led a multi-car police chase to reclaim their baby from child welfare, captivated Spielberg. He sent the article to his friends Hal Barwood and Matthew Robbins, asking if they wanted to collaborate on a script.
However, Universal was hesitant to finance the film without a big-name star. Spielberg credited Goldie Hawn for the film’s production, saying, “The movie wouldn’t have gotten made without her.” He believed Hawn was perfect for the role of Lou Jean Poplin, one of the naive cop car hijackers, due to her inherent simplicity and heart.
Casting the rest of the ensemble was a unique challenge. Spielberg and his casting director, Shari Rhodes, decided to look beyond Hollywood. Spielberg humorously recalled telling Rhodes, “Can you get some real people to be in this movie? Why does everybody have to be an actor? Why can’t you go into a bar and find Buster Daniels? Find a drunk for me.” Rhodes did just that, finding a man in a bar who ended up playing a well-lubricated passenger in the film.
The film’s plot, centered around a car chase followed by police cars, news trucks, and onlookers, reminded Spielberg of the O.J. Simpson Bronco chase. “I did! I did!” Spielberg exclaimed when asked if he thought of his movie during the infamous chase. “I said, ‘Shit, they’re stealing my thunder!'”
“Sugarland Express” also marked the beginning of Spielberg’s legendary collaboration with composer John Williams. Spielberg, a longtime fan of Williams’ scores, vowed to have him score his first feature film. “When ‘Sugarland’ was a reality…one of the first people I got in touch with was John. We met and had lunch and that was the beginning of…this is our 51st year working together,” Spielberg shared, to the audience’s applause.
Working on “Sugarland Express” with producers Richard Zanuck and David Brown led Spielberg to his next project, “Jaws.” Spielberg recounted discovering the “Jaws” manuscript in Zanuck and Brown’s office. Intrigued, he read it over a weekend and was blown away. Although another director was initially assigned to the project, Spielberg was eventually offered the film, which became a massive success and solidified his place in Hollywood.
As a fun piece of trivia, Spielberg revealed that the baby Hawn and Atherton’s characters try to reunite with in “Sugarland Express” was played by Zanuck’s son, Harrison.
The Tribeca Festival event was a heartfelt celebration of Spielberg’s early work and a testament to his enduring impact on cinema. Despite the unexpected interruption from his Apple Watch, Spielberg’s charm and storytelling prowess shone through, leaving the audience with a memorable experience.
