ABC used to have made for TV movies in the 1970s, they aired as Movie of the Week. In November 1971 the movie Duel was aired. It was Steven Spielberg's first movie as director. It later received an international theatrical release by Universal Pictures in an extended version featuring scenes shot after the film's original TV broadcast. I saw it on TV when it first aired and, it influenced my vehicle buying decision as an adult. Because of that movie, I have never owned a highway vehicle without a V-8 engine.
The plot is simple, Man vs Machine. Dennis Weaver (Mr. Mann) is a traveling salesman being pursued by a crazy tanker truck driver (Machine). It is as close as Spielberg came to a silent movie as the network would allow. The movie is considered a cult classic.
The video shows filming locations in 1971 and again in 2023.
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