Trivia for
Mad Max (1979) More at IMDbPro »

• Director George Miller was inspired by A Boy and His Dog (1975).
  
  
• Mel Gibson didn't go to the audition for this film to read for a part, he actually went along with a friend who was auditioning. But because he had been in a bar fight the night before and his head looked like "a black and blue pumpkin" (his words), he was told he could come back and audition in three week's time because "we need freaks!". He did return in three weeks' time, wasn't recognized (because his injuries had healed well), and was asked to read for a part.
  
  
• The car that Max drives (the "last of the V8 interceptors") is a production car, the Ford "XB Falcon Coupe", sold in Australia from December 1973 until August 1976. The car in the film had a standard 351 cubic inch (5.75 litre) V8 motor.
  
  
• Only two original Interceptors were used in the Mad Max movies. The one that was used in the first film was modified and reused in all of the interior and close up car shots in Mad Max 2: the Road Warrior. After filming was over, this Interceptor was bought and restored by Bob Forsenko and is currently on display in the "Cars of the Stars Motor Museum" in England. Another car was built for the chase scenes in the second movie but that one was destroyed when the script required it to be pushed off the road and blown up. The wreckage used to be viewable at Broken Hill, Australia but due to thefts it can't be found there any longer. The Planet Hollywood Interceptor is a replica and was never used in any of the films.
  
  
• The stolen interceptor driven by the Nightrider in the opening scenes is another production vehicle; it is a "HQ Holden Monaro", which was sold in Australia in the early 70's with a variety of motors including large capacity V8's. Also, the other police vehicles in the movie were sedan versions of the XB, although one was the previous model "XA". They also had 351 cubic inch motors and are a common car on Australian roads.
  
  
• Max's yellow interceptor car, a Ford Falcon XB sedan, was originally a police car from the Australian state of Victoria.
  
  
• Goose's motorcycle is a 1977 Kawasaki Z1000.
  
  
• One of the yellow interceptors, a Ford Falcon XA GCI, was a decommissioned taxi cab.
  
  
• Some of the cars used as police interceptors were being constantly repainted for other scenes to pass as different cars. Often they were driven while the paint was still wet.
  
  
• Some of the things Nightrider says over the radio are lyrics from the AC/DC song "Rocker."
  
  
• The van that is smashed in the opening chase was George Miller's own vehicle, as the production was running out of money. About 20% of the chase scenes scheduled were not shot due to lack of money.
  
  
• Max's MFP (Main Force Patrol) number is 4073, Jim Goose's is 2241, Charlie's is either 3840 or 3842.
  
  
• Early in the film there is a brief shot of 2 road signs. They read: "Anarchie" (Anarchy), and "Bedlam". This Road sign actually exists in Australia
  
  
• Because he was relatively unknown in the US, trailers and previews did not feature Mel Gibson, instead focusing on the car crashes and action scenes.
  
  
• Because of the tight budget, actual decommissioned police cars were used in the film. Only Mel Gibson was wearing real leathers. All the other police officers were wearing vinyl costumes. The motorcycles, all late model demonstration units, were donated by Kawasaki. Many of the bikers kept them after the shooting was completed.
  
  
• The blue van that was wrecked in the film's opening chase had the engine removed and was pushed into the path of the oncoming cars by off-camera assistants. The lack of the engine's weight caused the van to spin uncontrollably, adding to the spectacular crash.
  
  
• The bearded man wearing an apron in front of the roadside diner watching the police cyclists and tow trucks drive away is James McCausland, the film's co-writer.
  
  
• The auto accident scene was made as realistic as possible, thanks to director's George Miller's experience as a medical doctor.
  
  
• The voice of Robina Chaffey, the singer of the Sugartown Night Club, was the only voice left undubbed in this film's original USA release.
  
  
• George Miller paid a truck driver $50 to run over the bike at the final scene. However, the truck driver didn't want to damage his rig; thus the crew had to install a shield painted to look like the front of the rig.
  
  
• Hugh Keays-Byrne modeled his performance of Toecutter after historical records written about Mongolian warlord Temujin, also known as Genghis Khan.
  
  
• Sheila Florance broke her knee when she tripped whilst running with the antique shotgun. She returned to complete her scenes with her leg and hip in plaster.
  
  
• Frankie J. Holden stated in an interview that he auditioned for the role of Jim Goose while he was an unknown actor, but thinks that he did not get the role because director George Miller did not take too kindly to Holden's criticism of the script when they chatted after his audition.
  
  
• The burned hand that falls into view in the hospital is actually Sheila Florance's (May Swaisey).
  
  
• Besides Mel Gibson, only one other actor appeared in both Mad Max and Mad Max 2 - The Road Warrior. That was Max Fairchild - originally as Benno, and then as a pleading hostage on the front of the Humungus' car.
  
  
• Joanne Samuel (Jessie) was a last-minute replacement for an actress who was injured in a motorcycle accident 4 days before filming began.
  
  
• Hugh Keays-Byrne, Tim Burns and Reg Evans (Toecutter, Johnny the Boy, and the stationmaster) were all classically-trained Shakespearean stage actors.
  
  
• Tim Burns (Johnny the Boy) was so into character that he annoyed everyone on set, and was abandoned one day during lunch while handcuffed to the wreck.
  
  
• The first scene shot was that of Johnny breaking the chain on the overpass phone. He appears hurried not only because of the storyline, but also because the film company didn't have permission to shoot on that overpass.
  
  
• The "old meat-grinder" scene was shot on the West Gate Freeway bridge while it was still under construction.
  
  
• The Nightrider's spectacular crash was the result of a military booster rocket being installed in the back of the car. It went out of control, missed the target fuel tanker, and veered off into the field where it chased the film crew for 1/4 mile. The on-camera explosion was a later re-creation using a safer towed car.
  
  
• Steve Bisley's eyes are red & puffy because he had to spend hours suspended in the truck.
  
  
• The "get-out-of-jail-free card" that Goose gives the triker was an on-set joke. Because of the limited budget, the biker gang was an actual biker gang (the Vigilantes), and they had to ride to the set each day in-costume; often with their prop weapons displayed. Since the production company expected them to be pulled over by the local police, each was given a letter explaining the film's peculiar requirements, and asking for law-enforcement's understanding & cooperation.
  
  
• Due to the film's low budget, only Mel Gibson was given a jacket and trousers made from real leather. All the other actors playing police officers wore vinyl outfits.
  
  
• The police cars were repeatedly repainted to give the illusion that more cars were used; often they were driven with the paint still wet.
  
  
• The film's post-production was done at Kennedy's house, with Wilson and Kennedy editing the film in Byron Kennedy's bedroom on a home-built editing machine that Kennedy's father, an engineer, had designed for them. Wilson and Kennedy also edited the sound there.
  
  
• Max's yellow Interceptor was a 1974 Ford Falcon XB sedan (previously, a Melbourne police car) with a 351ci Cleveland V8 engine and many other modifications. The Big Bopper, driven by Roop and Charlie, was also a 1974 Ford Falcon XB sedan, but was powered by a 302ci Cleveland V8. The March Hare, driven by Sarse and Scuttle, was an in-line-six-powered 1972 Ford Falcon XA sedan (this car was formerly a Melbourne taxi cab). The most memorable car, Max's black Pursuit Special - frequently designated a (V8) Interceptor based on a mechanic's quote in Mad Max 2 - was a limited GT351 version of a 1973 Ford XB Falcon Hardtop (sold in Australia from December 1973 to August 1976) which was primarily modified by Murray Smith, Peter Arcadipane and Ray Beckerley. After filming was over, this Interceptor was bought and restored by Bob Forsenko, and is currently on display in the Cars of the Stars Motor Museum in Cumbria, England. The Nightrider's vehicle, another Pursuit Special, was a 1972 Holden HQ LS Monaro coupe. The car driven by the civilian couple that is destroyed by the bikers is a 1959 Chevrolet Impala sedan. Of the motorcycles that appear in the film, 14 were donated by Kawasaki and were driven by a local Victorian motorcycle gang, the Vigilantes, who appeared as members of Toecutter's gang. By the end of filming, fourteen vehicles had been destroyed in the chase and crash scenes, including the director's personal Mazda Bongo (the small, blue van that spins uncontrollably after being struck by the Big Bopper in the film's opening chase).
  
  
• Its ironic that there's a character called nightrider in the film, and a car that Max drives at the end that looks similar to KITT the car from "Knight Rider" (1982).
  
  
• A St George's hospital features in the film. Which may be a reference to director George Miller's past as a doctor.
  
  
• During one of the film's many car crashes, one of the characters eyes bug out in a very cartoonish manner. George Miller would use this effect again with John Lithgow in Nightmare at 20,000 Feet, the fourth segment of Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983).
  
  
• George Miller raised the money for Mad Max (1979) by working as an Emergency Room Doctor.
  
  
• Mad Max (1979) was banned in New Zealand for the scene when Goose is burned alive inside of his vehicle. It mirrored an incident with a real gang not long before the film came out. It was later shown in NZ in 1983 after the huge success of the sequel, but only as long as it had an 18 certificate.
  
  
• The entire film soundtrack had to be redubbed afterwards. As well as the voices of all the cast. This has been rectified in recent years.
  
  
• Filmed on a meager 350,000 dollar budget.
  
  
• The first Australian film shot with a widescreen anamorphic lens.
  
  
• Shot in 12 weeks.
  
  
• Filmed in and around Melbourne.
  
  

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