who tries to strangle Duke, but his back goes out and he must desist. He then informs the former motel owner (George Ives) that he will not go through with the sale. This causes a confrontation between the former owner and the youths, which ends when the owner tells Duke and Ernie that Tom is going to the next town to "bring the police down on this place." Duke and Ernie resolve never to let Tom Phillips reach that town, and so, as the family tries to escape, they engage them in a deadly game of "chicken." This game ends only when Tom outwits the teenagers by parking his car on a narrow bridge, with the headlights on, evacuating him and his family to a safe spot 20 yards off the road. Faced with an unmoving object, Duke turns "chicken" himself, running his car off the edge of the bridge, after which he and Ernie, bruised, battered and with scraped knees, swear that they will never give Tom any trouble. Tom agrees not to turn them in to the police, but tells them that he will go back to his motel and run it properly from now on. Cast Dana Andrews as Tom Phillips Jeanne Crain as Peg Phillips, his wife Paul Bertoya as Duke, leader of the wayward youth Gene Kirkwood as Ernie, Duke's sidekick Mimsy Farmer as Gloria, Duke's girlfriend Laurie Mock as Tina, Tom Phillips' daughter Jeffrey Bryon (credited as Tim Stafford) as Jamie, Tom Phillips' son George Ives as Lank Dailey, owner of Dailey's Motel and the Arena roadhouse William Mims as Man at Picnic Hortense Petra and Peter Oliphant as his wife and son Paul Genge as an unnamed California Highway Patrol officer Charles P. Thompson as Charley, the elderly filling-station owner Harry Hickox as Bill, Tom Phillips' brother Background and production Because the film was originally intended for television release, it was shot in 4:3 aspect ratio rather than in the standard widescreen format of most feature films. However, when the project was finished, its producers deemed it too intense for television and released it to theaters instead, with a running time of 92 minutes. Filming locations The film was shot largely near the Southern California desert town Lake Los Angeles and Wilsona Gardens, east of Palmdale, California. Specific locations include Charlie's Last Chance gas station (), 150th Street E, where a majority of