Thunder Road is a black and white 1958 drama–crime film about running moonshine in the mountains of Kentucky and Tennessee in the late 1950s. It was directed by Arthur Ripley and starred Robert Mitchum, who also produced the film, co-wrote the screenplay, and is rumored to have directed much of the film himself. He also co-wrote (with Don Raye) the theme song, "The Ballad of Thunder Road". The film became a cult classic and continued to play at drive-in movie theaters in some Southeastern markets through the 1970s and 1980s.