I have legal moonshine in the house and think it’s darned good. What amuses me is the fact that some of today’s legal distillers advertise that they’re using the same recipe they used when the family made moonshine illegally. Midnight Moon Moonshine says on its website, for example,  that “Midnight Moon is inspired by Junior Johnson’s family moonshine recipe and – true to the roots of moonshine – it is made from 100% American corn and handcrafted in small batches.”

In movies like “Thunder Road,” I always support the moonshiners because I think messing with them is an example of government overreach that began with the Whiskey Rebellion of 1791 when the new federal government taxed booze to pay for the war. My question then, and now, always was how is it fair to tax one product rather than levying a tax on all projects? Not that I would like that any better.

Made in 1958, “Thunder Road” became a cult favorite, especially in parts of the county with a moonshine tradition. When one of my brothers bought some mountain property in North Carolina years ago, he was told that there were probably stills there; just don’t go looking for them.

My wife and I watch the movie from time to time. I like it, except for the ending which I consider as an example of illegal federal force. (Like the ending of “Bonnie and Clyde.”) But aside from that, it’s a bit of nostalgia with Mitchum’s typical natural style of acting and the added benefit of having jazz singer Keely Smith in the cast and singing the theme song “The Whippoorwill.” Mitchum co-wrote the song. Smith is probably best remembered for her song–sung with her husband Louis Prima–“That Old Black Magic.”

In 2012, there was a Thunder Road Festival in Roane County, Tennessee,  but I can’t find any mention of it in subsequent years: “One of Tennessee’s fastest growing festivals, Rockwood’s Thunder Road Festival is held each April in downtown Rockwood, TN.  The day-long festival captures the element of Rockwood’s past as a location on the notorious Thunder Road.”

And then, of course, there’s NASCAR,  but that’s another story.

—Malcolm