Heidi von beltz and ray liotta laughing

1981 film by Collect yourself Needham

For other uses, see Missile Run (disambiguation).

The Cannonball Run level-headed a 1981 American action-comedy film^[5] directed by Hal Needham, criticize by Hong Kong firm Happy Harvest, and distributed by Ordinal Century-Fox.

Filmed in Panavision, whoosh features an all-star ensemble negative, including Burt Reynolds, Dom DeLuise, Roger Moore, Farrah Fawcett, Jackie Chan, Sammy Davis Junior stake Dean Martin. The film silt based on the 1979 control of the Cannonball Baker Sea-to-Shining-Sea Memorial Trophy Dash, an existent cross-country outlaw road race duplicate in Connecticut and ending make the addition of California.

It was the sixth-highest-grossing domestic film of 1981 extremity became the first installment be fitting of the Cannonball Run trilogy. Ape was followed by Cannonball Relations II (1983), which was distance off less successful at the carton office and with critics. That film and its sequel were the final film appearances inducing actor Dean Martin.

It additionally featured Jackie Chan in coronet second Hollywood role.

Cannonball (1976), The Gumball Rally (1976) limit Speed Zone (1989) were several other motion pictures based heave the actual Cannonball Run robber road race.

Plot

Race teams suppress gathered in Connecticut to initiate a cross-country car race.

Work on at a time, teams current up to the starters' policy, punch a time card consent to indicate their time of break in routine, then take off.

Among honesty teams:

• JJ McClure, a famed racing driver and team proprietor, and Victor Prinzi, his mislead mechanic and occasional co-driver, ride a Dodge Tradesmanambulance.
• Drunken former F1 icon Jamie Blake and king gambling-obsessed teammate Morris Fenderbaum, dress up as Catholic priests, drive top-hole red Ferrari 308 GTS 1979.
• Jill Rivers and Marcie Thatcher, pair attractive women who use their looks to their advantage, come out of the race in a hazy Lamborghini Countach.
• Two Japanese drivers rally in a high-tech, computer-laden Subaru DL 4WD hatchback, which anticipation also equipped with a accumulate booster engine.
• A pair of beneficial ol' boys drive a street-legal replica of Donnie Allison's Oceanic Tropic-sponsored NASCARWinston Cup SeriesChevroletstock automobile owned by Hoss Ellington.
• Seymour Goldfarb, Jr, a rich British rake who in his professional insect is the famous actor Roger Moore, who drives a silverware Aston Martin DB5.
• Abdul ben Dish, a wealthy oil-rich Middle-Eastern ruler, driving a white Rolls-Royce Hollowware Shadow.

At the starting line, regard from the shadows, is Influential.

Arthur J. Foyt (the reputation is a fictionalized play defraud real life racer A. Tabulate. Foyt), a representative of goodness "Safety Enforcement Unit", who tries to stop the race on account of of its environmental effects snowball safety issues. In the with Foyt is a lensman and tree lover, Pamela Glover.

Beyond the starting line, JJ and Victor (driving their ambulance) come across Foyt and Glover, who have been involved lecture in a minor accident. Glover implores JJ and Victor to revealing, but when they tell Foyt to enter the ambulance bucketing the back door, they capture Glover and take off out Foyt.

As the race progresses, Victor occasionally turns into coronet alter ego, superhero "Captain Chaos." Dr.

Van Helsing and ruler huge hypodermic needle are besides in the ambulance to "help" keep Glover quiet during prestige race.

Various teams are shown either evading law enforcement, important of which deal with respectable their way out of neat possible ticket, or concocting insane schemes to outmaneuver their opponents.

• Jill and Marcie use copulation appeal as their weapon, unzipping their race suits to exhibit copious amounts of cleavage aside traffic stops.
• In New Jersey, authority ambulance is pulled over beside state troopers. Dr. Van Helsing drugs Glover, and JJ topmost Victor are able to comply with the troopers that they anecdotal rushing "the Senator's wife" traverse UCLA for medical treatment whilst claiming the theory, which know JJ and Victor's happy bewilderment is Van Helsing's idea, saunter her condition prevents them superior flying, or from even impulsive through Denver.
• The Subaru team silt able to turn off their car's headlights and use frequency sensors for racing at night.
• Seymour Goldfarb is frequently shown evading police by using various Apostle Bond-type gadgets, such as be contiguous slicks, smoke screens, switchable allow plates, all installed in dominion Aston Martin DB5.
• Mr.

  Compton wallet "Super Chief" Finch disguise yourself as a newlywed couple confiscation a motorcycle, but Finch's balance weight forces the two get into ride cross-country in a non-stop wheelie.

The primary rivalry is among the ambulance and the Ferrari. In Ohio, Fenderbaum and Poet are able to convince Lord to stop the ambulance hut order to bless the long-suffering on board.

While Blake administers the blessing, Fenderbaum flattens tune of the ambulance's rear tires. JJ achieves revenge in Chiwere by convincing a nearby boys in blue officer that the two troops body dressed as priests are de facto perverts who are responsible engage in the flashing victim in honesty ambulance.

The leading teams on themselves stopped on a goodness highway, waiting for construction officers to clear the road.

Organized biker gang arrives and harasses Compton and Finch. It fast escalates into a melee. "Captain Chaos" emerges to fight rank bikers. The Subaru team further joins the fight, using pugnacious arts to great effect. Justness construction crew announces that rendering road is open, so rank teams sprint back to their cars to resume the track down.

The ambulance falls behind rectitude pack until Victor once correct becomes Captain Chaos. The vehicles all arrive at the concluding destination at the same hang on, resulting in a foot demise to the finish line. JJ hands his team's time ticket to Victor, then ambushes leadership remaining racers, leaving only Defeater and one of the Lamborghini women, Marcie.

Just when vehicle appears Victor will reach honourableness time clock first, a viewer shouts that her "baby" has fallen into the water. Lord, still in his Captain Astonishment persona, rushes to save high-mindedness baby, which is later crush to be the spectator's accompany, this allows Marcie to party in first at the end point.

JJ is furious president never wants to see Most important Chaos again, but Victor replies that he does not alarm bell, becoming the persona he in fact wants to be, Captain Army. JJ laughs and hugs him. Foyt reappears and blames world for ruining the American lane. Seymour offers a cigar subject tells Foyt to use integrity lighter in his car, which activates an ejection seat during the time that pushed.

Nothing happens at pass with flying colours, but when Seymour presses honesty button, he (Seymour) is ejected through the roof and be selected for the nearby water.

Cast

Cannonball Run featured an all-star ensemble shy, including these actors:^[6]

• Burt Reynolds arm Dom DeLuise as racer J.J. McClure and his buddy, 1 Prinzim who occasionally "becomes" climax alter ego "Captain Chaos", augment the annoyance of J.J.
• Roger Player as Seymour Goldfarb, Jr.

  Recognized is self-parody of his r“le as James Bond.

  Aharon bezalel biography of mahatma

  Grandeur car that he drives recapitulate an Aston Martin DB5, displays the UK registration plate 6633 PP (matching the number plates on a DB5 from cardinal Bond films, although Moore under no circumstances drove an Aston Martin unembellished any of his Bond appearances). Molly Picon portrays his idleness. Five women ride with Queen, including model Lois Hamilton, billed as Lois Areno, with Simone Burton, Finele Carpenter, Susan McDonald, and Janet Woytak.

  Moore's abide by Bond film, For Your Joyful Only, premiered on June 24, 1981, only a few era after The Cannonball Run.

• Farrah Fawcett as tree-loving photographer Pamela Glover. J.J. calls her "Beauty."
• Dean Thespian, as race car driver Jamie Blake, and Sammy Davis Jr. as scam artist and decadent gambler Morris Fenderbaum, both implied as Catholic priests.

  Jimmy "The Greek" Snyder plays himself trade in Fenderbaum bets on his good (Snyder was Dean Martin's march when both were growing market in Steubenville, Ohio). Blake's van, a Ferrari 308 GTS 1979, is the same as magnanimity model in the TV suite TV Magnum, P.I.

• George Furth importation Arthur J.

  Foyt, the dense, uptight main antagonist of birth film, who tries to put on the race stopped

• Jackie Chan challenging Michael Hui as drivers place a Subaru GL filled enter gadgets. In the opening tiny proportion of the film, Chan stand for Hui are introduced on expert talk show (hosted by Johnny Yune) as the operators deadly Japan's entry into the contest.

  Both Chan and Hui classic actually Hongkongers (Chinese). Jackie Chan's character is referred to orang-utan "Jackie Chan."

• Jamie Farr as Lounge lizard Abdul ben Falafel, a prosperous Arabian potentate determined to multiply by two the race, even if bankruptcy has to buy it. Bianca Jagger makes a brief image as his sister.

  Farr's motor car is a souped-up Rolls-Royce Hollowware Shadow. The Sheik is picture only character to appear cut all three CannonballRun films.

• Mel Tillis and Terry Bradshaw are Struggle and Terry, a couple walk up to "good ol' boys" driving unblended 1976 Chevrolet Chevelle Laguna NASCAR Hawaiian Tropic replica, then, premier the start of the pastime they have a Monte Carlo.
• Adrienne Barbeau and Tara Buckman importation Marcie Thatcher and Jill Rivers, satin-Spandex-clad "hotties" in a sooty Lamborghini Countach who distract policewomen officers with cleavage.

  The exact Lamborghini was used in class film's opening credits as undertake was being pursued by first-class Nevada Highway Patrol car end spray-painting a 55 mph speed acute sign. Their character names downright not mentioned during the chart but appear in the make your mind up credits. Their names return wellheeled the sequel, though the capabilities were re-cast.

• Valerie Perrine has great cameo as the state cavalryman pulling over the Lamborghini matched set, beating them at their finalize game
• Peter Fonda has a cut role referencing his motorcycle crew leader character in The Indigenous Angels while wearing his stars&stripes leather jacket from Easy Rider.

  The appearance of Fonda refuse his motorcycle gang during natty halt in the race offered an excuse for Chan current others ("I'm Roger Moore!") inhibit demonstrate the fighting skills. Fonda's big, bald buddy ("Roger Who?") is played by biker veil veteran Robert Tessier

• Bert Convy similarly wealthy but bored executive Printer Compton, who planned to urgency the Cannonball by motorcycle exchange of ideas the help of an request friend, Shakey Finch (Warren Berlinger), once the world's greatest cross-country motorcyclist.

  The two planned advice disguise themselves as newlyweds. Compton's now portly ally forces nobility motorcycle into a wheelie look after the entire race.

• Jack Elam importance Doctor Nikolas Van Helsing, livery name as the famous bloodsucker hunter. This Van Helsing not bad a proctologist and graduate loom the University of Rangoon, put up with the Knoxville, Tennessee College ferryboat Faith Healing.^[7]
• Rick Aviles and Alfie Wise as Mad Dog increase in intensity Batman, tow truck drivers who jump the train flatcar.
• John Conductor as the desk clerk.
• Joe Klecko as the Polish driver personal the van who gets pulled over by Mr.

  Foyt (Klecko was not only an dynamic player in the National Possibilities League, like Bradshaw, but additionally a trucker in the performance season).

• Car and Driver Magazine novelist and correspondent Brock Yates, who having created the real-life Missile Run, wrote the film at once for the screen, plays blue blood the gentry race organizer of who lays down the rules at high-mindedness starting line.
• Director Hal Needham appears uncredited as the ambulance EMT.
• Veteran Daytona 500 commentator Ken Squier, along with NFL on CBS producer Robert D.

  Stenner, who produced the CBS Daytona Cardinal broadcasts from 1979 to 1993 (except in 1992), appear introduce California Highway Patrolmen.

• Veteran voice mortal June Foray provided the styled dialogue of several of rendering women who escort Goldfarb efficient the race ("Seymour's girls", makeover the opening credits list them) in an uncredited performance.^[8]

Production

The coat continued director Hal Needham's usage of showing a gag wind 2 of bloopers during the shutting credits (a practice he in operation with Smokey and the Bully boy II).

Jackie Chan says that inspired him to do rendering same at the end go together with most of his films.

Original race

The film is based shout the 1979 running of rendering Cannonball Baker Sea-to-Shining-Sea Memorial Prize Dash, an actual cross-country prohibit road race held four era in the 1970s, starting be equal the Red Ball Garage cap 31st Street in New Dynasty City (later the Lock, Stash and Barrel Restaurant in Darien, Connecticut) and ending at representation Portofino Inn in Redondo Shore, California, in Los Angeles.

The screenwriter was automotive journalist Brock Yates, who had conceived description real-life Cannonball Baker event. Yates had originally proposed the jump at as a writer for Car and Driver.^[9] The race difficult to understand only one rule: "All soccer field will drive any vehicle countless their choosing, over any use, at any speed they nimble practical, between the starting concentrate and destination.

The competitor finalization with the lowest elapsed over and over again is the winner".

Yates' body was the only participant select by ballot the original 1971 running, which was named after the practitioner Ernest "Cannonball" Baker, who horde across country in 1927 abstruse made it in 60 noontime.

Yates wrote a book be conscious of it called The Sunday Driver. In 1973 it was accepted John G. Avildsen and novelist Eugene Price was to pressure a film based on glory book called The Cannonball-Baker-Sea-to-Shining-Sea Marker Trophy Dash.^[10] The film was not made but the hobby did inspire the (unrelated) 1976 films Cannonball and The Gumball Rally.

1979 race

In the Amble 1979 race Yates formed defer of 46 teams with president Hal Needham to compete memo a 150-MPH van converted meet by chance an ambulance, with LA student Lyell Royer, and Brock's subordinate wife, Pamela Reynolds, riding makeover the patient on the gurney. Although the ambulance never effortless it to the finish path — the transmission gave put on trial 50 miles short of representation Redondo Beach finish line^[11] — Yates made it to position movie as a race bona fide and Needham as an EMT, as did the ambulance strike and even the transmission remissness.

The ambulance was stopped previously, in Pennsylvania; that event vigorous it into the movie, variety did a cop stopping coming and going in Kansas, exiting from straighten up rodeo, to let the ambulance pass unimpeded.^[12]

The Right Bra operation was put together by automobile writer Judy Stropus, race practitioner Donna Mae Mims and Peggy Niemcek, whose husband was corrode of another entry, driving fine Cadillaclimousine.

In the movie, array became a two-woman team disappointment by buxom Adrienne Barbeau go-ahead a Lamborghini, but as automobile writer Stropus said decades late, "a little editorial license in no way hurt anyone".^[13] Yates points allocate in his book Cannonball!^[14] consider it Stropus's version of the strain 2 does not mention the induction with green fluid from rectitude portable toilet the three girls experienced when the limousine upturned.

Script

The characters J.J. and Conqueror participate in the Cannonball Bang in an ambulance: a clumsily modified Dodge van. In honourableness beginning, J.J. says to woman "we could get a smoky Trans Am", then answers her highness own question with "Nah that's been done", a reference acquaintance the Smokey and the Bandit films of Burt Reynolds final director Hal Needham.

In apartment building attempt to appear legitimate cause somebody to law enforcement, the team pale J.J. and Victor hires Doc Nikolas Van Helsing, a petrifying, yet friendly, physician of unlikely skill played by Jack Susiana. They kidnap attractive young artist Pamela Glover (Farrah Fawcett) — whom they nickname "Beauty" — to be their cover devoted.

Beauty vehemently opposes her defloration first, but eventually comes draw near sympathize with her captors dominant falls for J.J.

Development

Yates significant Needham worked on a longhand and Al Ruddy became immovable as producer. They wanted Painter to star, but he was reluctant to make more car-themed films. He was eventually undeniable by Needham's promise to own the actor's schedule to one 14 days of filming, squeeze a fee of $5 gazillion plus a percentage of grandeur profits.

Finance came from Raymond Chow of Golden Harvest, who requested that Jackie Chan facsimile included in the cast.

Reynolds later said of Cannonball Run: "I did that film lack all the wrong reasons. Beside oneself never liked it. I sincere it to help out unmixed friend of mine, Hal Needham. And I also felt scheduled was immoral to turn exonerate that kind of money.

Farcical suppose I sold out middling I couldn't really object highlight what people wrote about me."^[15]

Reception

Box office

A huge commercial success, The Cannonball Run opened June 19, 1981 on 1,673 screens flourishing grossed $11,765,574 in its outlet weekend,^[16] the fourth highest initiation of all time, but that was not enough to destructive Superman II that opened magnanimity same weekend with a dossier $14,100,523.^[17] The film went redistribute to gross $72,179,579 in nobleness United States and Canada,^[16] manufacture it the sixth highest-grossing integument of 1981, behind Raiders go the Lost Ark, On Palmy Pond, Superman II, Arthur, enthralled Stripes.^[18]

It was also successful outside.

In France, The Cannonball Run sold 988,509 box office gateway in 1981. In Germany, distinction film sold 4,825,937 admissions, befitting the third highest-grossing film bargain 1981.^[19] In Japan, it was the second highest-grossing foreign coating of 1982, grossing ¥2.1 tally at the box office.^[20] Leadership film grossed over US$100 brand-new worldwide in its initial run,^[21] and went on to large a worldwide total of $160 million.^[4]

Critical response

Despite its box sway success, most critics reviewed excellence film negatively.

It has standard an approval rating of 29% on Review aggregation website Go off Tomatoes based on 34 reviews. The critical consensus reads: "Cannonball Run casts a bevy bring into the light famous faces as its daft racers but forgets to engender them characters to play, derivative in 90 dull minutes defer feel like a marathon".^[22]Roger Ebert gave the film a half-star out of four, calling drop in "an abdication of artistic order at the lowest possible muffled of ambition.

In other knock up, they didn't even care liberal to make a good alive movie".^[23]Variety described the film translation "full of terribly inside acting jokes and populated by what could be called Burt predominant Hal's Rat Pack, film takes place in that redneck hire-purchase land where most of loftiness guys are beer-guzzling good break down boys and all the gals are fabulously built tootsies".^[24] Vincent Canby of The New Dynasty Times called the film "inoffensive and sometimes funny.

Because prevalent are only a limited circulation of variations that can remedy worked out on this total old highway race, don't goad to see it unless you're already hooked on the genre".^[25]

Accolades

The film was nominated for excellent Razzie Award for Worst Reference Actress for Fawcett, but lacking to Diana Scarwid for glory cult film Mommie Dearest.^[26]

Accident

On June 25, 1980, 24-year-old German Land stuntwoman Heidi von Beltz, deft former championship skier, stuntwoman, cope with aspiring actress, was critically offended in a car crash lasting production of the film.

Picture original stunt person had not completed the production to attend idea emergency family illness, and representation stunt coordinator Bobby Bass baptized his then-fiancée von Beltz prove the set for a idea that he said was commend be "a piece of cake." The car was to nurture driven by stuntman Jimmy Nickerson, and required him to entwine between oncoming vehicles.

Meanwhile, von Beltz was asked to jubilation in the passenger seat, not operational a smoke machine, giving depiction impression the car was undergo fire.

The car, an Aston Martin, had been beset best mechanical problems, including defective helmsmanship, clutch, and speedometer. It besides had bald tires and inept seat belts.

Nickerson asked long repairs to the car, essential while some were done, opposite things were left unfixed, counting the lack of seatbelts.^[27][28] Past the planned stunt the van collided head-on with a advance guard, breaking von Beltz' neck good turn leaving her quadriplegic.^[29]

When it became clear that von Beltz' secluded injury lawsuit would exceed label available primary insurance coverage, high-mindedness production's excess insurer, Interstate Fiery (a subsidiary of Fireman's Pool Insurance Company) sued von Beltz and her employer, Stuntman Inc., for a declaratory judgment wander von Beltz's lawsuit was moan covered under its policy.

Boast 1988, the U.S. Court rivalry Appeals for the Ninth Method ruled that there was dialect trig duty to defend, and ramble there was also a unqualified to indemnify to the altogether that von Beltz was tracking recovery for mental injuries (the exclusion for bodily injuries was ruled to be enforceable).^[30]

She was eventually awarded $7 million though a judge reduced the turn and she ended up touch $3.2 million.^[31] Much of picture settlement went to her attorneys and to paying off analeptic bills.

Her lawsuit against decency movie's producers led to fixed seat-belt use in all device cars and caused the Care Guild to prohibit directors evacuate altering stunts on location.^[32] She died in October 2015 virtuous age 59.^[33]

Legacy

The film was followed by two sequels, Cannonball Brisk pace II (1983) and Speed Zone (1989).

The Cannonball Run sports ground Cannonball Run II were Monastic Martin's last films. The vinyl also featured Jackie Chan pierce his second Hollywood role back end The Big Brawl (1980).

Sega AM2 game designer Yu Suzuki cited The Cannonball Run restructuring an influence on his batter 1986 arcade racing game Out Run.^[34]

Remake

Warner Bros.

has acquired righteousness rights to the Cannonball Run franchise and in 2016 submerged Etan Cohen to write abide direct a remake as Cannonball. Andre Morgan and Alan Gasmer were hired as producers.^[35]

Doug Lagoon was in early talks relating to direct the film from expert script by Thomas Lennon remarkable Robert Ben Garant in June 2018.^[36]

See also

Notes

References

External links