Devil on Wheels (1939)
"Indianapolis Speedway" (original title)

Joe is the three time Indy champion who still races to put young Eddie through College. Joe wants a better life for Eddie, and he explodes when he finds out that Eddie quit school for a ... See full summary »

Director:

Lloyd Bacon

Writers:

Sig Herzig (screenplay), Wally Kline (screenplay),

Stars:

Ann Sheridan, Pat O'Brien, John Payne

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ann Sheridan	...	'Frankie' Merrick
Pat O'Brien	...	Joe Greer
John Payne	...	Eddie Greer
Gale Page	...	Lee Mason
Frank McHugh	...	'Spud' Connors
Grace Stafford	...	Martha Connors
Granville Bates	...	Mr. Greer
John Ridgely	...	Ted Horn
Regis Toomey	...	Dick Wilbur
John Harron	...	Red, Eddie's Pitman
William B. Davidson	...	Duncan Martin (as William Davidson)
Edward McWade	...	Tom Dugan, the Counterman (as Ed McWade)
Irving Bacon	...	Fred Haskill
Tommy Bupp	...	Haskill's Son
Robert Middlemass	...	Edward Hart

Storyline

Joe is the three time Indy champion who still races to put young Eddie through College. Joe wants a better life for Eddie, and he explodes when he finds out that Eddie quit school for a racing career. Joe tries to teach Eddie the trade, but they separate when Eddie will not drop bad girl Frankie. When Joe causes the death of a driver at the next race, he quits racing and wanders around. Joe winds up at Indianapolis where Eddie is driving the Martin Special.

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Plot Keywords:

death | college | brother brother relationship | b movie | dancing | 

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Taglines:

IS THE GLORY OF VICTORY WORTH THE PRICE! (original ad - all caps, with original punctuation)

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Genres:

Action | Drama | Romance | Sport

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

5 August 1939 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Roaring Road

Filming Locations:

Indianapolis Motor Speedway - 4790 W. 16th Street, Speedway, Indiana, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros

Technical Specs

Runtime:

85 min 82 min (TCM print)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Regis Toomey played the same character in the 1932 film The Crowd Roars of which this is a remake.

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Goofs

In the closing scene, the ambulances taking Payne and O'Brien are racing to the hospital, trying to beat the other. In the distance is a large body of water, most likely the Pacific Ocean, on which the actors are superimposed. Indianapolis is actually landlocked.

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Crazy Credits

Opening credits all done using "windswept" graphics, indicating speed.

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Connections

Remake of The Crowd Roars (1932)

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Soundtracks

"For He's a Jolly Good Fellow"
(uncredited)
Traditional
Played by the band at homecoming

User Reviews

Another Once Around The Track

While not quite the carbon copy that the two Dawn Patrols are to each other, Indianapolis Speedway and The Crowd Roars did use a lot of the same footage and dialog for its principal players. In the case of Frank McHugh since his character is killed in both Jack Warner really pleased the bean counters in his place.

The film was trying to establish John Payne as an action star. Payne who was newly acquired from Paramount really doesn't get his career stride until his next move over to 20th Century Fox. Here he and Pat O'Brien are brothers just as James Cagney and Eric Linden were in The Crowd Roars.

For reasons never fully explained O'Brien wants to both keep Payne away from a career in racing and Ann Sheridan. As Payne is an adult O'Brien is way out of line. But after their friend McHugh is killed it's O'Brien whose career really hits the skids.

Automobile racing buffs will like Indianapolis Speedway and the vintage cars, but the film will never make the top ten list for O'Brien, Sheridan, or Payne.