The Great Race (1965)

Comedy about an early 20th century car race across three continents.

Director:

Blake Edwards

Writers:

Arthur A. Ross (screenplay), Blake Edwards (original story),

Stars:

Jack Lemmon, Tony Curtis, Natalie Wood

Won 1 Oscar. Another 3 wins & 12 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jack Lemmon	...	Professor Fate / Crown Prince Frederick Hoepnick
Tony Curtis	...	The Great Leslie
Natalie Wood	...	Maggie Dubois
Peter Falk	...	Maximilian Meen
Keenan Wynn	...	Hezekiah Sturdy
Arthur O'Connell	...	Henry Goodbody
Vivian Vance	...	Hester Goodbody
Dorothy Provine	...	Lily Olay
Larry Storch	...	Texas Jack
Ross Martin	...	Baron Rolfe Von Stuppe
George Macready	...	General Kuhster
Marvin Kaplan	...	Frisbee
Hal Smith	...	Mayor of Boracho
Denver Pyle	...	Sheriff
William Bryant	...	Baron's Guard

Storyline

Professional daredevil and white-suited hero, The Great Leslie, convinces turn-of-the-century auto makers that a race from New York to Paris (westward across America, the Bering Straight and Russia) will help to promote automobile sales. Leslie's arch-rival, the mustached and black-attired Professor Fate vows to beat Leslie to the finish line in a car of Fate's own invention. The Blake Edwards style of slapstick and song originated with this movie. A dedication to Laurel and Hardy appears at the beginning of the film. Edwards' tribute to Stan and Ollie can be seen most clearly in the interaction between Professor Fate and his cohort Max, as well as in the operatic Pottsdorf pie fight.

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Plot Keywords:

race | car | newspaper | new york | automobile | 

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Taglines:

THE GREAT LAUGH SHOW OF ALL TIME!

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Comedy | Family | Musical | Romance | Sport

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 July 1965 (USA)

Also Known As:

Blake Edwards' The Great Race

Filming Locations:

Salzburg Cathedral, Salzburg, Austria

Box Office

Budget:

$12,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros, Patricia, Jalem Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

160 min 146 min (DVD edition)

Sound Mix:

Stereo (RCA Sound System) 70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Natalie Wood's singing voice on 'The Sweetheart Tree' was provided by 'Jackie Ward (1)', famous for the La-la-la sections of the Pat Boone 1962 hit 'Speedy Gonzales'.

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Goofs

During the hot air balloon scene, wires on the balloon are clearly seen.

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Quotes

Maggie DuBois: You mean amazing because I'm a woman.

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Crazy Credits

Starts with the dedication "For Mr. Laurel and Mr. Hardy". Opening credits are in the form of a turn of the century slide show, beginning with "Ladies kindly remove your hats". The WB logo is drawn on the hood of a car. When the main characters are introduced, Jack Lemmon is jeered (and sticks out his tongue in reply), Tony Curtis cheered and Natalie Wood gets dog whistles. There are various hiccups along the way: a fly is shooed off by a stick, the lights go out and a (real) hand with a match comes on. Other slides have to be adjusted by hand. When one of them starts to burn, "One moment please" is interjected. The producers' credit is upside down. The last slide turns into the opening shot of the movie.

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Connections

Referenced in Special Collector's Edition: Comparativa: La Tienda de los Horrores (2013)

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Soundtracks

"Toccata and Fugue in D Minor"
(uncredited)
Written by Johann Sebastian Bach

User Reviews

One of the most underrated movies of all time.

I cannot believe that "The Great Race" did not make it on AFI's 100 Funniest Movies list (well, actually I CAN believe it, since those lists seem very messed up to me). In fact, it has not gotten nearly as much recognition as it deserves.

It is simply one of the funniest movies I have ever seen! The whole cast shines (especially Lemmon, who should have won an Oscar for Best Scene Stealer). Besides the great slapstick, there are a million subtle details that you don't notice unless you are really paying attention. This is why the movie is still great after several viewings: each time you watch it, you are bound to catch some little joke you didn't see before.

Everything about this movie cracks me up. The contrast in character between Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon is just great, the chemistry between the different characters is great, the movie parodies are great, the sets are great, the slapstick is great, and the dialogue is great. Even the MUSIC is funny... every time that goofy theme music for Professor Fate starts playing, I start laughing.

If you haven't seen this, I highly suggest you rent it. Yes, it is long, but it is one of the few comedies I have seen that keeps up the laughs consistently... it never sags or has dull moments. It is downright hilarious from start to finish.

And to top it all off, it has some very cool cars.