The Great Race (1965)

Director:

Blake Edwards

Writers:

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

Release Date:

1 July 1965 (USA)

Genre:

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

Tagline:

THE GREAT LAUGH SHOW OF ALL TIME!

Plot:

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

Plot Keywords:

Race | Car | Newspaper | New York | Automobile

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 3 wins & 12 nominations

Cast

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
Ken Wales	...	Baron's Guard
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Richard Alexander	...	Man in Saloon (uncredited)
Greg Benedict	...	Soldier (uncredited)
Paul Bryar	...	Policeman (uncredited)
Robert Carson	...	Vice Chairman (uncredited)
Charles Fredericks	...	Master of Ceremonies (uncredited)
Sol Gorss	...	Saloon Brawler (uncredited)
Harry Harvey	...	Executive Board Member (uncredited)
Chester Hayes	...	Man in Bear Suit (uncredited)
Chuck Hayward	...	Soldier (uncredited)
Bob Herron	...	Palace Guard (uncredited)
Charles Horvath	...	Texas Jack's Henchman / Baker in Pie Fight (uncredited)
Clegg Hoyt	...	Man in Saloon (uncredited)
Roy Jenson	...	Saloon Brawler (uncredited)
Kenner G. Kemp	...	Townsman (uncredited)
Patricia King	...	Woman in West (uncredited)
Frank Kreig	...	Starter (uncredited)
Mike Lally	...	Bettor (uncredited)
Philo McCullough	...	Townsman (uncredited)
Francis McDonald	...	Russian (uncredited)
J. Edward McKinley	...	Chairman (uncredited)
Boyd 'Red' Morgan	...	Saloon Brawler (uncredited)
Richard Mosier	...	Boy Eating Popcorn (uncredited)
Joyce Nizzari	...	Woman in West (uncredited)
Joe Palma	...	Conductor (uncredited)
Harvey Parry	...	Cowboy Shooting Gun in Saloon (uncredited)
Raoul Retzer	...	Mayor-Domo (uncredited)
Hal Riddle	...	Baker (uncredited)
Christopher Riordan	...	Cowboy / Dancer (uncredited)
Maria Schroeder	...	Woman in Tobelsk (uncredited)
Charles Seel	...	Freight Agent (uncredited)
Sarah Selby	...	Townswoman (uncredited)
Johnny Silver	...	Baker (uncredited)
Paul Smith	...	First Employee (uncredited)
Robert R. Stephenson	...	Bishop at Coronation (uncredited)
Bert Stevens	...	Townsman (uncredited)
Art Stewart	...	(uncredited)
Frank D. Strong	...	Trombonist in Marching Band (uncredited)
John Truax	...	Prison Guard (uncredited)
Dale Van Sickel	...	Driver-Contestant in Green Car, #3 (uncredited)

Directed by
Blake Edwards

Writing credits
Arthur A. Ross		(screenplay) (as Arthur Ross)
Blake Edwards		(original story) &
Arthur A. Ross		(original story) (as Arthur Ross)

Produced by
Dick Crockett	....	associate producer (as Richard Crockett)
Martin Jurow	....	producer

Original Music by
Henry Mancini

Cinematography by
Russell Harlan		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Ralph E. Winters

Production Design by
Fernando Carrere

Art Direction by
Fernando Carrere		(uncredited)

Set Decoration by
George James Hopkins

Costume Design by
Donfeld		(as Don Feld)

Makeup Department
Gordon Bau	....	makeup supervisor
Sydney Guilaroff	....	hair styles creator: Miss Wood
Jean Burt Reilly	....	supervising hair stylist

Production Management
Clem Beauchamp	....	unit production manager
Chuck Hansen	....	unit production manager (as Charles Hansen)
Jack McEdward	....	unit production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Jack Cunningham	....	assistant director
Richard Landry	....	assistant director (as Dick Landry)
Mickey McCardle	....	assistant director

Art Department
Reg Allen	....	decorative consultant
Jack Stevens	....	decorative consultant
Mentor Huebner	....	conceptual artist (uncredited)

Sound Department
M.A. Merrick	....	sound
Treg Brown	....	sound effects editor (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Johnny Borgese	....	special effects (uncredited)
George Brown	....	special effects (uncredited)
Danny Lee	....	special effects (uncredited)

Visual Effects by
Linwood G. Dunn	....	photographic effects (as Linwood Dunn)
James B. Gordon	....	photographic effects (as James Gordon)
Albert Simpson	....	matte artist (uncredited)

Stunts
Odile Astie	....	stunts (uncredited)
Paul Baxley	....	stunts (uncredited)
Joe Canutt	....	stunts (uncredited)
Bill Catching	....	stunts (uncredited)
Jerry Catron	....	stunts (uncredited)
Philip Crawford	....	stunts (uncredited)
Dick Crockett	....	stunt coordinator (uncredited)
Dick Crockett	....	stunts (uncredited)
Howard Curtis	....	stunts (uncredited)
Dick Dial	....	stunt actor (uncredited)
Stephanie Epper	....	stunts (uncredited)
Richard Farnsworth	....	stunts (uncredited)
Dick Geary	....	stunts (uncredited)
Sol Gorss	....	stunts (uncredited)
Duke Green	....	stunts (uncredited)
Johnny Hagner	....	stunts (uncredited)
Donna Hall	....	stunts (uncredited)
Chuck Hayward	....	stunts (uncredited)
Bob Herron	....	stunts (uncredited)
Bill Hickman	....	stunts (uncredited)
Chuck Hicks	....	stunts (uncredited)
Charles Horvath	....	stunts (uncredited)
Robert F. Hoy	....	stunts (uncredited)
John Hudkins	....	stunts (uncredited)
Roy Jenson	....	stunts (uncredited)
Carey Loftin	....	stunts (uncredited)
Sharon Lucas	....	stunts (uncredited)
Troy Melton	....	stunts (uncredited)
John Moio	....	stunts (uncredited)
Boyd 'Red' Morgan	....	stunts (uncredited)
Hal Needham	....	stunts (uncredited)
Harvey Parry	....	stunts (uncredited)
Regis Parton	....	stunts (uncredited)
Gil Perkins	....	stunts (uncredited)
Jack Perkins	....	stunts (uncredited)
George Robotham	....	stunts (uncredited)
Ronnie Rondell Jr.	....	stunts (uncredited)
Bob Rose	....	stunts (uncredited)
Wally Rose	....	stunts (uncredited)
Alex Sharp	....	stunts (uncredited)
David Sharpe	....	stunt double: Tony Curtis/Ross Martin (uncredited)
Dean Smith	....	stunts (uncredited)
Paul Stader	....	stunts (uncredited)
Mary Statler	....	stunts (uncredited)
Tom Steele	....	stunts (uncredited)
Jerry Summers	....	stunts (uncredited)
Helen Thurston	....	stunts (uncredited)
Dale Van Sickel	....	stunts (uncredited)
Jack Verbois	....	stunts (uncredited)
Al Wyatt Sr.	....	stunts (uncredited)
Joe Yrigoyen	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Harold E. Wellman	....	photographer: second unit (as Harold Wellman)
Richard Doran	....	assistant camera (uncredited)
Bobby Greene	....	first assistant camera (uncredited)
Michael A. Jones	....	rigging gaffer (uncredited)
Robert Willoughby	....	special still photographer (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Edith Head	....	clothes: Miss Wood

Music Department
Richard Nash	....	musician: trombone soloist
Bob Bain	....	musician: guitar (uncredited)
Vinton Vernon	....	score mixer (uncredited)
Dan Wallin	....	score mixer (uncredited)
Jackie Ward	....	singing voice: Natalie Wood (uncredited)
John Williams	....	musician: piano (uncredited)

Other crew
Betty A. Griffin	....	script supervisor (as Betty Abbott)
Hermes Pan	....	choreographer
Ken Wales	....	dialogue supervisor
Dean Jeffries	....	car designer (uncredited)
Ken Mundie	....	title designer (uncredited)

Thanks
Oliver Hardy	....	dedicatee (as Mr. Hardy)
Stan Laurel	....	dedicatee (as Mr. Laurel)

Production Companies

• Warner Bros
• Patricia
• Jalem Productions
• Reynard

Distributors

• Warner Bros (1965) (USA) (theatrical) (presents) (as WB)
• Warner Bros. (1965) (Canada) (theatrical)
• Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) (1970) (USA) (TV) (pan/scan)
• Warner Bros. (1965) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• Impulso Records (2009) (Spain) (DVD)
• Pioneer Entertainment (????) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Warner Home Video (2006) (Germany) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (1991) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Warner Home Video (2002) (USA) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2006) (USA) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (????) (USA) (VHS) (pan/scan)

Special Effects

• Film Effects of Hollywood (photographic effects)

Other Companies

• DePatie-Freleng Enterprises (DFE)  titles (uncredited)

Also Known As:

"Blake Edwards' The Great Race" - UK (complete title), USA (complete title)

Runtime:

160 min | Spain:146 min (DVD edition)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

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

Certification:

Argentina:Atp | Australia:G | Canada:G | Finland:K-8 | Sweden:Btl | UK:U | South Korea:All | USA:Approved | Spain:T | Norway:7 | Canada:PG (Ontario) | USA:TV-PG

Filming Locations:

Salzburg Cathedral, Salzburg, Austria

Company:

Warner Bros

Trivia:

Features the largest pie fight ever staged, with a running gag that The Great Leslie remains clean while everyone else is covered in pie. Tony Curtis was required to change clothes several times when he was accidentally splattered with debris from a pie that had hit someone else. The pies used during the pie throwing scene were real, containing fruit, custard, whipped cream and other ingredients. Following this scene the crew devoured more than 300 leftover pies.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When Fate first reveals the Hannibal Twin 8 to Max, the camera pulls back to a wide shot. To change from the dramatic lighting of the close up, you can see many more off-camera lights being switched on to light up the entire garage for the reveal of the car.

Quotes:

[last lines]
Max:C'mon Professor. Go, Go!
Fate:Relax. This time I'm going to win it my way. Push the button Max!
[cut to shot of Eifel Tower collapsing]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Special Collector's Edition: Comparativa: La Tienda de los Horrores (#5.11)" (2013)

Soundtrack:

Big Night Tonight

Worthy of modern restoration and DVD issue.

In the classic opening credit sequence just before where we are transported back to the days of the "Magic lamp" slide projection shows, we are given a hint of what is to come when a tribute salute " For Mr Laurel & Mr Hardy " appears on the screen. Yes this movie does owe something to the slapstick routines of those two gentlemen yet it has a life of it's own which in many ways far surpasses slapstick. For those people who can only see the sight gags then this movie will only provide mild appeal. Look deeper and appreciate the marvellous comedic talents of Jack Lemmon, Tony Curtis, Peter Falk, Keenan Wynn and Natalie Wood.

Comedy is always a thing of personal taste. I suspect that there will be those who will rave about how wonderful The Great Race is while others will call it a waste of time and money. There will be few in the middle ground. I fall into the rave category. To me this movie is sheer FUN.

The visuals are splendid and awesomly huge. The costumes fabulous and the location settings vast. Everything is over the top, yet there is still room for small subtleties and in-jokes. The actors have a ball. Jack Lemmon just sneaks in as the best scene stealer but the able cast hold their own too. The Great Race just cries out for a restoration job and a release on DVD - please !