The Great Race (1965)

In the early 20th century, two rivals, the heroic Leslie and the despicable Professor Fate, engage in an epic automobile race from New York to Paris.

Director:

Blake Edwards

Writers:

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

Stars:

Tony Curtis, Natalie Wood, Jack Lemmon

Won 1 Oscar. Another 2 wins & 14 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 Borracho
Denver Pyle	...	Sheriff
William Bryant	...	Baron's Guard (as Bill Bryant)

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.

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Plot Keywords:

race | car | newspaper | new york | reporter | 

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Taglines:

THE GREAT LAUGH SHOW OF ALL TIME!

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Comedy | Family | Romance | Sport | Western

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Certificate:

Passed

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

14 October 1965 (UK)

Also Known As:

Blake Edwards' The Great Race

Filming Locations:

Salzburg Cathedral, Salzburg, Austria

Box Office

Budget:

$12,000,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$25,333,333

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros., Patricia, Jalem Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

160 min 146 min (DVD)

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

Real pies were used in the pie fight scene, and the cast ate many of them during filming. However, during a weekend break in filming, the pies spoiled. The stink was so bad that the building required a thorough cleaning and large fans to blow out the sour air.

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Goofs

Shortly before the starting gun, a very tall police officer (who strikingly resembles Max Baer Jr.) picks up two children on his shoulders. A couple minutes before that, while Peter Falk is cranking up the Hannibal 8 automobile, you can see the cop in the background with the kids already on his shoulders.

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Quotes

Professor Fate: What'd I tell you? I said she'd win the race for us, the bubble-headed vixen!

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Crazy Credits

Jack Lemmon is only credited as Professor Fate and not for his second role as Crown Prince Hapnik.

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Alternate Versions

The Great Race has been re-released in France in 1996. However, after the race starts, all scenes involving people from the newspaper in New York have been cut. The French authorities or distributors took them as a mockery of the French suffragette's, feminist's and women's lib movements.

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Connections

Referenced in Private Screenings: Robert Osborne (2014)

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Soundtracks

Big Night Tonight
(uncredited)
Sung by the girls in the saloon

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.