Winning (1969)

Frank Capua is a rising star on the race circuit who dreams of winning the big one--the Indianapolis 500. But to get there he runs the risk of losing his wife Elora to his rival, Luther ... See full summary »

Director:

James Goldstone

Writer:

Howard Rodman

Stars:

Paul Newman, Joanne Woodward, Robert Wagner

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Paul Newman	...	Capua
Joanne Woodward	...	Elora
Robert Wagner	...	Erding
Richard Thomas	...	Charley
David Sheiner	...	Crawford
Clu Gulager	...	Larry
Barry Ford	...	Bottineau
Karen Arthur	...	Miss Dairy Queen
Bobby Unser	...	Self
Tony Hulman	...	Self

Storyline

Frank Capua is a rising star on the race circuit who dreams of winning the big one--the Indianapolis 500. But to get there he runs the risk of losing his wife Elora to his rival, Luther Erding, and strains the relationship with his stepson.

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Plot Keywords:

indiana | winning | indianapolis 500 | car racing | marriage problems | 

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Taglines:

Spine-tingling automobile racing action, combined with a tender love story brings together three top American stars!

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Genres:

Action | Drama | Sport

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Certificate:

M

Did You Know?

Trivia

This was originally to have been a low-budget, made-for-TV movie. However, Paul Newman, who had just caught the "racing bug", heard about it, decided it was the kind of movie he wanted to do, and it was soon elevated to a big-budget "A"-list feature film.

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Quotes

Frank Capua: What's that for?
Charley: You celebrate, I celebrate, too.
Frank Capua: Oh, come on. You don't drink.
Charley: Hey, what kind of a put-down is that? I gotta start sometime. I'm sixteen.
Frank Capua: You wouldn't even like it.
Charley: How do you know unless you try?
Frank Capua: Take a sip.
Charley: Salud.
[takes a sip]
Charley: Good!
[...]

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Connections

Featured in Hollywood's Hottest Car Chases (2010)

User Reviews

personal non-drama

Self confident professional race car driver Frank Capua (Paul Newman) falls for Elora (Joanne Woodward) working at a car rental place. He befriends her teenage son Charley (Richard Thomas) taking him under his racing wings. Luther Lou Erding (Robert Wagner) is his main friend-rival.

It's about racing. It has lots of racers. It's a love story with his wife. It's obviously a personal passion project for Newman. It doesn't mean that it's any good. The drama has pretty limited tension. The romance has no drama to begin with and when it turns, it retroactively destroys its bland sweetness. In between the personal non-drama, the racing has some good real action and stunts. The filmmaking is still not modern enough to make the racing exciting. It comes off mostly flat but has the interest equivalent to racing deleted scenes.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

8 July 1969 (UK)

Also Known As:

Winning

Filming Locations:

Universal Studios - 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$5,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Pictures, Newman-Foreman Company, Jennings Lang

Technical Specs

Runtime:

123 min

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (UK release) (unconfirmed) Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1