The Gumball Rally (1976)

An eclectic group of people takes part in a secret, and illegal, cross country road race.

Director:

Charles Bail (as Chuck Bail)

Writers:

Leon Capetanos (screenplay), Charles Bail (story) (as Chuck Bail)

Stars:

Michael Sarrazin, Tim McIntire, Raul Julia

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Michael Sarrazin	...	Michael Bannon - Cobra Team
Norman Burton	...	Lieutenant Roscoe (as Normann Burton)
Gary Busey	...	Gibson - Camaro Team
John Durren	...	Ace Preston / Mr. Guts - Camaro Team
Susan Flannery	...	Alice - Porsche Team
Harvey Jason	...	Lapchik the Mad Hungarian - Kawasaki
Steven Keats	...	Kandinsky - Dodge Team
Tim McIntire	...	Steve 'Smitty' Smith - Ferrari Team
Joanne Nail	...	Jane - Porsche Team
J. Pat O'Malley	...	Barney Donahue - Mercedes Team
Tricia O'Neil	...	Angie - Rolls Royce
Lázaro Pérez	...	Jose - Rolls Royce (as Lazaro Perez)
Nicholas Pryor	...	Prof. Samuel Graves - Cobra Team
Vaughn Taylor	...	Andy McAllister - Mercedes Team
Wally Taylor	...	Avila - Dodge Team

Storyline

A group of people from different backgrounds have one thing in common: when they hear the world "gumball" whispered by one of the others, they know that it's time for the Gumball Rally: a no-holds barred, secret, winner-take-all rally across the USA.

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Plot Keywords:

car racing | carsploitation | boyfriend girlfriend relationship | kiss | love interest | 

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Taglines:

It's a hilarious coast-to-coast, 180 mile-an-hour, go-for-broke, outrageous road race with the world's most expensive cars. And it's all just for glory and a gumball machine.

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Genres:

Comedy

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Certificate:

PG

Did You Know?

Trivia

Last cinema film of Vaughn Taylor.

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Goofs

When the Acme Plumbing van is running from the trail of burning gasoline, you can see the fire extending in front of the van. It is most noticeable right after the passenger says "You can't out run it".

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Quotes

Barney Donahue: You know how often my wife tried to get me to get rid of this car? Well that's German machinery for you. The car outlasted her.

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Crazy Credits

Linda Vaughn ... Emergency Plan Alpha

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Connections

Referenced in APEX: The Secret Race Across America (2019)

User Reviews

What's Behind Me...

Chuck Bail, a stunt performer on Steve McQueen's "Have Gun, Will Travel", contributed some memorable bits of dialogue to this script. I've lost count of the number of times I and others have repeated Raul Julia's judgment on the rear view mirror, "What's behind me is not important". Inevitably, any spectacularly ugly car we come across "looks like a jukebox". And on and on.

Julia, whose participation in this film was not generally cited in obituaries, and Gary Busey were performers whose careers took off afterward.

The remainder of the cast consists of moderately well known players, some still to be seen on soaps and occasionally in prime time guest shots. Normann Burton as a New York cop on the verge of a nervous breakdown and Harvey Jason as a bizarro motorcyclist stand out.

As is usually the case in movies about automobile racing, lots of expert stuntwork is on display here. Scenes of pure speed, though, do not get in the way of funnymen being funny.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Italian

Release Date:

28 July 1976 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Gumball Rally

Filming Locations:

I-10 at Exit 167, Riggs Rd., Sun Lakes, Maricopa Co., Arizona, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros., First Artists

Technical Specs

Runtime:

105 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1