4.8/10
148
7 user 6 critic

Checkered Flag or Crash (1977)

PG | | Adventure, Comedy | 18 January 1978 (USA)
Checkered Flag or Crash Poster
Race car driver Walkaway Madden signs up for the big Manilla 1000 off-road race through the Philippines jungle. The photojournalist C.C. Wainwright comes along for the ride.

Director:

Alan Gibson

Writer:

Michael Allin

Stars:

Joe Don Baker, Susan Sarandon, Larry Hagman | See full cast & crew »
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Photos

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Cast

Cast overview:
Joe Don Baker ... Walkaway Madden
Susan Sarandon ... C.C. Wainwright
Larry Hagman ... Bo Cochran
Alan Vint ... Doc Pyle
Parnelli Jones ... Self
Logan Clarke ... Ringer
Daina House ... Rider in Black
Michel Pitton Michel Pitton ... Perrier
Bert LeRoy Jr. Bert LeRoy Jr. ... Fly (as Bert LeRoy)
Dick Adair Dick Adair ... Adams
Bill Cross Bill Cross ... Angel
Ben Leeman Ben Leeman ... Pits
Eazy Black Eazy Black ... Wilkinson
Cachupoy Cachupoy ... Ramon
Eddie Mercado Eddie Mercado ... Reporter
See full cast »
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Storyline

Race car driver Walkaway Madden signs up for the big Manilla 1000 off-road race through the Philippines jungle. The photojournalist C.C. Wainwright comes along for the ride.

Plot Summary | Add Synopsis

Plot Keywords:

hixploitation | race | racecar driver | prize money | philippines | See All (9) »

Taglines:

You Gotta Be TOUGH To Win... And CRAZY To Try! See more »

Genres:

Adventure | Comedy

Certificate:

PG | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

Add content advisory for parents »
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Did You Know?

Soundtracks

Checkered Flag or Crash
Written by Norman Sachs and Mel Mandel
See more »

User Reviews

 
GREAT movie!!
4 May 2013 | by dd850 – See all my reviews

I collect old Joe Don Baker movies, and this one was hard to find. But it is definitely worth what I paid for it! "Walkaway" (Joe Don) cares about nothing but winning. Susan Sarandon is delightful--I didn't even know she had been an actress back then. And Larry Hagman is always good--even when he's evil! It was great to see Parnelli Jones in a movie.

In all the Joe Don Baker movies I've seen, the thing I really appreciate is that he never uses any profanity, and usually the other actors don't either. That is very refreshing these days!

The best things about this movie are: 1) All the old Bugs 2) the race cars are also Bugs, just cut down 3) other old cars 4) Larry says "motorcicles" which is how I say it many times and 5) Joe Don's attitude. The whole movie is hilarious, yet serious in that all these people are so determined to win. I really loved it when Bo (Larry H) was talking about his NASCAR career, and mentioned Junior Johnson.

There was one person in the race who was driving something that looked like a bus of some kind, with bells hanging from it, and every time this bus appeared, certain music would play. This added sort of a sub-plot to the movie.

There is NOTHING bad about this movie!! You won't be disappointed!

I think I paid about $20 for this movie, and it is WELL WORTH IT! Be sure and see it if you get the chance!
0 of 2 people found this review helpful.  Was this review helpful to you? | Report this
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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

18 January 1978 (USA) See more »

Also Known As:

High Gear See more »

Filming Locations:

Philippines

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Pictures, Weintraub-Heller Productions See more »
Show more on IMDbPro »

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1
See full technical specs »
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