Greased Lightning (1977)

The true life story of Wendell Scott, the first black stock car racing driver to win an upper tier NASCAR race.

Director:

Michael Schultz

Writers:

Kenneth Vose, Lawrence DuKore

Stars:

Richard Pryor, Beau Bridges, Pam Grier

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Richard Pryor	...	Wendell Scott
Beau Bridges	...	Hutch
Pam Grier	...	Mary
Cleavon Little	...	Peewee
Vincent Gardenia	...	Sheriff Cotton
Richie Havens	...	Woodrow
Julian Bond	...	Russell
Earl Hindman	...	Beau Welles
Minnie Gentry	...	Wendell's Mother
Lucy Saroyan	...	Hutch's Wife
Noble Willingham	...	Billy Joe Byrnes
Bruce Atkins	...	Deputy Turner
Steve Fifield	...	Deputy Drinkwater
Bill Cobbs	...	Mr. Jones
Georgia Allen	...	Mrs. Jones

Storyline

This is the true story of Wendell Scott, America's first African American NASCAR driver, once he returns from WWII to find his hometown the way he left it. With seed money for a taxicab business, he learns all the county roads. With his new knowledge an opportunity presents itself with some steep consequences. After an invitation to the local race track, a race car driver is born. The ethnic boundaries are a part of everyday life in 1950's Amercan life. You become part of his fight for equality, fairness and the American dream.

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Plot Keywords:

stock car racing | african american | automobile racing | automobile | racial | 

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Taglines:

He drove 'em wild!

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Genres:

Action | Biography | Comedy | Drama | Sport

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

July 1977 (USA)

Also Known As:

Blyskawicznie

Filming Locations:

Middle Georgia Speedway, Byron, Georgia, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Third World Cinema, Warner Bros.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Richard Pryor and Pam Grier met on the set of this movie. They fell in love, were involved for several years, and almost married. Richard's drug use almost ended their relationship. The day before they were to be married, Richard eloped with someone else, breaking Miss Grier's heart.

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Goofs

In many of the in-car shots during the races you can hear that they are manual transmissions being double clutched, but the drivers never take their hands of the wheel to shift.

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Quotes

[searching for car parts in a scrap yard]
Peewee: What'chyou looking for, Wendell?
Wendell Scott: Some of this, some of that, some of everything. A universal joint.
Peewee: Hmph. I wouldn't know a universal joint if it bit me.
Wendell Scott: Well, one's about to bite you.

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Connections

Featured in Intimate Portrait: Pam Grier (1999)

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Soundtracks

Maybe Tomorrow
Written by Fred Karlin & Bradford Craig
Performed by Roberta Flack

User Reviews

Enjoyable, engrossing film

Richard Pryor shows his versatility, in this story of a black moonshine runner who forces his way into the white-dominated professional racing circuit. I'm not sure how historically accurate it is, but the film drew me into the story, right off the bat. When they establish Pryor's character as a WWII veteran, that automatically buys some sympathy, and it's not hard to guess how hard it would have been for a black man to make his mark in the white-dominated south, let alone the white-ultra-dominated auto racing field. This particular aspect of racing, I think, still shows today in the incredibly-low percentage of black drivers in the major leagues of auto racing. I know it's not because African-Americans can't build or drive cars - I believe it's still because of the redneck image of pro stock-car racing.

Anyway, off my soapbox. This is a great movie. Pryor is very believable and turns in a fine performance as the protagonist. It's also great to see how the small local drivers started to build up the sport into the massive, ugly organization that is is, today. The film also kept my interest by showing the NASCAR races, year after year, showing their evolution and devolution.

I thoroughly enjoyed this film, front to back - of course, I'm kind of tilted towards car films. But the way the actors played out their characters in this film made them very human. I recommend this to any open-minded NASCAR fan. This'll show you where it came from.