The Cannonball Run (1981)

A wide variety of eccentric competitors participate in a wild and illegal cross-country road race. However, the eccentric entrants will do anything to win the road race, including low-down, dirty tricks.

Director:

Hal Needham

Writer:

Brock Yates

Stars:

Burt Reynolds, Roger Moore, Farrah Fawcett

1 win & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Burt Reynolds	...	J. J. McClure
Roger Moore	...	Seymour
Farrah Fawcett	...	Pamela
Dom DeLuise	...	Victor Prinzim
Dean Martin	...	Jamie Blake
Sammy Davis Jr.	...	Fenderbaum
Jack Elam	...	Doctor Nikolas Van Helsing
Adrienne Barbeau	...	Marcie
Terry Bradshaw	...	Terry
Jackie Chan	...	Subaru Driver #1
Bert Convy	...	Brad
Jamie Farr	...	Sheik
Peter Fonda	...	Chief Biker
George Furth	...	A. F. Foyt
Michael Hui	...	Subaru Driver #2

Storyline

This comedy movie brings Burt Reynolds, Sir Roger Moore, Farrah Fawcett, Dom DeLuise, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis, Jr. and an all-star cast to the starting line of the ultimate auto race, a madcap cross-country scramble that roars full-speed ahead. This action-comedy was inspired by an actual event: the Cannonball Baker Sea-To-Shining-Sea Memorial Trophy Dash, an anything goes, all-stops-out, and very much illegal, competition that has grown to legendary proportions within the last ten years.

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Plot Keywords:

racer | competition | on the road | road trip | car racing | 

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Taglines:

You'll root for them all...but you'll never guess who wins.

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Genres:

Action | Comedy | Sport

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Certificate:

PG

Did You Know?

Trivia

Ron Rice, owner of Hawaiian Tropic, loaned his black Lamborghini to his buddies Burt Reynolds and Hal Needham. The same Lamborghini can be briefly seen in the background at the party of Big and Little Enos Burdette near the end of Smokey and the Bandit Part 3 (1983).

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Goofs

During the "Big Roadblock" scene when the van explodes after hitting the patrol car, you can see the wire connecting the detonator to the explosives in the van. It flies across the far bridge piling.

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Quotes

J.J. McClure: I'm sure that doctor's a very sweet man, basically.
Victor Prinsi: Oh, thank you.
J.J. McClure: But don't you ever tell me where you found him. Ever.

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Crazy Credits

Outtakes are shown during the credits.

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Alternate Versions

A 1981 laserdisc version from CBS/Fox replaces strong language with "tamer versions" of the words (darn for damn, heck for hell, etc.), although all later laserdisc reissues have the unedited film as does the 1997 HBO VHS.

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Connections

Referenced in Castle: Sucker Punch (2010)

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Soundtracks

You've Gotta Have a Dream
Written by Phyllis Molinary (as P. Molinary), Al Capps (as A. Capps) and Snuff Garrett (as S. Garrett)
Performed by The California Children's Chorus

User Reviews

Fatal flaw

The movie was amusing despite its script but there was one major screwup. At the beginning of the race all of the competitors punched in their start time and took off one at a time. At the end Captain Chaos and Adrienne Barbeau have a footrace to the finish to punch in their times. The only problem is that Adrienne punched in at the beginning of the race at least 2 minutes before Dom Delouise and Burt Reynolds did. Chaos still had at least 2 minutes to punch in at the end and still win the race.... Also while the crowd is joking around at the finish line 3 cars pull up and screech to a halt; Jackie Chan's car, a taxi and Roger Moore's car. But Moore was standing in the crowd joking around. Who drove up in his car?

Details

Country:

USA Hong Kong

Language:

English Cantonese Japanese Arabic

Release Date:

19 June 1981 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Cannonball Trophy

Filming Locations:

St. Louis, Missouri, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$18,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$11,765,654, 21 June 1981

Gross USA:

$72,179,579

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$72,179,579

Company Credits

Production Co:

Golden Harvest Company, Eurasia Investments, Twentieth Century Fox

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1