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 film 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:

batman character | van helsing character | batman | van helsing | three word title | 

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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

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

Company Credits

Production Co:

Golden Harvest Company,Eurasia Investments

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Burt Reynolds became the highest paid actor in cinema history up to that point, for this movie, making five million dollars for four weeks work.

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Goofs

When the Rolls arrives at the hotel, Sheik strides to the rear of the car and a boom mic is visible in the windshield following the actor, the shadow of the mic then appears on the ground at the right-front tire.

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Quotes

Seymour Goldfarb Jr: Maybe next year, we'll do this again.

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Crazy Credits

An animated car drives around the 20th Century Fox logo, hiding out in the zero. It is chased by a police car, which crashes into one of the searchlights. The sequence ends with Burt Reynold's trademark laugh.

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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 Requiem for a Dream (2000)

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Soundtracks

The Cannonball Run
Written by Chuck Mangione (as C. Mangione)
Performed by Chuck Mangione

User Reviews

Good Car Movie

I like car movies, so I am somewhat prejudiced, but this was a good movie. It was original, it had funny moments, it had those seemingly standard car jumps and wrecks for a car movie. I will admit that it has flaws, like the story does not explain why the Cannonball Run was started, or how it jumps between characters is a bit confusing, but I can live with that. It has a Lambourghini, a Ferrari, a couple of Trans Ams, an Aston Martin, a Rolls, and many other cars, so I enjoyed it. It is a pretty good movie. I liked seeing the various cars competing and even though the movie is a bit predictable, and sometimes the actors' lines seem cheesy, it is an enjoyable movie for a gearhead, a racing fan, or just someone who likes cars.