The Cannonball Run is a 1981 action comedy film about an illegal cross-country road race from New York City to Los Angeles. The film features an all-star cast, including Burt Reynolds, Dom DeLuise, Roger Moore, Farrah Fawcett, Jackie Chan, and Dean Martin.
The film follows a group of eccentric racers as they compete in the Cannonball Run. The racers include a speed-loving racing driver disguised as an ambulance driver and his dimwitted sidekick, a pair of Ferrari-driving priests, and a James Bond-type character kitted out with secret weapons.
The film is full of over-the-top car chases, stunts, and comedy. It is a lighthearted and entertaining film that is perfect for fans of action, comedy, and car movies.
The Cannonball Run grossed over $160 million at the box office. It spawned a sequel, Cannonball Run II, in 1984.
The film has been praised for its star-studded cast, its over-the-top action and comedy, and its iconic music soundtrack. However, it has also been criticized for its lack of plot and its reliance on stereotypes.
Overall, The Cannonball Run is a fun and entertaining film that is sure to please fans of action, comedy, and car movies.
Cast
- Burt Reynolds and Dom DeLuise as racer J.J. McClure and his buddy, Victor Prinzim who occasionally "becomes" his alter ego "Captain Chaos", to the annoyance of J.J.
- Roger Moore as Seymour Goldfarb, Jr., a self-parody of his role as James Bond. His car, an Aston Martin DB5, displays the UK registration plate 6633 PP (matching the number plates on a DB5 from two Bond films). Molly Picon portrays his mother. Several women ride with Seymour, including model Lois Hamilton, billed as Lois Areno.
- Farrah Fawcett as tree-loving photographer Pamela Glover. J.J. calls her "Beauty".
- Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr. as race car driver Jamie Blake and scam artist Morris Fenderbaum, disguised as Catholic priests. Jimmy "The Greek" Snyder plays himself as Fenderbaum bets on his success (Snyder was Dean Martin's neighbor when both were growing up in Steubenville, Ohio). Blake's car, a Ferrari 308 GTS 1979, is the same as the model in the TV series TV Magnum, P.I.
- George Furth as Arthur J. Foyt, the insipid, uptight main antagonist of the film, who tries to have the race stopped.
- Jackie Chan and Michael Hui as drivers of a Subaru GL filled with gadgets. In the opening part of the film, Chan and Hui are introduced on a talk show (hosted by Johnny Yune) as the operators of Japan's entry into the race. Both Chan and Hui are actually Chinese.
- Jamie Farr as Sheik Abdul ben Falafel, a wealthy Arabian potentate determined to win the race, even if he has to buy it. Bianca Jagger makes a brief appearance as his sister. Farr's car is a Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow. The Sheik is the only character to appear in all three Cannonball Run films.
- Mel Tillis and Terry Bradshaw are Mel and Terry, a couple of "good ol' boys" driving a 1976 Chevrolet Chevelle Laguna NASCAR Hawaiian Tropic replica, then, at the start of the race they have a Monte Carlo.
- Adrienne Barbeau and Tara Buckman as Marcie Thatcher and Jill Rivers, satin-Spandex-clad "hotties" in a black Lamborghini Countach. The same Lamborghini was used in the film's opening credits as it was being pursued by a Nevada Highway Patrol car. Their character names are not mentioned during the story but appear in the end credits. Their names return in the sequel, though the parts were re-cast.
- Valerie Perrine has a cameo as a state trooper.
- Peter Fonda has a cameo role referencing his character in The Wild Angels. The appearance of Fonda and his motorcycle gang during a halt in the race offered an excuse for Chan to demonstrate his martial arts skills during the fight sequence. Fonda's big, bald biker buddy is played by Robert Tessier.
- Bert Convy as wealthy but bored executive Bradford Compton, who planned to run the Cannonball by motorcycle with the help of an old friend, Shakey Finch (Warren Berlinger), once the world's greatest cross-country motorcyclist. The two planned to disguise themselves as newlyweds. Compton's now portly ally forced them into a wheelie for the entire race.
- Jack Elam as Doctor Nikolas Van Helsing, same name as the famous vampire hunter. This Van Helsing is a proctologist and graduate of the University of Rangoon, and the Knoxville, Tennessee College of Faith Healing.[7]
- Rick Aviles and Alfie Wise as Mad Dog and Batman, tow truck drivers who jump the train flatcar.
- John Fiedler as the desk clerk.
- Joe Kłecko as the Polish driver in the van who gets pulled over by Mr. Foyt (Kłecko was a player in the National Football League).
- Car and Driver Magazine columnist and correspondent Brock Yates, who having created the real-life Cannonball Run, wrote the film directly for the screen, plays the race organizer of who lays down the rules at the starting line.
- Director Hal Needham appears uncredited as the ambulance EMT.
- Veteran Daytona 500 commentator Ken Squier, along with NFL on CBS producer Robert D. Stenner, who produced the CBS Daytona 500 broadcasts from 1979 to 1993 (except in 1992), appear as California Highway Patrolmen.
Director: Hal Needham
Writer: Brock Yates
Box Office Gross: $72,179,579
Distributor: Twentieth Century Fox
Date Released: June 19, 1981
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