Vintage Whitman

Vintage Whitman

A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World

Picture this. There is only a few of us contestants for a cross country race and the wealth to the winner is grand. The odds do look good. Would you go for the gamble? I think so, I most certainly would go for it. This idea is the basis for a great comedy action race movie, movies such as Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World and Cannonball Run. 

The incentive for the prizes on these movies is that people love to gamble on everything. Look at the royal prenuptial occurring right now. As soon as Prince William and Kate announced their engagement, Las Vegas started betting on who will make the dress? Where will the wedding procession occur? What gender will the first born be?

Gambling is not a new concept. In fact I could picture in 2540BC, Pharaoh Khufu looking over miles of desert then looks over at his High Priest standing beside him and says, "I bet you 15 pounds in gold, a pyramid will be there in 20 years." Apparently Khufu lost, by a few years.

So these movies are gambling stories with a lot of humor and action thrown in. Lets start with the grand daddy of this comedy action movie genre. The first great race movie is 'It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World'.

It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World - 1963

A robber speeding through the hills of California has a car accident but before he dies he tells four motorists, who stopped to help, where he hid three hundred and sixty thousand dollars. He tells them the money is under the big 'W' in Santa Rosa State Park, two hundred miles away. The subtle greed and knowledge of where the loot is located made this race movie into a crazy chase through the desert and streets of California. As they neared the state park more and more people got involved. Little did they know that they were all being tracked by a police officer.

Starring: Spencer Tracy, Jonathan Winters, Mickey Rooney, Sid Caesar, Buddy Hackett, Milton Burle, Phil Silvers, Jimmy Durante, Ethel Merman, Terry-Thomas, Peter Falk, Jim Backus.

Cameo appearances: Don Knotts, Jack Benny, Jerry Lewis, Norman Fell, Buster Keaton, Three Stooges and many, many more stars from that era.

In the Mad, Mad, Mad World movie the treasure hunters traveled on early 1960s cars, airplane, taxi, bicycle and a tow truck. Look for a remake in 2012.

Those Magnificent Men In Their Flying Machines - 1965

Set in 1910, Lord Rawnsley offers ten thousand pounds to the first pilot to reach Paris From London, which was completed in twenty five hours and eleven minutes. Remember, the Wright Brothers just got their airplane off the ground in 1903, so the zany contraptions in this race that actually flew were quite ridiculous. Directed by, Ken Annakin.

Starring: James Fox, Sarah Miles, Stuart Whitman, Alberto Sordi, Robert Morley with Red Skelton and Benny Hill.

Cannonball Run - 1981

This cross country outlaw road race movie is actually based on a true annual event called 'Cannonball Baker Sea To Shining Sea Memorial Trophy Dash' from the 1970s. In this high paced, humorous, action packed movie the eccentric entrants will do anything against each other to win the race. Cars and their passengers are....

Ambulance - Burt Reynolds, Dom DeLuise and Jack Elan (as a crazy doctor) joined later by Farrah Fawcett.

Chevrolet Stock Car - Mel Tillis and Terry Bradshaw.

High-tech computerized Subaru - Jackie Chan and Michael Hui.

Red Ferrari - Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr.

Lamborghini Countach - Adrienne Barbeau and Tara Buckman.

Aston Martin DB5 - Roger Moore, who thinks that he is James Bond thanks to his car gadgets and his Mom.

Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow - Jamie Farr as an oil rich Sheik.

Cannonball Run is definitely a fine crafted race movie.

Rat Race - 2001

 A group of wealthy billionaires in Las Vegas love betting on unique contests. A new scheme developed by the head of this uncompassionate club, Donald P. Sinclair, is to put six separate gold coins into six different slot machines. The six winners of these coins get a chance at owning two million dollars which is in a secret locker in Silver City. No rules, just who gets to the locker first, wins. Hilarious antics follow these six odd groups of contestants in this race movie that starts from Las Vegas, Nevada and ends in Silver City, New Mexico.

The greedy contestant groups are....

Mother and daughter - Whoopi Goldberg, Lanei Chapman.

Future lawyer and beautiful helicopter pilot - Breckin Meyer, Amy Smart.

Two rambunctious brothers - Seth Green, Vince Vieluf.

Hated NFL referee - Cuba Gooding Jr.

Narcoleptic Italian man and ambulance driver - Rowan Atkinson, Wayne Knight.

Jewish man and family - Jon Lovitz, Kathy Najimy.

Billionaire and casino club owner, Donald P. Sinclair and aide - John Cleese, Dave Thomas.

The contestants trek takes them on a journey that involves a train, chartered bus, hot air balloon, helicopter, monster truck, ambulance, rocket car and Hitler's vintage car being chased by angry Nazis. The story ends with a Smash Mouth charity concert and a twist. This movie is a modern version of Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World, where Cannonball Run is more of a race movie.

Smokey And The Bandit - 1977

This is not a movie where the competitive edge is vying against others, it's a race against time. Two Southern tycoons, Big Enos and his son Little Enos give a challenge to two professional semi-truck drivers, Bandit and Cledus. The challenge is for these two drivers to pick up a trailer load of bootleg beer from Texarkana, Texas and return back the four hundred cases to Georgia in twenty eight hours (1330 miles). The prize is eighty-thousand dollars a huge amount in those days. Bandit decides to use a fast Pontiac Trans-am as a police decoy for Cledus's semi to plow through the traffic without any delays. Along the way Bandit picks up a disgruntled bride-to-be. Plenty of laughs in this high- speed pursuit movie. I have driven semi-trucks and a truckers life has a different atmosphere compared to highway driving on a civilian vehicle. The CB radio contributed to this different life style.

Bandit - Burt Reynolds.

Cledus - Jerry Reed.

Bride-To-Be - Sally Field.

Sheriff Buford T. Justice - Jackie Gleason.

Big and Little Enos - Pat McCormick and Paul Williams.

All my favorite action comedy race movies right here. It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World, huge laugh at the end; Those Magnificent Men In Their Flying Machines, wacky contraptions that actually fly; Cannonball Run, Baja racing gone wild; Rat Race, six stories blended into one movie; Smokey And The Bandit, always a great 'police chase' favorite. Please enjoy them all.

Cinema Serge

 

 

 

 

About the Author

I am a freelance writer on subjects of interest, mostly in the cinematic world. Colorful views and comments by delving deep into all film genres and movie productions of old and new.

Slim Whitman - Old Spinning Wheel