Kansas City Bomber (1972)

Director:

Jerrold Freedman

Writers:

Calvin Clements Sr. (writer)
Thomas Rickman (writer)
(more)

Release Date:

2 August 1972 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

The Hottest Thing On Wheels

Plot:

Roller-derby skater K. C. Carr tries to balance her desire for a happy personal life and her dreams of stardom. |

Plot Keywords:

Roller Derby | Tour | Skating | Beautiful Woman | Single Mother

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe.

Cast

Raquel Welch	...	K.C. Carr
Kevin McCarthy	...	Burt Henry
Helena Kallianiotes	...	Jackie Burdette
Norman Alden	...	Horrible Hank Hopkins
Jeanne Cooper	...	Trainer Vivien
Richard Lane	...	TV Spokesman Jen
Jodie Foster	...	Rita
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Martine Bartlett	...	Mrs. Carr
Patti 'Moo Moo' Cavin	...	Big Bertha Bogliani
William Gray Espy	...	Randy
Stephen Manley	...	Walt
Russ Marin	...	Dick Wicks
Jimmy Nickerson	...	Fan
Shelly Novack	...	Fan
Mary Kay Pass	...	Lovey
Georgia Schmidt	...	Old Dame
Cornelia Sharpe	...	Tammy O'Brien
Judy Arnold	...	Girl in dressing room (uncredited)
Joan Darling	...	(uncredited)
Jon Morgan Woodward	...	Concessionaire (uncredited)

Directed by
Jerrold Freedman

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Calvin Clements Sr.		writer
Thomas Rickman		writer
Barry Sandler		story

Produced by
Martin Elfand	....	producer
Arthur Gardner	....	executive producer
Jules V. Levy	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Don Ellis

Cinematography by
Fred J. Koenekamp

Film Editing by
David Berlatsky

Art Direction by
Joseph R. Jennings

Costume Design by
Ron Talsky		(as Ronald Talsky)

Makeup Department
Richard Cobos	....	makeup artist
Bruce Hutchinson	....	makeup artist

Sound Department
Donald F. Johnson	....	sound mixer

Stunts
Judy Arnold	....	stunt double: Raquel Welch
Donna Garrett	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Doug Byers	....	electrician (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Shelly Levine	....	costumer

Transportation Department
Paul Casella Jr.	....	transportation captain

Other crew
Lynn A. Aber	....	script supervisor
Stanley Brossette	....	unit publicist

Production Companies

• Artists Entertainment Complex
• Levy-Gardner-Laven
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
• Raquel Welch

Distributors

• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1972) (USA) (theatrical)
• MGM-EMI (1972) (UK) (theatrical)
• Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) (1974) (USA) (TV) (original airing)
• Warner Home Video (2005) (USA) (DVD) (widescreen)
• Network Enterprises (????) (USA) (VHS)

Runtime:

99 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

UK:15 (video rating) (1986) | UK:AA (original rating) | West Germany:18 | USA:PG

Filming Locations:

Fresno, California, USA

Company:

Artists Entertainment Complex

Trivia:

Writer Barry Sandler got Raquel Welch interested in this project by showing up on her doorstep and leaving a script with her personal assistant. He was attending UCLA film school at the time.

Quotes:

K.C. Carr: I just want a little piece of the action so I don't have to apologize every time I turn around, that's all.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The World of Austin Powers (2002) (V)

Roller Derby Black and Blues.

Much like pro-wrestling, roller derby was pure entertainment. Fake. A put on, really. But nothing about Raquel Welch was fraudulent. At the time this movie was made, she was thirty-two and prime choice. Her role (roller derby siren) is athletic, sexy, dramatic, physical, and smashes, forever, the starlet mold she had been frozen in for years. Never again would she achieve such a perfect mix in the acting arena. She has a great introduction: we see only her lower body (legs and skates) moving through darkness, as Don Ellis' rousing score penetrates the blackness. She has an entrance even an emperor would give thumbs up to. I like how she turns (briefly) the wrong way during the National Anthem. Your other left, Raquel. Cute. Jodie Forster plays her hero-worshiping daughter with a heavy dose of arsenic. Kevin McCarthy is the devious, unethical owner of the roller derby club. Raquel's fellow skaters, especially Hellena Kallianiotas and Norman Alden, give excellent support. I believe that Miss Kallianiotes inhabits one of the most depressing characters ever seen in a sports film. She is a loner. And she drinks bourbon from a brown paper bag--all the while alienating fans, teammates, and ownership. The film's cameraman performs magic with his gorgeous on location shooting in Portland. Also, there are some very unusual and lengthy tracking shots at a marina and through a hotel. Fantastic. Watch for the freeze-frame shot at the conclusion of the movie. It foreshadows James Caan's iconic pose in the upcoming Rollerball. Both films visualize an out of control society: where rules and fair play don't exist. I like how McCarthy's character barges into the ladies locker room, helps himself to a drink, and makes himself at home with his half-dressed female skaters. Later, he lets slip a business confession: "Everyone is bought and sold--including you and me." Telling.