Cannonball! (1976)

User Rating:

5.2/10   

Director:

Paul Bartel

Writers:

Paul Bartel (writer)
Don Simpson (writer)

Release Date:

6 July 1976 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Comedy | Crime | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

The annual Trans-American outlaw road race - A cross country demolition derby without rules!

Plot:

Ex-con-turned-race car driver Coy "Cannonball" Buckman signs up for the annual Trans-American Grand Prix...

Plot Keywords:

Road | New York City | Mafia | Hitchhiker | Sniper

Cast

David Carradine	...	Coy 'Cannonball' Buckman
Bill McKinney	...	Cade Redman
Veronica Hamel	...	Linda Maxwell
Gerrit Graham	...	Perman Waters
Robert Carradine	...	Jim Crandell
Belinda Balaski	...	Maryann
Judy Canova	...	Sharma Capri
Archie Hahn	...	Zippo Friedman
Carl Gottlieb	...	Terry McMillan
Mary Woronov	...	Sandy Harris, Girl in the Van #1
Diane Lee Hart	...	Wendy, Girl in the Van #2
Glynn Rubin	...	Ginny, Girl in the Van #3
James Keach	...	Wolf Messer
Dick Miller	...	Bennie Buckman
Stanley Bennett Clay	...	Beutell (as Stanley Clay)

Also Known As:

Carquake (UK)

Runtime:

Hong Kong:93 min | USA:93 min | Portugal:90 min (TV version)

Country:

USA | Hong Kong

Language:

English | German

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:12 | Iceland:16 | West Germany:12 (TV version) | West Germany:18 (cinema release) | USA:R (original rating) | Australia:R | Finland:K-16 | Norway:16 | Sweden:15 | USA:PG | UK:12 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:PG (Ontario)

Filming Locations:

Harbor Freeway, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Cross Country

Trivia:

Both this film and "The Cannonball Run" (1981) were novelized by the same author, Michael Avallone.

Goofs:

Continuity: In the sequence where the girls in the van give the black guy in the Lincoln a spray of the fire extinguisher, the road they are on changes from a two-lane road to a four-lane highway between shots.

Quotes:

[Sharma walks out of the house and sees Perman sitting on the ground strumming his guitar]
Sharma Capri: You're gonna get your suit messed up sitting on the curb like that.
Perman Waters: Well, it don't make no difference. I ain't doin' no TV spot tonight.
Sharma Capri: When this is all over, boy. You're gonna be turning down offers right and left. You gonna be a star.
Perman Waters: [unenthusiastically] Uh-huh, Hillbilly Hem like the rest of them dead-old boys.
Sharma Capri: I busted my hump setting this ride up with Cade Redman and the least you can do is act a little grateful.
[a black Dodge charger screeches next to their house]
Perman Waters: Holy Mother Of Pearl. You mean we're goin' all the way to New york in this cude-ass Cadillac?
[Sharma gets in first]
Perman Waters: Hi, Mr. Redman.
[...]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Unleashing the Beast: Making 'The Howling' (2003) (V)

One of the best car movies

Of all the movies about cross country road races (Cannonball 1 and 2, Gumball Rally, et all) I always thought this was easily the best, even though you tend to hear about it the least. David Carradine is great as the star driver, trying to reclaim some past glory and get another shot at a racing career. And Dick Miller as his corrupt brother? Magnificent! Other New World Pictures stars abound!

Lots of great cars, and car action as well, especially the final chase between Carradine and the film's villain, driving a wicked Dodge Charger. Sure there's some bad acting and some bad direction, but as far as being a 70's car/B-flick, it ranks high. One interesting note - the very last image shown in New World's "Death Race 2000" was of an incompleted elevated highway road section, just like the kind Carradine jumps his car across during the big chase. You gotta buy an old used video if you wanna see this one, which would be great on a widescreen DVD. I actually saw this in the theater and would love to see in widescreen again!