The Gumball Rally (1976)

User Rating:

6.0/10   

Director:

Charles Bail

Writers:

Charles Bail (story) and
Leon Capetanos (story) ...

Release Date:

28 July 1976 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Tagline:

It's a hilarious coast-to-coast, 180 mile-an-hour, go-for-broke, outrageous road race with the world's most expensive cars. And it's all just for glory and a gumball machine.

Plot:

A disparate group of drivers take part in a secret and illegal cross country road race.

Plot Keywords:

Road | Chase | Illegal Grand Prix Race | Los Angeles Storm Drain | Car

Cast

Michael Sarrazin	...	Michael Bannon - Cobra Team
Norman Burton	...	Lieutenant Roscoe (as Normann Burton)
Gary Busey	...	Gibson - Camaro Team
John Durren	...	Ace Preston / Mr. Guts - Camaro Team
Susan Flannery	...	Alice - Porsche Team
Harvey Jason	...	Lapchick the Mad Hungarian - Kawasaki
Steven Keats	...	Kandinsky - Dodge Team
Tim McIntire	...	Steve 'Smitty' Smith - Ferrari Team
Joanne Nail	...	Jane - Porsche Team
J. Pat O'Malley	...	Barney Donahue - Mercedes Team
Tricia O'Neil	...	Angie - Rolls Royce
Lázaro Pérez	...	Jose - Rolls Royce
Nicholas Pryor	...	Prof. Samuel Graves - Cobra Team
Vaughn Taylor	...	Andy McAllister - Mercedes Team
Wally Taylor	...	Avila - Dodge Team

Runtime:

105 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:L | Australia:M | Finland:K-12 | UK:PG | USA:PG

Filming Locations:

380 South San Rafael Avenue, Pasadena, California, USA

Company:

First Artists

Trivia:

The Cobras used in the filming (main car and a backup) were serial numbers CSX3255 and CSX3243

Goofs:

Continuity: As the "fake police car" leaves the starting point in NYC, it gets hit by the a undercover police car on the rear left side of the bumper and trunk, but in the next shot the "fake police car" shows no signs of damage.

Quotes:

Andy McAllister - Mercedes Team: Sedately Barney, as befits our years and station in life.
[Barney squeals tires as they leave the parking lot]

Movie Connections:

References Tommy (1975)

The True Purpose of the Movie

I remember articles about the movie when it was still being shot. It was supposed to be a light hearted romp across the country with the cars being the stars. With that in mind, it succeeds greatly. My son and I have watched the "Garage Scene" over and over again. This movie is to car nuts what a porno is to sex nuts. It's hard to believe you can indulge yourself this much in front of the family without feeling guilty. :^)

Also, I've read a few of the comments and would like to make corrections here. The transmission in the Cobra (yes it was a real 427 Cobra) was a four speed "Toploader" transmission, not a 5 speed Tremec. There were no replica Cobras in those days. Also, the Ferrari was a 365 GTS/4. I also remember reading that the first Ferrari rented for the movie was totaled and they had to get another to take its place. However, that was over 30 years ago.