The great race has some nice cameos, not much of a surprise anymore because they are listed in all the credits available, but this drive-in movie is fun still for the type of film it is. It's the only film you'll ever see thar mmt features 40's and 50's cornball star Judy Canova and the star of the same year's "Rocky", Sylvester Stallone, obviously playing a mobster in his single scene. Along with "The Gumball Ralley" released the same year, an action packed adventure of an illegal cross country race where anything goes. Coincidence that there were two similar films? Check out 1977's "Black Sunday" and "Two Minute Warning" for similar coincidences.
The focus is on rival drivers David Carradine and Bill McKinney in two different vehicles, knocking each other off the road several times and causing other accidents along the way. A foreign contestant isn't so lucky with his car exploding violently when he hits 100 mph. Victoria Hamel has the role of Carradine's girlfriend who's also his parole officer, thus trying to keep him out of jail. For the most part, the location footage is pretty boring but it's action packed and frequently humorous.
I wonder if Canova ever got to the bathroom, at one point told to use a funnel because McKinney, the driver of her cat, refused to stop. Paul Bartel who wrote and directed also gets to sing in this, and didn't have a bad voice. His pal Mary Woronov pops up in a bit. Enjoyed it for what it is, your standard 70's drive-in movie where the customers probably didn't see much of the film, just looking up every time there was an explosion.
The focus is on rival drivers David Carradine and Bill McKinney in two different vehicles, knocking each other off the road several times and causing other accidents along the way. A foreign contestant isn't so lucky with his car exploding violently when he hits 100 mph. Victoria Hamel has the role of Carradine's girlfriend who's also his parole officer, thus trying to keep him out of jail. For the most part, the location footage is pretty boring but it's action packed and frequently humorous.
I wonder if Canova ever got to the bathroom, at one point told to use a funnel because McKinney, the driver of her cat, refused to stop. Paul Bartel who wrote and directed also gets to sing in this, and didn't have a bad voice. His pal Mary Woronov pops up in a bit. Enjoyed it for what it is, your standard 70's drive-in movie where the customers probably didn't see much of the film, just looking up every time there was an explosion.