The Cannonball Run

Plot

A cross-country road race is based on an actual event, the Cannonball Baker Sea to Shining Sea Memorial Trophy Dash, organized by Brock Yates to protest the 55 mph speed limit then in effect in the U.S. The Cannonball was named for Erwin G. "Cannonball" Baker, who in the roaring 20's rode his motorcycle across the country. Many of the characters are based on ruses developed by real Cannonball racers over the several years that the event was run.

About The Cannonball Run

The Cannonball Run is a 1981 action comedy film directed by Hal Needham, produced by Hong Kong firm Golden Harvest, and distributed by 20th Century-Fox. Filmed in Panavision, it features an all-star ensemble cast, including Burt Reynolds, Dom DeLuise, Roger Moore, Farrah Fawcett, Jackie Chan, Sammy Davis Jr. and Dean Martin. The film is based on the 1979 running of the Cannonball Baker Sea-to-Shining-Sea Memorial Trophy Dash, an actual cross-country outlaw road race beginning in Darien, Connecticut and ending in California. It was the sixth-highest-grossing domestic film of 1981 and became the first installment of the Cannonball Run trilogy. It was followed by Cannonball Run II (1983) (which was far less successful at the box office and with critics) and Speed Zone (1989). This film and its sequel are the final film appearances of actor Dean Martin. It also features Jackie Chan in his second Hollywood role. Cannonball (1976) and The Gumball Rally (1976) are two other motion pictures based on the actual Cannonball Run outlaw road race.

From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Images