The Gumball Rally
Encyclopedia
The Gumball Rally is a 1976 film directed and co-written by Chuck Bail about a coast-to-coast road race. It was inspired by the Cannonball Baker Sea-To-Shining-Sea Memorial Trophy Dash
Cannonball Baker Sea-To-Shining-Sea Memorial Trophy Dash
The Cannonball Baker Sea-To-Shining-Sea Memorial Trophy Dash, widely known simply as the Cannonball Baker or Cannonball Run, was an unofficial, if not outlaw, automobile race run four times in the 1970s from New York City and Darien, CT, on the US Atlantic coast, to Redondo Beach, a Los Angeles...

 run by Brock Yates
Brock Yates
Brock Yates is an American journalist and author. He was longtime executive editor of Car and Driver, an American automotive magazine. He was a pit reporter for CBS' coverage of certain NASCAR Sprint Cup series races in the 1980s, including the Daytona 500...

 which inspired several other films, including Cannonball
Cannonball (film)
Cannonball, also known as Carquake, is a 1976 film starring David Carradine. The film is one of two released in 1976 that were based on a real illegal cross-continent road race that took place for a number of years in the United States...

and Cannonball Run
The Cannonball Run (film)
The Cannonball Run is a 1981 comedy film starring Burt Reynolds, Roger Moore, Dom DeLuise and Farrah Fawcett, and was directed by Hal Needham. It was produced by Hong Kong's Golden Harvest films. There was a sequel, 1984's Cannonball Run II.-Plot:...

.

Plot

Michael Bannon (Michael Sarrazin
Michael Sarrazin
Michael Sarrazin was a Canadian film and television actor who found fame opposite Jane Fonda in the drama film They Shoot Horses, Don't They? .- Early life :...

), a wealthy but bored businessman, issues the code word "Gumball" to his fellow automobile enthusiasts, who gather in a garage in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

 to embark on a coast-to-coast race "with no catalytic converter and no 55-mile-per-hour speed limit." Their nemesis, LAPD Lieutenant Roscoe (Norman Burton), also learns of the race and most of the film is devoted to the adventures of the various driving teams and Roscoe's ineffectual attempts to apprehend them. A number of running gags ensue - the Jaguar that will not start; the silent Lapchick's (Harvey Jason
Harvey Jason
Harvey Albert Jason is an English actor and the co-owner of Mystery Pier Books, an independent book store that sells first editions.Jason was born in London, the son of Marie Goldblatt and actor Alec Jason...

) numerous mishaps; Italian race driver Franco Bertolli's (Raúl Juliá
Raúl Juliá
Raúl Rafael Juliá y Arcelay was a Puerto Rican actor.Born in San Juan, he gained interest in acting while still in school. Upon completing his studies, Juliá decided to pursue a career in acting. After performing in the local scene for some time, he was convinced by entertainment personality Orson...

) frequent detours to seduce beautiful women - as well as some splendid stunts and driving sequences. The race ends at the Queen Mary
RMS Queen Mary
RMS Queen Mary is a retired ocean liner that sailed primarily in the North Atlantic Ocean from 1936 to 1967 for the Cunard Line...

 in Long Beach
Long Beach, California
Long Beach is a city situated in Los Angeles County in Southern California, on the Pacific coast of the United States. The city is the 36th-largest city in the nation and the seventh-largest in California. As of 2010, its population was 462,257...

, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

 where the finishers celebrate their adventures and the defeated Roscoe sulks off to one side - until a fleet of police cars and tow trucks arrive to impound the illegally-parked vehicles. Bannon congratulates Roscoe on his final victory and again utters the command "Gumball" to initiate a race back to New York.

Cast (Vehicle)

  • Michael Sarrazin
    Michael Sarrazin
    Michael Sarrazin was a Canadian film and television actor who found fame opposite Jane Fonda in the drama film They Shoot Horses, Don't They? .- Early life :...

     as Michael Bannon (AC Cobra
    AC Cobra
    The AC Cobra, also known colloquially as the Shelby Cobra in North America, is an Anglo-American sports car that was produced during the 1960s.-History and development:...

    )
  • Nicholas Pryor
    Nicholas Pryor
    Nicholas Pryor is an American film and television actor.Pryor was born Nicholas David Probst in Baltimore, Maryland, the son of Dorothy and J. Stanley Probst, a pharmaceutical manufacturer....

     as Professor Samuel Graves (AC Cobra)
  • Tim McIntire
    Tim McIntire
    Tim McIntire was an American character actor, probably most famous for his portrayal of disc jockey Alan Freed in the film American Hot Wax...

     as Steve Smith (Ferrari Daytona
    Ferrari Daytona
    The Ferrari 365 GTB/4, better known by the unofficial name Ferrari Daytona, is a Gran Turismo automobile produced from 1968 to 1973. It was first introduced to the public at the Paris Auto Salon in 1968 and replaced the 275 GTB/4...

    )
  • Raúl Juliá
    Raúl Juliá
    Raúl Rafael Juliá y Arcelay was a Puerto Rican actor.Born in San Juan, he gained interest in acting while still in school. Upon completing his studies, Juliá decided to pursue a career in acting. After performing in the local scene for some time, he was convinced by entertainment personality Orson...

     as Franco Bertollini (Ferrari Daytona)
  • Norman Burton as Lieutenant Roscoe
  • John Durren as Ace "Mr. Guts" Preston (Camaro Z-28
    Chevrolet Camaro
    The Chevrolet Camaro is an automobile manufactured by General Motors under the Chevrolet brand, classified as a pony car and some versions also as a muscle car. It went on sale on September 29, 1966, for the 1967 model year and was designed as a competing model to the Ford Mustang...

    )
  • Gary Busey
    Gary Busey
    William Gary Busey , best known as Gary Busey, is an American film and stage actor and artist. He has appeared in a large variety of films, as well as making regular appearances on Gunsmoke, Walker, Texas Ranger, Law & Order, and Entourage...

     as Gibson (Chevrolet Camaro Z-28)
  • Joanne Nail as Jane (Porsche 911
    Porsche 911
    The Porsche 911 is a luxury 2-door sports coupe made by Porsche AG of Stuttgart, Germany. It has a distinctive design, rear-engined and with independent rear suspension, an evolution of the swing axle on the Porsche 356. The engine was also air-cooled until the introduction of the Type 996 in 1998...

    )
  • Susan Flannery
    Susan Flannery
    Susan Flannery is an American soap opera actress. She is known for her role Stephanie Forrester on The Bold and the Beautiful and for her role as Dr. Laura Spencer Horton on Days of our Lives ....

     as Alice (Porsche 911)
  • J. Pat O'Malley
    J. Pat O'Malley
    James Patrick O'Malley was an English singer and character actor, who appeared in many American films and television programs during the 1940s–1970s, using the stage name J. Pat O'Malley...

     as Barney Donahue (Mercedes-Benz 300SL
    Mercedes-Benz 300SL
    The Mercedes-Benz 300SL was introduced in 1954 as a two-seat, closed sports car with distinctive gull-wing doors. Later it was offered as an open roadster...

    )
  • Vaugn Taylor as Andy McAllister (Mercedes-Benz 300SL)
  • Lazaro Perez as Jose (Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow
    Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow
    The Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow is a luxury car that was produced in Great Britain in various forms from 1965 to 1980. It was the first Rolls-Royce to use a monocoque chassis, a response to concerns that the company was falling behind in automotive innovation....

    )
  • Tricia O'Neil
    Tricia O'Neil
    Tricia O'Neil is an American actress.Born in Shreveport, Louisiana, O'Neil began her career as a model and cover girl before turning to acting. She first appeared in television commercials, then was cast many popular television series. She played Dr...

     as Angie (Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow)
  • Harvey Jason
    Harvey Jason
    Harvey Albert Jason is an English actor and the co-owner of Mystery Pier Books, an independent book store that sells first editions.Jason was born in London, the son of Marie Goldblatt and actor Alec Jason...

     as Lapchick The Mad Hungarian (Kawasaki
    Kawasaki triple
    The Kawasaki Triples were a range of 250 cc to 750 cc motorcycles Kawasaki exported from 1969 to 1980. The engines were air-cooled, three cylinder, two-stroke with two exhaust pipes exiting on the right side of the bike, and one on the left....

    )
  • Steven Keats
    Steven Keats
    Steven Keats was an American actor who appeared in such films as Silent Rage, Death Wish, Black Sunday, The Friends of Eddie Coyle, and the TV-movie version of the Norman Mailer book The Executioner's Song starring Tommy Lee Jones.-Biography:The son of Jewish emigrants from Denmark, Keats was a...

     as Kandinsky (Dodge Polara
    Dodge Polara
    The Dodge Polara was an automobile introduced in the United States for the 1960 model year as Dodge's top-of-the-line full-size car; after the introduction of the Dodge Custom 880 in 1962, the Polara nameplate designated a step below the full sized best trimmed Dodge model; the Polara that year had...

     police car)
  • Wally Taylor as Avila (Dodge Polara police car)
  • Eddy Donno as Mel (Chevy Van
    Chevrolet Van
    The Chevrolet and GMC G-Series vans were made by General Motors for North America. They are in the same vehicle class as the Ford Econoline van and the Dodge Ram Van.The term "Chevrolet van" also refers to the entire series of vans sold by Chevrolet...

    )
  • Dick Karie as Joe (Chevrolet Van)
  • Alfred Shelly as Harry (Chevrolet Van)
  • Whitey Hugehs (Chevrolet Corvette
    Chevrolet Corvette
    The Chevrolet Corvette is a sports car by the Chevrolet division of General Motors that has been produced in six generations. The first model, a convertible, was designed by Harley Earl and introduced at the GM Motorama in 1953 as a concept show car. Myron Scott is credited for naming the car after...

    )
  • Larry Silvestri (Chevrolet Corvette)
  • Wes Dawn (Jaguar
    Jaguar E-type
    The Jaguar E-Type or XK-E is a British automobile, manufactured by Jaguar between 1961 and 1975. Its combination of good looks, high performance, and competitive pricing established the marque as an icon of 1960s motoring...

    )
  • John Morton
    John Morton (actor)
    John Morton is an American movie actor and stuntman from Annapolis, Maryland. John appeared in the 1980 hit sequel film Superman II as an astronaut named Nate, also that year he appeared in Flash Gordon...

     (Jaguar E-Type)
  • Stephen Blood as "Rabbit" (Hot Rod
    T-bucket
    A T-bucket is a specific style of hot rod car, based on a Ford Model T, but extensively modified, or alternatively built with replica components to resemble a Model T....

    )
  • Linda Vaughn as Emergency Plan Alpha

Production

Most of the filming took place in Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...

. Opening scenes of the race were filmed in downtown New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

 early on a Sunday morning on closed roads (including Broadway
Broadway (New York City)
Broadway is a prominent avenue in New York City, United States, which runs through the full length of the borough of Manhattan and continues northward through the Bronx borough before terminating in Westchester County, New York. It is the oldest north–south main thoroughfare in the city, dating to...

 and Park Avenue
Park Avenue (Manhattan)
Park Avenue is a wide boulevard that carries north and southbound traffic in New York City borough of Manhattan. Through most of its length, it runs parallel to Madison Avenue to the west and Lexington Avenue to the east....

.) The final duel between the Cobra and Ferrari was filmed at (and in) the Los Angeles River
Los Angeles River
The Los Angeles River is a river that starts in the San Fernando Valley, in the Simi Hills and Santa Susana Mountains, and flows through Los Angeles County, California, from Canoga Park in the western end of the San Fernando Valley, nearly southeast to its mouth in Long Beach...

and the closing scene was shot at the Queen Mary in Long Beach.
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