Cannonball

Cannonball. Classic Roger Corman/Paul Bartel low budget gem. Never heard of it. David Carradine is the street racer to beat in a hot red 70 Trans Am. LA to NYC wide open, no rules with a crew of misfits, weirdos and wicked cars. Veronica Hamel is badass, gorgeous and doesn't really get to use the chops she shows a few years later on Hill Street Blues. Perennial Paul Bartel company player Mary Woronov is hella weird here, in the best way. She was diabolical Principal Togar in Rock and Roll High School. Paul Bartel wrote this with a young Don Simpson- Simpson would go on to define the schlocky 80s with Jerry Bruckheimer and Tom Cruise. Watching this I now know where QT got the character of the driver in Death Proof, right down to the black Dodge Charger. This is not a great film, but it's pretty good. The Trans Am is dope. Tons of old school car stunts, the kinda stuff kept showing up in every TV show into the 80s; think CHIPS, Magnum PI, Emergency. Weird scene with Paul Bartel as a bookie with mob flunkies who happen to be Martin Scorsese and Sly Stallone; did I just write that?

For my money my favorite of this genre of Brock Yates' Cannonball Baker Sea to Shining Sea Memorial Trophy Dash stuff is 1976's The Gumball Rally. When there's a Ferrari 365GTB/4 Sypder flying so fast it's floating through Manhattan it's absolutely gorgeous. I'm gonna have to search that out and watch it again. Recommend. I'm not sure where it's streaming, I'm writing this from notes

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