Episode 21.5: Cannonball Run

As a 40 year old American who grew up with this movie, finding out that it made one of the bonus episodes was enough, all by itself, to sell me on the patreon even if there hadn't been all these other wonderful episodes. The Expendables wishes it could have had the star power that this movie had when it was released.

Thomas Halpin

One point of the film is that everyone in it was famous in 1980, and they’d just be recognized as themselves. Jimmy the Greek was an actual bookie who’d famously give odds for sports events on tv, until he got himself cancelled after a really racist “why blacks are better at sports” tangent.

Sublight Monster

Someone tried doing the cannonball run in 2020 and set a physically unbeatable record due to the unique once in a century road conditions - incredible use of a pandemic

Chaos Merlin

We, however, are, but only because we're subscribed to Several of the Trash Future Cinematic Universe podcast patreons.

Of Winter

The plural jokes were pretty funny, but no we're not paying multiple subscriptions

sortai

You guys didn't mention that it's basically "Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines" with every reference to "airplane" scratched out and "fast cars and pretty girls" written over it in crayon.

David Purves

Due to the way you guys name the bonus episodes (#.5), my phone has been interpreting the info after the decimal as the file format (this episode would try to open as '.5 cannonball run' file which is a bit silly.) I have been renaming the files to change the file format, but it took me a while to realize the problem. I would recommend using an underscore rather than a period in the file name.

Was waiting for someone to make a Wacky Racists joke

Noblesse Oblahaj

I recently had the pleasure of rewatching the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode wherein there is a Bond Type storyline. If you're looking for future utterly unwatchable shit, that one is right up there.

Anna

Would you consider doing "North by Northwest" as well? Some say the Bond franchise stole most of it's tricks from this Hitchcock film.

Nick Gully

10 year old me is feeling nothing but shame for enjoying this movie..

cpw

God yes, Spice World!!!

Karis Ritenour

There’s a German Cannonball Run on skis featuring Roger Moore. ‘Fire, Ice & Dynamite’ (1990). It’s director shot the ski scenes for the Lazenby & Moore movies. Plus it’s the second movie in a series so it passes your test as well.

Simon Ostick

There's no connection with JB films, but in the genre of weird 1970s post-energy crisis cinema, the crew might want to check out "Americathon" (1979). Cameo by Elvis Costello as the Earl of Manchester.

FortressPlotter

I have no choice but to propose the censure and castigation of the hosts for watching the first film in a series. You frauds.

LACE ARRGAR what is Darius Jonna in the comments

Joke is the US Army. Apparently stopped doing the "gag" for nice reasons and I feel like believing that https://outsider.com/news/entertainment/mash-why-did-jamie-farr-stop-recurring-gag-wearing-womens-clothes-later-years/

Cate Kneale

Oops. I commented too soon.

I would never suggest covering Cannonball Run II, but you might be delightfully surprised to see who Jackie Chan partners up with in a very small Mitsubishi.

Mike Crotch is correct in that Rat Race was a 2001 release, however it was still an extremely 90s movie. It was a terrible movie, worse than Cannonball Run.

RIP Officer DeeDee Megadoodoo

*pushes up glasses* ACTUALLY Rat Race was a soft remake of It's A Mad Mad Mad Mad World. And also it was 2001 not 90's Also there's an entire bus of secret trans women as a plot point Also even as a kid I realised it sucked

Mike Crotch - Harvey

One of these days they'll crack ans they'll do Master of Disguise and go insane

There was a Cannonball Run remake. It was a 90sv movie called Rat Race

RIP Officer DeeDee Megadoodoo

Steel Ball Run Babeyyyyy

Kill James Bond!

Feel free to brandish the spray bottle, but I had a look at some stills from this goodawful-sounding movie and Jackie Chan is looking like an absolute snack 👀

A_Aphelion

Roger Moore might’ve been Torie trash in real life, but you can’t deny he had a very good sense of humor about his public image. He also played another parody of himself in this really homophobic comedy from 2003 called “Boat Trip” where he played Gay James Bond who super horny for Horatio Sanz. He was the only good/surprisingly non-homophobic part of that awful movie.

Manuel Kiguel

51:23 its called tombstone technology i believe

Alfred Lang

Absolutely. This character needs to come back for the Craig-Bonds. And especially for the between Bond Daniel Craig movies given his penchant for, shall we say, highly suspect attempts at an American accent…😂

Kerfliggle

Did want to note that Jimmy the Greek is, in fact, Greek-American. Born in Ohio but his parents were from Greece and his birth name (later Anglicized) is Dimetrios Georgios Synodinos. So…representation achieved(🤷🏻‍♂️?)

Kerfliggle

Thinking a lot less of the guys who made this movie after hearing that they paralyzed a stuntwoman and then wrote a book about how much fun they had without bringing it up. Also apparently she was a last minute replacement, and she was called because she was the stunt coordinator's fiance??? And he abandoned her after the accident??? Getting too mad to laugh at the movie now.

OvO Hoot

I came here to mention Jamie Farr but someone beat me to it, so I’ll just say going through MO to get from NY to LA is a perfectly cromulent way to go and to agree wholeheartedly that Abi’s valley girl is an excellent bit.

Segmentation fault (core dumped)

abi’s valley girl is dangerously hot

Pat Lee Nichols

Heartbroken, as a biker movie idiot, to hear Peter Fonda's Easy Rider character (peace-and-love sad boy who happens to ride a motorcycle) mistaken for his Wild Angels character (leader of a Hells Angels-like MC) which by all accounts is what the CbR biker scene is parodying

Dana Bernardine

"Our episodes don't regularly run over three hours." ...You say that like that's not something we all want!!!

default_playername

You have done massive psychic damage to me and driven me feral. Jojo part 7 is based entirely on the concept of the cannonball run and the fact its based on this incredibly horrible movie is like, actually wounding to learn about. But what has actually driven me nuts is ALL OF THE WEIRD DETAILS THAT IT SHARES WITH THE MOVIE. THE KIDNAPPED GIRL, MASCULINE WOMEN, GAY UNDER OVER TONES THAT HAS THE NOT GAY SCENE AND PROBABLY OTHER STUFF I DONT KNOW ABOUT BECAUSE I HAVENT SEEN THIS AND THE OTHER 2 MOVIES. EXCEPT all the bad shit feels like its being commentated on and its an actually good story with good build up and pacing and characters and stuff. IDK how much manga you guys read but you should check it out if you want this concept but good.

Skoloton

I'd like to imagine that the owner of the pickup truck I pass on my way to work that has a "never forget" World Trade Center tailgate wrap has just done this to ass-kiss his way out of speeding tickets from the NYPD

Stiltpuppy

The guy playing the Sheik is Jamie Farr, who is Lebanese-American. Yes, he's wearing brownface, and yes that is his real nose. He also was a massive star in that era (though clearly blessedly forgotten today), as a cast member of M*A*S*H, where he was a guy who was trying to get out of the Army by dressing in drag. The "joke" -such as it was- was that they were too short-staffed to discharge him, so he was just constantly in drag though the entire run of the show.

Robert Young

Bimbo Stat Wars Abby is a strong bit.

If you're looking for trash that stars Roger Moore, have you considered doing a bonus episode on Spice World? There is randomly a little bit of spy shit in that movie which would be on brand. Either way love the podcast 💜

Ladyknightthebrave

I vaguely remember this movie! I remember it having a really odd mix of stock characters, all driving cars and sabotaging each other. I hear the record for the real Cannonball Run was completely demolished once the 'rona hit, since the roads were so empty. Feels like there's some Mystique™ and Romanticism™ to that race.

Y'all should do an episode of Hogan's heroes for a bonus episode. I've been rewatching them and they have a serious James bond vibe in the later ones. Also thanks for all the content keeps me sane at work.

Riley