Gumball Rally (1 Viewer)

[Patrick Senatro]

Do you think this great movie will ever be on DVD? Does anyone have any info?

 

[GlennH]

I caught part of it in Hi-Def on INHD a couple months ago. It looked pretty decent for its age. So I'm sure a pretty good looking DVD could be made.

I remember seeing this at the theater way back when. Not the greatest car road race movie ever, but pretty good.

 

[Brian Thibodeau]

Maaaan, were's my Gumbo Gun?

I'm very biased, admittedly, in favour of this being the greatest road race movie ever, so those would be fightin' words in my personal bubble.

 

[Shane Martin]

I love this movie. I have access to a laserdisc copy but I haven't seen it in a while. Who has the rights to this movie?

 

[Brian L]

I always thought this was, way, wayyyy better than any of the Cannon Ball Run movies, although strictly speaking, I think I read that GR was a rip off of CBR.

At least if one belives Brock Yates' numerous writings on the subject.

BGL

 

[Jordan_E]

Gumball Rally - 1976
Cannonball Run - 1981

 

[Rob Willey]

Far and away the best cross-country road race flick. Among my "most wanted" and I believe it belongs to Warner.

Rob

 

[Gary->dee]

Forget Star Wars old or new: Gumball Rally(and for that matter Corvette Summer) are my 2 most wanted DVD titles ever! I still pop in my old recorded-from-late-night-TV copy of Gumball every once in a while to watch it. My uncle has it on laser disc, I should pressure him into getting that sucker burned onto DVD.

Ok here's a related story pertaining to the real thing: As some of you might know the Gumball Rally, or Gumball 3000 as it's known, is a real race that still takes place. A few months ago me and my buddy were chilling at Barney's Beanery over here in L.A. We look out of the window and a fresh little BMW with a big blue light on the roof rushed up to a stop light. It had a big INTERPOL sticker on the side of it. Me and my friend were like ok that's weird, doesn't that belong in Europe?? Suddenly this huge honkin' Rolls Royce mothership pulls up behind it. A brand new gray number, not an old joint like in the original movie. The Rolls had a smaller sticker on the back upper portion of the car. We couldn't make out what it said. The 2 cars drive off and my friend were like this

what the hell had we just seen? We had no clue.

Fast forward a week or two later, me and the same friend are driving around, I think we were near Santa Monica. An older Ferrari pulls up next to us at a stop light with 2 guys driving it. My friend notices that the car has the SAME sticker as the Rolls Royce had and it was this:


My friend talked to the guys and confirmed that they, as well as the BMW and Rolls Royce, were part of the race.

I just thought it was cool actually seeing the real thing since I like and want the movie so much.

 

[Brian L]

Right. I think Yates' point was that it was his idea, but the GR guys got it to celluloid first.

No matter. GR rulz! CR sucks!

BGL

 

[John Goodwin]

Hopefully it will be released ,it has been mentioned in the various WB 2 disc special edition/new release threads on this forum recently.

This film is better IMO than Cannonball Run,you get a feeling of the journey,rather than a few stunts and jokes,with cut scenes of cars going fast.

 

[streeter]

Yes, but Cannonball - 1976. I think this was the first coast-to-coast race movie. IIRC, Blue Underground is working on a DVD.

 

[Brian Thibodeau]

Wasn't CANNONBALL really just Roger Corman's usual attempt to cash in with a quickie just before a major studio release of a film he knew he could rip off and then claim he thought of first? Did it actually screen before GUMBALL?

He was still pulling this transparent (hell, translucent!) stunt around the time of CARNOSAUR, claiming that JURASSIC PARK was similar to his film, but he was so flattered.

 

[Brian L]

I don't think CR screened before GR.

The 1st "real" Cannonball Run Race took place in 1971, and was originated by Brock Yates (so says info I found Googling on Brock Yates, who has a Writer's Credit for CR).

A good while back, he wrote a column in Car and Driver bemoaning the Gumball 3000 people as a bunch of Eurotrash that were ripping off his race (now reincarnated as the One Lap of America).

In that article, he made disparaging comments about The Gumball Rally.

BGL

 

[Mike Heenan]

Here's an interesting tidbit on Cannonball Run. Steve McQueen was originally slated to be the star, and it was going to be an action movie of sorts. Then he got sick and died unfortunately so Reynolds came on board, and it became the movie it is now because of him.

 

[Brian Thibodeau]

Does CR refer to CANNONBALL RUN with Burt Reynolds or CANNONBALL with David Carradine? The latter was released in '76, same year as GUMBALL, which is why I've always suspected it was a Corman cash-in, not only on the more high-profile movie but also the then-known Cannonball Trophy Dash.

Just wonderin'

 

[Gary->dee]

I don't have a problem with Cannonball Run. I just see Gumball as being the original 70's classic I grew up with and CR as the 80's succesor. There's a certain appeal to that Burt Reynolds mafia of Beverly Hills/Palm Beach Florida actors that he hangs with. In the end it's all one big Dinah Shore show but I still like it for what it is and that's not Gumball Rally. They're distinct in my book.

Wow I just realized I saw Michael Sarazin and GB3k roll through by being at the same place;

 

[Nelson Au]

Yesterday, a buddy loaned me a DVD called Mischief 3000 from Teckademics which is an amatuer film of sorts made by the actual participants of the Gumball Rally 3000. This was produced in 2002 and I remember seeing some clips on the web at some BMW sites back then, I couldn't believe what I was seeing. So now I see it as a DVD. It was kinda fun watching these people who were rather juvenile and did some really crazy things at speeds in excess of 150 mph in some exotic cars. Ferrari F50's, BMW's, Porsches, etc. It was also kind of off putting to see as much as it was kinda fun. Interesting to see a slice of the car culture life of the rich.

Anyway, as I watched this, I was thinking that I really hope that the 1976 Gumball Rally will see release soon on DVD! Seeing the Cobra 427 dual with the Ferrari Daytona in the LA aquaduct was some pretty great driving sequences. Like Bullitt, it was for real and not sped up film. And a classic Raul Julia performance. Thumbs up for an entertaining film! And...Gumball.

Nelson

 

[Shawn DuHast]

I too love this film and have an English Warner P&S VHS of it, which is better than nothing!
but still frustrating I'm only seeing 49% of it
Roll on a DVD with all those V8's in 5.1.........
and anamorphic 2.35 of course

 

[Shawn DuHast]

I too love this film and have an English Warner P&S VHS of it, which is better than nothing!
but still frustrating I'm only seeing 49% of it
Roll on a DVD with all those V8's in 5.1.........
and anamorphic 2.35 of course

 

[johnbr]

I also love this great movie.:b