'The Big Wheel' (Mickey Rooney film)

Slight heads up for those with BBC access - it's on in the middle of the night on Friday (well, Saturday).

priez voir ici

Never heard of it, so looked it up on imdb.

These are the user comments there.

And here is the wikipedia entry for George Lynch, that's mentioned in the user comments.

There was a good chunk of it in an Indy 500 yearbook one year, circa 1987. Apparently it was not very realistic. Drivers yelling to each other mid-races, superchargers being removed from cars as they were about to start qualifying runs...by team-owners to give someone else a chance...

Lets hear it for back-projection action and exaggerated steering wheel movements

Having watched Drivel on UK Channel 5 last night, my opinion of The Big Wheel has increased immeasurably.

It's the 1984 Hungness yearbook that has a very interesting and mildly amusing article by Donald Davidson about the film, including such snippets as Bill Holland suing the producers because he thought the guy that played him in the film was too ugly!

The thing I remember from the last time it was on is the opening credits showing a bit of qualifying at Indy with the Rounds Rocket on track.

Paul M

I'm very fond of The Big Wheel...but this one:

Na cuibhlichean a' tionndadh
An rathad deas agus tuath
Na cuibhlichean a gluasad mar tha' saoghal iad a tionndadh mun cuairt
Na cuibhlichean a tionndadh, gach duthaich muir agus tir

Tro ghleanntan tro' bhailtean a dh'ionnsaigh an aite agaibh fhein'
An cuibhle mor nach stad gu brath
Tionndadh oganaich gu aois
A' nochd tha'n rathad mor n'ar coinneamh
Gu am ann acg an drasda
'S ioma la chaidh seachad
A ghaoth a sedeadth tro an uir
'S ioma la bha 'ghrian ag eirigh oirnn
Seasamh anns an eorna nuair a bha sin og
Aghmhor. Aghmhor. Aruith tro na raointean 's iad a'fas
Abaich. Orach. Coimhead ri na speuran
'S ioma la 'S ioma la. Feitheamh 'son a chuairt
Glaschu. Dun Eideann. Inbhirnis. Sruighlea. Steornabhagh
Obar Dheadhain. An Gearasdan. Dun Deagh. Lunnainn. A'Ghearmailt
Eirinn. Ameiriga. An cuibhle mor cuibhle mor

You shouldn't try and speak while eating haggis

Originally posted by David Beard
I'm very fond of The Big Wheel...but this one:

Na cuibhlichean a' tionndadh
An rathad deas agus tuath
Na cuibhlichean a gluasad mar tha' saoghal iad a tionndadh mun cuairt
Na cuibhlichean a tionndadh, gach duthaich muir agus tir

Tro ghleanntan tro' bhailtean a dh'ionnsaigh an aite agaibh fhein'
An cuibhle mor nach stad gu brath
Tionndadh oganaich gu aois
A' nochd tha'n rathad mor n'ar coinneamh
Gu am ann acg an drasda
'S ioma la chaidh seachad
A ghaoth a sedeadth tro an uir
'S ioma la bha 'ghrian ag eirigh oirnn
Seasamh anns an eorna nuair a bha sin og
Aghmhor. Aghmhor. Aruith tro na raointean 's iad a'fas
Abaich. Orach. Coimhead ri na speuran
'S ioma la 'S ioma la. Feitheamh 'son a chuairt
Glaschu. Dun Eideann. Inbhirnis. Sruighlea. Steornabhagh
Obar Dheadhain. An Gearasdan. Dun Deagh. Lunnainn. A'Ghearmailt
Eirinn. Ameiriga. An cuibhle mor cuibhle mor

Easy for you to say.

I picked it up on DVD with the original "The Fast and the Furious" on the same disc for $2.00AUD.

Originally posted by David Beard
I'm very fond of The Big Wheel...but this one:

Na cuibhlichean a' tionndadh
An rathad deas agus tuath
Na cuibhlichean a gluasad mar tha' saoghal iad a tionndadh mun cuairt
Na cuibhlichean a tionndadh, gach duthaich muir agus tir

Tro ghleanntan tro' bhailtean a dh'ionnsaigh an aite agaibh fhein'
An cuibhle mor nach stad gu brath
Tionndadh oganaich gu aois
A' nochd tha'n rathad mor n'ar coinneamh
Gu am ann acg an drasda
'S ioma la chaidh seachad
A ghaoth a sedeadth tro an uir
'S ioma la bha 'ghrian ag eirigh oirnn
Seasamh anns an eorna nuair a bha sin og
Aghmhor. Aghmhor. Aruith tro na raointean 's iad a'fas
Abaich. Orach. Coimhead ri na speuran
'S ioma la 'S ioma la. Feitheamh 'son a chuairt
Glaschu. Dun Eideann. Inbhirnis. Sruighlea. Steornabhagh
Obar Dheadhain. An Gearasdan. Dun Deagh. Lunnainn. A'Ghearmailt
Eirinn. Ameiriga. An cuibhle mor cuibhle mor

All together now...

Pity about those two spelling mistakes ;)

Originally posted by David McKinney
Pity about those two spelling mistakes ;)

I was hoping someone would translate, actually. It's the title track from the Scottish band Runrig's album "The Big Wheel" which has been in my car's CD player for while. You can't drive slowly while it's playing.

Anyway, apologies. Back to the film....

The wheels keep turning
The road stretches north and south
The wheels keep moving
Like the globe they keep turning around

The wheels keep turning
Through each country land and sea
Through the glens and the cities towards the place that you call your own
This is the big wheel that never stands still
Turning our youth to old age

Tonight the road reaches out before us and the present time is the only time we have
Many are the days that have gone
The wind blowing through the dust of the earth
Many are the days that the sun rose on us
Standing in the barley when we were young

Joyful. Joyful

Running through the fields as they grew
Ripe. Golden

Looking towards the open skies waiting for the journey
Glasgow Edinburgh Inverness Stirling
Stornoway Aberdeen
Fort-William Dundee London
Germany Ireland America
The big wheel The big wheel



(without any comment about the punctuation.........)





Paul M

Originally posted by Macca
The wheels keep turning
The road stretches north and south
The wheels keep moving
Like the globe they keep turning around

.................

Paul M

Thanks Macca!

Originally posted by E.B.
Having watched Drivel on UK Channel 5 last night, my opinion of The Big Wheel has increased immeasurably.

It's the 1984 Hungness yearbook that has a very interesting and mildly amusing article by Donald Davidson about the film, including such snippets as Bill Holland suing the producers because he thought the guy that played him in the film was too ugly!

As a spotty youth I well remember the "Big Wheel". At a time when a budding motor sport enthusiast was starved for any motor sport at the movies.

I too picked up a video of the "Big Wheel" and now find it, storyline excluded, to be a magic record of US racing in the late '40's.
The scenes in the workshop full of midgets [V8 '60's ?] and the bigger track cars were truly historical. The "Spike Jones" midget for one.

Mickey working his way up the racing scene culminating in his Indianopolis 500 win, the 1949 event, then handing over the Borg-Warner trophy to Bill Holland, the reason escapes me.
Holland was the actual winner in 1949 driving the Blue Crown Spark Plugs Offy.

EB,
I found the comment by Donald Davidson re Bill Holland "suing the producers because he thought the guy that played him in the film was too ugly "! Priceless

Originally posted by Wilyman
Mickey working his way up the racing scene culminating in his Indianopolis 500 win, the 1949 event, then handing over the Borg-Warner trophy to Bill Holland, the reason escapes me.
Holland was the actual winner in 1949 driving the Blue Crown Spark Plugs Offy.

SPOILER ALERT - that's not the actual ending.

Why are we waiting ?

If it's the 1949 Indy race result my reference is the '71 "Automobile Almanac" compiled by David Ash.

Unless of course, if you mean Mickey gets his girl or his mother might marry the garage owner?
That would be the actual ending.;)

The end to the film is different. Holland wins but gives the trophy to Coy.

ensign14,
Suitably put in my place.
Wilyman.

Originally posted by ensign14
The end to the film is different. Holland wins but gives the trophy to Coy.

Which sounds far fetched until you remember he did exactly the same to Mauri Rose in 1947

I recently got this DVD as a birthday present and watched it last night for the first time. Is it On the Waterfront or No Country for Old Men? Certainly not! But for anybody who's interested in the history of open-wheel racing in the US, it is priceless. The film, accurately I think, captures the harrowing flavor of racing at that time, correctly portrays the rough-and-ready characters who raced, owned and promoted, and also captures the tormenting anxiety racing wives and mothers most certainly felt. And olde tyme racing buffs will surely thrill at footage from Carrell Speedway, and mention of the High Hills (Dayton, Salem and Winchester). The film also features very good performances from Rooney, Thomas Mitchell and Spring Byington.

All in all, I highly recommend The Big Wheel as a valuable historical artifact, if not as Best Picture material.

I recently got this DVD as a birthday present and watched it last night for the first time.

Doesn't seem to be available in the UK (yet). Is it a recent release in the US?

All in all, I highly recommend The Big Wheel as a valuable historical artifact, if not as Best Picture material.

Couldn't agree more, I love that film.

Is it accurate? Well, sort of. Believable? I guess, mostly. Nostalgic as it gets? Yes! Enough to make many of us realize we were born too late? Absolutely.

Doesn't seem to be available in the UK (yet). Is it a recent release in the US?

Actually, it's a 2000 release, and it looks like it plays in all regions so you should be able to view it on a European DVD player if you can lay your hands on the disc.

Actually, it's a 2000 release, and it looks like it plays in all regions so you should be able to view it on a European DVD player if you can lay your hands on the disc.

Hokey dialogue for sure.

Seemingly 50 ( ) cars crash in the Indy 500 finale

Mickey Rooney is over the top at times

But for A FUN 90 minute look into American oval racing in the late 1940's at the path to the Indy 500 you can't do much better now.
And it doesnt shy away from the danger in the sport then either.

Speedway with Elvis (1966 Nascar) and The Big Wheel would make a great double bill if you want to spend a nostalgic afternoon with US racing just to see the old machines in action .




Paul

Edited by Lemnpiper, 02 July 2012 - 05:28.

... Seemingly 50 ( ) cars crash in the Indy 500 finale...

What's possibly 'unrealistic' about that?

I'm with ya, Speedway is a fun watch as well. Can't beat the Hound Dog, even in a racing movie.

If you want ridiculous as part of that movie bill, make it a triple header with Redline 7000 on the ticket. If that were real, NASCAR would've run out of cars by Race 3 Qualies.

Doesn't seem to be available in the UK (yet). Is it a recent release in the US?

I always enjoyed the film and its Indy' footage and thought old Mickey did quite well as Billy Coy. I bought it from U.K Amazon last year for a few quid. The DVD also includes 'The Fast And The Furious' and 'The Wild Ride' starring John Ireland and Jack Nicholson repectively.

The car Mickey Rooney "drove" in the film is part of the Himes Museum here on Long Island. It was looking a little worse for wear when I saw it a few months ago but at least it's still intact.

The whole movie is on Youtube, although the video quality isn't the best: