Drivers as film makers?

During my research for a book on the Campbell family, Sir Malcolm and Donald, I found out various facts, that not useful to the book, were nice quirks. One was that on the odd times Sir Malcolm did actually put pen to paper instead of getting John Wentworth-Day to write for him, he turned out a novel, "Salute to the Gods", based around motor racing. Later he worked with an American script writer (the name Milton rings a bell) and the result was "Burn 'Em Up O'Connor" (1939) which I have yet to see, and don't know if it made it across from the States to the UK. One bit part actor went on to play "The Lone Ranger", but it wasn't a huge success. Mrs Una, Goldie Gardner told me that her husband (whose name she took after his death) Maj Goldie Gardner, spent a lot of time in America, and became friends with many actors, including Clark Gable, and he also took part in the film Gable did based around motor racing, the one whose title escapes me at present!. Recently I saw Eddie Irvine in a dreadful cameo role, but Campbell's input seems by far the largest, unless someone knows better????

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0031127/

According to my film encyclopedia, the screenwriters for "Burn 'em up O'Conner" were Milton Berlin and Byron Morgan, based on the book by Sir Malcolm Campbell.

"Weird race car movie that features Harry Carey as a slightly manic car builder who is out to break speed records even if most of his drivers get killed."

Originally posted by f1steveuk
but Campbell's input seems by far the largest, unless someone knows better????

Manoel de Oliviera and Barney Oldfield, to name but two. Both are listed in Halliwell's Who's Who of Movies as is Wallace Reid, who had a fair bit of input in the films he starred in just before his early death.


Although this is touching on the old recycled (and recycled a fair bit too) movies & motor racing, you would also have to mention Mr S. McQueen & Mr P Newman as having some weight in the movie industry.