now in the movie the commentator on tv is talking about the first heat


does anybody have any info about the year/race/track and driver involved ?
can't live without knowing that...
cheers marty
Posted 17 January 2009 - 09:24
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Posted 17 January 2009 - 10:28
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Originally posted by Martin Roessler
just watching smash palace (nz 1981) and not far into the movie there is the start of a race (formula pacific i suppose ,as somebody mentionned before ) with a horrific crash....
now in the movie the commentator on tv is talking about the first heatot the f1 race in long beach (neither does the track look anything like long beach to me , nor do the cars look like f1 cars
)
does anybody have any info about the year/race/track and driver involved ?
can't live without knowing that...
cheers marty
Posted 17 January 2009 - 10:40
Posted 17 January 2009 - 11:20
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Originally posted by 275 GTB-4
You winding us up Martin?? Longbeach California most likely![]()
Posted 17 January 2009 - 22:37
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'Checkpoint' was shown on one of the two (I think) through-the-night programmes on Channel 4 some years ago called 'Petrolheads', featuring discussion and film footage and hosted by Alain de Cadenet, with Doug Nye, Nigel Roebuck, Stirling Moss, Richard Williams and others (who else on here remembers the programmes (apart from Doug, of course!)?). They showed fabulous footage of the 1955 Dunrod TT; Doug also told his chilling story about the Star of David discovered scribed on the body of an Auto Union carburettor.Originally posted by FredF1
There's also 'Checkpoint' with Stanley Baker - 1957. A lot of shennanigans about stolen auto blueprints and skullduggery - some nice sportscar footage of a 'Mille Miglia' type of race though. Don't know what makes of cars were used though.
Posted 17 January 2009 - 23:05
Posted 17 January 2009 - 23:37
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Suspended in time!Originally posted by Barry Boor
Actually, they are still there....![]()
Posted 18 January 2009 - 02:06
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Originally posted by Graham Clayton
Another late 60's NASCAR-based film featuring Annette Funicello without Frankie Avalon:
http://www.youtube.c...feature=related
Posted 18 January 2009 - 02:30
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Originally posted by markpde
Just before the end of the film, the villain, Stanley Baker, is in the passenger seat of one of the Astons, holding a gun to Anthony Steel's head - they wrestle... the Aston goes flying over the edge of a cliff... I was off to bed by this time, I was recording it on a long-play video tape and I swear on my mother's life the tape ran out with them hanging in mid-air - never did find out what happened!![]()
Posted 18 January 2009 - 13:36
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Thanks.Originally posted by sandy
What happens is that Baker and the car fall on top of the villainous James Robertson Justice who, inexplicably, happens to have just gone ashore from his boat at the exact place where the car falls. The rest of the film consists of a rapid tying up of loose ends. I am intrigued however by the necklace or neck band that Anthony Steel (or is it Steele?) wears. I cannot recall anyone in that era wearing such a thing. Were they in common usage at the time? There are some terrific shots of the 1956 Mille Miglia incorporated into the film.
Posted 18 January 2009 - 15:54
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Originally posted by Glengavel
Ah-ha! Armed with that information, a quick trip to IMDB reveals that the title was..."Driving Ambition"! Which still doesn't ring any bells. It must have been truly forgettable.
Posted 18 January 2009 - 18:07
Posted 19 January 2009 - 20:00
Posted 19 January 2009 - 22:39
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Originally posted by doc knutsen
Many moons ago, when I ran my ex-Enderby Maguire Stilletto, I seem to remember a TV series centered around Wendy Wools Special saloons being screened in the UK. Does anybody know anything about this TV series?
It must have been mentioned in Autosport. Did it feature any worthwhile racing footage? IIrc it was centered around a feller who ran a Vauxhall Firenza special saloon, but his name escapes me. Anyone?
Posted 19 January 2009 - 22:40
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Originally posted by Simpson RX1
Don't think it was "Driving Ambition", that was a series about a downtrodden housewife who takes up circuit racing to prove that she's not just about doing the washing up.
Her mentor was played by Gavin Richards, who later went on to play the Italian Captain in "Allo Allo" and spent a few years in "Eastenders"; his character (Ken Lark) was a backstreet garage owner who'd built a racing car and it featured prominantly in the series, I believe it was a Modsaloon Mini built by Mini guru Richard Longman. It was actually quite a good series and I believe I have some, if not all of it on tape somewhere.
I do have vague memories of the programme you mentioned, but I'm 99% certain it wasn't "Driving Ambition".
Posted 19 January 2009 - 22:51
Posted 19 January 2009 - 23:59
Posted 20 January 2009 - 00:21
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I believe it was called "The Winning Streak" (presumably about a nude rally driverOriginally posted by Simpson RX1
So, now we've cleared that up, what was the name of that show about the rally driver?????
Posted 20 January 2009 - 00:40
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Originally posted by markpde
I believe it was called "The Winning Streak" (presumably about a nude rally driver), but I don't remember it, so that's all I know.
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Posted 20 January 2009 - 01:17
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Know the feeling!Originally posted by Simpson RX1
Cheers Mark, if, for nothing else, proving that I'm not going totally mad!![]()
Posted 20 January 2009 - 07:47
Posted 20 January 2009 - 12:44
Posted 20 January 2009 - 15:30
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Originally posted by Glengavel
Now, does anyone remember a film called "Le Grand Chequered Helmet", with Eve-Marie Saint and Steve McQueen winning the Mille Miglia in a BRM?
Posted 20 January 2009 - 15:56
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That's quite a dream, André. It would perhaps just take some enterprising motor racing scribe to spread his wings and write a novel, strictly and authentically based on the facts, even though it was pure fiction, then for the novel to be presented as the basis for a TV series. It would be a leap of faith for it to happen, but excellent if it came about - everything has to start somewhere.Originally posted by anbeck
So my dream is a series that is set in the 60s with a team such as Rob Walkers team. You have a little group of main characters (team owner, head mechanic, drivers, some other secondary characters from other teams) and there are HUNDREDS of great anecdotes from the 60s that are just waiting to be put into a piece of racing fiction.
a.
Posted 20 January 2009 - 17:35
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Originally posted by markpde
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(Alright, alright, so I Googled it - just in case... I even Googled it again after I thought, "Och, it would be an American movie - 'Chequered' would be spelled 'Checkered'..." Still wasn't there...![]()
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Posted 20 January 2009 - 22:15
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Originally posted by Simpson RX1
Further to the above, the more I look, the more there is to be found.
Loads of links to various 10 tenths threads about "Driving Ambition" a series based around the Wendy Wools race series, with the action centering around a Firenza and Peter Baldwin's BDA Mini (I knew it was one of those Mini blokes!); now I think of it, there's a scene where they take the front end off and there's a pair of twin choke Webers staring at you, not your average A series!
Posted 20 January 2009 - 23:29
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Originally posted by doc knutsen
What lovely memories! Baldwin' space frame job featured a 1300BDH, as you pointed out, hardly the ole' five-porter A-series job slightly warmed over with a pair of HS4s ;)
David Enderby's Karmann Ghia was, eventually, similarly powered after the Clive Brown Imp engines that used to power the Tiga SC79 chassis. While the BDH sported 190BHP, it apparently had no more torque than the 998 Imp mit R23 cam...in other words, not a great deal.
Ah, the Wendy Wools series...not exactly Formula One Make with Road Tyres.
Posted 26 January 2009 - 11:44
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Originally posted by anbeck
Ahhhhhhh, it was a joke???![]()
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Posted 26 January 2009 - 14:18
Posted 26 January 2009 - 14:58
Posted 26 January 2009 - 15:18
Posted 26 January 2009 - 15:34
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Mickey Rooney in "The Big Wheel", and yes, it did involve midget racing among others!Originally posted by hardy
I can recall, a really crappy film, starring that Dwaft among Midgets "Mickey Roonie", all I can remember, are some in studio shots of the undersized person, in a "racing car" (I think it is on fire) supposedly hurtling around an American race track, If you fail to remember it, I wouldn't lose any sleep
Posted 26 January 2009 - 17:17
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Remember the scene where Denise Jenkins (Eva-Marie Saint) is disguised as a man - with glasses and a long beard? Never found that very convincing, myself...Originally posted by Glengavel
It's no joke! McQueen plays a charismatic thief (Sterling Morse) who breaks out of a high-security jail in Rome and hopes to escape to Switzerland by stealing a car. Unfortunately the car he steals is due to be entered in the revised Mille Miglia by James Robertson Justice's BRM racing team; however the driver (cameo by Graham Hill) has been knobbled by a dastardly German team (played by Anton Diffring and Derren Nesbitt) and McQueen is persuaded by Justice's daughter, glamorous racing correspondent Denise Jenkins (Eve-Marie Saint), to take his place. Orson Welles agreed to direct, as he needed the money to fund his sherry commercials. Filming was hampered by having the location shots set in Monument Valley and having replica sports cars built on the chassis of a job-lot of obsolete Indycar roadsters (which had been mothballed in the vain hope that rear-engined cars would eventually be banned). Unfortunately the master print of the finished film disappeared in the US postal system when it was sent to the processing laboratory. A sad loss.
Posted 26 January 2009 - 17:22
Posted 26 January 2009 - 17:23
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Originally posted by markpde
Remember the scene where Denise Jenkins (Eva-Marie Saint) is disguised as a man - with glasses and a long beard? Never found that very convincing, myself...![]()
Posted 26 January 2009 - 18:00
Posted 26 January 2009 - 19:33
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I expect they cut the scene where she loses her breakfast, along with her glasses (and maybe even the false beard), over her shoulder...Originally posted by Glengavel
Yes, sitting there with a box of tissues on her lap to keep her make-up in order.
Posted 26 January 2009 - 19:36
Posted 26 January 2009 - 22:18
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Originally posted by RA Historian
Mickey Rooney in "The Big Wheel", and yes, it did involve midget racing among others!
Tom
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Posted 26 January 2009 - 22:34
Posted 27 January 2009 - 15:40
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That was the thinking behind my buying the "Crowd Roars" DVD, but as mentioned here previously, I was utterly disappointed. Can you compare the flicks, is "The Big Wheel" better in that regard?Originally posted by TrackDog
For the history buffs, this is a nice movie to have...
Posted 27 January 2009 - 17:03
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Originally posted by fines
That was the thinking behind my buying the "Crowd Roars" DVD, but as mentioned here previously, I was utterly disappointed. Can you compare the flicks, is "The Big Wheel" better in that regard?
Posted 27 January 2009 - 20:21
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Originally posted by fines
That was the thinking behind my buying the "Crowd Roars" DVD, but as mentioned here previously, I was utterly disappointed. Can you compare the flicks, is "The Big Wheel" better in that regard?
Posted 27 January 2009 - 22:24
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Originally posted by REDARMYSOJA
Perhaps there should be a rating system for this thread , with Grand Prix being the gold standard , say a 10 , and Drivel...I mean Driven being the lowest , or a 0 .
Posted 27 January 2009 - 23:32
Posted 27 January 2009 - 23:48
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Originally posted by kayemod
There's a fatal flaw in your reasoning I'm afraid, the fact that any assessment would be no more than a personal opinion, and therefore purely subjective.
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As an example, only my opinion and I know I'm in a minority here, but I've always thought that Grand Prix was an unconvincing and over-long bore of a film, I've never been able to see what the fuss was about and I wouldn't give it more than 5 on your rating system. Just about the best motor racing film I've seen on the other hand, was The Last American Hero , based on the life of Junior Johnson, which was a damn good film by any standards, helped by the performance of Beau Bridges, and I'd give that one 9. I agree about Heart Like a Wheel which was much better than I expected, and well worthy of at least an 8. Not really racing, but I thought Two-Lane Blacktop was another 8 or 9er. What I think all this proves though, is how few watchable films there have been with motor racing themes.
Posted 27 January 2009 - 23:54
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Originally posted by TrackDog
Burt Reynolds in a chicken suit? Sounds like STROKER ACE...
Dan
Posted 28 January 2009 - 02:03
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NO, NO, NO, NO! Grand Prix absolutely is not the gold standard! As I have mentioned in several other threads, IMHO Grand Prix has the greatest racing scenes ever filmed (in Cinerama)Originally posted by REDARMYSOJA
Perhaps there should be a rating system for this thread , with Grand Prix being the gold standard , say a 10 , and Drivel...I mean Driven being the lowest , or a 0
Posted 28 January 2009 - 02:20
Posted 28 January 2009 - 02:38
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Originally posted by RA Historian
NO, NO, NO, NO! Grand Prix absolutely is not the gold standard! As I have mentioned in several other threads, IMHO Grand Prix has the greatest racing scenes ever filmed (in Cinerama), but the plot is absolutely insipid!!
Add Eva Marie Saint's hysterics, and Yves Montand's dramatics ("Tell me Peter, do you ever get tired") and you have a movie that is viewable only with one's finger on the fast forward button in order to skip all the non-racing scenes. Great photography, but a dreadful movie otherwise. Race shots a 10, plot a one or two, rate it about five overall.
As has been mentioned, this is all very subjective. What one likes another dislikes. For whatever it is worth, I rate Le Mans up there near the top. However, I do not rate any movie as a 10. I do agree with R.A.S. though that Driven is a dismal 0.![]()
Just my opinion, lots will disagree!
Tom