Movies 1976 Movies C 2 Mins Read

    Cannonball (1976)

    David Carradine stars as Coy “Cannonball” Buckman, a onetime top racer who landed in prison following a car wreck that left his old girlfriend dead.

    Eager for redemption – and the race’s $100,000 prize money – Coy enters the Cannonball race alongside such peculiar characters as Perman Waters (Gerrit Graham), a country singer who tries to conduct live broadcasts while riding in a car driven by maniacal redneck Cade Redman (Bill McKinney); Sandy Harris (Mary Woronov), leader of a trio of sexpots who use their wiles to get out of speeding tickets; Terry McMillan (Carl Gottlieb), a suburban dad who has his car flown cross-country in a brazen attempt to steal the first-place prize; and Wolf Messer (James Keach), a German racing champ determined to smite his American counterparts.

    Carradine is appealing, even if his martial arts scenes seem a bit out of place, and Cannonball is never boring. But it’s also never especially engaging.

    Cannonball was the first of four pictures inspired by the real-life Cannonball Baker Sea-to-Shining-Sea Memorial Trophy Dash, an illegal race from New York to LA that attracted speed-limit-averse rebels for several years in the 1970s.  It was followed by The Gumball Rally (also 1976), The Cannonball Run (1981), and Cannonball Run II (1984).

    Coy ‘Cannonball’ Buckman
    David Carradine
    Cade Redman
    Bill McKinney
    Linda Maxwell
    Veronica Hamel
    Perman Waters
    Gerrit Graham
    Jim Crandell
    Robert Carradine
    Maryann
    Belinda Balaski
    Sharma Capri
    Judy Canova
    Zippo
    Archie Hahn
    Terry McMillan
    Carl Gottlieb
    Sandy Harris
    Mary Woronov
    Wendy
    Diane Lee Hart
    Ginny
    Glynn Rubin
    Wolfe Messer
    James Keach
    Bennie Buckman
    Dick Miller
    Beutell 
    Stanley Bennett Clay
    Sharpe
    John Herzfeld
    Louisa
    Louisa Moritz
    Brad Phillips
    Patrick Wright
    Terry’s Daughter
    Deirdre Ardell
    Gretchen Ardell
    Panama
    Allan Arkush
    Len
    Gary Austin
    Lester Marks
    Paul Bartel
    Deke Scanton
    Jim Connors
    District Attorney
    Roger Corman
    Kid
    Joe Dante
    Dr Magritte
    Samuel W. Gelfman
    Brad Phillips’ Aide
    David N. Gottlieb
    Mrs McMillan
    Lea Gould
    David
    Aron Kincaid
    Mr Schulenberg
    Saul Krugman
    Mrs Schulenberg
    Mary-Robin Redd
    Mafioso
    Martin Scorsese
    Sylvester Stallone
    Assistant District Attorney
    Don Simpson

    Director
    Paul Bartel

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