The Great Race

The Great Race (The Race of the Century) is a 1965 American comedy film directed by Blake Edwards and starring performance Jack Lemmon, Tony Curtis, Natalie Wood, Peter Falk, Keenan Wynn and Vivian Vance in the lead roles. The script was written by Blake Edwards and Arthur A. Ross, with music by Henry Mancini and cinematography by Russell Harlan, and was based on the 1908 New York to Paris Race. He won the Oscar for best sound effects (Treg Brown).

Plot

At the beginning of the 20th century, a crazy international car race was held. The participants leave New York and the goal is in Paris. In between, a multitude of nonsense and bizarre situations take place.

The cars

Tony Curtis's car, the "Leslie Special," was built after the Thomas Flyer, the car that won the race from New York to Paris in 1908. According to the Petersen Automotive Museum, four "Leslie Specials" they were built for the film. One of them is on display at the Tupelo Automobile Museum in Tupelo, Mississippi. Another was painted dark green to appear in the 1970 film The Ballad of Cable Hogue—it's the car that appears right at the end and still bears the lettering "Leslie Special".

The villain's car was christened the "Hannibal Twin-8"; eight were assembled. One is at the Petersen Automobile Museum, another is at the Volo Auto Museum in Illinois.

Both vehicles were previously on display at Movie World's "Cars of the Stars" in Buena Park, California, until it was closed in the late 1970s.

The Pie Fight

The pie fight scene in the royal bakery was filmed over the course of five days. During that time, over 4,000 pies were thrown, making it the largest pie fight in film history. The scene it lasts just over four minutes and cost US$200,000.

Tarts decorated with currants, blueberries, strawberries and lemon were used. Edwards told the actors that, on its own, the fight wasn't funny, the fun was in creating tension by keeping Leslie's whites immaculate until the right moment.

Filming on the scene was interrupted over the weekend, and when they returned on Monday, the cake residue stank so badly the plate had to be sanitized.

At first the actors found it funny, but eventually they were fed up. Wood choked on a pie and Lemmon said that "when one of those pie hits you right in the face it's like a ton of cement". At the end of the take, when Edwards said "cut !", was peppered with hundreds of pies that the team had reserved especially for that moment.

The whole scene is a tribute to Mack Sennett and other silent film artists who used pie fights in their comedies, such as Charlie Chaplin; Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy; and the Three Stooges.

Soundtrack

Before the film was officially released, the soundtrack was pre-recorded in Hollywood by RCA Victor Records for vinyl LP release. Henry Mancini spent six weeks composing the music, and the recording sessions included 80 musicians. Mancini collaborated with lyricist Johnny Mercer on several songs including "The Sweetheart Tree," a waltz released as a single. The song is played repeatedly in the film as the main instrumental theme (the chorus version plays at the intermission which in some editions is not included) and is performed onscreen by Natalie Wood with vocals dubbed by Jackie Ward (uncredited).[20] ] The song was nominated for an Oscar for best original song that year. Three recurring themes appear in the film: The first or main theme appears as a ballad, with a banjo or in a 1900's style. The second is "The great Race march" with the first three notes of the American anthem. And the third theme is Professor Fate's melody. Soundtrack:

• "He Shouldn't A Hadn't A Oughtn't A Swang on Me" — Mancini/Mercer. Canted by Dorothy Provine
• "Buffalo Gals" — Traditional West Song sung by coristas in the saloon of Boracho,
• "The Sweetheart tree" — Mancini
• "The Royal Waltz" — Mancini
• "Great Race March" — Mancini
• "They're Off" — Mancini
• "Push The Button, Max" (Tema of Professor Fate) — Mancini
• "The Great Race March" — Mancini
• "Cold Finger" — Mancini
• "Music To Become King By" — Mancini
• "Night, Night, Sweet Prince" — Mancini
• "The Pie in the Face Polka" — Mancini

Other credits

1. Amount: Ralph E. Winters
2. Production Design: Fernando Carrere
3. Artistic design: Fernando Carrere
4. Decorated: George James Hopkins
5. Dress design: Donfeld and Edith Head (Ropa de Natalie Wood).
6. Makeup: Gordon Bau (maquillaje), Jean Burt Reilly (peluquería) and Sydney Guilaroff (Stylist of Natalie Wood).
7. Production directors: jony Juárez brat, Chuck Hansen and Jack McEdward.
8. Management assistants: Jack Cunningham, Dock Landry and Mickey McCardle.
9. Sound effects: Treg Brown
10. Sound: M.A. Merrick
11. Special effects: Danny Lee

Comments

• Edwards' cameo in this film is his last intervention as an actor.
• This is the first film in which Edwards puts his name on the title of the film: Blake Edwards' The Great Race
• In addition to The Sweetheart Tree, Mancini wrote another well-known song for the film, and very long title: 'He Shouldn't A, Hadn't A, Oughtn't A Swang on Me!.
• The cartoon series Crazy cars are fully based on this film.

Awards and nominations

• Treg Brown won the Oscar for the best sound effects and the film was a candidate for four other awards:
  • Best color photography (Russell Harlan).
  • Best mounting (Ralph E. Winters).
  • Better sound (George Groves.
  • Best song (The sweetheart Henry Mancini and Johnny Mercer)

• Mancini and Mercer's song was also a candidate for the Golden Globe and the Golden Laurel.
• The film was third on the Golden Laurel prize list.
• Edwards was a candidate for the Best Director at the Moscow International Film Festival.
• Jack Lemmon was a candidate for the best actor in the Golden Globes.
• The screenwriter, Arthur A. Ross, was a candidate for the award for the best American comedy writer in the WGAs.