The Great Race movie storyline. In the early 20th century, the Great Leslie – daredevil and all ’round Renaissance man always clad in white – has several world records to his name in daring feats of courage, always with the faithful Hezekiah by his side. Leslie’s arch enemy is the dastardly Professor Fate – always clad in black – who is always trying either to outdo Leslie or thwart Leslie’s attempts of daring, without success.
Leslie suggests to the Webber Motor Car Company that they show their engineering expertise by building the supreme motor car for a New York to Paris race, that car which they ultimately name the Leslie Special after their inspiration. Not to be outdone, Fate, with his equally dastardly sidekick Max, also enters the race with what he considers his motor car masterpiece, the Hannibal Twin-8. Nothing is too dastardly an act in Fate’s goal of winning.
One of the other entries is the beautiful Maggie Dubois, a reporter covering the race for the New York Sentinel newspaper. An emancipated woman, Maggie initially tried to convince both Leslie and Fate to use her as their driving partner, both who refused, considering her among the weaker sex. Maggie however convinced the newspaper both to hire her and to sponsor their own car with her as the driver based on the internal struggle within the newspaper’s ownership, which is similar to Maggie’s own struggles.
Maggie expects to win: in her logic, she is covering the entire race (which she does with the use of some primitive but effective technology), meaning she needs to be first at the finish line. Despite being emancipated, Maggie is not averse to using her feminine wiles to her advantage. Through the race, they come across a few adventures and obstacles. But being a long race with much interaction between the racers, their mindsets and priorities may change based on their time together.
The Great Race is a 1965 American Technicolor slapstick comedy film starring Jack Lemmon, Tony Curtis, and Natalie Wood, directed by Blake Edwards, written by Edwards and Arthur A. Ross, and with music by Henry Mancini and cinematography by Russell Harlan. The supporting cast includes Peter Falk, Keenan Wynn, Arthur O’Connell and Vivian Vance. The movie cost US$12 million (equivalent to $98.36 million in 2020), making it the most expensive comedy film at the time. The story was inspired by the actual 1908 New York to Paris Race. It is noted for one scene that was promoted as “the greatest pie fight ever”.
The Great Race (1965)
Directed by: Blake Edwards
Starring: Jack Lemmon, Tony Curtis, Natalie Wood, Peter Falk, Keenan Wynn, Arthur O’Connell, Vivian Vance, Dorothy Provine, Larry Storch, Ross Martin, George Macready, Marvin Kaplan
Screenplay by: Arthur A. Ross
Production Design by: Fernando Carrere
Cinematography by: Russell Harlan
Film Editing by: Ralph E. Winters
Costume Design by: Donfeld, Edith Head
Set Decoration by: George James Hopkins
Art Direction by: Fernando Carrere
Music by: Henry Mancini
MPAA Rating: None.
Distributed by: Warner Bros. Pictures
Release Date: July 1, 1965
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