For the annual antique car rally partially inspired by this movie, see Great Race.

Cover of the 2004 DVD release of The Great Race

The Great Race is a 1965 semi-comical, semi-dramatic film directed by Blake Edwards, written by Blake Edwards and Arthur A. Ross, with music by Henry Mancini and cinematography by Russell Harlan. The 1993 logo of the Great American Race. ... Image File history File links GreatRace. ... Image File history File links GreatRace. ... 1965 (MCMLXV) was a common year starting on Friday (link goes to calendar). ... The film director, on the right, gives last minute direction to the cast and crew, whilst filming a costume drama on location in London. ... Blake Edwards (b. ... Wikibooks Wikiversity has more about this subject: School of Music Look up Music in Wiktionary, the free dictionary Wikisource, as part of the 1911 Encyclopedia Wikiproject, has original text related to this article: Music Meta has a page about this at: Music markup MusicNovatory: the science of music encyclopedia The... Henry Mancini (April 16, 1924 – June 14, 1994), was a noted American composer and arranger. ... Russell B. Harlan (September 16, 1903 - February 28, 1974) was an American cinematographer. ...

It stars Jack Lemmon, Tony Curtis, Natalie Wood, Keenan Wynn and Peter Falk. Jack Lemmon Jack Uhler Lemmon III (February 8, 1925 – June 27, 2001) was a Hollywood movie star. ... Tony Curtis in the 1950s Tony Curtis in the 1990s Tony Curtis is the stage name of Bernard Schwartz (born 3 June 1925 in the Bronx, New York). ... Natalie Wood Natalia Nikolaevna Zakharenko (July 20, 1938 – November 29, 1981), better known as Natalie Wood, was an American film actress. ... Keenan Wynn, (27 July 1916 – 14 October 1986), an American character actor and member of a well-known show-business family. ... DVD cover of Columbo - The Complete First Season Peter Falk (born September 16, 1927 of Jewish immigrants from Russia and Hungary) is an American actor. ...

It tells the story of an car race in 1908 between New York and Paris in which two of the contestants, the evil Professor Fate (Jack Lemmon) and his sidekick, Max (Peter Falk), try to get rid of the rest of motorists by means of nefarious sabotage. The only racer who can escape their evil plots is Fate's nemesis, The Great Leslie (Tony Curtis), with the help of his sidekick, Hezekiah (Keenan Wynn), and Maggie DuBois, a spunky journalist/suffragette (Natalie Wood). A small variety of cars, the most popular kind of automobile. ... 1908 (MCMVIII) is a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... The city is at the center of international finance, politics, entertainment, and culture, and is one of the worlds major global cities (along with London, Tokyo and Paris) with a virtually unrivaled collection of museums, galleries, performance venues, media outlets, international corporations, and stock exchanges. ... The Eiffel Tower has become a symbol of Paris throughout the world. ... A professor (Latin: one who claims publicly to be an expert) (prof for short) is a senior teacher, lecturer and researcher, usually in a college or university. ... Jack Lemmon Jack Uhler Lemmon III (February 8, 1925 – June 27, 2001) was a Hollywood movie star. ... DVD cover of Columbo - The Complete First Season Peter Falk (born September 16, 1927 of Jewish immigrants from Russia and Hungary) is an American actor. ... Tony Curtis in the 1950s Tony Curtis in the 1990s Tony Curtis is the stage name of Bernard Schwartz (born 3 June 1925 in the Bronx, New York). ... Keenan Wynn, (27 July 1916 – 14 October 1986), an American character actor and member of a well-known show-business family. ... Journalism is a discipline of collecting, verifying, analyzing and presenting information gathered regarding current events, including trends, issues and people. ... The movement for womens suffrage, led by suffragists (peaceful protestors) and suffragettes (violent protestors), was a social, economic and political reform movement aimed at extending the suffrage (the right to vote) to women, advocating equal suffrage (abolition of graded votes) rather than universal suffrage (abolition of all discrimination, for... Natalie Wood Natalia Nikolaevna Zakharenko (July 20, 1938 – November 29, 1981), better known as Natalie Wood, was an American film actress. ...

Jack Lemmon plays two very different characters in the film; aside from Professor Fate, he also plays Crown Prince Hapnik, a silly, consistantly drunk monarch who becomes the victim of a conspiracy plot using Fate as a double.

The film was a major influence on Wacky Races, a Hanna-Barbera cartoon series. The film's characterizations were themselves rather cartoonish. Furthermore, film editor and sound-effects man Treg Brown, who worked on many classic Warner Brothers cartoons, worked on this film, and many sound effects will be familiar to cartoon fans. Dick Dastardly and Muttley, the villains of Wacky Races, in their car, the Mean Machine. ... Cartoon Network Studios, formerly known as Hanna-Barbera Cartoons, Inc. ... A cartoon is any of several forms of art, with varied meanings that evolved from one to another. ... Tregoweth Treg Brown (November 4, 1899–April 1984) was a motion picture sound editor who was responsible for the sound effects in Warner Bros. ... Warner Bros. ...

The film features what was reputedly the largest pie fight in film history.

There was an actual automobile race staged in 1908 from New York to Paris, before actual racing over public roads (as opposed to rallying) was made illegal due to the danger and the increasing volume of traffic. However, it was merely the "inspiration" for this film; the events depicted in it are in no way related to the actual events of the race, which have been documented in the book Road Race Around the World among other places. Rallying (international) or rally racing (US) is a form of automobile racing that takes place on public roads with modified production or specially built road cars. ...

The film is dedicated "To Mr. Laurel and Mr. Hardy". Stan Laurel Stan Laurel (June 16, 1890 – February 23, 1965), born Arthur Stanley Jefferson, was a comedian and member of the comedy team Laurel and Hardy. ... Oliver Norvell Hardy (1892–1957) Oliver Norvell Hardy (January 18, 1892 – August 7, 1957) was an American film actor. ...

Quotes

• "As a very wise English gentleman once said, 'He who fights and runs away may live to fight another day. So, until another day, Mr. Leslie, please excuse me." -Baron von Stuppe, preceding a perfect swan dive through his boat.

External links

• The Great Race at the Internet Movie Database