History Film / TheCannonballRun

The film is also well known for being the main inspiration behind Creator/{{Sega}}'s VideoGame/OutRun, which came out five years later.

%%* BadHabits: Two actresses playing nuns in a showing of ''Theatre/TheSoundOfMusic'' convince J.J. and Victor they're the real things so they can ride with them.

%%* NightVisionGoggles: Another fine product of Subaru.

%% * TheRival: Martin and Davis' characters to J.J. and Victor.

* ActingforTwo: Dom Deluise plays the Don in the sequel.

* DistractedByTheSexy:
** J.J. crashes his boat because he was distracted by bikini-clad women on another boat.
** Also the "hat" of the [[IHaveBoobsYouMustObey busty girls]] in the Lamborghini Countach. This is pretty much their default tactic until it fails on a [[FairCop female cop]].

* IKnowKarate: "I must warn you. I'm Roger Moore!"

* Leitmotif: The sheik has a regal tune with a middle eastern scale. The creepy doctor has a motif that sounds like it belongs in a Frankenstein film.

* LovableRogue: J.J. [=McClure=], and most of the other characters as a whole.

* AMatchMadeInStockholm: Burt Reynolds kidnaps Farrah Fawcett.

* NightVisionGoggles: Another fine product of Subaru.

* OilSlick: Seymour uses one to ditch a pursuing police car.

* OverDrive: The "afterburner" of Creator/JackieChan's car.

* TheRival: Martin and Davis' characters to J.J. and Victor.

* ThematicThemeTune: Performed by Music/RayStevens.

* WeaponizedCar: Seymour's Aston Martin and, to an extent, the [[FakeNationality "Japanese"]] team's Subaru.

* AsianAndNerdy: Jackie reprises his role as an Asian competitor, this time in a Mitsubishi that sort of [[ShoutOut resembles]] [[Series/KnightRider K.I.T.T.]] in form and function.
* BadHabits: Two actresses playing nuns in a showing of ''Theatre/TheSoundOfMusic'' convince J.J. and Victor they're the real things so they can ride with them.

* BrainsAndBrawn: Jackie Chan's character and his new partner for the sequel, [[Creator/RichardKiel Richard]] "[[Film/JamesBond Jaws]]" [[Creator/RichardKiel Kiel]].

* {{Expy}}: Jim Nabors's Homer Lyle, of Series/GomerPyleUSMC.

* NoNameGiven: The name of the cop who commandeers the Lamborghini and the first names of the Van Sloans are never revealed. According to the credits, the cop is named Flash (played by Art Hindle) and the Van Sloans' first names are Randolph (Tom Smothers) and Nelson (Dick Smothers).

-->'''Cannelloni:''' When I passed the powers of the Don...to my son Don...making him...Don Don....
* RightHandCat: Don Cannelloni has one. It dies on him and gets replaced.

** Creator/RogerMoore plays an eccentric millionaire who ''thinks'' he's Roger Moore -- which apparently involves behaving like Franchise/JamesBond. Amusingly enough, the car he participates in the race with is an Aston Martin [=DB4=], which is more associated with Moore's [[Creator/SeanConnery predecessor]] in the role.

** Creator/RogerMoore's entire role is a reference to his own career as a Franchise/JamesBond actor.

* TheAlcoholic: Jimmy Blake (played by Dean Martin). The race organizer describes him as being more juiced-up than his Ferrari.
** Blake's partner, Morris Fenderbaum (Sammy Davis, Jr.), greatly enjoys his liquor as well, demonstrated by him downing Blake's drink when he's asked to "hold it".
** Not to mention Terry (Terry Bradshaw), Mel (Mel Tillis), The Sheik (Jamie Faar) and several others who are depicted drinking quite freely whilst driving.

* NoRulesRacing: Nobody's enforcing any rules on the Cannonballers. They can take any route they want, sabotage each other all they want, and use any vehicle they want - or no vehicle at all, as by the end, everyone's dashing to the finish line on foot.

* CarMeetsHouse: Mad Dog and Batman park their truck in the lobby of the hotel in the first instance of of their 'no brakes' RunningGag.

-->'''Don Canneloni:''' In the past, the Canneloni family was the most powerful of the families. We controlled drugs, prostitution, extortion, prostitution, gambling...
-->'''Slim:''' Uh, you said "prostitution" twice.
-->'''Don Canneloni:''' Well, I like it.

-->'''Tiffany:''' She was the actress in that film where the woman was trying to save her farm.
-->'''Charlie:''' Ooh. That sure narrows it down.
-->'''Tiffany:''' What's that supposed to mean?
-->'''Charlie:''' Oh, there's only like nine hundred films where a woman is trying to save her farm or her house or her tree or her town.

-->'''Alec''': Uh oh!
-->''(Both quickly realize their mistake and have OhCrap on both their faces)''
-->'''Vic''': We should've checked the registration.
-->''(Cue the Lamborghini's owner coming out of the store carrying two cases of beer under his arms)''
-->'''Proprietor''': Goodnight champ, come again.
-->''(Michael turns and sees his vandalized Lamborghini)''
-->'''Michael Spinks''': My car...
-->''(Alec and Vic try to act innocent and start whistling. Michael starts getting upset and crushes the two beer cases under his arms with beer spewing out)''
-->'''Michael Spinks''': ''(angry and on the verge of tears)'' My car!
-->''(In a panic, Vic and Alec race to get into the Jaguar and get away. Michael notices them and runs after them just as they start the car and escape)''

Nowadays considered a guilty pleasure at best, but popular enough in its day to gross $72 million and inspire the sequels. Ironically, 1976's totally unauthorized ''Film/TheGumballRally'' (also inspired by the Cannonball races) is generally regarded as a much better film, even though--or perhaps because--no one involved in that film was actually involved in races themselves. Another unauthorized 1976 film, directed by Creator/PaulBartel and simply titled ''Cannonball'', reversed the direction of the race (making it California-to-New York) and added more of a CarFu element.

* AllBikersAreHellsAngels: A gang of bikers start a brawl with the racers.

-->'''Mel''': I can't see shit, can you?
-->'''Terry''': No problem. No problem.
-->''Drives into a swimming pool.''

* OilSlick: Seymour uses one to ditch a pursuing police car.

* SpiritualSuccessor: The movie has the same star and same director as ''Film/SmokeyAndTheBandit''.

* TheBigRace: Based on the Cannonball Baker Sea-To-Shining-Sea Memorial Trophy Dash, an actual cross-country outlaw road race from the Red Ball Garage in New York City (later Darien, CT) to the pier at Redondo Beach, California, just south of Los Angeles.

* EpicRace: An outlaw road race from Connecticut to California.

** Also the "hat" of the [[IHaveBoobsYouMustObey busty girls]] in the Lamborghini Countach. This is pretty much their default tactic until it fails on a female cop.

* VictoriasSecretCompartment: Marcie tucks her license into her bra as part of her strategy for beguiling cops out of giving her speeding tickets. It works, too... until she's pulled over by an equally busty female police officer.

* BikerBabe: Jill Rivers (Tara Buckman) and Marcie Thatcher (Adrienne Barbeau), two knockout women in a black Lamborghini Countach.

* ThoroughlyMistakenIdentity: One of Seymour's girls (The BikerBabe) thinks he's George Hamilton.

* VeryLooselyBasedOnATrueStory - many, many examples. Landing an airplane on a city street to buy beer? A famous stunt by Curtis Turner. Dressing up as priests? Actually happened (though they drove a Mercedes in real life). The fake ambulance? Actually used in a real Cannonball. They even used the same van in the film.

** Chief Spiro Edsel of the Fraternal Order of Police Chiefs (an organization that has no legal authority itself) would ''not'' have the authority to do any of things he does in the film. From the raid to shutting down all the highways in the country. The drivers that were arrested during the raid would've gotten bail--even with a hanging judge--and it's doubtful that any case against them would reach either the State or US Supreme Court since they hadn't actually committed a crime yet. If anything, they could the authorities for wrongful arrest.

** Chief Spiro Edsel of the Fraternal Order of Police Chiefs (an organization that has no legal authority itself) would ''not'' have the authority to do any of things he does in the film. From the raid to shutting down all the highways in the country. The drivers that were arrested during the raid would've gotten bail--even with a hanging judge--and it's doubtful that any case against them would reach the US Supreme Court since they hadn't actually committed a crime yet.

** Chief Spiro Edsel of the Fraternal Order of Police Chiefs (an organization that has no legal authority itself) would ''not'' have the authority to do any of things he does in the film. From the raid to shutting down all the highways in the country. The drivers that were arrested during the raid would've gotten bail--even with a hanging judge--and it's doubtful that any case against them would reach the US Supreme Court as they hadn't broken the law.