History Film / TheGreatRace

''Push the button, Max!''

!'''Contains examples of:'''

When Leslie enters a race from New York to Paris to promote a new car, Professor Fate promptly joins the race as well, hoping to finally defeat his hated rival. Photojournalist and suffragette Maggie [=DuBois=] (Wood), intent on covering the story, enters the race too. Shortly after the start, Fate's dirty tricks eliminate all contestants except himself, Leslie, and Maggie. Later, Maggie's car breaks down and she's forced to ride with Leslie... and not long after that, Leslie's mechanic gets "conveniently" sidetracked. Should anyone be surprised that a relationship starts forming between the two of them?

* ArtisticTitle: The opening credits are presented in the form of a turn-of-the-century slideshow, complete with exaggerated caricatures (with an audience on the soundtrack alternatively A. boo-ing the villain, B. cheering the hero, and C. wolf-whistling for the heroine), as well as humorous simulated projector jams and slides burning from the hot lamp. It can be seen [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qO9k60u46xU here]].

''Push the button, Max!''

--> The gentle art of getting plastered,
--> You're just a Low-Down, you ain't mastered
--> The motto of our town!

--> '''Lily:''' If by now, you haven't mastered

** The pie fight scene in develops this way; people walk in to the bakery, see what's going on, get hit by a missile intended for someone else and join the scrum--except, of course, for The Great Leslie, who walks through the crossfire unscathed until Maggie gets him in the face at close quarters purely by accident. Obviously, this is PlayedForLaughs.

* StealthPun: Perhaps not so much a pun, but definitely a stealthy joke - it may take you a minute to think about Natalie Wood's line 'If you harm one hair on his head...' (She is talking about [[BaldOfAwesome Hezekiah]].)

''The Great Race'' is a 1965 epic comedy film about a car race around the world, directed by Creator/BlakeEdwards and starring Creator/TonyCurtis, Creator/JackLemmon, Creator/NatalieWood and Creator/PeterFalk. Edith Head conceived Wood's wardrobe.

''The Great Race'' is a 1965 epic comedy film about a car race around the world, directed by Creator/BlakeEdwards and starring Creator/TonyCurtis, Creator/JackLemmon, Creator/NatalieWood, and a pre-''Series/{{Columbo}}'' Creator/PeterFalk.

* ItsPronouncedTroPay: Leslie doesn't exactly mispronounce the word "automobile", but he over-enunciates it so badly that it counts, ending up sounding like there are four separate words instead of one longer one.

* StockSoundEffects: Many familiar sound effects from the ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes'' cartoons are used throughout the movie, to good effect. Sound designer and editor Treg Brown (who also worked on most of the ''Looney Tunes'' cartoons from 1936 to 1965 and created many of said effects) even won an UsefulNotes/AcademyAward for Sound Effects for this film!
** Worth of note is the torpedo making the same sound effect used for the Tasmanian Devil spinning.

* RunningGag: "Push the button, Max," which inevitably leads to "MAAAAAAAAAAAXXXXX!!!"
** almost every time The Great Leslie is in a crowd of some kind, a random woman (though never Maggie!) will literally throw herself at him and kiss him. Even in the middle of a bar brawl!

* PutTheirHeadsTogether: While The Great Leslie is infiltrating a castle he knocks out two guards by slamming their heads together.

* * InformedAbility: Texas Jack is described as the toughest man in the area. Everyone is scared of him when he first shows up at the bar, and even the sheriff backs down from his threats, But once the fight starts he's not any better than Leslie, Hezekiah, or even his own goons for that matter.

* ExplainExplainOhCrap: During the beginning of the race, Max keeps listing off car numbers and then explaining to Fate how that particular car has been sabotaged, right before it falls apart exactly as described. This leads up to...

Not to be confused with Creator/HPLovecraft's StarfishAliens, or the ''WesternAnimation/ThomasTheTankEngine'' [[WesternAnimation/ThomasAndFriendsTheGreatRace movie from 2016]].

** Met with [[SugarWiki/FunnyMoments dead silence]] by the (Russian-speaking) villagers.

* IntimateHealing: In Alaska, Leslie explains to Maggie that they have to sleep under the same blanket to keep warm. And then they're joined by [[SugarWiki/FunnyMoments Professor Fate and Max]].

-->'''Hapnik:''' [[YouExclamation You!]] You're the cause of it all! It was your idea!\

** It it extremely unlikely to be a coincidence that Baron Von Stuppe's name is pronounced identically to the Yiddish word "shtup." After all, his prowess with the blade is surpassed ''only'' by his reputation with the ladies!

* CooperationGambit: After Professor Fate and Maggie [=DuBois=] are kidnapped by some bad guys, Fate's minion Max joins forces with the Great Leslie to rescue them. Of course, being a villain Max betrays the heroes after the rescue.

** Baron Von [[GettingCrapPastTheRadar Stuppe]], who's said to be very popular with the ladies.

* {{Flynning}}: The sword duel. Lampshaded when the Count suggests they switch to sabers and they trade their fencing foils for fencing sabers; still foil-like, with thicker cross-sections elaborate, saber-like hilts.