The Cannon Ball Run is a cross-country car race famously portrayed in the campy 1981 movie "Cannon Ball Run." But it isn't fictional. Tune in as Josh and Chuck take you on a wild ride through the real (and colorful) history of this infamous race.
AI Summary
# Stuff You Should Know - The Cannonball Run Episode
Join Josh and Chuck as they dive into the wild true story behind the legendary Cannonball Run, the outlaw cross-country race that inspired the famous 1981 Bert Reynolds movie. From the 1971 protest drive that started it all to the final official race in 1979, this episode reveals how automotive journalist Brock Yates created one of America's most audacious speed competitions, complete with creative cheating tactics, ridiculous disguises, and stories that seem too crazy to be real. You'll learn about the eccentric characters, dangerous speeds, and real-life moments that actually made it into the Hollywood film—plus Josh and Chuck share their own speeding adventures that nearly got them in serious trouble.
And the Band Played On
1993
2h 20m
★ 6.5
"Have you ever seen him in the band played on? My brother worked on that. — Josh mentions his brother worked on this made-for-TV movie about the early AIDS crisis."
— Josh
Beverly Hills Cop
1984
1h 45m
★ 7.2
"It was one of the first movies we rented. Sure. Along with Beverly Hills Cop. — Josh mentions it as one of the first movies he and Chuck rented as kids."
— Josh
Cannonball
1976
R
1h 33m
★ 5.6
"The movie was in two of them. Really? He was in, uh, let's see, uh, deathmatch 2000, death race 2000, death race 2000. — Josh references this as a farcical cannonball run imitator film."
— Josh
Death Race 2000
1975
1h 20m
★ 6.1
"There was one movie that came out in 75 and two that came out in 76. — Chuck mentions this as one of the cannonball imitator movies that came out before the Cannonball Run film."
— Chuck
"He did, um, Hooper, which is a great movie. Is it? — Josh mentions Hooper as one of Hal Needham's famous early Bert Reynolds films about stuntmen."
— Josh
"Richard Pryor contracted Dana Carvey in moving. Really? Great movie. — Josh references this movie as an example of someone contracting a driver to transport a car."
— Josh
Pulp Fiction
1994
2h 34m
★ 8.5
"Have you seen Pulp Fiction? Of course you have. Sure. You remember Zed? — Josh references Pulp Fiction's character Zed to describe a potentially ominous encounter during a speeding incident."
— Josh
The Cannonball Run
1981
1h 35m
★ 6.2
"In a little movie called Cannonball Run. Great, great, great movie. — The main subject of the episode; a comedy film based on the real Cannonball Run race."
— Chuck
The Gumball Rally
1976
1h 45m
★ 6.1
"And there was a second one that had Gary Busey in it or a third one that had Gary Busey in it called the gumball rally. — Josh mentions this as another cannonball run imitator with Gary Busey."
— Josh
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