| Fireball 500 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Leo Townsend |
| Written by | William Asher Leo Townsend |
| Starring | Frankie Avalon Annette Funicello Fabian Chill Wills |
| Distributed by | American International Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 92 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $2 million[1] |
Fireball 500 is a stock car racing film, blended with the beach party film genre. A vehicle for stars Frankie Avalon, Annette Funicello and Fabian, it was one of a string of similar racing films from the 1960s. Written by William Asher and Leo Townsend, and directed by Townsend, it tells the story of Dave Owens (Avalon), a stock car racer forced to run moonshine.
Cast
- Frankie Avalon as Dave "Fireball" Owens
- Annette Funicello as Jane Harris
- Fabian as Sonny Leander Fox
- Harvey Lembeck as Charlie Bigg
- Chill Wills as Big Jaw Harris
- Julie Parrish as Martha Brian
- Sandy Reed as Race Announcer
- Douglas Henderson as Hastings
- Baynes Barron as Bronson
- Ed Garner as Herman
- Mike Nader as Joey
Production notes
The movie was part of a conscious attempt on AIP to move away from beach party movies, which were losing popularity, and go towards youth rebellion films such as Fireball 500 and The Wild Angels. AIP exective Deke Heyward said that:
The next big thing for teenage films is protest. Teenagers emphathise with protest because they are in revolt against their parents... These films represent a protest against society. These will be moral tales, there will be good guys and bad guys. But we will show the reasons for young people going against the dictates of the establishment.[2]
Stock car racing had already been the subject of Redline 500 but this movie would be specifically told from the teenagers point of view.
Fabian signed a multi picture deal with AIP in late 1965 and this was the first movie he made for them. It was shot in eary 1966.[3] The "Fireball 500" is a 1966 Plymouth Barracuda, heavily customized by George Barris, with a 1966 Hemi 426 Plymouth engine that develops up to 425 h.p.[4]
Footage from Fireball 500, specifically shots of the 4B car (Jim Douglas' car) toppling over on its roof, show up later in the demolition derby scenes at the beginning of The Love Bug. When making the film AIP would hire a race car driver and install cameras in the front and rear of his car to obtain shots.[5]
Funicello and Fabian starred together again (without Avalon) the following year in AIP's follow-up feature, Thunder Alley.
Music
The film's soundtrack is by Les Baxter, and features six songs written by Guy Hemric and Jerry Styner. Frankie Avalon sings "Fireball 500," "My Way" (not to be confused with the song made popular by Frank Sinatra), "Turn Around," "A Chance Like That" and "Country Carnival." Annette Funicello sings "Step Right Up."
Reception
In July 1966 it was announced Burt Topper would produce a follow up, Malibu 500. This became Thunder Alley.[6]
References
- ^ Aubrey Solomon, Twentieth Century Fox: A Corporate and Financial History, Scarecrow Press, 1989
- ^ Tide Running Out for Beach Films, In for Protest Movies Thomas, Bob. Los Angeles Times (1923-Current File) [Los Angeles, Calif] 12 Feb 1966: b7
- ^ 'Bloomer Girl' on 20th Slate Martin, Betty. Los Angeles Times (1923-Current File) [Los Angeles, Calif] 29 Nov 1965: c23.
- ^ George Barris' site at Barris.com
- ^ http://monsterkidclassichorrorforum.yuku.com/reply/202915
- ^ 'Grand Prix' Starters Named Martin, Betty. Los Angeles Times (1923-Current File) [Los Angeles, Calif] 10 June 1966: d15.
Further reading
- Leonard Maltin's Movie Guide 2006, p. 428. New York: Penguin/New American Library, 2006.
External links
- Fireball 500 at IMDb
- Fireball 500 at Brian's Drive In Theatre