The Big Wheel

1949 ActionDrama 92 minutes Directed by Edward Ludwig

“Roaring at you with mile-a-minute thrills!”

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About The Big Wheel

Billy Coy arrives in Carrell, California, and talks Red Stanley into hiring him as a mechanic. Red had been in the car when Billy's father, Cannonball Coy, died on the north turn at Indianapolis. Billy moves from the garage into midget-car racing, brushes off Louise Riley, and wrecks a teammate, Happy Lee, while trying to warn him of a broken wheel. Shunned by the other drivers, he goes east. At the next Indianapolis 500 he drives Red's car through flaming gasoline, finishes third, and jumps clear before the car explodes. The winner gives him the trophy for the drive.

Cast & crew

More about The Big Wheel

Filming began on 21 June 1949. Samuel H. Stiefel produced, with Harry Popkin and Jack Dempsey later announced as producers. Indianapolis 500 president Wilbur Shaw was the technical adviser. Robert Smith wrote the story. United Artists released the film on 4 November 1949.

Themes

  • A dead father's crash
  • Midget cars and Indianapolis
  • A reckless teammate's death
  • A third-place finish taken as sportsmanship
  • midget car racing
  • Indianapolis 500
  • mechanic
  • green car
  • fatal crash
  • trophy

Background

The story uses the 1949 Indianapolis 500, when midget-car racing and the Speedway were both regular newspaper sports.

Making

Stiefel said Rooney owed him $180,000. Rooney's deal was $100,000 a film, with $60,000 of that applied to the debt, so the cash for this picture was $40,000.

Reviews

After a November 1949 preview, the Los Angeles Times called the track scenes thrilling.

Look

Ernest Laszlo shot the racing, including the Culver City Stadium speedway scenes.

Music

Gerard Carbonara, Nat W. Finston, and John Leipold are credited with the music. Walter Thompson edited.

Preservation

The film is in the public domain. A complete print is in circulation.

Notes

  • Hattie McDaniel plays Minnie, the Riley family's maid. It was her last screen appearance. The credits spell her name Hattie McDaniels.
  • Mickey Rooney's Billy Coy was based on driver Mauri Rose.
  • In January 1950, driver Bill Holland sued Rooney, Jack Dempsey, Harry Popkin, Stiefel, and Stiefel's brother for $250,000, saying the film implied he had won the 1949 Indianapolis 500 by a fluke.
  • Spring Byington plays Mary Coy. Mary Hatcher plays Louise Riley, Michael O'Shea plays Vic Sullivan, and Steve Brodie plays Happy Lee.
  • The picture is in the public domain in the United States.

Scenes

  • Billy punches Vic Sullivan after being pushed off the track in a green car the pit men call a hoodoo wagon.
  • He rams Happy Lee's car to warn him of a broken wheel, and Happy's car burns.
  • On the last lap at Indianapolis he drives through burning gasoline and bails out before his own car explodes.

Also available

  • Internet Archive (TheBigWheel)
  • Wikimedia Commons