TITLE: The Cannonball Run
YEAR OF MOVIE RELEASE: 1981
PRODUCTION: Golden Harvest presents an Albert S. Ruddy Production
DISTRIBUTOR: Twentieth Century-Fox
TAGLINE: “You’ll root for them all... but you’ll never guess who wins.”
DIRECTOR: Hal Needham
CAST: Burt Reynolds, Roger Moore, Farrah Fawcett, Dom DeLuise, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Adrienne Barbeau, Jamie Farr, Terry Bradshaw and Mel Tillis
CO-STARRING: Jackie Chan and Michael Hui
PRODUCER: Albert S. Ruddy
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Raymond Chow
CINEMATOGRAPHY: Michael Butler
SCREENPLAY: Brock Yates
MUSIC ARRANGED AND CONDUCTED BY: Al Capps
ARTWORK: Drew Struzan
POSTER PRINTER: Robert Burton Printers Pty. Ltd.
FORMAT: Australian One Sheet
GENRE: Action / Comedy
COLLECTOR’S NOTE
Screenwriter Brock Yates drew on the real Cannonball Baker Sea-to-Shining-Sea Memorial Trophy Dash, a cross-country road race he created. Director Hal Needham accompanied Yates in an ambulance during the 1979 event, and that same vehicle subsequently appeared as the racing ambulance in the film.
Drew Struzan’s poster turns the ensemble cast into a lively gathering around a battered speed-limit sign. The illustrated red Lamborghini, racing flags and comic character portraits give this design appeal across film-poster, motoring and illustration collections. This Australian edition carries a Robert Burton printer’s credit and an NRC classification marking.
POSTER DESIGN FEATURES
A large “MAXIMUM SPEED 55” sign forms the centre of an illustrated cast montage. Smiling portraits crowd around it, including Roger Moore in formal evening wear holding a drink and Burt Reynolds in a racing-style jacket.
A red Lamborghini charges towards the viewer beneath the sign, flanked by smaller vehicles and black-and-white chequered motifs. Twisted metallic fragments around the car add a sense of speed and comic destruction.
Magenta italic cast names span the top against a pale background. Below the illustration, the black tagline leads into an angular red THE CANNONBALL RUN logo with horizontal speed lines. Compact black production credits and the Twentieth Century-Fox emblem complete the lower section.