''The Big Wheel'' is a 1949 American

drama Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has b ...

sport film A sports film is a film genre in which any particular sport plays a prominent role in the film's plot or acts as its central theme. It is a production in which a sport, sporting event, athlete (and their sport), or follower of sport (and the spo ...

directed by

Edward Ludwig Edward Irving Ludwig (October 7, 1899 – August 20, 1982) was a Russian-born American film director and writer. He directed nearly 100 films between 1921 and 1963 (some under the names Edward I. Luddy and Charles Fuhr). Ludwig was also one ...

starring Mickey Rooney, Thomas Mitchell, Mary Hatcher and Michael O'Shea. It includes the final screen appearance of

Hattie McDaniel Hattie McDaniel (June 10, 1893October 26, 1952) was an American actress, singer-songwriter, and comedian. For her role as Mammy in ''Gone with the Wind (film), Gone with the Wind'' (1939), she won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, ...

. This film is now in the

public domain The public domain (PD) consists of all the creative work to which no exclusive intellectual property rights apply. Those rights may have expired, been forfeited, expressly waived, or may be inapplicable. Because those rights have expired, ...

Plot

Billy Coy ( Mickey Rooney) arrives in the town of Carrell,

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

and offers himself as a mechanic for Arthur "Red" Stanley ( Thomas Mitchell) at his garage. Red turns down Billy initially, but after seeing a photo of his father, "Cannonball" Coy, a famous driver, Red scares up a job for Billy. Billy's father died in an accident at the

Indianapolis 500 The Indianapolis 500, formally known as the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, and commonly called the Indy 500, is an annual automobile race held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) in Speedway, Indiana, United States, an enclave suburb of Indi ...

several years previously. Red was Cannonball's mechanic, riding with him the day he died in the north turn of the Indianapolis motor speedway. Red inquires after "her"; he still carries a torch for Mary (

Spring Byington Spring Dell Byington (October 17, 1886 – September 7, 1971) was an American actress. Her career included a seven-year run on radio and television as the star of '' December Bride''. She was a Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer contract player who appeared in ...

), Cannonball's widow and Billy's mother. At the garage, Billy befriends a tomboy, Louise Riley ( Mary Hatcher), whose father owns the nearest racetrack. Billy gets a chance to prove his skills as a driver in a qualifying race, but he is too arrogant to follow his employer's advice and is unsuccessful. He asks Louise to meet on Saturday night at the track. Thinking it is a date, Louise does the unheard of for her—she buys a dress and heels (in which she is unskilled at walking), assisted by her family's maid (

). As it turns out, Billy needed her help with changing some carburetors, much to Louise's disappointment. She gamely wobbles on high heels with him to the garage, buoyed by her love of cars and affection for Billy. Billy gets another chance to drive for another car owner, Deacon Jones. The car is green and referred to as a "Hoodoo Wagon" due to a racing superstition that green cars are unlucky. A helpful gadfly in the pits reminds Billy this is the same color as the car his father drove when he crashed and burned. Billy drives but is pushed off the track by driver Vic Sullivan ( Michael O'Shea). Billy survives the crash but fails to qualify. He vents his frustration at the dirty trick by punching Vic. Distracted by the spectacle, another driver injures his hand by absentmindedly placing it on the searing exhaust pipe of his car in which he's sitting; Billy is offered the opportunity to drive in the incapacitated man's stead. Billy wins the next race and continues driving for Jones. Together with his team's other driver, Happy Lee ( Steve Brodie), they make headlines with their success. Billy gets arrested for speeding after he has too much to drink. Red bails him out, and contrary to Red's advice, Billy goes on to race that same night. When the left rear wheel in Happy's car breaks, Billy tries desperately to catch up to Happy and alert him but instead crashes into Happy's car after the wheel comes off. The car skids to a stop in Billy's path. Happy's car is smashed through the wall, rupturing the gas tank and the car bursts into flames. Despite Billy's frantic efforts to save him, Happy dies in the blaze. After the race, the other drivers avoid Billy, convinced Billy made good his tyro promise to "...drive over them" and he is fired from Jones's garage. Billy decides to move "back east, where the big cars and the big money are." Billy stays in contact with Louise, and starts fresh as a race car driver. In his absence, his mother and Red get married. On the day of the next Indianapolis 500 race, Mary, Red and Louise turn out to support Billy. He drives one of Red's cars and leads, but on the final lap Billy drives through flaming gasoline from a wreck which causes Billy's engine to catch fire. Battling the smoke, Billy finishes the race, taking third place, leaping from the car just before it explodes. Billy is bitterly disappointed not to have won, especially since without a winning purse Red can't afford to race again. To Billy's delight, in a show of great sportsmanship, the winner insists officials give the trophy to Billy for his bravery.

Cast

* Mickey Rooney as Billy Coy * Thomas Mitchell as Arthur 'Red' Stanley * Mary Hatcher as Louise Riley * Michael O'Shea as Vic Sullivan *

as Mary Coy *

as Minnie (as Hattie McDaniels) * Steve Brodie as Happy Lee * Lina Romay as Dolores Raymond * Allen Jenkins as George * Richard Lane as Reno Riley (as Dick Lane) * Eddie Kane as Head Waiter * Charles Irwin as Drunk * Kippee Valez as Carla * Denver Pyle as Doctor * George Fisher as Announcer * Jackson King as Announcer (as Jack Colin)

Production

Rooney returned from the war and made four films for MGM. He wanted to enter independent production and MGM agreed provided he promise to make five films for them. In April 1949 Rooney announced he would make four films in partnership with producer Sam Stiefel of which ''Big Wheel'' would be the first, directed by Edward Ludwig based on a story by Robert Smith. It would be followed by ''Buckaroo'' based on an idea by Rooney, and ''Quicksand''. The agreement between Rooney and Stiefel ended before Rooney had made a film due to a financial disagreement. Rooney agreed to make three films for Stiefel as a salaried employer. The producer said Rooney owed him $180,000 and he was paying Rooney $100,000 a film; he was to pay it off at $60,000 a film, and thus would only get $40,000 cash. Filming started 21 June 1949. Wilbur Shaw acted as technical adviser. Rooney's character was based on

Mauri Rose Maurice "Mauri" Rose (May 26, 1906 – January 1, 1981) was an American racecar driver. He started from the pole position driving a Maserati in the 1941 Indianapolis 500, but spark plug problems put him out of the race after sixty laps. He then t ...

. In August 1949 it was announced the film would be produced by Stifel, Harry Popkin and

Jack Dempsey William Harrison "Jack" Dempsey (June 24, 1895 – May 31, 1983), nicknamed Kid Blackie and The Manassa Mauler, was an American professional boxer who competed from 1914 to 1927, and reigned as the world heavyweight champion from 1919 to 1926 ...

Reception

The film was previewed in November 1949. The ''Los Angeles Times'' said the track scenes were "thrilling".

Lawsuit

In January 1950 driver Bill Holland sued Rooney, Dempsey, Popkin, Stifel and his brother for $250,000 in damages claiming the film was based on the 1949 Memorial Day race. Holland won the race and argued the film damaged his reputation by implying he won by a fluke.

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Big Wheel, The 1949 films American sports drama films American black-and-white films 1940s sports drama films 1940s English-language films United Artists films Films directed by Edward Ludwig American auto racing films Articles containing video clips Public domain 1949 drama films 1940s American films