''Cannonball Run II'' is a 1983 American

action comedy film The action comedy is a film genre that applies to action films where humor plays a much more central role. While early films feature stuntwork and humor, academic Cynthia King wrote that the genre only came into its own as a mainstay of the Americ ...

starring

Burt Reynolds Burton Leon Reynolds Jr. (February 11, 1936 – September 6, 2018) was an American actor most famous during the 1970s and 1980s. He became well known in television series such as ''Gunsmoke'' (1962–1965), '' Hawk'' (1966) and '' Dan Augus ...

and an all-star cast, released by

Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (WBEI), commonly known as Warner Bros. (WB), is an American filmed entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California and the main namesake subsidiary of Warner Bro ...

and Golden Harvest. The film is the second installment of the ''Cannonball Run'' trilogy and a

sequel A sequel is a work of literature, film, theatre, television, music, or video game that continues the story of, or expands upon, some earlier work. In the common context of a narrative work of fiction, a sequel portrays events set in the same ...

to ''

The Cannonball Run ''The Cannonball Run'' is a 1981 action-comedy film directed by Hal Needham, produced by Hong Kong firm Golden Harvest, and distributed by 20th Century-Fox. Filmed in Panavision, it features an all-star ensemble cast, including Burt Reynolds ...

'' (1981). Like the first film, it is set around an illegal cross-country race. This marked the final feature film appearances of

Dean Martin Dean Martin (born Dino Paul Crocetti; June 7, 1917 – December 25, 1995) was an American singer, actor, and comedian. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Cool", he is regarded as one of the most popular entertainers of ...

and

Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Honorific nicknames in popular music, Nicknamed the "Chairman of the Board" and "Ol' Blue Eyes", he is regarded as one of the Time 100: The Most I ...

. Their appearances, coupled with those of Sammy Davis Jr. marked the final on-screen appearance of the

Rat Pack The Rat Pack was an informal group of singers that, in its second iteration, ultimately made films and appeared together in Las Vegas casino venues. They originated in the late 1940s and early 1950s as a group of A-list show business friends, s ...

team. The film also marked the final film appearance of Jim Nabors before his death in November 2017. The film also featured

Jackie Chan Fang Shilong (born Chan Kong-sang; 7 April 1954), known professionally as Jackie Chan,; is a Hong Kong actor and filmmaker, known for his slapstick, acrobatic fighting style, comic timing, and innovative stunts, which he typically perf ...

in his third Hollywood role.

Plot

Having lost the first Cannonball Run race, Sheik Abdul ben Falafel is ordered by his father, the King, to go back to America and win another Cannonball Run in order to "emblazon the Falafel name as the fastest in the world". When Sheik Abdul points out that there is no Cannonball Run that year, his father simply tells him to "buy one". To make sure his "Royal Ulcer" does not prevent him from winning, the Sheik hires Doctor Nikolas Van Helsing, who teamed with J.J. McClure and Victor Prinzi in the first race as his in-car physician. Most of the participants from the first race are lured back, including J.J. and Victor, who have taken jobs working with a flying stunt crew. Meanwhile, Blake and Fenderbaum are in financial trouble with Don Don Canneloni, who in turn is in similar financial trouble with mob enforcer Hymie Kaplan. After the Sheik manages to bail out Blake and Fenderbaum by handing one of Don Don's thugs a stack of cash, Don Don hatches a plot to kidnap the Sheik in an attempt to extort money from him. The race begins with J.J. and Victor dressed as a US Army general and his driver, a private. They catch the attention of Betty and Veronica, who are dressed as nuns for a musical, but remain in character and hitch a ride with J.J. and Victor when they think the guys could become overnight millionaires. They do not lose their habits until later. Other racers include Mitsubishi engineer

, teamed with Arnold, a giant, behind the wheel in a car—a Mitsubishi Starion—able to go under water. In a red Lamborghini (white at first) with "two great-looking chicks in it" (as the cops chasing them continually say) is the duo of Jill Rivers and Marcie Thatcher. Another team in a

Cadillac Fleetwood The Cadillac Fleetwood is a Luxury car#Luxury saloon / full-size luxury sedan, full-size luxury sedan that was marketed by Cadillac from the 1977 through 1996 model years. Taking its nameplate from a coachbuilder historically associated with the ...

is accompanied by an

orangutan Orangutans are great apes native to the rainforests of Indonesia and Malaysia. They are now found only in parts of Borneo and Sumatra, but during the Pleistocene they ranged throughout Southeast Asia and South China. Classified in the genus ...

who has a penchant for destructive behavior, giving elderly ladies the middle finger and kissing people. The orangutan sits at the front of the car holding a mock steering wheel and dressed as a

chauffeur A chauffeur () is a person employed to drive a passenger motor vehicle, especially a luxury vehicle such as a large sedan or a limousine. Initially, such drivers were often personal employees of the vehicle owner, but this has changed to s ...

. They are pulled over at one point by two California Highway Patrol officers who assume they are with the '' Candid Camera'' show, but when the officers try putting on a performance, the orangutan beats them up instead. J.J. and Victor stop along the way to help a stranded soldier, Homer Lyle. They also get much better acquainted with their passengers, Betty and Veronica, who change into something a little more comfortable. Don Don's enforcers continue to blunder along the way, with disastrous results. After Don Don's gang capture the Sheik, the racers band together to invade Don Don's "Pinto Ranch". J.J., Victor, and Fenderbaum infiltrate it in drag, dressed as belly dancers. Others barrel in by car and rescue the Sheik, who is reluctant to leave, since he has his pick of women there. The three "dancers" and Blake go to their Leader, Frank Sinatra, to seek help, only to have him jump into the race himself. In the end, the Sheik bankrolls Don Don's Ranch and then declares that he is upping the stakes to $2 million for the winner. All jump into their automobiles and make a dash for the finish line, avoiding traffic patrollers on the way. The Sheik, as it turns out, loses yet again, this time blaming the doctor who rode with him for injecting him with an unknown substance. He convinces his father that he will win the return-trip race, having hired the winner of this one. It turns out to be the orangutan, who kisses the startled King on the lips.

Cast

as J.J. McClure *

Dom DeLuise Dominick DeLuise (August 1, 1933 – May 4, 2009) was an American actor, comedian, director, musician, chef, and author. Known primarily for comedy roles, he rose to fame in the 1970s as a frequent guest on television variety shows. He is widely ...

as Victor Prinzi / Captain Chaos
( DeLuise also appears uncredited as Don Canneloni) *

as Jamie Blake * Sammy Davis Jr. as Morris Fenderbaum * Jamie Farr as Sheik Abdul Ben Falafel * Ricardo Montalbán as King Abdul Ben Falafel * Telly Savalas as "Hymie" Kaplan *

Marilu Henner Marilu Henner (born April 6, 1952) is an American actress and author. She began her career appearing in the original production of the musical ''Grease (musical), Grease'' in 1971, before making her screen debut in the 1977 comedy-drama film ''B ...

as Betty *

Shirley MacLaine Shirley MacLaine (born Shirley MacLean Beaty; April 24, 1934) is an American actress and author. With a career spanning over 70 years, she has received List of awards and nominations received by Shirley MacLaine, numerous accolades, including a ...

as Veronica *

Susan Anton Susan Anton is an American actress and singer. Her debut film, " Goldengirl," earned her a Golden Globe nomination, leading to a contract with NBC for her variety show, "Presenting Susan Anton." Later, ABC signed her for the drama series " ...

as Jill Rivers ("Lamborghini Babe #1", originally played by Tara Buckman) * Catherine Bach as Marcie Thatcher ("Lamborghini Babe #2", originally played by

Adrienne Barbeau Adrienne Jo Barbeau (born June 11, 1945) is an American actress and author. She came to prominence in the 1970s as Broadway's original Rizzo in the musical ''Grease (musical), Grease'', and as Carol Traynor, the divorced daughter of Maude Findl ...

) *

Foster Brooks Foster Murrell Brooks (May 11, 1912 – December 20, 2001) was an American actor and comedian best known for his portrayal of a lovable drunk in nightclub performances and television programs. Early life Brooks was born in Louisville, Kentuck ...

Sid Caesar Isaac Sidney Caesar (September 8, 1922 – February 12, 2014) was an American comic actor and comedian. With a career spanning 60 years, he was best known for two pioneering 1950s live television series: ''Your Show of Shows'' (1950–1954) ...

and

Louis Nye Louis Nye (May 1, 1913 – October 9, 2005) was an American comedic actor. He was an entertainer to the troops during World War II and is best known for his work on multiple television, film and radio programs. Radio and television Nye met Car ...

as the fishermen in the rowboat *

as Himself,

Mitsubishi The is a group of autonomous Japanese multinational companies in a variety of industries. Founded by Yatarō Iwasaki in 1870, the Mitsubishi Group traces its origins to the Mitsubishi zaibatsu, a unified company that existed from 1870 to 194 ...

engineer * Richard Kiel as Arnold, Jackie's driver *

Tim Conway Thomas Daniel "Tim" Conway (December 15, 1933 – May 14, 2019) was an American actor, comedian, writer, and director. Conway is perhaps best known as a regular cast member (1975–1978) on the TV comedy ''The Carol Burnett Show'' where he port ...

and

Don Knotts Jesse Donald Knotts (July 21, 1924February 24, 2006) was an American actor and comedian. He is widely known for his role as Deputy Sheriff Barney Fife on the 1960s sitcom ''The Andy Griffith Show'', for which he earned five Emmy Awards. He als ...

as California Highway Patrol officers who pull over the driving orangutan. *

Mel Tillis Lonnie Melvin Tillis (August 8, 1932 – November 19, 2017) was an American country music singer and songwriter. Although he recorded songs since the late 1950s, his biggest success occurred in the 1970s as part of the outlaw country movement, ...

as Mel and

Tony Danza Tony Danza (born Anthony Salvatore Iadanza; April 21, 1951) is an American actor and retired professional boxer. He is known for co-starring in the television series ''Taxi (TV series), Taxi'' (1978–1983) and ''Who's the Boss?'' (1984–1992 ...

as Tony, the limo drivers with the

Manis ''Manis'' (" spirit") is a genus of South Asian and East Asian pangolins, the Asiatic pangolins, from subfamily Maninae, within family Manidae. Taxonomy * Subfamily: Maninae (Asiatic pangolins) ** Genus: ''Manis'' (Asiatic pangolins) *** '' Ma ...

as The Orangutan 'Limo driver'. *

Jack Elam William Scott "Jack" Elam (November 13, 1920 – October 20, 2003) was an American film and television actor best known for his numerous roles as villains in Western films and, later in his career, comedies (sometimes spoofing his villaino ...

as Dr. Nikolas Van Helsing * Charles Nelson Reilly as Don Don Canneloni * Michael V. Gazzo as Sonny, Don Don's Henchman * Alex Rocco as Tony, Don Don's Henchman * Henry Silva as "Slim", Don Don's Henchman * Abe Vigoda as Caesar, Don Don's Henchman * Jim Nabors as Private Homer Lyle, a parody of his popular character,

Gomer Pyle Gomer Pyle is a fictional character played by Jim Nabors and introduced in the middle of the third season of '' The Andy Griffith Show''. A naive and gentle auto mechanic, he became a recurring character with the January 1963 episode "Man i ...

* Molly Picon reprises her role of Mrs. Goldfarb, Seymour's mother. In this film, Cannonballers drive into her house *

as Himself * Joe Theismann as Mack, the truck driver who helps out Jill and Marcie * Shawn Weatherly as The Girl In Jamie Blake's Bed * Linda Lei as The Beautiful Girl, Japanese-American girl that Jackie talks to after biker fight * Kai Joseph Wong as Japanese Businessman * Dale Ishimoto as Japanese Father, during biker fight scene *

Arte Johnson Arthur Stanton Eric Johnson (January 20, 1929 – July 3, 2019) was an American actor and comedian who was best known for his work as a regular on television's ''Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In''. Biography Early life Johnson was born January 20, 19 ...

as An "Ace" Pilot Victor who says is "from World War 2" and speaks with a telltale German accent * Fred Dryer as a California Highway Patrol Sergeant (listed in the opening credits as "Fred Dreyer") * Chris Lemmon as A Young California Highway Patrol officer * George Lindsey as Uncle Cal * Doug McClure as The Sheik's Servant, an out-of-work actor who has not had a series in nine years * Jilly Rizzo as Jilly * Dub Taylor as Sheriff *

Harry Gant Harold Phil Gant"Harry P. Gant"
(born January 10, 1940) is an American former

Hal Needham Hal Brett Needham (March 6, 1931 – October 25, 2013) was an American Stunt performer, stuntman, film director, actor, writer, and NASCAR team owner. He is best known for his frequent collaborations with actor Burt Reynolds, usually in film ...

appears uncredited as a

Porsche 928 The Porsche 928 is a front-engine, water-cooled grand touring car, grand touring 2+2 (car body style), 2+2 hatchback coupe manufactured and marketed by Porsche AG of Germany from 1977 to 1995 — across a single generation with an intermedia ...

driver in a cowboy hat, whose car is crushed flat in the movie by the monster truck, ''Bigfoot'' (driven by owner/creator Bob Chandler) * Producer Albert Ruddy appears in the satirical Mafioso subplot with Rocco and Vigoda, both of which had also appeared in ''

The Godfather ''The Godfather'' is a 1972 American Epic film, epic crime film directed by Francis Ford Coppola, who co-wrote the screenplay with Mario Puzo, based on Puzo's best-selling The Godfather (novel), 1969 novel. The film stars an ensemble cast inc ...

'' which Ruddy produced.

Production

Jaclyn Smith was originally meant to be the female lead but dropped out. Needham said that Smith was worried about his improvisational style: "I think she was scared to death to be up there against Burt and Dom. I don't want someone on the set that's gonna be that scared. So we went somewhere else". She was replaced by Shirley Maclaine. Frank Sinatra agreed to do a cameo at the suggestion of Davis and Martin. Needham wrote three versions of the script for him, ones where he would either work a week, two days, or a day. He picked the latter. He was paid $30,000 which he donated to charity. It was the first film he had made in three years and the first time he had reunited with Rat Pack members professionally or personally in three years. Needham says he turned up half an hour early and did his scene with minimal fuss. Part of the film was shot near

Tucson Tucson (; ; ) is a city in Pima County, Arizona, United States, and its county seat. It is the second-most populous city in Arizona, behind Phoenix, Arizona, Phoenix, with a population of 542,630 in the 2020 United States census. The Tucson ...

Arizona Arizona is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the nort ...

. To show the momentum of the race, the producers commissioned

Ralph Bakshi Ralph Bakshi (; born October 29, 1938) is a Mandatory Palestine-born American retired animator and filmmaker, known for his fantastical animated films. In the 1970s, he established an alternative to mainstream animation through independent anim ...

to animate a

cartoon A cartoon is a type of visual art that is typically drawn, frequently Animation, animated, in an realism (arts), unrealistic or semi-realistic style. The specific meaning has evolved, but the modern usage usually refers to either: an image or s ...

sequence for the finale.

Reception

Box office

The film opened in Japan on December 17, 1983 and grossed $846,676 from 22 theatres in five cities in its first two days. It went on to be the second-highest-grossing foreign film of 1984 (along with Jackie Chan's '' Project A'' at number three), grossing . In the United States and Canada, after the tenth-highest 1984 opening weekend of , ''Cannonball Run II'' slowed down, becoming the 32nd-most popular 1984 film at the American and Canada box office with a total lifetime gross of , less than half that of the first'' Cannonball Run''. According to one review of the film, ''Cannonball Run II'' still turned a healthy profit, and the reviewer attributed the film's financial success to preselling. The film enjoyed more success overseas. In West Germany (where it was the year's seventh highest-grossing film) and France, the film drew 3,748,167 box-office admissions. The film had a total worldwide gross of .

Critical reception

''Cannonball Run II'' met with even harsher reviews than had its predecessor, with a 12% approval rating on

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...

based on reviews from 17 critics.

Roger Ebert Roger Joseph Ebert ( ; June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013) was an American Film criticism, film critic, film historian, journalist, essayist, screenwriter and author. He wrote for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' from 1967 until his death in 2013. Eber ...

awarded the film one half star out of four, calling it "one of the laziest insults to the intelligence of moviegoers that I can remember. Sheer arrogance made this picture". Ebert's '' At the Movies'' cohost

Gene Siskel Eugene Kal Siskel (January 26, 1946 – February 20, 1999) was an American film critic and journalist for the ''Chicago Tribune'' who co-hosted a movie review television series alongside colleague Roger Ebert. Siskel started writing for the '' ...

was even harsher, awarding it zero stars out of four, referring to it as "worthless" and referring to it as "a total ripoff, a deceptive film that gives movies a bad name" in his ''At the Movies'' review. Siskel named it his least-favorite film that he had seen during his time doing ''At the Movies'' with Ebert- sometimes citing it as the worst movie ever made. He went further in his print review, writing: Both critics expressed bewilderment by Burt Reynolds' career choices, declaring that he was wasting his considerable talent and noting that Reynolds' huge fan base did not like the film (nor the recent '' Stroker Ace'') and would stop going to see his movies if he continued to make such terrible films. Rob Salem of ''

The Toronto Star The ''Toronto Star'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper. It is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation and part of Torstar's Daily News Brands division. The newspaper was establis ...

'' expressed similar sentiments in his review. Kevin Thomas of the ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...

'' wrote that "if you bother to submit yourself to "Cannonball Run II" and happen to go the distance, be sure to stay for the end credits, the funniest part of the picture by far. As they unroll on the left of the screen, we're treated to a series of bloopers showing the stars breaking each other up during shooting, blowing one take after another. Ah. if only this antic humor had been allowed to burst through earlier. From the start it was clear enough that the cast was having a ball, but for the most part the material is so puerile that the film is that familiar instance of the actors having more fun than we are."

Janet Maslin Janet R. Maslin (born August 12, 1949) is an American journalist, who served as a film critic for ''The New York Times'' from 1977 to 1999, serving as chief critic for the last six years, and then a literary critic from 2000 to 2015. In 2000, M ...

of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' called the film "an endless string of cameo performances from a cast whose funny participants are badly outnumbered and whose television roots are unmistakable." Kathleen Carroll of the ''

New York Daily News The ''Daily News'' is an American newspaper based in Jersey City, New Jersey. It was founded in 1919 by Joseph Medill Patterson in New York City as the ''Illustrated Daily News''. It was the first U.S. daily printed in Tabloid (newspaper format ...

'' gave the film only a single star out of a possible four, writing: Rick Lyman of ''

The Philadelphia Inquirer ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'', often referred to simply as ''The Inquirer'', is a daily newspaper headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Founded on June 1, 1829, ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'' is the third-longest continuously operating da ...

'' wrote that "if ''Cannonball Run II'' is more amusing than ''Stroker Ace''—and it is—it's only because you can appreciate its vulgarity in a state of open-mouthed, morbid fascination." The film received negative reviews in Tucson, where it was largely filmed. Robert S. Cauthorn of '' The Arizona Daily Star'' said it "accomplishes the difficult feat of being more obnoxious and mindless than the first; It's as much fun as going to your mechanic for a tuneup and being told that you need an engine overhaul." John Lankford of the ''

Tucson Citizen The ''Tucson Citizen'' was a daily newspaper in Tucson, Arizona. It was founded by Richard C. McCormick with John Wasson as publisher and editor on October 15, 1870, as the ''Arizona Citizen''. When it ceased printing on May 16, 2009, the dail ...

'' praised the location shooting, but remarked that "whatever tiny spark of life that made the first 'Cannonball' work at all is missing in action here. The story is lame, there is no direction, the editing is sloppy . . . I could go on and on with this as you can well imagine. But this horse is already down and out; my puny efforts to finish it off would seem cruel." The film received eight

Golden Raspberry Award The Golden Raspberry Awards (also known as the Razzies and Razzie Awards) is a parody award show honoring the worst of cinematic failures. Co-founded by University of California, Los Angeles, UCLA film graduates and film industry veterans John ...

nominations at the 1984 Golden Raspberry Awards, including Worst Picture, Worst Actor and Worst Actress.

References

External links

* * *
Movie stills
{{portal bar, Film, United States, Hong Kong, Cars, 1980s 1983 films 1983 action comedy films 1980s comedy road movies American comedy road movies American sequel films Hong Kong action comedy films 1980s English-language films American auto racing films Films directed by Hal Needham Warner Bros. films Films shot in Tucson, Arizona Films shot in Connecticut Films shot in Nevada Films shot in California Golden Harvest films 1980s American films English-language action comedy films 1980s Hong Kong films English-language Hong Kong films