The Great Race1965
The Great Race (1965)
The Great Race Photos
Movie Info
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Cast
as The Great Leslie
as Prof. Fate
as Maggie DuBois
as Max
as Henry Goodbody
as Hezekiah
as Hester Goodbody
as Lily Olay
as Texas Jack
as Baron Rolfe Von Stuppe
as Gen. Kuhster
as Frisbee
as Mayor of Boracho
as Sheriff

as Baron's Guard

as Baron's Guard

as Chairman

as Man

as Woman in Tobelsk

as Woman in Western Scene

as Woman in Western Scene

as Soldier

as Soldier
as Russian

as Extra

as Vice Chairman
as Employee

as Starter

as M.C.

as Man
as Freight Agent

as Conductor

as Policeman

as Man in Bear Suit

as Prison Guard

as Baker

as Baker
Critic Reviews for The Great Race
All Critics (24) | Top Critics (4) | Fresh (18) | Rotten (6) | DVD (2)
Perfect family movie is fun from beginning to end.
Lemmon plays it dirty throughout and for huge effect. Curtis underplays for equally comic effect. Wood comes through on a par with the two male stars.
It's highly inventive, self-conscious camp, made in 1965, well before the genre wore itself out in superciliousness.
Here is a slapstick omnibus, spilling over with all the humor, sentiment and visual gags spawned during the adolescence of the flickers, a nostalgic Technicolored resume of yesteryear's screen fare.
A monumentally epic disaster...
Comedy masterpiece, and one of the few films to look at votes for women.
Audience Reviews for The Great Race
The film does drag on somewhat slowly, it makes up for it for one lone reason and one lone reason only, JACK LEMMON AS PROFESSOR FATE!!! He is so damn funny to watch, and I think the comedy on how he acts comes from the Looney Tunes, particularly Daffy Duck, who I am inspired by quite a bit as well, and it really works with the comedy on this character, and is hysterical. The only thing I disliked about this film was Tony Curtis, mainly because how wooden he acts in this film, but I think it was intentional, I think he was trying to just act like that because he is just a stereotypical attractive dude that is just a character with no attitude or emotion., But Jack Lemmon works off of him so hysterically well, and he is someone who you just want to actually see win and not Tony Curtis.

Super Reviewer
The fun of this tribute (of sorts) to the old silent films is watching the cast simply live it up. Curtis gets to hero it, Wood gets to sexy all American girl it, and Lemmon and the recently deceased Falk get to revel as the very bad guy and his untrustworthy assistant it. Plenty of shining moments by supporting actors in what is without a doubt one deliberately silly film, yes, but fun.
Super Reviewer
I didn't know it was a kids movie when I started, but I really, really liked it. Why? Because Jack Lemmon is a comic genius and made me crack up more than I was ever expecting. Parallel only to the ever charming Natalie Woods and the oddly suave Tony Curtis. It was a bit long, but the comedy and hijinks were so crazy that I didn't mind it! This is something that if I ever had kids, would have them watch. Loved it. And I would totally watch this again. Oh, and greatest pie fight EVER.

Super Reviewer
The Great Race Quotes
The Great Leslie: | Are you a native of Boracho? |
Lily Olay: | I ain't no native I was born here! |
Lily Olay: | I ain't no native. I was born here! |
Max: | Here comes the marines! |
Maggie DuBois: | Max, you little rat! I'll get you for this! |
Prof. Fate: | She's his Achilles heel, she's our ace in the hole - she must not be left behind! |