Customer Reviews

Big Wheel [VHS]

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This collection will mainly appeal to fans of the genre of late 50's, juvenile delinquent flicks with a bent for fast cars and kids who are just out for kicks.

Mind you, these are not high quality digital remasters or anything like that, but at least the fragile condition of these films is explained in the disc's opening. I can live with that (although I'd gladly pay for pristine copies of any films from this camp...) The worst print of the lot is "Hot Rod Girl", which has what appears to be drop-out lines heavily in the first 10 minutes which are not present in the Goodtimes VHS print. Regardless, I was happy to replace that horrid tape version with this superior DVD edition. The other two films, "The Big Wheel" and "The Fast and the Furious", look fine as can be expected. I can understand the difficulty in obtaining good prints of such old drive-in flicks, but it was very disappointing that neither trailers nor poster art could have been dug up, since I know for a fact they are out there. I have to assume these were put together from 16mm TV prints, so another diappointment is the full-screen format. (sigh)

Usually, these budget compilations are abominable quality and I am happy to say that these are at least watchable and there are no technical distractions. The movies are great and the price is right.

"The Big Wheel" is a must see for all racing fans. This classic story of a son living up to his fathers name and reputation is as relevant today as it was in the Forties.Mickey Rooney gives a fine performance in his own imitable style aided by a strong support cast including Thomas Mitchell, Michael O'shea and Mary Hatcher and starring the legendary Indianapolis Raceway as the backdrop. Even if you aren't a race fan you'll enjoy the classic racing footage that'll have you on the edge of your seat.5 cheers for "The Big Wheel".

The Big Wheel is the best of the 3. Good acting by all the stars & plenty of that edge of your seat exciting auto racing! Bought this disc because of this movie as I like Mickey Rooney and he was very good in this role.

Hot Rod Girl is part drag racing part teanage JD movie. It was interesting to watch. Decent acting by all.

Fast And The Furious is the Roger Corman 1954 original about a man who breaks out of jail then joins a race to Mexico in order to not get caught by the police.

All 3 movies are in black & white and seem to come from 16mm sources. Expect mono sound and some scratches and occasional splices which are very normal for older film prints.

Sound is very good on this DVD but the picture looks slightly soft (like VHS does) due to the compression needed to fit 3 movies on one disc. Still I enjoyed watching this disc and I'm sure you will to if your a racing fan as I am.

I saw The Big Wheel as a kid and remembered that not only was it a good, albeit "simple" Mickey Rooney movie, it was also an interesting movie about vintage car racing. I bought this movie to watch with my 83 year old mother who loves old movies. My fear was that the movie though good in it's time, would not relate to today's standards of high drama. I'll have to admit that the plot was simple, yet enjoyable as a typical Mickey Rooney flic. But what was most fascinating to me was the excellent historical footage of Indy car races during the 1940's. If you think that race car drivers are courageous heroes today, watch this movie. I am a race car fan of all types and can not believe the lack of saftey features during that time. Forget about fire retardant driving suits with gloves etc. These guys wore short sleeve everyday shirts and no gloves. I'm surprised they wore helmets but nothing like todays head gear. What struck me the most was the fact that seatbelts were not even worn. Historical footage of early Indy 500 races showed drivers regularly being thrown out of burning cars. Any car that was headed for the wall either went over it or through it. I wonder how many men died at an average Indy type car race in that era. Footage of spectacular firey crashes were abundant in this film. Even if you are not a Mickey Rooney fan or don't even like old movies, you owe it to yourself to see this film for it's historical content if you are a car racing fan.

The other reviewers focus on this DVD's technical aspects. If you were raised on over-the-air B/W TV, as I was, these films look fine. Hey, you can pause on any frame and there are no "commercial breaks."

This compliation provides many interesting historical insights. Of particular interest are the productions, the cast, and most of all, the cars.

Scene after scene is filled with vintage cars in action. The technical aspects and actors take a "back seat" to the cars. Anyone with an interest in vintage British Sports, Indy, or Hot Rod cars will find this compliation well worth the small price of admission.

I saw this movie when it first came out. The story is the usual formula for racing movies. It is well done in this case. The action scenes are great fun. I recommend this movie to anyone who has an interest in auto racing.

Mickey Rooney has been underused a lot of times in his career. And this film is one of these times. He was short and that was a shortcoming (the right word in this case). So his roles were often innocuous ones in rather insignificant films. He has a face, if not a mug, and it is expressive to the utmost. He even has eyes that are as mobile as two wild birds in a stormy sky. His body, and I mean all his body, every single spot of it, is able to take any stand, stance and position that is meaningful and gives some flesh to his character and to the action. And it never looks overdone. His voice is also interesting though it is hardly worked upon enough. And here he is reduced to a pun. He is small so the wheel is big, the game is big, but he is the game (both meanings) of the director. And he is in the car racing business so the wheel is generally one of a set of four and it is also the big race track of Indianapolis and its 500. The film is essentially the story of a young car driver who climbs to the top, i.e. Indianapolis 500. The rest is wrapping up to give some sense to the film and some feeling to the situation and the action. A father who killed himself in Indianapolis. A mother who is scared out of her mind by the race. A mechanic who was the friend of the dead father, is in love with the mother and finally marries her. The daughter of the sugardaddy of the team looks like a boy and plays mechanic, and of course she falls in love with the poor Bill, Mickey Rooney. And that's about all. Unlucky us who do not get what we deserve : a film with a plot and some thickness. It sickens more than it thickens most of the time.

Dr Jacques COULARDEAU

When you spend 1/3 of your life in the Indianapolis area, you have a special connection with "the track". And for decades when you said "The Race" anywhere in central Indiana there was no question what race you meant. There was no "400", no "Grand Prix", no motorcycles, no whatever else is running on that track now. There were open wheel cars, roaring down the straightaways, sliding through the chutes, pushed by their unharnessed and barely helmeted drivers to their mechanical limits and sometimes beyond, risking everything to claim the right to say "I won the Indianapolis 500!". Sure, it's not the greatest movie ever made, but it is a nice little B&W tip of the hat to "The Race" and the passion the drivers once took to that fabled track. The race footage filmed at the track is evocative of what "The Race" was before technology tamed it. The story isn't much: young man wants to race to prove to himself and to his late father, who was killed in an earlier 500, that he is worthy of his name. (No, I'm not going to tell you whether or not he wins.) Watch it for the race footage, if nothing else.

Did not know what to expect, however enjoyed this movie. Not the top race car movie I've ever seen but not bad either.

I really bought this set of three movies for The Big Wheel. It's got some great footage of dirt track racing from the early 50s. And, the Mickey Rooney wild-kid-bad kid-good kid story is predictable, but fun. The Roger Corman "Fast and Furious" is just achingly awful. The acting and film style make it look like deleted scenes from Dawn of the Dead. Racing? Where? Hot Rod Girl, I'm still working up the courage to hit play. Buy the set -- watch The Big Wheel.