The Gumball Rally - Aug 13, 1976

Looking at movies about illegal cross country road races...

Here's an ad for The Gumball Rally.

Cannonball! - Nov 5, 1976

I'm looking at cross country road race movies this week.

Here's an ad for Cannonball! from 1976. David Carradine plays an ex-con who signs up for an illegal outlaw road race that starts in Santa Monica, CA and ends in a garage in New York City. Along the way he must deal with other outlaw drivers and the mafia who are out to stop him from winning.  Carradine's brother, Robert, also stars in the film.

Notice in the ad that the 55 speed limit sign is used in the middle.  This would be done again in the ad for
The Cannonball Run four years later.

See the trailer:

The Shootist - Sep 10, 1976

This is an ad for The Shootist from 1976. It was John Wayne's final role.  The movie also starred, Lauren Bacall, Jimmy Stewart and a very young Ron Howard.

John Wayne plays an aging gunslinger dying of cancer.  He travels to a small town to live out his final days.  His presence in the town, however, stirs up certain residents, including an idolizing small boy.

See the trailer for The Shootist:

Saint Ives - Sept 3, 1976

This week is Charles Bronson week. I'll look at Bronson movies other than his most famous Death Wish series. Because that's too easy.

Check out this kick ass ad for St. Ives starring Charles Bronson.  What a great tagline: He's clean.  He's mean.  He's the go-between.  This movie was sort of an homage to old Hollywood noir pictures.

Jeff Goldblum and Robert Englund both have bit parts as hoods in this movie. Goldblum also has a bit part as a hood in Bronson's Death Wish.

Here's the trailer:

All the President's Men - April 7, 1976

The Library of Congress National Film Registry announced their 2010 inductees into the film archives.  This week we'll look at ads for 5 of the inductees.

The classic Watergate movie starring Dustin Hoffman and Robert Redford that introduced everyone to a non-porn use for the word "Deep Throat".

Other 2010 Inductees:
1. The Empire Strikes Back.
2. Airplane!
3. Saturday Night Fever

Marathon Man - December 18, 1976

Continuing the celebration of running my first marathon by looking at movies about running, today's entry is the classic thriller Marathon Man starring Dustin Hoffman and Sir Lawrence Olivier.

Hoffman plays a graduate student who sees his brother murdered and is chased down by former Nazi dentist Szell (Olivier) who mistakenly believes Hoffman knows the whereabouts of some smuggled diamonds.

While not specifically about running, Dustin Hoffman's character is, in fact, a marathon runner in the movie.

Other running movies:
Running
Chariots of Fire