''Once Upon a Wheel'' is a 1971
ABC
ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet.
ABC or abc may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting
* American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster
** Disney–ABC Television ...
television documentary on the history of auto racing. It was hosted by
Paul Newman and was directed and produced by
David Winters. The production house behind it was Winters/Rosen and the project was sponsored by
Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. Originally marketed as a temperance drink and intended as a patent medicine, it was invented in the late 19th century by John Stith Pemberton in Atlant ...
. It includes interviews with racers
Al Unser
Alfred Unser (May 29, 1939 – December 9, 2021) was an American automobile racing driver, the younger brother of fellow racing drivers Jerry and Bobby Unser, and father of Al Unser Jr. He was the second of four men ( A. J. Foyt, himself, Rick ...
,
Jackie Oliver
Keith Jack "Jackie" Oliver (born 14 August 1942 in Chadwell Heath, Essex) is a British former Formula One driver and team-owner from England. He became known as the founder of the Arrows team as well as a racing driver, although during his d ...
,
Richard Petty,
Stirling Moss,
Mario Andretti
Mario Gabriele Andretti (born February 28, 1940) is an Italian-born American former racing driver. One of the most successful drivers in the history of motorsports, Andretti is one of only two drivers to have won races in Formula One, IndyCar, t ...
,
John Surtees
John Surtees, (11 February 1934 – 10 March 2017) was a British Grand Prix motorcycle road racer and Formula One driver. On his way to become a seven-time Grand Prix motorcycle World Champion, he won his first title in 1956, and followed with ...
,
LeeRoy Yarbrough
Lonnie "LeeRoy" Yarbrough (September 17, 1938 – December 7, 1984) was an American stock car racer. His best season was 1969 when he won seven races, tallied 21 finishes in the top-ten and earned $193,211 ($ when inflation is taken into account ...
and others. It also includes celebrity cameos by
Kirk Douglas,
Stephen Boyd
Stephen Boyd (born William Millar; 4 July 1931 – 2 June 1977) was a Northern Irish actor. He appeared in some 60 films, most notably as the villainous Messala in '' Ben-Hur'' (1959), a role that earned him the Golden Globe Award for Bes ...
,
Dean Martin,
Dick Smothers
Richard Remick Smothers (born November 20, 1938) is an American actor, comedian, composer, and musician. He was half of the musical comedy team the Smothers Brothers, with his older brother Tom.
Life and career
Smothers was born in New York Ci ...
,
Pancho Gonzales
Ricardo Alonso "Pancho" González (May 9, 1928 – July 3, 1995), known sometimes as Richard Gonzales, was an American tennis player. He won 15 major singles titles, including two U.S. National Singles Championships in 1948 and 1949, and 13 P ...
and more.
The documentary is split into four sections: "The Men", "The Machine", "The Spectator" and "The Race". "The Men" is about the motivation and characteristics needed to participate in races. "The Machine" covers the speed needed to service a car during a race, and the history of the automobile. "The Spectator" examines the experiences of a regular spectator, the wives while their husbands are racing, and Newman going from spectator to racer. "The Race" starts with the human nature of the sport, and ends with conversations with champions and the competitions they aim to win.
The project was produced by Winters/Rosen. Initially, Newman turned it down because he didn't want to do television, but he accepted once Winters explained his vision. It then became a passion project for Newman, and it marked his first time starring in a television project. Though the film was aired on television in the United States, Newman suggested to Winters to add some footage and release it theatrically internationally.
Upon its release, the film generally received good reviews for its directing, pace, photography, music, and human interest stories.
Summary
The film is divided into four segments: "The Men", "The Machine", "The Spectator" and "The Race".
"The Men" segment begins with Paul Newman driving a race car and narrating his relationship with the sport. He explains that a race track is similar to a theater, with an audience, an array of situations from tragedy to comedy, as well as heroes and villains. It cuts to various clips of race car drivers
Al Unser
Alfred Unser (May 29, 1939 – December 9, 2021) was an American automobile racing driver, the younger brother of fellow racing drivers Jerry and Bobby Unser, and father of Al Unser Jr. He was the second of four men ( A. J. Foyt, himself, Rick ...
,
Jackie Oliver
Keith Jack "Jackie" Oliver (born 14 August 1942 in Chadwell Heath, Essex) is a British former Formula One driver and team-owner from England. He became known as the founder of the Arrows team as well as a racing driver, although during his d ...
,
Richard Petty,
Stirling Moss,
Mario Andretti
Mario Gabriele Andretti (born February 28, 1940) is an Italian-born American former racing driver. One of the most successful drivers in the history of motorsports, Andretti is one of only two drivers to have won races in Formula One, IndyCar, t ...
,
John Surtees
John Surtees, (11 February 1934 – 10 March 2017) was a British Grand Prix motorcycle road racer and Formula One driver. On his way to become a seven-time Grand Prix motorcycle World Champion, he won his first title in 1956, and followed with ...
,
LeeRoy Yarbrough
Lonnie "LeeRoy" Yarbrough (September 17, 1938 – December 7, 1984) was an American stock car racer. His best season was 1969 when he won seven races, tallied 21 finishes in the top-ten and earned $193,211 ($ when inflation is taken into account ...
,
Denny Hulme
Denis Clive Hulme (18 June 1936 – 4 October 1992), commonly known as Denny Hulme, was a New Zealand racing driver who won the Formula One World Drivers' Championship for the Brabham team. Between his debut at Monaco in 1965 and his f ...
,
Bobby Allison
Robert Arthur Allison (born December 3, 1937) is a former American professional stock car racing driver and owner. Allison was the founder of the Alabama Gang, a group of drivers based in Hueytown, Alabama, where there were abundant short tracks ...
,
Pedro Rodríguez and
Bobby Isaac
Robert Vance Isaac (August 1, 1932 – August 14, 1977) was an American stock car racing driver. Isaac made his first NASCAR appearance in 1961, and quickly forged a reputation of one of the toughest competitors of the 1960s and 1970s. He was most ...
. They explain their motivation and the qualities needed to excel at the sport.
After covering the champions, Newman talks about racers who never win but always come back to race. Racer Butch Sheer, for example, works in junkyard, has a wife and children, races every weekend in order to fulfill his dream of being in the upper echelons of racing.
In the second part, "The Machine", Newman explains the necessity of speed in the service pit during a race, explaining that even a minute can be too long in certain circumstances.
Newman continues the segment with the history of the automobile, comparing modern cars with those from the early days, and he points to the subsequent generation that had the bug to drive. Despite sometimes being an object of mockery in cinema, automobiles moved to mass production, and many people wanted to modify them for racing. The segment ends with presenting the
land speed record
The land speed record (or absolute land speed record) is the highest speed achieved by a person using a vehicle on land. There is no single body for validation and regulation; in practice the Category C ("Special Vehicles") flying start regula ...
from the oldest to the newest.
The third segment, "The Spectator", starts with Newman explaining various racing events that millions of spectators attend. He explains that even spectators can be tired at the end of a race, but they are still sad to leave the arena where all the drama took place. A spectator may also wish to drive, which is made possible at the Ontario Motor Speedway, where the Celebrity Pro-Am Race for charity takes place. Famous attendees included
Wilt Chamberlain
Wilton Norman Chamberlain (; August 21, 1936 – October 12, 1999) was an American professional basketball player who played as a center. Standing at tall, he played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for 14 years and is widely reg ...
,
Pete Conrad
Charles "Pete" Conrad Jr. (June 2, 1930 – July 8, 1999) was an American NASA astronaut, aeronautical engineer, naval officer and aviator, and test pilot, and commanded the Apollo 12 space mission, on which he became the third person to ...
,
Hugh Downs
Hugh Malcolm Downs (February 14, 1921July 1, 2020) was an American radio and television broadcaster, announcer and programmer; television host; news anchor; TV producer; author; game show host; talk show sidekick; and music composer. A regular t ...
,
Ken Venturi
Kenneth Paul Venturi (May 15, 1931May 17, 2013) was an American professional golfer and golf broadcaster. In a career shortened by injuries, he won 14 events on the PGA Tour including a major, the U.S. Open in 1964. Shortly before his death in 20 ...
,
Dean Martin,
Dick Smothers
Richard Remick Smothers (born November 20, 1938) is an American actor, comedian, composer, and musician. He was half of the musical comedy team the Smothers Brothers, with his older brother Tom.
Life and career
Smothers was born in New York Ci ...
,
Pancho Gonzales
Ricardo Alonso "Pancho" González (May 9, 1928 – July 3, 1995), known sometimes as Richard Gonzales, was an American tennis player. He won 15 major singles titles, including two U.S. National Singles Championships in 1948 and 1949, and 13 P ...
,
Arte Johnson
Arthur Stanton Eric Johnson (January 20, 1929 – July 3, 2019) was an American comic actor 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, 1929, i ...
,
Kirk Douglas,
Stephen Boyd
Stephen Boyd (born William Millar; 4 July 1931 – 2 June 1977) was a Northern Irish actor. He appeared in some 60 films, most notably as the villainous Messala in '' Ben-Hur'' (1959), a role that earned him the Golden Globe Award for Bes ...
,
Glenn Ford
Gwyllyn Samuel Newton "Glenn" Ford (May 1, 1916 – August 30, 2006) was a Canadian-American actor who often portrayed ordinary men in unusual circumstances. Ford was most prominent during Hollywood's Golden Age as one of the biggest box-offi ...
,
Gail Fisher
Gail Fisher (August 18, 1935 – December 2, 2000) was an American actress who was one of the first black women to play substantive roles in American television. She was best known for playing the role of secretary Peggy Fair on the television de ...
,
Chuck Connors
Kevin Joseph Aloysius "Chuck" Connors (April 10, 1921 – November 10, 1992) was an American actor, writer, and professional basketball and baseball player. He is one of only 13 athletes in the history of American professional sports to have p ...
,
Don DeFore
Donald John DeFore (August 25, 1913 – December 22, 1993) was an American actor. He is best known for his roles in the sitcom ''The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet'' from 1952 to 1957 and the sitcom ''Hazel'' from 1961 to 1965, the former of w ...
and
Chad Everett.
Newman talks with wives of the racers, who tell about the anxieties they face when their husbands are racing at such high speeds.
The final segment, "The Race", begins with Newman talking about the human nature behind the concept race. He then explains that competitiveness starts very young, and that car racing often starts with kids at the soapbox derby. Interviews with racing champions convey the emotions they go through while racing and pursuing the championships.
Production
The documentary, hosted and narrated by
Paul Newman, was made by the production house Winters/Rosen, with
David Winters directing and producing.
Winters explained that the project came about when his production company Winters/Rosen had financial difficulties, and if the company didn't come up with $100,000, it would go bankrupt. At the time, Winters had been invited to a celebrity race car event that Newman, with whom he had a friendship, was also attending. Winters suggested the idea of making a racing special to his partner Burt Rosen, to which Rosen replied that if he had Paul Newman's name on it, he could pitch it to
Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. Originally marketed as a temperance drink and intended as a patent medicine, it was invented in the late 19th century by John Stith Pemberton in Atlant ...
as a sponsor. With footage that Winters shot at the event, he got Newman's name on a release form for that specific event. To much of his frustration, Rosen went on to pitch the project with Newman as the star, not a cameo. So it was left to Winters to convince Newman, who had publicly stated prior disinterest in television. A meeting was organized, but Newman initially turned down the project because it was for TV. Winters, who studied car racing, decided to give Newman the book he used, which Newman read and adored. This allowed Winters to detail how the project was envisioned, and Newman accepted.
One of the arguments that helped to convince Newman to take part in the project, was explaining that it "wouldn't be just shots of cars zooming around the tracks."
The project marked Newman's return to television after a decade-long absence, and his first time as the host of a program.
![Paul Newman Once Upon a Wheel 1971](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/12/Paul_Newman_Once_Upon_a_Wheel_1971.JPG)
Newman, a race car enthusiast, said, "The show gives me a chance to get close to a sport I'm crazy about, I love to test a car on my own, to see what I can do, but racing with 25 other guys is a whole different thing. There are so many variables, the skill demanded is tremendous."
Racecar driver
Bob Bondurant
Robert L. Bondurant (April 27, 1933 – November 12, 2021) was an American racecar driver who raced for the Shelby American, Ferrari, and Eagle teams. Bondurant was one of the most famous drivers to emerge from the Southern California road rac ...
, Newman's instructor who appears in the film, explained that ''Once Upon a Wheel'' was a passion project for Newman "because he wanted to learn how to drive", and that he refused projects that would have paid him a much larger salary.
During post-production, Winters said that Newman, who liked what he saw, gave him the idea to add some additional footage to sell it as a theatrical film worldwide.
The soundtrack includes songs by
Cher,
Kenny Rogers and The First Edition
Kenny Rogers and the First Edition, until 1970 billed as The First Edition, were an American rock band. The band's style was difficult to singularly classify, as it incorporated elements of country, rock and psychedelic pop. Its stalwart memb ...
,
The Association
The Association is an American sunshine pop band from California. During the late 1960s, the band had numerous hits at or near the top of the ''Billboard'' charts (including " Windy", " Cherish", " Never My Love" and "Along Comes Mary") and ...
,
Arlo Guthrie
Arlo Davy Guthrie (born July 10, 1947) is an American folk singer-songwriter. He is known for singing songs of protest against social injustice, and storytelling while performing songs, following the tradition of his father, Woody Guthrie. Gu ...
, Fresh Air,
Wilson Pickett
Wilson Pickett (March 18, 1941 – January 19, 2006) was an American singer and songwriter.
A major figure in the development of soul music, Pickett recorded over 50 songs which made the US R&B charts, many of which crossed over to the ''Bill ...
,
Neil Young
Neil Percival Young (born November 12, 1945) is a Canadian-American singer and songwriter. After embarking on a music career in Winnipeg in the 1960s, Young moved to Los Angeles, joining Buffalo Springfield with Stephen Stills, Richie Fur ...
, and
James Taylor
James Vernon Taylor (born March 12, 1948) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. A six-time Grammy Award winner, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000. He is one of the best-selling music artists of all time, havi ...
.
The race tracks locations used were in
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 ...
,
Ohio
Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...
,
North Carolina
North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and ...
,
Indiana
Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...
,
Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
,
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
,
Mexico
Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
,
Austria
Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
,
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
, and
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
.
Winters also explained that Coca-Cola wanted to do a giant ad campaign with Newman, which Rosen accepted without his or Newman's knowledge. So he had to explain this to Newman, who collaborated without making a fuss.
Newman appeared in magazine ads wearing a Coke racing jacket. Viewers could order special collectibles related to the show:
8-track cartridges or
cassette tapes of music from the show, a cooler that held Cokes and ice, a jacket similar to Newman's and racing jacket style patches.
Reception
Ben Gross of the
''Daily News'' said that the documentary "provided action plus human interest", and that it delivered, presenting the "excitement, glamor, glowing exhilaration and dark despondency" of the race car world. He felt that the most interesting aspects were related to the human elements, such as "the personal lives, the hopes, the triumphs, and disappointment of the pro drivers".
In her ''
Pottsville Republican
The ''Republican Herald'' is a daily newspaper serving Pottsville, Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania. The newspaper is owned by Times-Shamrock Communications.
History
The ''Republican-Herald'' was founded in 1884 as ''The Daily Republican'' by ...
'' review, Cynthia Lowry called it a "successful effort". She noticed the use of slow motion to show the franticness of changing a tire mid-race, and the way they edited the shots of cars crashing to look like a ballet. At times she found the music obstructive, but overall the documentary held her attention.
In his syndicated review published in
''The Miami Herald'',
Jack Anderson, who didn't like the sport of car racing, expressed a better understanding of it. He praised the photography, the locations and the various studies it presents. He said that "auto racing can be exciting, and Newman and the ABC cameraman conveyed this excitement very well".
Harry Harris of the
''The Philadelphia Inquirer'' found it to be fast-moving but haphazard. His overall consensus was that it is "absorbing and exciting even for non fastness fan".
Jerry Bishop of the
''Longview Daily News'' despised it. He felt it was racing trivia mixed with messy editing, instead of the spectacle promised with the story of car racing. He said "it was incomplete, inaccurate and inconclusive".
Jerry Coffey, in his
''Fort Worth Star-Telegram'' review, found it too random and superficial, but praised the photography and music.
Tom Hopkins of
''Dayton Daily News'' opined that the show started slowly, and that the segment about the losing racer was hokey, but that it moved very well afterwards. He added that "the photography was imaginative and a rock music background gave the program an unusual quality".
Jerry Greene of
''Florida Today'' said that the portrait of the racer who keeps losing was the strongest part of the film, and that it came too early and took away from the rest that was still first-rate. His consensus was that ''Once Upon a Wheel'' is "probably the most poignant and fascinating presentation on auto-racing that has appeared on television".
Dwight Newton of the ''
San Francisco Examiner'' said that ''Once Upon a Wheel'' is "compiled with old film clips, latter day outtakes, fascinating new material and excellent background music". He went on to praise the syncopation of the black-and-white archival footage used in the film.
Rick Dubrow, in his review published in ''
The Windsor Star
The ''Windsor Star'' is a daily newspaper based in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. Owned by Postmedia Network, it is published Tuesdays through Saturdays.
History
The paper began as the weekly ''Windsor Record'' in 1888, changing its name to the ''Bo ...
'', found ''Once Upon a Wheel'' to be entertaining, and said that director "Winters always manage to lot of handsome visual image on the home screen". He also felt that the music elevated the racing scenes.
See also
*
List of American films of 1971
A ''list'' is any set of items in a row. List or lists may also refer to:
People
* List (surname)
Organizations
* List College, an undergraduate division of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America
* SC Germania List, German rugby unio ...
References
Works cited
* Winters, David (2018). ''Tough guys do dance''. Pensacola, Florida: Indigo River Publishing. .
External links
Overviewon
New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
Website
*
{{David Winters
Motorsport in the United States
1970s American television specials
American Broadcasting Company television specials
American documentary television films
Promotional campaigns by Coca-Cola
American auto racing films
Documentary films about auto racing
1971 films
1971 television specials
1971 in American television
Films directed by David Winters
1970s American films