The Cannonball Run (1981): 20 Weird Facts You Didn't Know!

Directed by Hal Needham and led by Burt Reynolds at the height of his box office power, The Cannonball Run wasn't just based on a real race—it was shaped by the people who actually ran it. What followed was a production defined by improvisation, last-minute fixes, and moments that should have never made it to camera. But they did—and the film became a surprise hit.

Here are 20 behind-the-scenes facts about The Cannonball Run—including the original race that inspired it, the actors who didn't know what they signed up for, and the forgotten sequel most fans still haven't heard of.

1. The Movie Was Based on a Real Illegal Race

In 1971, journalist Brock Yates and racing legend Dan Gurney drove a Dodge van from New York to Los Angeles in 35 hours and 54 minutes. It wasn't a stunt—it was a protest. Yates created the Cannonball Baker Sea-to-Shining-Sea Memorial Trophy Dash as a response to federal speed limits and growing traffic regulations. The race was real, unsanctioned, and deliberately reckless. Five races took place before Yates turned it into a screenplay.

2. Brock Yates Had Already Lived the Movie

Yates didn't just write the film—he lived it. He appears in the opening as a race official, but in 1971, he ran the real Cannonball in that same Dodge ambulance featured in the movie. His wife rode in the back. A fake medical team sat up front. The plan: cross state lines without getting pulled over. When production began, Yates wasn't creating fiction. He was recreating what had already happened.

3. Burt Reynolds Regretted It—But Took the Paycheck

In 1980, Reynolds was the biggest box office star in the country. He didn't need another car movie, but Hal Needham was a friend and the money was enormous. Reynolds later said it was one of the worst decisions of his career. He barely read the script, didn't rehearse, and treated the shoot like a vacation. Still, the film was a hit. "Sometimes chaos wins," he said. Even if the final cut embarrassed him.

4. Farrah Fawcett Didn't Know It Was a Comedy

Fawcett signed on thinking the film was an action-romance. She prepped accordingly—studying lines, planning costumes, and asking about emotional beats. Then she arrived on set and saw Dean Martin dressed as a drunk priest. She didn't realize it was a broad comedy until the premiere, when the audience erupted in laughter at scenes she'd played straight.

5. The Ambulance Wasn't a Prop—It Was the Original

The Dodge ambulance in the film isn't a replica. It's the actual vehicle Yates and Needham drove during a real Cannonball run in 1979. The ambulance had been used to evade police, complete with fake patients and forged documents. It broke down in Palm Springs, was hauled away on a flatbed, and later refurbished for the movie. What looked like a gag on screen was the same machine used to break the law.

6. Sammy Davis Jr. Was a Last-Minute Replacement

The role of Fenderbaum was originally written for Don Rickles. He accepted, was cast, and then abruptly pulled out. Reports vary—some say scheduling, others cite creative disagreements. Producers scrambled and brought in Sammy Davis Jr., who reworked the part with Dean Martin. The character became a foul-mouthed, gambling priest, and Davis brought more energy and unpredictability than the original script allowed.

7. Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr. Were Often Drunk on Set

Neither took the production seriously. Martin and Davis regularly showed up late, improvised their dialogue, and drank throughout filming. At one point, Davis slurred an entire prayer so badly the audio had to be re-recorded. Needham let it happen. He figured their on-screen chemistry—however unstructured—wasn't something he could direct into existence.

8. Roger Moore Played a Version of James Bond—For the Last Time

Moore's character, Seymour Goldfarb Jr., is a direct parody of James Bond. He drives an Aston Martin, wears a tux, and introduces himself with the same cadence. The Bond producers weren't happy. While they couldn't stop Moore from spoofing the role, they later added contractual clauses barring future 007 actors from doing the same. The Cannonball Run became the last time a real Bond actor parodied the character onscreen.

9. A Stuntwoman Was Paralyzed During Production

Stuntwoman Heidi von Beltz was riding in an Aston Martin during a staged crash when the car hit a truck. Her seatbelt hadn't been installed. She survived but was left permanently paralyzed. The incident led to major lawsuits and pushed the Directors Guild to tighten stunt safety protocols. From that point on, changing stunt plans on set was banned, and seatbelt requirements became mandatory for all stunt vehicles.

10. Jackie Chan Treated It Like a Demo Reel

Chan appears in only a handful of scenes, but used them to showcase his stunt work—flipping off walls, diving through windows, and performing his own fight choreography. Some of it didn't make the final cut, reportedly because editors felt it was too intense for a comedy. But even in small doses, those sequences introduced Chan to American audiences and laid the groundwork for his later success in U.S. action films.

11. There Was No Final Script

Scenes were rewritten daily. Dialogue was improvised. Some actors didn't know what they were filming until they showed up. Hal Needham directed like a live stunt show—fast, reactive, and loose. Farrah Fawcett later said she never saw a full script. Dom DeLuise admitted most of his lines were made up. Dean Martin rarely followed anything on the page. What stuck was whatever made the crew laugh.

12. The Blooper Reel Started a Trend

Instead of rolling credits and fading out, the film ends with a blooper reel—missed cues, ruined takes, actors breaking character. It became one of the film's most iconic features. Jackie Chan was so inspired by it, he adopted the blooper reel as a permanent fixture in his own films, starting with Dragon Lord in 1982. For audiences, it felt like part of the movie. For Chan, it became part of his brand.

13. That Jet Landing Was Real

The scene where a Learjet lands on a narrow road wasn't a miniature or optical effect. It was a real jet, flown under FAA radar, with no permits and no safety margin. They did it in one take. When federal authorities found out, the production was investigated. No charges were filed, but warnings were issued. Needham reportedly smoothed it over with charm and excuses. The footage stayed in the film.

14. Jackie Chan Was Misidentified in the Credits

Chan made his American debut in The Cannonball Run, but was credited as playing a Japanese character. He was Chinese, and he didn't take it lightly. He later said the mislabeling wasn't just careless—it was disrespectful. Still, he delivered, performing all his stunts and maximizing limited screen time. But behind the scenes, it fueled his determination to one day make films on his own terms.

15. Real Police Responded to a Fake Chase

During a staged shootout in downtown Las Vegas, the crew filmed a car chase without notifying local law enforcement. Real officers saw the scene, didn't know it was for a movie, and responded in force. The actors froze, the crew scattered, and the shoot was shut down mid-take. No arrests were made, but the production was warned not to attempt anything like it again. Needham kept rolling the next day.

16. Dom DeLuise Couldn't Get Through a Scene Without Laughing

As Captain Chaos, DeLuise was supposed to play the comic sidekick. Instead, he became the film's emotional center—by accident. He broke character constantly, laughed through his own dialogue, and collapsed mid-line more than once. Needham left most of it in. Reynolds, often sitting next to him, just stared in disbelief. What wasn't usable as acting ended up in the final cut anyway.

17. The Film Inspired the Arcade Game OutRun

In 1986, Japanese game designer Yu Suzuki watched The Cannonball Run and used it as inspiration for the racing game OutRun. The game didn't follow the plot or characters, but it captured the feeling—sunlight, speed, the open road, and a red Ferrari flying across impossible highways. OutRun became one of the most influential driving games of the decade. Its roots traced back to this movie.

18. Burt Reynolds' Stunt Double Appears in the Film

In one scene, a police officer pulls over a Lamborghini. Look closely—it's not Reynolds, it's Roy Tatum, his longtime stunt double. Tatum looked so much like Reynolds that the crew often got them confused. At one point, a producer gave him a full set of notes, thinking he was the star. Tatum just nodded and let him finish.

19. Hal Needham Put His Own Ferrari in the Film

The Ferrari 308 GTS driven by Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr. wasn't rented. It was Needham's personal car. A real stuntman's ride—fast, tuned, and uninsurable for what they were doing with it. He handed over the keys, told the actors not to wreck it, and filmed scenes that came inches from disaster. There was no backup. If the car got totaled, it was gone. He used it anyway.

20. The Sequel Was Greenlit Before the First Movie Wrapped

Producers were confident early. Dailies were strong. Test audiences were laughing. Executives were already planning a follow-up before the original was finished. Cannonball Run II was rushed into development. Scripts weren't locked, scenes weren't edited, but none of it mattered. The studio had a cast, a title, and momentum—and that was enough.