The Big Wheel (film)

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The Big Wheel
Directed by	Edward Ludwig
Produced by	Mort Briskin Samuel H. Stiefel
Written by	Robert Smith
Starring	Mickey Rooney Thomas Mitchell Mary Hatcher Spring Byington Hattie McDaniel Kippee Valez
Music by	Gerard Carbonara Nat W. Finston Kermit Goell John Leipold Fred Spielman
Cinematography	Ernest Laszlo
Distributed by	United Artists
Release date(s)	1949
Running time	92 min.
Language	English
IMDb profile

The Big Wheel is a 1949 film starring Mickey Rooney and Thomas Mitchell. Rooney plays a young son determined to follow in his father's footsteps as a race car driver. Despite the fact that his father, "Cannonball" Coy, was killed in a fiery crash during a race at Indianapolis, his son Billy Coy (Rooney) is undaunted and manages to work his way up from race mechanic to top driver. The story follows him through the ups and downs of the racing life, from nightclub shenanigans to dragout brawls, with hairpin turns on the track in between. All the while the adoration of a racecar owner's daughter (Mary Hatcher) and the love of his mother (Spring Byington) sees Billy through his many trials. The film also features Hattie McDaniel.

[edit] Cast

Mickey Rooney ... Billy Coy
Thomas Mitchell ... Arthur 'Red' Stanley
Mary Hatcher ... Louise Riley
Michael O'Shea ... Vic Sullivan
Spring Byington ... Mary Coy
Hattie McDaniel ... Minnie
Steve Brodie ... Happy Lee
Lina Romay ... Dolores Raymond
Allen Jenkins ... George
Richard Lane ... Reno Riley (billed as Dick Lane)

[edit] References

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