Young women becomes a race car driver in order to carry on the family tradition, and to promote the cars her father makes. Returning from Europe to the United States she gets involved romantically and professionally with an American racer. The romance and the off the track stuff is less compelling than the racing footage which seems to fill this movie from stem to stern. To me the off track stuff seemed to be an after thought to all of the racing footage there is (I kind of wish this had been a racing documentary). Most amazing to me is the way that footage with the actors has been integrated in with the race stuff. Its so well done that I was hard pressed to figure out what was real and what was made up. As a drama the film is just okay. Its not bad, its just that its choppy. The reason to see this film is the racing which is choice .Early on you see Monaco and Donnington Park in Europe and in the US races we see crashes and just good racing. There is also some footage of pit stops which are unlike what you see in either Grand Prix racing or NASCAR. A must see if you like racing, less imperative if you don't like it
5 Reviews
PRC At Work
boblipton24 January 2022
Virginia Vale has been tearing up the roads in European race-car driving, despite the slighting comments of the men. She goes through the same thing when she returns to the US to join the circuit, particularly by swell-headed Robert Kent, who's just about as good as he thinks. He's invented a carburetor which he and Barney Oldfield are trying to get into commercial production.
Oldfield gets about ten minutes of screen time, and the rest of the story gets about twenty. Half of this film is shots from actual car-racing events, shot wild, pulled from the newsreels with some sounds of engines, screeching tires, and crowd noises added by sound man Ben Winkler. Vince Barnett adds some weak comic relief as a member of Kent's pit crew who holds up slates marked with the number of laps to go. William Beaudine directs, but adds little to production except, undoubtedly, some efficiency in the shoot.
Oldfield gets about ten minutes of screen time, and the rest of the story gets about twenty. Half of this film is shots from actual car-racing events, shot wild, pulled from the newsreels with some sounds of engines, screeching tires, and crowd noises added by sound man Ben Winkler. Vince Barnett adds some weak comic relief as a member of Kent's pit crew who holds up slates marked with the number of laps to go. William Beaudine directs, but adds little to production except, undoubtedly, some efficiency in the shoot.
Anything she can do, he'll try to do faster!
mark.waltz6 July 2015
Warning: Spoilers
The first professional racing car driver goes up against an arrogant macho race car driver, and sparks fly, both romantically and on the road. Tons of racing stock footage pads out this "one shot" William Beaudine directed poverty row action thriller which, added with some (very little) newly filmed plot scenes, makes for an acceptable, if not totally memorable, second feature. Virginia Vale is perky, feisty and determined as the title character, with Robert Kent adding equal determination as he tries to take her down a notch yet still smother her with kisses. Comedy is added through both of their assistants, hers an earthy Swedish immigrant named "Yenny Yorgenson" (Diana Hughes), and his a balding Walter Brennan type named Curly (Vince Barnett). The best scenes of the newly made film involves Vale's attempts to get through the deliberate blockade Kent has set up so he can practice his own racing (with Barnett standing by), and later when they first encounter each other and romance ensues between Hughes and Barnett over the purchase of some soda pop. It's pretty obvious what is stock footage and what is plot footage (part of the stock footage is used to narrate what happened at the previous year's top race), but skillfully blended together, it comes out a fairly enjoyable match.
Pretty much what you'd expect from a PRC production
planktonrules12 May 2021
PRC was among the cheapest and worst studios of its era. Even for the so-called 'Poverty Row' studios of the day, PRC's movies were lousy. Of course, there are a few exceptions, but most of their movies starred third-rate actors, had cheap scripts and were among the lowest of budgets. "Blonde Comet" is generally what you'd expect from the studio.
The film is about half story and half using stock footage of various car races in order to save money. The story, for what it is, involves an amazingly good female race car driver and a sexist driver who she's fallen for...though you have no reason to understand why. She's at least his equal in ability but he insists that if they ever marry, she'll have to give up racing...and probably remain barefoot, pregnant and chained in the kitchen! It's all very antiquated...and the overall message seems to be that YES a woman should subvert all of her skills and ambitions to catch the man!
So is there anything I liked about the film? Yes. Vince Barnett was much better than usual in a supporting role. He was cute and enjoyable...and not the dopey type guy he usually played. I also liked seeing Barney Oldfield playing a supporting character, as Oldfield was a massively talented race car driver way back in the earliest days of racing. But apart from that, the script seemed sexist even for 1941 and would most likely make many women's heads explode if they watch it today. Add to that the overuse of stock footage and you have a film that is easy to skip.
The film is about half story and half using stock footage of various car races in order to save money. The story, for what it is, involves an amazingly good female race car driver and a sexist driver who she's fallen for...though you have no reason to understand why. She's at least his equal in ability but he insists that if they ever marry, she'll have to give up racing...and probably remain barefoot, pregnant and chained in the kitchen! It's all very antiquated...and the overall message seems to be that YES a woman should subvert all of her skills and ambitions to catch the man!
So is there anything I liked about the film? Yes. Vince Barnett was much better than usual in a supporting role. He was cute and enjoyable...and not the dopey type guy he usually played. I also liked seeing Barney Oldfield playing a supporting character, as Oldfield was a massively talented race car driver way back in the earliest days of racing. But apart from that, the script seemed sexist even for 1941 and would most likely make many women's heads explode if they watch it today. Add to that the overuse of stock footage and you have a film that is easy to skip.
Enjoyable car race drama
Woodyanders9 October 2015
Warning: Spoilers
Spunky female champion race car driver Beverly Blake (winningly played by the pretty Virginia Vale) returns to the United States to participate in various major American races after fairing well in assorted big race events in Europe. Back in America Beverly strikes up a romance with gruff rival Jim Flynn (a solid performance by Robert Kent).
Director William Beaudine, working from a compact script by Martin Mooney, relates the familiar, yet still engrossing and entertaining story at a snappy pace, nicely captures the fierce competitive nature of the racetrack milieu, and makes neat copious use of stock footage of car race events held all over the world. The sturdy acting by the capable cast holds this picture together: Barry Oldfield as a no-nonsense pit boss, Vince Barnett as bumbling mechanic Curly, William Halligan as Beverly's supportive father Cannonball Blake, Joey Ray as the unscrupulous Red, Red Knight as the easygoing Tex, and Diana Hughes as Beverly's sweet Swedish assistant Jennie. Jack Greenhalgh's competent black and white cinematography makes cool use of fades and dissolves. Worth a watch.
Director William Beaudine, working from a compact script by Martin Mooney, relates the familiar, yet still engrossing and entertaining story at a snappy pace, nicely captures the fierce competitive nature of the racetrack milieu, and makes neat copious use of stock footage of car race events held all over the world. The sturdy acting by the capable cast holds this picture together: Barry Oldfield as a no-nonsense pit boss, Vince Barnett as bumbling mechanic Curly, William Halligan as Beverly's supportive father Cannonball Blake, Joey Ray as the unscrupulous Red, Red Knight as the easygoing Tex, and Diana Hughes as Beverly's sweet Swedish assistant Jennie. Jack Greenhalgh's competent black and white cinematography makes cool use of fades and dissolves. Worth a watch.
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