Product Description

Studio: Gaiam Americas Release Date: 01/25/2005 Run time: 92 minutes

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #78403 in DVD
• Brand: Gaiam
• Released on: 2005-01-25
• Rating: Unrated
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 92 minutes

Customer Reviews

The Big Wheel gets the Green Light!
"The Big Wheel" is a must see for all racing fans. This classic story of a son living up to his fathers name and reputation is as relevant today as it was in the Forties.Mickey Rooney gives a fine performance in his own imitable style aided by a strong support cast including Thomas Mitchell, Michael O'shea and Mary Hatcher and starring the legendary Indianapolis Raceway as the backdrop. Even if you aren't a race fan you'll enjoy the classic racing footage that'll have you on the edge of your seat.5 cheers for "The Big Wheel".

A movie for old racers
I saw this movie when it first came out. The story is the usual formula for racing movies. It is well done in this case. The action scenes are great fun. I recommend this movie to anyone who has an interest in auto racing.

Great for Mickey Rooney and Race Car Fans
I saw The Big Wheel as a kid and remembered that not only was it a good, albeit "simple" Mickey Rooney movie, it was also an interesting movie about vintage car racing. I bought this movie to watch with my 83 year old mother who loves old movies. My fear was that the movie though good in it's time, would not relate to today's standards of high drama. I'll have to admit that the plot was simple, yet enjoyable as a typical Mickey Rooney flic. But what was most fascinating to me was the excellent historical footage of Indy car races during the 1940's. If you think that race car drivers are courageous heroes today, watch this movie. I am a race car fan of all types and can not believe the lack of saftey features during that time. Forget about fire retardant driving suits with gloves etc. These guys wore short sleeve everyday shirts and no gloves. I'm surprised they wore helmets but nothing like todays head gear. What struck me the most was the fact that seatbelts were not even worn. Historical footage of early Indy 500 races showed drivers regularly being thrown out of burning cars. Any car that was headed for the wall either went over it or through it. I wonder how many men died at an average Indy type car race in that era. Footage of spectacular firey crashes were abundant in this film. Even if you are not a Mickey Rooney fan or don't even like old movies, you owe it to yourself to see this film for it's historical content if you are a car racing fan.