FILM · 1984 · HONG KONG
Cannonball Run II
85 archived facts 6 topics 1 source Last reviewed Oct 2026
All facts (85)
- #001
According to Hal Needham, on the day Frank Sinatra came to the set to shoot his scene in the Dodge Daytona Turbo — the day he spoke with Blake (Dean Martin) and Fenderbaum (Sammy Davis, Jr.) — nearly every cast member, including those not called to the set that day, showed up to watch Sinatra, Davis, Martin and honorary Rat Pack member Shirley MacLaine reunite and reminisce about old times.
- #002
Because it features Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis, Jr. and Shirley MacLaine, this is arguably the last "Rat Pack" film ever made.
- #003
The film's director plays a Porsche 928 driver wearing a cowboy hat.
- #004
The 1984 Dodge Daytona Turbo used in the race was one of Frank Sinatra's personal cars.
- #005
For every cast member except Jamie Farr, who appeared in the third film, Speed Zone (1989), this was the last "Cannonball Run" film.
- #006
Although Frank Sinatra had only a small cameo and appeared in just two scenes, he received the second-highest billing, after Burt Reynolds in the final title sequence.
- #007
In the scene where Molly Picon, Tony Danza, Mel Tillis and the orangutan pass the stranded caravan, Molly Picon reprised her role as Mrs. Goldfarb, Roger Moore's mother from The Cannonball Run (1981).
- #008
In 1982, several years before this film, Burt Reynolds said he would never make another car chase film.
- #009
In his commentary on The Cannonball Run (1981), Hal Needham said that Frank Sinatra arrived on this film's set very early, shot his own scenes and left before the other actors arrived. If you watch the office scene closely, you can see that Sinatra never appears in the film together with the other actors. Several times he is shown with his back to the other characters, but that was a double.
- #010
Jackie Chan appeared as part of his contractual obligation to Warner Brothers.
- #011
Frank Sinatra was unhappy with the film and, after joining his character's storyline in its final leg, asked how he was supposed to win the Cannonball Run. He had been under the impression that it was a race won by whoever crossed the finish line first, and no one had explained at the outset that the race would be decided at the finish.
- #012
Of the film's estimated $20 million budget, roughly $9 million went to paying the cast's salaries.
- #013
The car Jackie Chan drove in this film is a Mitsubishi Starion, sold in the United States under that name but more commonly known as the Conquest and sold by Dodge, Plymouth and Chrysler dealers; apart from minor exceptions, the versions sold at domestic dealerships differed from the Starion in name only. Within the last few years, the car Chan drove in the film was rescued and restored by a member of StarQuestClub, the national owners' club for Starions and Conquests, and has now been made ready to hit the road again.
- #014
The film was originally to be distributed by 20th Century Fox, as its predecessor The Cannonball Run (1981) had been, but that studio passed on the project. Warner Bros. ultimately acquired the film's distribution rights.
- #015
In this film, Jill and Marcie each drive four different cars, each with a different door type.
- #016
The stretched Chrysler Imperial limousine driven by Burt Reynolds (extended by thirty-six inches) was converted by A.S.C. (American Sunroof Corporation) outside Detroit, Michigan, using the front doors of a 1979 to 1981 Dodge St. Regis sedan. This limousine had been used in Reynolds's earlier films Sharky's Machine (1981) and Stick (1985). Frank Sinatra had a similar limousine converted by the same coachbuilder, which still belongs to the Sinatra family.
- #017
Marlon Brando was offered an unknown role in this film, possibly a gangster, but was not interested. Although the film was neither well received by critics nor successful at the box office, he later regretted passing up the chance to parody his image and show, like some other actors, that he had a sense of humor. He eventually got the chance to do so in The Freshman (1990).
- #018
The near-total absence of any racing footage in the film (shown at the end in a two-minute animated sequence) was a deliberate choice for two reasons. The first was that they wanted to avoid copying racing footage from the original, and the second, more compelling reason was that it saved the production a great deal of money.
- #019
Jaclyn Smith was initially cast as Veronica but was dropped from the cast. Farrah Fawcett, a lead actress on Charlie's Angels (1976), appeared in The Cannonball Run (1981).
- #020
In his cameo in the film, Jim Nabors plays a sailor named "Private Homer Lyle" who is on his way home. This is a nod to his famous character "Gomer Pyle, USMC."
- #021
At one point during their first scene, Sammy Davis, Jr. sang a few lines from his popular 1972 song "The Candyman," and Dean Martin sang a few lines of the chorus of his 1964 hit "Everybody Loves Somebody" before entering the room. Both songs are considered their biggest successes and both reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.
- #022
In addition to playing Victor Prinzim, Dom DeLuise also played the mob boss Don Cannelloni, who behaves and speaks like Don Corleone, the main character of The Godfather (1972). DeLuise played a similar character in Robin Hood: Men in Tights (1993), directed by his longtime collaborator Mel Brooks. He also played a similar character in The Godson (1998).
- #023
This is one of the feature-film collaborations between the actor-comedians Don Knotts and Tim Conway. The famous comedy duo appeared together in The Apple Dumpling Gang (1975) and The Apple Dumpling Gang Rides Again (1979), as well as in The Prize Fighter and The Private Eyes.
- #024
Jamie Farr, who plays "The Sheik," is the only actor to appear in all three Cannonball Run films.
- #025
Some original Beta video covers state that this film marked the first cinematic appearance of the monster truck Bigfoot, capitalizing on the truck's mid-1980s popularity. This is not true: Bigfoot first appeared in Take This Job and Shove It (1981).
- #026
According to director Hal Needham in his commentary on The Cannonball Run (1981), he nearly got into trouble with the James Bond producers because Sir Roger Moore had, among other things, a gadget-equipped car. In this film, Jackie Chan's car has all the James Bond-style equipment (even more than was in Chan's car in The Cannonball Run (1981)), and Chan's partner is Richard Kiel, famous for playing James Bond's chief enemy "Jaws."
- #027
This is the last feature film to include the actors Molly Picon, Jim Nabors, Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra and the orangutan Manis.
- #028
The two nuns are named Betty and Veronica. This is a nod to the two main female characters in the Archie comics.
- #029
The Lamborghini Countach driven by Catherine Bach's character in the film's opening belonged to John Schneider, star of The Dukes of Hazzard. Schneider later went on to play the driver of the Lamborghini in the opening sequence of the unofficial third sequel, Speed Zone/Cannonball Fever (1989).
- #030
The film served as a kind of reunion for the Rat Pack actors Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis, Jr., along with Shirley MacLaine, all of whom had appeared together roughly twenty-four years earlier in Ocean's Eleven (1960).
- #031
Farrah Fawcett did not appear in this sequel after appearing in the first film, The Cannonball Run (1981), because she and star Burt Reynolds reportedly developed a personal relationship after filming but had separated before pre-production on the sequel began.
- #032
It was Asian actor Jackie Chan's third American/Hollywood film.
- #033
The cast, actors included, features two Oscar winners (Shirley MacLaine and Frank Sinatra) and three Oscar nominees (Burt Reynolds, Telly Savalas and Michael V. Gazzo).
- #034
Four of the stars had also guest-starred on Kojak, the series that had made Telly Savalas an international star a decade earlier: Alex Rocco, Michael V. Gazzo, Abe Vigoda and Jilly Rizzo.
- #035
During filming in Tucson, Arizona, the weather was very hot, and the high temperatures caused heat stress on the production.
- #036
The actor playing the Sheikh's servant is Doug McClure. McClure had a career spanning more than fifty years; he was best known for playing the silent sidekick, particularly on The Virginian.
- #037
It is one of the collaborations between Jim Nabors and Burt Reynolds. Others include Stroker Ace and The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas.
- #038
It is one of the numerous collaborations between Dom DeLuise and Burt Reynolds. Others include The End and The Cannonball Run.
- #039
Hal Needham replaced Hugh Wilson as director; Wilson had originally replaced Needham as director in the first place. When Needham and Golden Harvest could not agree on his fee, Wilson was announced as the film's director, but once Needham and Golden Harvest reached an agreement, Wilson withdrew from the film and Needham was reinstated.
- #040
Shirley MacLaine replaced Jaclyn Smith in the role of Veronica.
- #041
The production was delayed so that star Burt Reynolds could make Blake Edwards' The Man Who Loved Women (1983).
- #042
This was the first major film in which Shirley MacLaine was seen after winning the Academy Award (Oscar) for Best Actress for Terms of Endearment (1983).
- #043
In the film, Dom DeLuise parodies Marlon Brando's Don Corleone character from The Godfather (1972). Cannonball Run II (1984) producer Albert S. Ruddy was the producer of The Godfather (1972).
- #044
The film's original B-plot involved a kidnapping scheme featuring Liberace and Frank Sinatra.
- #045
According to the audio commentary, it was actor Burt Reynolds' 39th major theatrical film (excluding camera tests and minor parts).
- #046
It was the last Cannonball Run film for roughly five years, until Cannonball Fever, also known as Speed Zone, which was originally to be titled Cannonball Run III.
- #047
Frank Sinatra, playing himself, worked for one day on 16 July 1983 in Tucson, Arizona, USA.
- #048
The film won the Golden Screen Award in Germany in 1985.
- #049
It is the last Burt Reynolds film to show outtakes and bloopers during the end credits sequence.
- #050
Shirley MacLaine and Burt Reynolds star in this film. Had Reynolds not turned down Terms of Endearment (1983) and made Stroker Ace (1983) instead, the pair would have appeared together in that film.
- #051
Among the James Bond film alumni in the cast are Telly Savalas from On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969) and Richard Kiel from Moonraker (1979) and The Spy Who Loved Me (1977). The two had played villains, the main villain and a henchman, respectively. The pair even share a scene in which Kiel lifts Savalas and throws him into the air. James Bond actor Roger Moore had appeared alongside Burt Reynolds in the original The Cannonball Run (1981). Ironically, Reynolds had been considered for the role of Agent 007 in Live and Let Die (1973), the film in which he eventually appeared alongside Moore.
- #052
Burt Reynolds, while preparing to star in and direct The Bourne Identity for Warner Bros., insisted on working only 3-5 days a week. It ended up with director Jack Clayton and actor Richard Chamberlain.
- #053
New cast members in this sequel who did not appear in the first film, The Cannonball Run (1981), included Frank Sinatra, Shirley MacLaine, Richard Kiel, Susan Anton, Telly Savalas, Marilu Henner, Tony Danza, Catherine Bach, Ricardo Montalban, Jim Nabors, Don Knotts, Tim Conway and Charles Nelson Reilly.
- #054
Both Frank Sinatra and Ricardo Montalban appear in Cannonball Run II (1984). It is the second of two films in which both were cast, the first being The Kissing Bandit (1948). However, they do not share a single scene in either film.
- #055
The film's end credits sequence includes the statement: "The producers wish to thank Governor Bruce Babbitt, the State of Arizona, the Arizona Film Commission and Old Tucson for their cooperation in the making of this film."
- #056
According to the American Film Institute's AFI Catalog, an article in the show business trade paper Variety's 8 December 1982 issue announced that Hugh Wilson had been added as director because "filmmaker Hal Needham was reported to have failed to agree on a salary with producers Golden Harvest and distributor Warner Bros. Inc." Needham ultimately co-wrote the screenplay and directed the film.
- #057
Actress Marilu Henner and actor Burt Reynolds had previously appeared together in Blake Edwards's The Man Who Loved Women (1983).
- #058
Susan Anton replaced Tara Buckman as Jill Rivers ("Lamborghini Babe #1") and Catherine Bach replaced Adrienne Barbeau as Marcie Thatcher ("Lamborghini Babe #2"). Both changes were for the respective actresses who had played these roles in the original The Cannonball Run (1981).
- #059
In the end credits sequence, former professional football player Fred Dryer and 1980 Miss USA and Miss Universe Shawn Weatherly have their last names misspelled as "Dreyer" and "Wetherly" respectively.
- #060
According to the audio commentary, although the film was released in 1984, its copyright date is 1983, and it apparently had some screenings in Japan in late 1983.
- #061
This film, a sequel to The Cannonball Run (1981), was announced more than six months before the first film's release, so confident were producers Raymond Chow and Albert S. Ruddy that it would be a hit. The announcement was made in the show business trade paper Daily Variety's 24 November 1980 issue under the working title "Another Ball".
- #062
Three members of the Rat Pack appear as clergy characters dressed in priest's robes. These are Shirley MacLaine as a nun and Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jnr. as priests.
- #063
It is singer-actor Frank Sinatra's first feature film role since The First Deadly Sin (1980), a gap of about four years.
- #064
Dom DeLuise, playing Don Canneloni, does an impersonation of Marlon Brando's Vito Corleone character in The Godfather (1972). In that classic film Don Corleone had a white cat, and DeLuise joked that his white cat had actually died. Cannonball Run II co-star Telly Savalas played Ernst Stavro Blofeld in the James Bond film On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969), where Bond's villain, like all other versions of Blofeld, had a white cat.
- #065
In the Spanish DVD edition distributed by Selecta Visión, Shirley MacLaine was erased from the poster and replaced by Jackie Chan, and Chan was substituted for Tim Conway.
- #066
Appeared uncredited as a tire store employee.
- #067
Star Burt Reynolds and producer Albert S. Ruddy had previously worked together on 'The Longest Yard' (1974).
- #068
Among the cast members who did not return for the sequel to 'The Cannonball Run' (1981) were Farrah Fawcett, Roger Moore, Adrienne Barbeau, Peter Fonda, Bianca Jagger, Bert Convy, Tara Buckman and Terry Bradshaw.
- #069
Among the cast members returning from 'The Cannonball Run' (1981) were Burt Reynolds, Dom DeLuise, Mel Tillis, Molly Picton, Jackie Chan, Dean Martin, Jamie Farr, Jack Elam and Sammy Davis Jnr.
- #070
This film, the sequel to 'The Cannonball Run' (1981), was made and first released about three years after the first film.
- #071
It is one of three consecutive feature-film collaborations between actors Jim Nabors and Burt Reynolds. All three were released in consecutive years: 1. 'The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas' (1982); 2. 'Stroker Ace' (1983); and 3. 'Cannonball Run II' (1984).
- #072
The film is notable and remembered for its many cameo appearances.
- #073
The 1985 film was nominated for 8 Golden Raspberry Awards but failed to take home a Razzie in any category. They were: Worst Screenplay - Harvey Miller, Hal Needham, Albert S. Ruddy; Worst Picture - Albert S. Ruddy; Worst Supporting Actor - Sammy Davis Jr.; Worst Supporting Actress - Susan Anton; Worst Supporting Actress - Marilu Henner; Worst Actor - Burt Reynolds; Worst Actress - Shirley MacLaine; and Worst Director - Hal Needham.
- #074
Jack Elam and Henry Silva appeared together in 'Never a Dull Moment' (1968).
- #075
Actress Catherine Bach and actor Burt Reynolds had previously appeared together in Robert Aldrich's 'Hustle' (1975).
- #076
Actors Henry Silva and Burt Reynolds had previously appeared in 'Sharky's Machine' (1982).
- #077
In 1983 it was announced that George Hamilton would also be in the cast, but this did not happen.
- #078
Appeared as the truck driver Mack.
- #079
Seymour's mother, Mrs. Goldfarb, reprises her role from the first film.
- #080
Producer Albert S. Ruddy and the production company Golden Harvest were producing 'Lassiter' (1984) at the same time this film was in production. As a result, Ruddy found himself regularly flying between London, England and Tucson, Arizona, in the United States during shooting.
- #081
Cast members Dean Martin, Shirley MacLaine and Frank Sinatra had previously appeared together in 'Some Came Running' (1958).
- #082
It is the second of the three 'Cannonball Run' films. The first was 'The Cannonball Run' (1981) and the third and last was 'Cannonball Fever', also known as 'Speed Zone' (1989). All three productions were made and first released in the 1980s.
- #083
Appeared as the girl in bed with Jamie Blake.
- #084
At the Circle K, just before Betty and Veronica leave the store in their regular clothes, a sign in the background shows petrol at $1.08 a gallon. Adjusted for inflation, that figure comes to $3.49 in 2025, based on the shooting year of 1983 rather than 1984, the year the film was released.
- #085
Costars Michael V. Gazzo and Doug McClure died nine days apart in 1995; Gazzo passed away on Valentine's Day, and McClure on 5 February. Lee Kolima and Dean Martin would pass away later that same year, in November and December respectively.
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