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This takes place at the beginning of the movie, in the balloon scene. When Leslie is hanging from the balloon, we see the balloon soaring over the land very quickly. However, when Leslie climbs up to the balloon to parachute out, he is still right where he started. See more...

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Natalie Wood attempted suicide during the making of The Great Race. See more...

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The Great Race (1965) - 5 corrections

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Genres: Action, Adventure, Comedy, Family, Musical, Romance, Sport

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Professor Fate's auto, when it raises itself off the running gear, has no means of propulsion. The drivetrain is not connected to the drive axles by either a driveline or chain. [It's a hybrid. (Professor Fate was ahead of his time) Electric cables and motors can be viewed from the rear shot. Also, the steering was not mentioned, which is controlled by a shiny rod traversing the front wheels.]

Edit Corrected by turkman143

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The closed-captioning (or subtitles) do not follow the dialog in the movie: (1)cc: "They said I never could" vs. the spoken dialog "Fate the Magnificent" and (2)cc: "what's more" vs. dialog "What's it for?" (the rope and grappling hook). [The subtitle mistakes are the fault of a computer program. It is not a movie mistake.]

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Professor Fate tries to use a shortcut by following the train tracks. The RR crossing sign says (vertically) "Look out for the Cars" (rather than watch for trains). ["Look out for the cars" is a correct and authentic railroad crossing warning for the period. It was a standard phrase used in most parts of the U.S. from the 1800s to the 1950s. The vertical orientation is also authentic. I know this because such railroad crossings were common when I was a kid sixty years ago. My father (who had worked on the CB&Q railroad)explained that "cars" in this case meant railroad cars. My grandfather's railroad rule book from 1900 also confirms the authenticity of "Look out for the cars" as a railroad crossing warning.]

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Note the scene were Professor Fate and Max are attempting a speed record with the rocket powered rail car. It appears the ignition of the rockets was much more violent than expected, as the crowd jumps in panic when the rockets fire, and retreat in disarray. This is so instantaneous that it does not look planned. Even the stunt doubles in the car cringe in their seats as the car takes off. [That sounds like a natural reaction. How is it a mistake?]

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In the Potsdorf Palace waltz scene, during the Blue Danube waltz, the shot is centered on Tony Curtis dancing with an attractive young woman. However, directly behind him, Jack Lemmon is seen dancing with a uniformed military officer. [This is not a mistake but rather a character choice. Jack Lemmon's Prince Hapnik is goofy and free spirited, so it's quite plausible that he would grab any one of his loyal subjects to dance with, and would probably find it perversely funny to make an upright military man his waltzing partner.]

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