Red Line 7000 (Paramount Pictures) (1965)

“FIREBALL 500’’ BEAUTIES — Perched atop George Barris’ latest custom racing auto model, converted from 1966 Plymouth Barracuda, are covey of young beauties seen in American International’s stock car racing thriller, ‘Fireball 500,’’ which opens a I arr Pt atetn@es ct. kee Theatre. Girls, left to right, are: Hedy Scott, Maria McBane, Mary Hughes, Salli Sachse, Patti Chandler and Karla Conway. 2 COL. SCENE MAT 2-D “FIREBALL 500° TECHNICAL ADVISOR IS EX-STOCK CAR RACING CHAMP NOW TOP WESTERN RACE STARTER One thing sure about “Fireball 500,” AI’s first youth-oriented film about America’s number one outdoor spectator sport — stock car racing — is that it will be completely authentic in its many exciting racing scenes and in its talk about the popular sport. The reason for this important assurance for stock car race fans is the technical advisor for the film who personally supervised every scene pertaining to the thrilling motor competition. He is C. W. “Chuck” Murray, himself formerly one of the nation’s leading stock car drivers, and ex-Midwest -racing champion and currently official race starter for the California Auto Racing Association and official U. S. Auto Club starter for California. Chuck headquarters at the famed Ascot Raceway in Gardena, California, where he is a familiar figure as he starts all races from the dangerous field track position, a spot usually shunned by most auto race starters who prefer the safer confines of a starter’s stand. But Chuck, who misses the dangers and close shaves of actual racing from which he was forced to retire by injuries, gets a pretty elose approximation of those old daily brushes with death as he starts and runs the races amidst be roaring cars on the track itself, Murray also portrays a starter. in “Fireball 500” and he can be seen working exactly as he does in real life in the big race closeup scenes of the stock car thriller. Frankie Avalon and _ Fabian, coached by Chuck, star as rival racing drivers with Annette Funicello and Julie Parrish also starring as their girl friends in the color and Panavision film opening —-———— at the theatre. He estimates that he has aver aged at least one hit of varying severity by a passing car racer every six months plus uncountable brushes and bumps by the fastflying racers. But the drivers are all his friends and he maintains he can do his best job from the dangerous track position in the interests of their safety and better racing. Murray is a native of Chicago, Illinois, where he was educated and started out as an aircraft mechanic. The Korean War brought him into the Air Force where he flew as a staff sergeant on 31 combat missions. He was discharged with a Purple Heart and three Air Medals and promptly got started as a racing driver “Just to help out a friend who built a midget racer and who had no driver”. He finished third in that first competition race at the Olney, Illinois, raceway and was hooked on the sport. He soon moved into stock car racing and was gradually moving up into the national picture as a top driver with the Mid-West championship under his belt when a succession of mishaps hit him and hospitalized him with serious injuries. Just before his retirement from active competition and moving out to California, he rose to becoming a part of the famed Novi racing team which was among the top teams at the Indianapolis 500 in 1964 and 1965. But that second wreck in six months came along, a flip-over in which he was almost killed, and he forsook driving to start a slightly less dangerous career as a Starter. “COUSIN” CHILL WILLS JOINS TODAY'S YOUNGER GENERATION Veteran screen character actor and comedian Chill Wills is known to older film fans as “Cousin Chill” from his many Western roles and as the voice of Francis, the talking mule. Now the inimitable Chill gets an initial introduction to today’s younger generation of movie-goer as he stars in his first American International young-at-heart color and Panavision picture “Fireball 500.” He co-stars with ‘new generation” stars Frankie Avalon, Annette Funicello, Fabian, Julie Parris and Harvey Lembeck, along with AI’s famed “Bedch gang” youngsters,’ in a new style (for American International) stock car racing thriller with songs and music. The. tall straw-haired, 200pound and good-natured Texan was born in the Lone Star State’s Seagoville on the hottest July 18 ever recorded in that town, “Which is why my parents named me Chill,” he explains. Chill started telling stories in kindergarten and has kept on talking ever since, making his living by that gift. By the time he was twelve he had talked his way over half of Texas and in a few years, by way of assorted medicine shows, tent shows, vaudeville and stock companies, he came to Hollywood and got his first movie within a month after his arrival. Next came a studio contract with MGM and the first ‘of his memorable character roles in “Boom Town” with Spencer ‘he received Tracy, Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert. In addition to his very successful “Francis films with Donald O’Connor, Chill’s most notable films include “The Wheeler Dealers,” “The Rounders,” “Honky Tonk,” “The Harvey Girls,” “Meet Me in St. Louis,” “Where The Boys Are,” ““Western Union,” “Belle Starr,’ “Leave Her To Heaven” and ‘“McClintock.” Chill’s other top roles, for which coveted Academy Award nominations, were in “Giant,” “The Alamo,” “Tulsa,” “The Cardinal” and “The YearHine He also has appeared in numerous television shows, was the continuing star of the “Frontier Circus” series, and soon will star in a new series based on “The Rounders” feature film. His favorite pastimes are fishing and people — fishes, from sleepy catfish to big ocean game battlers, and any kind of people, “so long as they’re honest.” He has made countless friends through his shows for servicemen here and overseas and his appearances at crippled children’s hospitals throughout the country where his greeting always is his personal trademark, “Hey, Cousin!” LOVE-OF LIFE, MAKING PEOPLE LAUGH, KEYS JULIE'S LIFE Beautiful Julie Parrish loves life, people, acting, comedy, and making people laugh. She has keyed her day-to-day existence and work around these loves and toward making them the basis of her career and entire future. These loves of Julie are built around an ancient metaphysical Chinese philosophy of life and living called Tai Chi Chuan, which translates “grand ultimate” in English. More than a thousand years old, according to the young actress, Tai Chi Chuan pre-dates and combines elements of Yoga and Karate with a guide to life’ based on love. She attributes much of her current physical and mental wellbeing and acting success to the Chinese philosophy and her daily practice and observance of its tenets. Included among its results is her casting in her newest and biggest starring role with Frankie Avalon, Annette Funicello, and Fabian in American International’s “Fireball 500,” she firmly believes. Julie is not content with just studying Tai Chi Chuan under the tutelage of the president of the American Academy of Chinese Culture, Professor Wen Shan Huang, every Tuesday for two hours and practicing the ancient rituals daily. She spends much of five additional days of the week with assorted other lessons to fulfill her program for advancement and self-improvement. Mondays and “Fridays_ she studies voice for one hour with famed vocal teacher Jessie Patterson and practices and exercises her mellow mezzo-soprano voice for several additional hours. On Wednesdays, Julie studies modern jazz dance for one hour with Roland Dupree and on Saturday she devotes a half hour and as much practice to the piano. Her longest lesson-study session, one of the most important to comedienne-aspirant and fun-loving Julie, takes place every Thursday evening when she spends almost six productive hours as a member of a_ select Hollywood comedy workshop group conducted by veteran comedian Harvey Lemback. Oddly enough, Lembeck co-stars with her in ‘Fireball 500” in one of his rare dramatic roles. When Julie works, she keeps up with as much of her daily studies and practice as a 24-hourlong day and a 10 to 12-hour work day will permit. Sound like too much work and not enough time for socializing for a young, upcoming film star? of her MAN TALK BETWEEN RACES — Fabian, right, and Frankie Avalon talk things over between races in American International’s stock car race thriller, ‘‘Fireball 500,’ opening _........................... at the SE SRS gh ork Mikes Theatre. SS. ~~ BRIGHT NEWCOMER JULIE PARRISH STARS IN STOCK CAR RACE THRILLER Young actresses with a flair for comedy are pretty much of a Hollywood rarity, especially good-looking and talented ones. One of those rare ones and a beauty with a firm determination to be a successful comedienneactress is Julie Parrish who after only four years on the Hollywood scene steps up to co-star with Frankie Avalon, Annette Funicello and Fabian in American Intérnational’s “Fireball 500’” opening—————————— at the —— ——theatre. Julie is not only set on attaining acting-comedy stardom, but she has set herself an unusually arduous and ambitious program. Toward achieving her goal, the young Kentucky-born beauty and eldest of six children has set herself a six-day-a-week regimen designed to prepare her mentally, physically and talent-wise for that type of career. Temporarily, she subordinates her social life to work preparation with only acting jobs getting higher priority. Included in her six-day, weekly program are two days of metaphysical lessons and study, two days of voice study and practice, one day of dance study and practice, one day which is highlighted by almost six hours of comedy workshop lessons, and one day of piano study and practice. Julie came to Hollywood by way Middleboro, Kentucky, birthplace, a Lake City, Tennessee, childhood. schooling in Washington, D. C., Maryland, Virginia, and finally Tecumseh, Michigan, not far from Detroit, where she went tBrough high school. The extensive family moving about came with her father’s government Secret Service assignments. She had her first taste of acting in high school plays, but her ambition was to be a commercial artist. She went through the University of Toledo and after graduation went to work drawing maps for title insurance companies. Then, while accompanying a girl friend to an audition, she accidentally read for and won the part of the title role in a little theater production of “The Diary of Anne Frank”. It changed the whole course of Julie’s life because she also started a modeling career to help support herself. It was as a winner of a national “model of the year” contest that she came to Hollywood and her first film role in Jerry Lewis’ comedy “It’s Only Money”. She also appeared in another Lewis film, “The Nutty Professor,’ in “Boeing, Boeing’ with Lewis and Tony Curtis, and most recently opposite Elvis Presley in “Paradise, Hawaiian Style”. Julie also has starred in episodes of TV’s “The Dobie Gillis Show”, “My Three Sons”, “Gunsmoke”, “Ben Casey” and toured with Hans Conreid in the stage production “Absence of a Cello.” Julie lives alone in a Beverly Hills duplex where she enjoys painting, writing, playing her piano and cooking and staying at home. She says that she is not ready for marriage because “I haven’t yet met my kind of man”. LIVES SAVED BY SAFETY MEASURES IN RACING FILM Standard stock car racing safety procedures proved their worth in action, actually saving the life “of stunt driver Chuck Murray in one instance and averting accidents and: injuries many other times, during the filming of American International’s ‘“Fireball 500”. The stock car racing thriller, opening at the == Theatre, stars Frankie Avalon, Annette Funicello, Fabian, Chill Wills, Harvey Lembeck, and Julie Parrish. Featured in the film, along with the aforementioned “stunts” for special crash scenes, is actual film footage of this year’s top stock car championship races at such tracks as Riverside in California, Daytona in Florida, Spartanburg in South Carolina, and others. Murray, technical advisor for “Fireball 500” and former MidWest stock racing champion, found his observance of NASCAR (National Association for Stock Car Racing) rules saved his life when his rear window blew out from the extreme heat of flames enveloping his car during the filming of one scene. Luckily, his Ansen fire suit and goggles protected him and he was able to slip from his harness and seat belt, open the car door and “bail out” after reducing his speed, to suffer only second degree burns about the neck and bruises. Other prescribed safety measures for the movie included the belts and harness, Bell racing helmets, easy-opening doors, carefully checked tires, NASCAR-approved roll bars and an expert G-2 safety check of all the stock Plymouths used in “Fireball 500”. Other precautions, under Murray’s supervision, were the use of experienced drivers in all special race scenes and careful rehearsal and verbal discussion of FRANKIE AVALON AND ANNETTE SING NEW COUNTRY-ROCK HITS Latest country-rock rhythms and popular love ballad melodies mark the six new potential musical hits which provide enlivening melodic interludes in American International’s stock car racing thriller, “Fireball 500.” Added lustre is given to the songs as they are performed by the ever-popular Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello who star in the new young adult drama along with Fabian, Chill Wills, Harvey Lembeck and Julie Parrish. Avalon sings the title song “Fireball 500” and the catchy “My Way” which is in the style of “King of the Road”, He joins with Annette in “Chance Like That” which has ex-singer Fabian joining in one chorus, while he blends his voice with that of co star Julie Parrish in “Turn Around”, another hit-to-be. Miss Funicello solos, while dancing, in the lilting carnival song “Step Right Up”, while the sixth and only solely instrumental number is “Country Carnival” performed by the Don Randi quartet. The “Fireball 500” songs and music were composed by Guy Hemric and Jerry Styner, the same team which did the hit musical numbers for American International’s successful youthoriented musical comedies of the last three years. Their credits include “Beach Party,” “Muscle Beach,” “Beach Blanket Bingo,” “Pajama Party,” “How to Stuff a Wild Bikini,” “Dr. Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine” and “The Ghost in the Invisible Bikini.” all stunt accidents, which included full spins or loops, flips and “tweeks” or wall crashes. The result—outside of Murray’s own slight accident—no injuries and excitingly realistic crash scenes. Rabo oa os ACINEGE oo eee een ON THE MAKE — Fabian, right, and Frankie Avalon make a play for the favors of Annette Funicello in scene from American International’s ‘Fireball 500,” stock car racing thriller opening -__.......... ere: Theatre. 2 COL. SCENE MAT 2-G