GREASED LIGHTNING

US, 1977, 96 minutes, Colour.
Richard Pryor, Beau Bridges, Pam Grier, Cleavon Little, Vincent Gardenia, Richie Havens.
Directed by Michael Schultz.

Greased Lightning is the biography of Wendell Scott, the first black stock-car racing driver and champion in the United States. There is a lot of background to the stock-car racing sport as well as a number of rallies and races.

The unexpected star of this film is Richard Pryor. Pryor was better known for his comedy roles in films (often with Gene Wilder including Silver Streak, Stir Crazy, See No Evil, Hear No Evil). Pryor was also better known as a stand-up comedian, some of his concerts being transferred to film. However, he appeared in a number of films during the 1970s and 1980s including Brewster’s Millions, Superman 3, The Toy and Harlem Nights.

Pam Grier appears in the supporting cast. She had a career at this time with tough black women’s roles. She had a revival in her career in the late 1990s through Quentin Tarantino in Jackie Brown. Beau Bridges is the white driver. Cleavon Little (the sheriff in Blazing Saddles) is a friend of Richard Pryor.

The film was directed by Michael Schultz who, at this time, directed a number of strong films for the cinema including Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band and Carbon Copy. However, his career was mainly in television. In 2004 he directed the well received film, Woman Thou Art Loosed.

1. The significance and tone of the title? Enjoyable film, interesting?

2. How well did it fit into the sports success genre? The old-fashioned genre and the more pleasant presentation of the hero and his struggles and his success? In contrast with the tendency of the seventies to show the uglier and harsher side of success?

3. The film an a glimpse of an aspect of American life in sport? Race questions? The response of an American audience, black audience, non-American audience?

4. How well did the film portray Virginia over a period of 25 years? The use of colour, locations? Stock car footage? The importance of the songs and their commentary on the action? The songs as a kind of chorus for the career of Wendell Scott?

5. The opening with the atmosphere of post-war development, soldiers returning home, the mills, the need for jobs. ambitions? The scarcity of money? Racial issues in Virginia and the future of a black man in Danville? How accurately was this portrayed? With what insight? Critique of racism?

6. The character of Wendell Scott? The importance of the prologue and the challenge to the bike race, the implied racism, his responding to the challenge and winning, daring and risking? The transition to 1945? Wendell as a man, his courting of Mary, the wedding? The support that Mary gave him over the years? Family? How congenial a portrait of a family?

7. The discussions about his work, the skills, the taxi, his ambitions? The importance of his dreams? The irony of their fulfilment?

8. The details of his working in the taxi, not getting enough money, the invitation to the bootlegging? His friendship with Pee-Wee? and his involvement in the bootlegging? The dangers, the sheriff, the importance of the car chases in themselves, for the impact of the film, for his training for stock car work? The attitude of the sheriff and his men? The various devices that they used to trap Scott over so many years?

9. The irony of his being caught, the irony of his parole being the basis for his starting his career?

10. His joy in participating in the race, the hostility of the white drivers, the racism at the speedway with the sections 'for colored only'? The initial hostility of Hutch? The transition with their working together, the incident with the meal and all that that implied?

11. His growing success? Beau Wells and his cheating? The incident with the trophy? The build-up of his team with Peevoe, Woodrow and his contribution and admiration for Scott? The importance of a black hero breaking through in this aspect of sport?

12. His experience of success, his love of danger and risks? The blending in the structure of the film with sports sequences and family sequences?

13. The importance of the passing of time, the changing American attitudes, the introduction of documentary material on racism and civil rights? Scott and his success at this particular time?

14. The irony of the Mayor coming to visit him and asking for his photo for publicity purposes? The sponsoring of Scott from Danville and the commercialism despite racial prejudice?

15. The importance of the crash and its effect on him? Hospitalisation? getting older, Mary and her reaction? His decision to race again - how wise? Why could he not be idle?

16. The build-up to the final race, Beau Welles after so many years, Hutch and his family and devotion to Scott because of his freeing him to further his career? Hutch's decision to work for Scott? The atmosphere of the final race, the danger and Scott's risking his life? The importance of the achievement in winning?

17. What was Wendell Scott's final achievement an a person, an a racer, as a black hero? How well did the film present a story? How well did it present a sport and its achievement How well did it portray a black hero in America in the 20th century?