55 Mph Shorts
Description: The Cannonball Run is a 1981 comedy movie that follows a wacky cast of characters as they compete in an illegal cross-country road race. The race at the center of the movie is based on an actual event, the Cannonball Baker Sea to Shining Sea Memorial Trophy Dash, organized by Brock Yates to protest the 55 mph speed limit then in effect in the U.S. The Cannonball was named for Erwin G. 'Cannonball' Baker, who in the roaring '20s rode his motorcycle across the country. Many of the characters are based on ruses developed by real Cannonball racers over the several years that the event was run. Largely panned by critics, the movie was a hit with audiences and did well at the box office, which lead to the 1984 sequel, The Cannonball Run II.
