The Big Wheel
Hattie McDaniel's last movie.,Early in the film, Billy crashes his car. A radio announcer is giving a play-by-play description of his rescue. A man and a woman listening to the radio smile and show relief - before the announcer says that Billy has been pulled from the wreckage unhurt.,Red Stanley: The way I figure it, another thousand dollars and she'll be ready for Indianapolis.
Reno Riley: I wouldn't give you another buck and a half.
Red Stanley: But Reno, this is the fastest iron in the business!
Reno Riley: How many years have you been takin' this pile of junk to the race, Red? Six? Seven?,The film opens with the following written acknowledgements: "Grateful acknowledgement for their invaluable assistance is made to the AAA, the URA, the Racing Drivers of America, the Indianapolis Speedway and Mr. Wilbur Shaw.",Edited into Your Afternoon Movie: Big Wheel (2023),Que Bueno
Written by Kermit Goell and Fred Spielman
Sung by Lina Romay (uncredited) at nightclub,Mickey Rooney's first film after leaving MGM was this independent production for United Artists, The Big Wheel. This is a racetrack story done with hardly the budget of Le Mans or Grand Prix or even MGM's racing story To Please A Lady that Clark Gable did with Barbara Stanwyck two years later. Still it has a nice cast with good location shooting at various racetracks climaxing of course with Indianapolis 500.

The Mick's got a lot to prove, he's the son of a racing legend who lived a fast life, died at the Indianapolis 500 and left widow Spring Byington to raise Mickey by herself. She's had of late though Thomas Mitchell who was her husband's old mechanic and he's now courting Byington.

Because of his attitude Rooney doesn't win many friends at the racing circuit. When Steve Brodie is killed, a lot of the drivers especially Michael O'Shea blame Rooney. And it comes out a lot of them disliked his father for some of the same personality traits and more.

Mickey's got two girls in this one, Mary Hatcher daughter of race car owner Richard Lane and sultry singer Lina Romay. He has to the end of the picture to figure out which one is really in his corner.

The Big Wheel is not a great picture, but it was better than some of what Rooney was doing after World War II at MGM. For the most part they still saw him as a kid over there. The Big Wheel let Mickey Rooney grow up and for that it should be considered a milestone film in his career.,