Madison (2001) Movie Script
MIKE: Why is it that
everything important that happens to you
when you're a kid happens during the summer? In the summer of 1971,
I was 10 years old and the only thing I looked
forward to more than
the last day of school was the first day of practice
of hydroplane racing season. You could say Madison kids
were born into racing the same way some folks
are born in the oil business
or farming. The town's port
on the Ohio River at one point had been
the busiest in the Midwest, but that had started
to change. And though the river
had given the town
its prosperity, boat racing had given it
her identity, having hosted the first
professional boat race
in the United States. The town even owned
its own boat. They called it
the Miss Madison. In June of 1961,
my father climbed in
that very same boat, just two days
after I was born, and barely survived
a tragic accident, which ended his racing career and took the life
of his best friend. People used to say I should
have known my father
before the accident, that he was a different man. Well, that summer,
10 years later, he would give us
a glimpse of just
what kind of man he was. (BOAT ENGINE HUMMING) (GLORY BOUND PLAYING) All the sun
on the outside Doesn't touch
what I feel within When I've got you
beside me I'm reachin' out
for the rainbow's end You get to me And give me a feelin'
that's comin' on Gettin' stronger
and stronger Glory bound To that
everlastin' feelin' Glory bound Lord, I ain't never,
never comin' down Oh, no 2:04. She's not even hittin' 110. Guess we better check
that compression tonight. Mmm-mmm.
Gotta do better than that. JIM:
She's a little sluggish.
15:46... How's she runnin', Dad? Well, a little slow
on that one. Probably the supercharger
breakin' down again. Probably. Damn things are
just too unreliable. JIM:
Hey, watch your mouth. (ENGINE ROARING) Best first day
we've ever had. No, no, no, no.
The, the first day
of '62, that was
a whole lot smoother. '62? It rained that day. Hello, everybody. Hey, Cecil. How are you?
Good mornin', Mr. Mayor.
Good. Yeah, much better. (ALL CHEERING) Look at those people, Tony. Best part of this day
for me. She's startin'
to move, eh, Tony? Yeah. Those nights in
the garage last winter
just might pay off. Walker, Walker.
What? Skip Naughton's
pushin' her too hard.
I got me a bad feelin'. (ENGINE SPUTTERING) (CROWD GROANING) (ENGINE DYING) Told you '62 was better. Now it's better, sure. But it still rained
that day. They'll get that fixed.
They'll get it fixed.
It'll be all right. MAN:
I hope so, Mr. Mayor. Well, let's tow her in. (MIDNIGHT CONFESSIONS PLAYING) The sound
of your footsteps Telling me
that you're near Your soft gentle
motion, baby Jimmy, let me give you
a hand with that drill. Brings out the need in me
that no one can hear Hey, Tony,
let's get these plugs
out of here first, huh? Got you. Okay, I'm out. You haven't even gotten
all your cards yet. Well, I don't care.
I'm out. How many you want? Pick one. Hey, everybody. ALL: Hi, Mr. Mayor. Present from Mabel
over at the diner. Fried chicken. (INDISTINCT CHATTERING) All right,
listen, you two. You can save your speeches,
'cause the answer is no. Now, come on, Mayor.
Now, we're only askin'
for a few hundred dollars. Just in case
of an emergency. Every time
you start that engine
there's an emergency. Look, it's out of my hands. You guys know I can't
access municipal funds
without a referendum or
a two-thirds majority vote. Boys, all in favor
of accessin' city funds for boat-related expenses,
say "aye." Aye! Looks like
two-thirds to me. I'll see what I can do. There we go.
That's the spirit. Hey, Jimmy,
you got a second? Read 'em and weep,
gentlemen. (LAUGHING)
The kid picked me
a full house. WALTER:
Isn't it past
your curfew, kid? (ALL LAUGHING) What's goin' on? Well, you know, nothing's set
in stone yet, but Helen and I
are talkin' about
movin' off to Indianapolis. Job offer come up? No, no, no. It's just... I don't know.
It's probably somethin' I should have done
a long time ago. Well, anyway, I guess it's
pretty much up to you, but I was thinkin'
that you're gonna wanna
take over as crew chief. (CHUCKLING) I don't know. I mean, Bonnie's been after me
to cut back on
my boat hours, you know. Jimmy, come on. You've driven these boats.
You worked on these boats. You know this operation
better than anybody. Wow. MIKE: Dad,
when you were drivin',
did you win a lot of races? No, Son,
I never won any. Do some of the teams
bring people out
to the races with 'em? Sure. The bigger teams
bring motor homes
full of people. Kids, too? (CHUCKLING)
I could do stuff for
the crew and everything. And I...
I know. I, I haven't even been
out of town before. Only to Grandma's house,
and that's really
not that far. Mmm-hmm. Well, we'll have to
check with the boss
on this one, okay? All right.
All right. JIM: Just don't tell her
we had any of that
chicken, okay? MIKE: Okay. BONNIE: There we go. So, Amy had a big day. Got home from work,
and I had the radio on. I was changin' her diaper,
and all of a sudden
out it came. Out what came, honey? Her first word. At 11 months?
Mmm-hmm. Well, that's incredible.
BONNIE: I know. JIM: Little girl's
a regular certified genius. That's my girl.
Well, what did she say? Agnew.
Agnew? As in Spiro. JIM: I know who
the man is, Bonnie. Who's Spiro Agnew? This is gonna get around,
you know. Well, if you want,
I can tell 'em she said, "he's a low-down crook"
in the same breath. Oh, come on, Jim.
Look at his hands. (MUSIC PLAYING ON RADIO) (DOOR OPENING) Here you go. Is Mike asleep? Mmm-hmm. Finally. Wanted to know what
his first word was. What was it, "Nixon"? Close. It was "Daddy." Listen, honey. There's somethin' I wanted
to talk to you about. Walker and Helen
are movin' to Indianapolis. He asked me to
take over as team manager. It was completely unexpected.
You said yes? I had to say yes.
How could you do that? How can you say
it's unexpected, Jim? Walker's been lookin'
for an excuse
to get out of here for the last five years
and you know it. If we had any sense at all,
Jim, we'd go, too.
No, no, no. Let's not get started
on this.
Why, Jim? We're getting in
deeper and deeper, you know? How many people leave here
before you see
the writing on the wall? And what wall is this?
A wall from our house? How many homes do we own
up in Indianapolis
or Cincinnati? How many jobs
do we hold up there? How many jobs
did Owen have before
he went to Chicago, Jim? Now, that's really
a fair comparison. Jim, he invited you
to partner with him. Good night, Bonnie. ANNOUNCER ON RADIO:
The forecast for tomorrow
is warm and sunny. Perfect weather
for all you racing fans,
and who in this town isn't? Come out and join us
as we wish a fond bon voyage to the Miss Madison
team as they load up and head off to the sunshine
of Miami for the first race
of the season. We'll get lots of racing fans
and a special appearance
by Mayor Vaughn. Don't forget, listeners,
it's your boat, too. (INDISTINCT CHATTERING) Hey, Mayor. A little somethin'
for the trip. All right, Jimmy,
I wanna talk to you
for a minute. Listen, this is just
for an emergency, okay? Now, there's only
about $200 in this account. It's the Women's Club
Five-County Bake-Off. If old Mrs. Whittington
finds out that we've borrowed from
her raspberry-filling fund, she'll skin
both our heinies. I'll keep that in mind. Put it up top. Hi, honey.
BONNIE: Hi. I can't believe
I approved this. You be good, all right? No gamblin',
no whiskey and no women. Good luck. Bye, Mom.
Bye. (ALL CHEERING) (SHAMBALA PLAYING) Wash away my troubles Wash away my pain With the rain
in Shambala MIKE: Every kid in Madison would have traded places
with me that day. My father and the team
were the only sports heroes
we had, and now I was one of them. Ooh, yeah Yeah, yeah, yeah,
yeah, yeah Ooh, yeah Yeah, yeah, yeah,
yeah, yeah Everyone is helpful,
everyone is kind They're gonna race that thing
so it won't run anymore. Whoa, this is cool!
Great, huh? This is cool. Can I take a look around? Sure. But don't run off too far.
We have dinner plans tonight.
All right. JIM: Hey, Tony,
you see that? The Atlas is goin'
with a new hull this year. And look,
who's that down there
in Bill Muncey's boat? Well, I'll be.
That's Buddy Johnson.
He's a Limited driver. That was great.
Feels great. He's supposed to be
a real comer. (INDISTINCT CHATTERING) (DO YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN
PLAYING ON STEREO) Been forty days
since I don't know when I just saw her
with my best friend ...completely
sprayed this guy with this rooster tail.
It was so funny. Is that Grizzly Adams
over there? Yeah, that's Dan Haggerty.
Who are you? I'm Mike McCormick. This picnic's only
for racing teams. Oh, I'm on
the Miss Madison team. Well, the food's
over there. Okay. (MIMICKING) "I'm on
the Miss Madison team." Oh, hello, Mr. Wallin. Well, by God,
it's the Budweiser team. Hello, George.
How you doin', Roger? Jim McCormick, Miss Madison. So, how are the defending
Gold Cup champions? Well, if you can
still lift that trophy
at the end of the year, we'll be glad to
take it from you again.
I'll lift it. Hey, Roger. Jim. Hey, McCormick, did you
bring a calendar with you? A what?
A calendar. To time that boat with. Hey, old-timer,
why don't you pick
on someone your own size? How about this?
Jimmy, how the hell are you? Great, Harry. And this,
this can't be Mike. Grown up some, hasn't he? Certainly has. Why don't you come onboard,
have a little fish? Can you fish
out of this boat? Caught more fish
than John the Baptist. Who's John the Baptist? (LAUGHING)
Somethin' tells me
this kid spends a little too much time
at the boat garage. (LAUGHING) Son, let me
tell you somethin'. Harry Volpi was as great
a mechanic as they come. If your dad hadn't
walked out on that team
in the middle of that season, we may have won
a race or two. That's not true. Your father is
the only good thing
about that entire group. Oh, I ran into Epperson
and his smart-aleck driver down at
the registration tent. (CHUCKLING)
I'll bet
that made your day. As always. If you'd like to
come by later on, we sure could use
an extra hand. I think you know
the answer to that. (BOTH LAUGHING) You can tie up the race
right now. See that right out there? (INAUDIBLE) ANNOUNCER:
Hello, Madison race fans. This is Jim Hendrick
speaking to you from Marine Stadium
in Miami, Florida. The temperature
is in the 70s. A beautiful sunny day. A great day
for the opening of the 1971 Unlimited
Hydroplane Racing season. Now, the Madison local boys
have been working
all winter long to show well in this
opening of the season. In a start unique
to hydroplane racing, the clock starts to
wind down as the drivers
jockey for position. When the clock goes
completely black, the drivers want their boat
right at the starting line
at full speed. Now, time and time again,
Rick Winston,
the Budweiser driver has proven he's the sport's
most talented starter. (CROWD CHEERING) Open it up! ANNOUNCER:
And they're climbing
at turn number one, with the Budweiser
leading the way and the Miss Madison
backing the pack. Into the corner in turn two,
the Budweiser
extending its lead over the Hawaii Kai
and the Atlas. Yes! Now, Rick Winston in the Bud
really opening her up. Come on, Skip.
Do not push her. Look at this.
Now he's coming up
on the last-place Madison. (CHUCKLING)
He could actually
lap the Madison, and we haven't
seen that in a while. Skip Naughton is really
pushing the Madison, fans. He's determined to hold
the Bud off at any cost. Lap him, Rick!
Come on, man! (ENGINE BACKFIRING) MAN: Go, Budweiser! (CROWD CHEERING) MAN 2: Go, Budweiser! ANNOUNCER: And it looks like
a blown engine, folks. The Miss Madison
is smoking heavily
I told you. ...and it goes
dead in the water. JIM: Hey, Skip,
I just gotta ask you, what happened to
takin' it easy? Take it easy?
He was gonna
lap me out there. I don't care.
I told you
not to push it. What are we
doing here, then?
I came to race. Jesus, don't you guys
have any pride? I'll tell you
what we do not have,
is another engine. Thanks to you,
we are done for the day.
Do you understand? Don't put that on me. Good run.
Got the lap in on him. (BOTH LAUGHING) EPPERSON: All right,
you take a breather,
we'll do it again. All right.
Pull that old engine
out of there. Put the new one in
for the next heat.
Let's move it. Heat two, boys. Happy anniversary, honey. You didn't hear? Hear what? Midwest Grain and Coal
stopped all barge shipping. Completely? They're cutting
half the shifts today. It's 372 men. Come here, y'all.
I wanna
show you somethin'. This here right here
is an Unlimited hydroplane.
Look at this. All right, if you
have any more problems,
just let me know, okay? WOMAN:
Thank you, Jim. TRAVIS: Isn't it great?
Look at that guy in there. It kind of looks like
your daddy,
doesn't he, Mike? Come on. Let's go inside.
You guys
are gonna love this. Everything in here
is authentic.
It's the real McCoy. Look here, look here.
This here boat
raced in Madison in 1928. And then in 1958,
millionaire Sam DuPont donated the current boat
to the city, makin' the Miss Madison
the world's only
community-owned racin' boat. Isn't that somethin'?
All that history right here
in this little-bitty town. ALL: That is cool. TRAVIS: This is important
for y'all
to learn this stuff because we got
a responsibility
to keep this stuff goin'. Come here. Now, I want
to show you somethin'. Need a lift? Is this the hearse? They ought to all be
wearin' dark glasses and usin' them
Seein' Eye dogs
for bein' so damn blind. Bonnie told me
this mornin'. Any chance
it's just a layoff? No. Water transport's
just too expensive. It's... It's obsolete. This whole town's obsolete. (SIGHS) Listen, Jim, Phyllis and I had
a long talk this mornin', and her brother
has a lead on somethin'
for me up in Cincinnati. I just thought
I ought to tell you, on account of the team
and everythin'. Sure. I appreciate that. (JAZZ MUSIC PLAYING) BONNIE: Real estate
was weak before the layoffs. The issue is whether or not
the housin' market can
support the turnover at all. No one buys houses anymore.
Everybody's leasin'.
It's just not practical. (PEOPLE APPLAUDING)
So what do you suggest? Maybe you should go
see Owen next week,
when you're in Chicago. You're somethin' else,
Bonnie.
What? He used to call
all the time. Why not? Hear what he has to say. Chicago. Chicago, Chicago
That toddlin' town You did this.
You requested this. Yes, you did.
No, I did not do that. (LAUGHING)
I wish that I had,
but I didn't. Let's go for a walk. It's fate. The town that Billy Sunday
couldn't shut down On State Street,
that great street I just wanna say
Oh, no! They do things
they don't do on Broadway It's a good thing
you're handsome,
sweetheart. They have the time,
the time of their life I saw a man shoot
his wife last night In Chicago, Chicago SINGER:
That's my hometown (HORNS BLARING) RADIO ANNOUNCER:
That was Instant Karma
with John Lennon. Jesus, Dad. How many people live here? (SIGHS) ANNOUNCER: ...right after
the Chairmen of the Board. Give me just
a little more time And our love will
surely grow Good luck tomorrow. Hey, Bobby, I got to run up
and see an old friend tonight during the sponsors' party. I was wondering if you could
keep an eye on Mike for me. BOBBY: Long as
he promises to stand
in the drink lines for me. Let's think of each other
and hesitate Young and impatient
we may be There's no need
to act foolishly (LAUGHING)
Jimmy Mac!
Get your butt in here. How have you been, Owen?
Oh, wow. Obviously pretty lousy. OWEN: Hey, you just
missed Helen. She just dropped Ricky off.
Oh. Here.
Hey, thanks, man. Can't get over how
big that lake is. That's a clever gadget. Oh, man, this thing
will keep your beer cold
all the livelong day. (CHUCKLING)
Damnedest thing, man. I was down in Mexico,
sales convention. I see this kid on the beach
sellin' 'em for a nickel. Next thing I know,
I'm in the sports-marketin'
business. Right place
at the right time. Story of my life. So, catch me up, man. My sister says
to look for you
on Wide World of Sports, and then, then I hear
you're retired. Yeah, well,
after the accident
I got an offer to drive for a team
out in Seattle, but, you know,
movin' to a new town and all would've taken
some gettin' used to. Hell, man. We got three new facilities
openin' next month. One in Newark,
if you're lookin' around
at all. Well... We really love it
back home, Owen. The regatta's coming up,
and the trees along
the river are in bloom. No place like it.
No place like it,
I tell you. (BAND OF GOLD PLAYING) Now that you're gone All that's left Is a band of gold
Nice to meet you, Jennifer. BOBBY: What's going on? You guys want to
go down to the docks
and check out the boats? Sure. Come on, let's go. BOBBY: The plane
we flew in this time was a lot bigger
than the plane
we flew in to Miami. They even showed a movie.
An "R", too. I've seen
an "R" movie before. Our mall has six theaters
in it and we just sneak in. They've shown an "R"
at our town theater before. You mean there's only one
theater in your whole town? Hey, let's go shoot
bottle rockets
off the pier. Yeah, let's go.
Okay. (CHILDREN CHATTERING) WALLIN:
Well, the racing board
has considered making some changes
to the circuit. KITTLE:
Being from San Diego, you know how important
this is to me. Well, with that
great new waterway
you guys are buildin', we're excited as hell
to have you onboard. The trouble is
findin' you a slot. George,
you know that my group
is very serious. If we get behind this race,
I can guarantee national TV. He's right, George.
Think about it. The APBA and the circuit
stand to gain
thousands of dollars. All right, Bill,
why don't you just tell me
what works for you? Well, first of all,
we'll want the Labor Day
weekend slot. Madison's race?
Uh-huh. Shoot, that means
we'd have to kick 'em
off the circuit, and they've been around
a long time, 1904. That has to be part
of the deal. Sorry. JIM: The guy
from San Diego
is Bill Kittle. Now, he's been
tryin' to get a race
on the circuit for years. And knowin' how much money
those guys are wavin' around, we're probably
lookin' at our last season. You mean
we can't race anymore? Just 'cause
we don't host a race don't mean
we can't have the boat
on the circuit, right? Travis, proceeds
from the regatta practically support
the entire boat operation. I imagine George Wallin
will make some sort of
announcement tonight. Hi, everybody.
I'm George Wallin, president of the American
Power Boat Association. If you don't know that
by now, I'm in deep trouble. (ALL LAUGHING) Unfortunately,
Tri-Cities has had some
sponsors fall through and so they will be
unable to host
the Gold Cup Championship
race, this year. And we've decided,
really, that the only
fair thing to do is to conduct a drawing
among the other five cities. And the city that is drawn
would have the right to host this year's Gold Cup, provided, of course,
that they can guarantee
the prize money, which is $50,000
to be deposited
by tomorrow at midnight. And so, the city
with the right to host the 1971 Gold Cup
Championship race is... Madison, Indiana. (PEOPLE MURMURING) Well, will somebody
from the Madison team
come on up? The whole damn town
isn't worth $50,000. (ALL LAUGHING) Now, Jim, we can pick
another card, you know,
while everybody's still here. You understand that
you're gonna have to come up
with this money by tomorrow. Come on, get on with it.
Pick somebody else. (INDISTINCT CHATTERING) The problem is, gettin' the money by tomorrow
may not work for us. (CHUCKLING)
I didn't think it would. You see, George,
we'd like to deposit
the money right now. Jim, look, we're in enough
of a time crunch as it is,
you know what I mean? If... If you're not really
serious, you're wastin'
everybody's time. Let me just
pick another card. $50,000 and zero cents. See you in Madison, George. This will be
the greatest news
to hit Madison in years. Jimmy, you ought to think
about runnin' for mayor. MAYOR: $50,000? $50,000.
Were you out of your mind? Come on,
let's get on with it. MAN 2: Yeah,
let's get on with it. (ALL CHATTERING) Folks, I called
this meeting. I wanted to see
where everybody stands
on this issue. Mr. Mayor, just in case
you didn't know, last week 400 people
lost their jobs. I'm one of 'em,
and I say we forget about
all this racing business. And I say we stand behind
Jimmy and the boys. ALL: Yes! Yeah. That's easy for you to say.
You work in Louisville. Now, folks,
I reckon we need to sell 25,000 regatta tickets
to break even. Now, how many have
we sold so far, Audrey? Well, as of tonight, 134. (CROWD GROANING) This whole thing's a joke. Okay, folks, settle down.
Let me say something. No, no, that's fine.
I'm just...
Please. Just let me say something.
All right. Now, folks, before you vote,
Jim McCormick
has a few words to say. JIM: I know that
this will be your decision, but I brought along
a letter that
the San Diego Racing Club sent to the
American Power Boat
Association last night. "This letter is to protest
the decision to allow Madison "to host the Gold Cup. (ALL EXCLAIMING) "We are not alone
in our belief "that the championship race
belongs in a major city, "not in some backwoods town
on a dirty river." Backwoods town?
Dirty what? "As you know, the good people
of San Diego..." (ALL PROTESTING)
Those no-good sunbathing
sons of bitches. We'll show them
what a real race
looks like. All in favor of
hosting the Gold Cup,
raise your hand. (ALL CHEERING) (CRYING) Honey? Honey. Honey, I know
what you're gonna say. Somethin' has to give.
Then let it give. I am not interested in
becoming Styrofoam king
of North America. Well, I know that. Those people
back there are me. They were there for me
after the accident, and I'm not turnin'
my back on them now. JAKE: Good goin'
tonight, Jimmy. Thank you, Jake. Wait just a second. I'll talk to you.
Just a second. We may need
a little help from
you folks down at the bank. What kind of help?
That check of Wallin's. If you could buy us
a week or two
before it clears. How am I gonna do that? (PHONE RINGING) Good morning.
Madison Bank and Trust. Yeah, this is George Wallin, president of the American
Power Boat Association, callin' to find out
when that $50,000
check's gonna clear. I'm sorry, Mr. Wallin,
you'll need to speak with
Gertie, our check processor. Well, put her on. We do check processing
on Tuesdays and Fridays. What is this, Mayberry? If you'd like, I can give
Gertie your message tonight. Tonight?
Yes, sir. At bingo. Bingo? Never mind. (INDISTINCT CHATTERING) (CHOIR SINGING) Audrey,
how many can you get me
from the Women's Club? Okay, if you can do that,
I would really appreciate it. Jim? I gotta go.
I'll call you back.
Come on. Let's go. MAN ON RADIO:
One-Bravo-Delta,
this is Central Station. You have a call. One-Bravo-Delta,
come in, please. Who is this? JIM: It's
Jim McCormick, Harry. (MOANING) Yeah? (STUTTERS) We're not gettin' enough
power from our engines and we really need
the prize money in
these next two races. Yeah?
Well, I got to thinkin' about your old
nitrous oxide
injection system. Stay away from it, Jim. Is any of that old
equipment still around? If I couldn't do anything
with that stuff
with all of Epperson's money, you guys don't have
a chance in hell. Jim, we are not
talking about blowing up
just boats and parts. We're talking about
blowing up drivers. I understand that, Harry. Listen, we put in a bid
to host the Gold Cup. (SIGHING) MIKE: Harry Volpi
had pioneered the use of nitrous-oxide injections
for boat engines. And we were confident
that this simple and
straightforward device would be the answer
to all our problems. Does anybody
recognize anything? TRAVIS: Where are
the directions? This stuff looks
like scuba gear. It's just
engine equipment. This is crazy. Harry Volpi's
blown up more boats
than the US Navy. MALE ANNOUNCER:
Another picture-perfect day in Seattle, hydroplane fans, as the Miss Madison,
racin' here
on Lake Washington, hope to overcome
a tough start this season, and they hope
that the momentum of Madison
bein' the host city
for the 1971 Gold Cup will do it for 'em. MIKE: Get your
Gold Cup tickets. Labor Day weekend
in Madison, Indiana,
on the scenic Ohio River. Come on,
get your Gold Cup tickets. Sir? Ma'am? Injection system
checks out? Yep. Canisters are mounted.
She's ready to go. (ENGINE ROARING)
Skip, come here. I think we got a handle
on that nitrous system. When you get in open water,
go ahead and hit that
white button. You'll get a boost of power. Anything you guys can do
to make this tub go faster,
I'm all for it. Gold Cup tickets.
Get your Gold Cup tickets. Gold Cup tickets.
Get 'em now. Gold Cup tickets!
Get 'em now.
They're goin' fast. Get your Gold Cup tickets. Look here. Moonhead's
trying to get people
to come to his Hillbilly Cup. I don't see you sellin'
any Gold Cup tickets,
Epperson. I guess I will be soon,
since I heard that
we're hosting the Gold Cup since you guys haven't
sold enough tickets yet.
That's a lie. George Wallin's talking to
my dad about it right now. Why don't we just go
over there and ask him? You're so full of it. Wanna do somethin' about it? That's what I thought. A chicken, just like his dad.
Let's go. (CROWD CHEERING) MALE ANNOUNCER:
After a perfectly
timed start, Skip Naughton
steers the Miss Madison
through the first turn right in the middle
of the pack. That's a 14:06
on that first corner, Jim. Look at Winston
tryin' to take the inside. It's all right.
She's lookin' good. ANNOUNCER: Coming off
the fourth corner, the Miss Madison
is really moving, fans, only a boat length
out of the lead. He could use it
on this stretch. Skip Naughton is
driving a great race,
a beautiful race, as he brings her
down the main strait. Come on, Skip, let's go. ANNOUNCER: Oh, God! A terrible explosion
has rocked the Miss Madison. The entire right side...
Where's the Safety Rescue? Bill, Bill, come on. ANNOUNCER: Skip Naughton
is swimming away.
He seems to be okay, but he's swimming away
from a burning, sinking boat. MAN: Get those hillbillies
off the water! Skip, listen, I thought
we had a handle on it.
I apologize, really. Mechanics who know
what they're doin' have a hard enough
time with this stuff,
let alone a gas pumper, a dockworker
and some retard. I quit. MIKE: The drive from Seattle
took almost three days, but it felt like three years. We returned on
a bleak Saturday afternoon. My father and I
had barely spoken
during the trip, already aware of
what this would mean
to the team and the town. I'm headin' down
to the boat garage
if you wanna come. No. Come on. Let's go for a ride. (BIRDS TWITTERING) Come on,
there's somethin'
I wanna show you. It's just up here. You brought me up here
to see a cave? Not just any cave, Son. (HATCH SQUEAKING) Your grandpa
brought me down here
when I was a little boy to show me what
stalactites look like. Claimed he discovered
this place when he was
in high school. Told me I was
the only person
he ever told about it. (BOTH PANTING) (JIM SIGHING) It's somethin' else, huh? Here, take a look at this. My dad would
have tanned my hide
if he'd ever seen this. I used to come up here
sometimes when I needed
to think about things. That's one
of the special things
about where we live. And it just
occurred to me today
that you never been here. (BIRDS TWITTERING) Hey, Lyle, I'm sorry.
I tried to call you
last week, but we had a problem
out in Seattle. I'll talk to you later. I'll call you right back. Jim. Yeah? We need to talk. Patty said
they might be lookin' for someone
over at Meecham's. What, did you tell her
about this already? No, I didn't tell her
about this already. I wouldn't do that. I'm sorry. You know, Jim,
this may be for the best. At least it's a fresh start,
you know? I know Bobby and Tony
will miss you, but they just
have to understand. I can't do that, Bonnie.
That boat's
all this town's got. Jim, what are you saying? You're sayin'
that this doesn't
change anything? (AMY CRYING) Why are we stoppin' here? Get out of the car, Jim. What?
Get out of the car. Bonnie, for cryin' out loud... I told you before
you had a choice, Jimmy. It's pretty clear to me
you've already made it. Go! Okay. (PHONE RINGING) Phone's ringing. I know. (PHONE RINGING) (MUSIC PLAYING
ON CAR STEREO) Cliffsboro! This is the place
with the Putt-Putt course and the cool old stores
with homemade taffy! Well, we're just
stopping for gas.
Batting cages! (GROANING) No, I'm sorry.
We're an hour
from Grandma's, Mike. You know what a mob scene
those places were the last time
we came through here. (SONG PLAYING ON CAR STEREO) And a pocket
full of dreams The big folks
came to town I love that
thunderin' sound Will you just
fill it up for me, please?
Yes, ma'am. Oh. Get back in the car, sweetie. Seven-sixteenth, okay? Seven-sixteenth?
I'm sorry. Travis!
I'm sorry. Travis, would you watch
where you're goin'? That could
really hurt somebody. I... I think I might
go to Shipley's and get me some coffee
or somethin'. What? Honey? Bonnie? (CRICKETS CHIRPING) Y'all on lunch break? It's beyond repair. Long night
in front of us, then. It's already
been a long night. TONY: Nothin' more
we can do. It's totalled. We need boat builders,
not mechanics. Well, I'll just find
somebody who can fix it. I already called someone. TONY: Staudacher
up in Michigan. $6,000, four weeks at least. Then I'll get Peter
or somebody to work on it. Jim, you're not listenin'
to me. It's destroyed. Don't tell me
I ain't listenin'. After all we've been
through to get this far and you're ready
to just throw it away. Why don't you just get off
your high horse, McCormick? It's just a damn boat. If that's the way
you feel about it, then maybe
you should have taken that great, fancy,
high-class job
up in Cincinnati. Maybe I should have. You've had a rough
couple of days, Jimmy. I think maybe
we all ought to get
a little sleep. (FOOTSTEPS PATTERING) (SCOFFS)
Mmm. (INHALING) There's a reason
they call them
"the good old days." What a time. Goin' every weekend
from race to race, with Davy and Linda
and everybody. It seemed
like such an adventure
for a while. (BONNIE SIGHING) Stupid. Soon it was races on Sundays,
funerals on Tuesdays. Sometimes a man
we barely knew,
sometimes a friend. And Davy. It's still in his blood,
isn't it? Good night, sweetheart. Good night, Mom. Your public servant,
available at all hours... Mayor, tomorrow's the deadline
for coverin'
the check, and... Well, we weren't
even close. Here's about
$12,000 in there. I'm sorry. Come on in, Jim. I'll make you a Black Cow. As far as the boat goes,
we're done for the season. Probably for good. I take full responsibility
for that. (SIGHING) Sure is calm tonight. Yeah, the plain fact is
that if it hadn't been for a couple
of misguided Indians, none of us would
be here anyway. Supposedly
they were paddling
upstream from Kentucky and they settled here
because they thought
they were in Cincinnati. Next thing you know,
we're the busiest port
outside New Orleans, wealthiest town
in the state. I remember
when I was a little boy, my dad and I
used to sit down there
on the shore and count all the boats
comin' in
and out of the port. Everybody
nowadays will tell you
they saw it comin', but back then, nobody could ever imagine
what this river
would look like without all those boats
goin' up and down. Maybe those Indians
should have built this town
on a superhighway. I guess we should've realized
it was only a matter of time before boat racin'
outgrew us, too. I'm sorry
for wakin' you up. You didn't wake me up. (PAPER RUSTLING) (THUNDER RUMBLING) (CAR DOOR CLOSING) MIKE: Well,
for those 24 hours, it seemed like
every person in town
came to the team's aid. Now, it's Tuesday,
and I want to talk to Gertie. SECRETARY:
I'm sorry, Mr. Wallin. She had to run
to her grandson's
piano recital. Oh, this is ridiculous.
Get me the bank president. He's at the recital also. Who is this kid,
Vladimir Horowitz? No, sir,
Ritchie McCallister. There are no Vladimirs
in Madison,
as far as I know. Have a nice day. (RAIN PATTERING) Darlene, you think
they'd let an old fat guy
be an astronaut? Sir? If I do somethin' stupid
and get
voted out of office, I'd have to come up
with somethin' else,
right? (CHUCKLES) Hello? Hello? Oh, afternoon,
Miss McCormick. Hi. I hope you don't mind
we come back here. Well,
we heard from some folks
down there at Shipley's that Jim wasn't gonna
be able to finish this,
due to the boat and all. So he doesn't know
you're here? No, ma'am. Well, let me get you guys
some pop or something. This boat's
gonna be in the water wherever the heck
the Gold Cup is. TONY: Hey, Jimbo!
Yeah? You got a phone call here. It's Jake Merrill
over at the bank. Uh-oh. (SIGHING) Hey, Jake. JAKE: Hey, Jim,
have you talked
to the Mayor? Yeah,
I talked to him last night.
I was at his house. So you know
he covered the check. What?
The $50,000. He did what?
Yeah, from the city's
sanitation funds. (STUTTERS) Listen, I gotta go.
I gotta... I gotta
get to the ticket office. Okay, bye.
Okay, Jim. Tony!
Call this guy
Buddy Johnson. See if he's available
to race for us. What for?
We got the Gold Cup. What? We what?
We got the Gold Cup. We may not have
our garbage collected
for the next three years... but we got the Gold Cup! (LAUGHING)
We got it! Let's go call him! SECRETARY:
Good morning.
Madison Bank and Trust. (BABY PLEASE DON'T GO PLAYING) Baby, please don't go You're gonna have
to rebuild the sponson and take it all the way
back to the stringers. Down to New Orleans You know I love you so,
Baby, please don't go All right Before I be your dog MAN ON RADIO:
One-Bravo-Delta,
you have a call. One-Bravo-Delta. Be your dog Come on, Harry,
I know
you're out there. Baby, please don't go All right When your man done gone When the man done gone When the man done gone,
at the county farm Let's do it! Baby, please don't go All right Oh, hit it Hey (MOTORBOAT HUMMING) BOBBY: It floats! (CROWD CHEERING) CROWD: Yeah! (MAN WHISTLING)
BOBBY: It floats! (MAN WHOOPING) Yeah! Excuse me.
What's going on? Oh, it floats.
Isn't that great? Hey, you're Buddy.
In the flesh. Mr. McCormick! Oh, God, I'm sorry.
We were just
testing the boat out here. Well... Here,
meet my wife Bonnie.
And it's Jim, by the way. How are you?
This is my new bride Tami.
Newlyweds. Congratulations. Thanks. Six weeks. Well, come on, Buddy,
let me introduce you
to the Miss Madison. Oh, she is an angel. So I hear you're gonna be
driving for Atlas Van Lines
in Dayton this weekend. Yeah, they only
need me for one race, so I'll be available
for the Gold Cup.
Well, Atlas is a damn
fine operation. You're gonna
have some excellent
equipment underneath you. Yeah, I can't hardly wait. Well, let... Let me
just tell you a little
bit about this boat. Go ahead and
hop in there, Buddy. (STUTTERS) she's 12 years old, she's heavy
and she's gonna handle
a whole lot different than anything
you've ever piloted. I... I'm just telling you,
'cause we just rebuilt the whole right sponson
on her. The engine is down
on horsepower. And... Well, frankly,
Buddy, we really don't know
what she's got left in her. I'll tell you what, Jim. As long as she floats
and her engine runs, I'll put her
at the front of the pack. Supper was great.
Thanks again.
Oh. You're welcome.
I'm glad you could come. Good luck on the Atlas.
See you Tuesday?
Yeah. Great. See you next week.
Oh, you betcha, boss. Drive safely.
Thanks. Thanks.
Bye. BUDDY: Hey, come here. (TAMI GIGGLING) (BUDDY WHOOPING) JIM: Oh, he's a stick
of dynamite. Years ago I knew
a guy like that. Well, let's see
if I can still try here. (GRUNTING) (LAUGHING)
It's not funny. I hurt my back! MIKE: With a new driver
and restored boat, the mood in the town was high. But things were different
with me and none of that
seemed to matter anymore. (BIRDS TWITTERING) MALE ANNOUNCER ON TV:
Making his first appearance
here in Dayton, is Limited class driver
Buddy Johnson
in the Atlas Van Lines boat. (PHONE RINGING)
Although he's driving
for Atlas today, Buddy will be the driver
for the Madison team at next week's
Gold Cup Championship race. BONNIE: Madison Regatta
ticket office. Hey, Audrey.
Hi, Jim.
We got the race on. Great, thank you.
Hi, honey. I'm okay.
How are the ticket
sales coming along? It's all right.
Bit of an upswing this week, but we need
a lot of walk-ups,
or we're in big trouble. The final heat's startin'.
Thank you. ANNOUNCER: The boats
are charging towards
the starting line deck to deck...
Come on, Buddy. ...Budweiser and Cat's Pride
on the inside. Which one is he?
He's right there. JIM: On the outside. He's racin' for Atlas
this week. ...is on the far outside.
Let's go. They hit the start,
and the race... (EXPLOSION) (ALL GASPING)
ANNOUNCER: An accident! My God,
an accident on the course! It's the Atlas
Van Lines boat! The Atlas has flipped
on the course! It's Buddy Johnson's boat! Oh, God. ANNOUNCER: What a tragic
accident this will be. Buddy Johnson, 22 years old, and the sport's
most prominent
up-and-coming driver from the Limited class, seen there on the stretcher,
lifting to that helicopter. Seems the rescue teams here
are on the course. His young wife is looking on. Oh, God,
what she must be feeling. Our thoughts and our prayers
are with the family. (BIRDS CAWING) MALE ANNOUNCER:
And Madison
making her move now as they head down
the straightaway
into the backstretch. And it's Budweiser
still leading
the Miss Madison, followed by
the Towne Club,
the Thriftway, with Atlas Van Lines
way back in the pack. And look at this, folks.
Davy Snyder in the Towne Club making his move,
challenging his best friend
Jim McCormick. He's right on
McCormick's shoulder. And it's Budweiser
and Madison going for
the same lane. Going for the same lane,
folks! McCormick is gonna
have to drop back. But no, he hits the gas pedal!
He spins out! McCormick spins
out 180 degrees! Here comes Davy Snyder
with Towne Club. Flips twice! No! And there's two drivers
face down in the water! Bonnie. Bonnie.
What? Why did I even go up there? I knew what you were doin'. I owe it to them, Bonnie. Who do you owe? The team, the town?
Who, Buddy? Buddy has nothin'
to do with this. Who, then? Davy? Is this your way of asking
for his forgiveness? You think Davy wants
you to go out there
and kill yourself? You don't owe anyone. For eight years I've been
trying to explain to people
what I was thinkin' when I walked away
from that cockpit
in the middle of the season, and for eight years
I've been
trying to convince them that it was because
of Epperson, or because
of Davy's crash,
or because of you, and all along I've known
it didn't have anything
to do with anybody but me. Jim...
Now hold on a second. Maybe I didn't have the guts
to keep racin' for the same reason
that I do not have
the guts to leave here. It's not fair. I'm gonna do it, Bonnie. (REVVING) (MOTORBOAT ROARING) (ENGINE SPUTTERING) Oh, he stalled it. (CROWD MUTTERING) We got an all-practice day
tomorrow, now. Oh, Lordy.
What? TONY: Good grief. There's no lookin' back now.
Let's go. I keep waitin'
on the caboose. Wait, you guys. MAN ON RADIO:
One-Bravo-Delta,
this is Central Station. You got another one. McCormick, you know,
this is really
becoming ridiculous. Harry, Harry, it's Bonnie. What's wrong? (STEAM WHISTLE BLOWING) WOMAN ON PA:
Welcome to Madison,
Indiana, folks, proud home
of the Miss Madison team. Thank you for joining us
as we host the Gold Cup for the first time
in the town's history. Please watch your step
as you disembark. And don't forget
to buy your tickets
for the big race tomorrow. You can find them
in the gold and red booths
to your right. On behalf of
the Belle of Louisville, we hope you enjoy your stay
here in Madison. Hey, Harry! What the heck are you
doin' up here? How about that, huh? (JIM CHUCKLING) I should have just
moved my boat up here
and retired. Gotten a hell of a lot
more fishin' in,
I'll tell you that. Don't we call that
dirt, son? HARRY: You're gonna have
to re-wash
every one of these. Okay.
No, no, not okay. Do it.
Okay. I mean... Mr. Volpi, it's a pleasure.
Hello, sir. How are you? Tony Steinhardt.
You can call me Harry, Tony. You got it.
I was goin' over
this blower assembly. I'll tell you right off,
you're gonna wanna re-check
the clearance on this one. Will do.
Good attitude. I like it. Roberto.
A face from the past. Been a long time, Harry. Sure has. That's lookin' real good. Damn right it does. Atta boy. Harry, about
the nitrous system... No, no. No nitrous now, son.
It's out of the question. You're gonna
wanna disassemble
this entire engine while I go out
and find myself
something to eat. I'll be back
in an hour or two. I don't know
how you heard, Harry,
but thanks. I got a hunch you do. You know the first thing
the big fish
tell the little baby fish? "Don't ever eat anything
hanging on a string
off a dock." Let's go fishing. Let me see you cast. Atta boy.
The man can cast. Haven't been
helping your dad out
too much lately, have you? What's it gonna matter?
People will
still laugh at us. People? You mean the people
on the other teams? It would be nice,
wouldn't it if we could change places
with other people. You know, kind of
wake up one day and
live in a different place, big house and fancy parents. That'd really be swell,
wouldn't it? We wouldn't lose anymore. No, and you
wouldn't have to work at it
anymore, either, would you? No. Do you think
your dad and the team
would like it that way? There's nobody
that works harder
at this game than the boys
in that garage. Then we should be winning. Well, yes, sir,
I guess we should. But every now and then,
a pocketful of money will whoop the pants
out of plain old hard work. (FISHING LINE WHIRRING) You got somethin'.
Pull on her. Atta boy.
You're a fisherman! You're a fisherman! MAN ON RADIO:
It's 10:48, WMAD, ten hours to go before
our own Jim McCormick... climbs in the Miss Madison
to race for the Gold Cup. Hey, Jim.
Yeah? You wanna go out to my truck
and get the socket wrench? Sure. Wait a minute.
Your truck? You didn't drive your truck. Now, if you weren't
so damn tired, you'd have figured that out
before you even
went out there. Come on, Harry,
you're shorthanded
as it is. We got 10 hours
to get that engine
runnin' right. Go to sleep! All right, well, I'm goin'. I got that breather hose
off the accessory housing. So, where do we go next? Next page. (POUNDING ON DOOR) (SIGHING) (CHUCKLING) (HARRY MUTTERING) McCormick,
I told you to go home
and get some sleep. (CRICKETS CHIRPING) MAYOR: Hey, Jimbo! Big day for you tomorrow. Big day for all of us. Listen, Jimmy,
don't worry too much
about the race. Just coax her
through a couple of laps,
we'll all be proud. See you tomorrow. (METALLIC CLANKING) HARRY: I see why
this nitrous system
ain't gonna work. Your motor just
plumb wore out. Half these parts
are shot. Maybe we should
get some new ones. There aren't many
World War II airplane
engines available in southern Indiana
at this hour. Hey, maybe we ought to
drive to Columbus
and steal the engine from that old fighter plane
in front of City Hall. Now, hold on a second here. I'll do it. I'm in. Fellows, even if there
is still an engine in it,
which there probably isn't, we're talkin' about
a plane on display down in front
of their City Hall. As in the mayor's office,
the county jail. I don't think
there's much left here
to discuss. Do you? We can take my truck. Wait, I was just kiddin'. (SIGHING) Please don't look at me
like that. You wanna do old Harry
a favor? Go home
and get some sleep. I need you in the morning
to be sharp. BOBBY: Maybe we
should come back
tomorrow around noon. Won't be as bright. Here. No, let me have that.
Okay. We're on it.
It's okay. (DOG BARKING) What have you got there? (GRUNTING) It's the tach drive. You got it?
I can't get in there. (GRUNTING) Now if we just... had somebody with smaller... Hands? HARRY: Well, I'll be. (BIRDS CHIRPING) Go get them, Jimmy. It's just like in
Huckleberry Finn. Look at the smoke
coming out of those stacks! That's not smoke,
that's steam. GIRL: Wow! Have you ever been on it? Sure, loads of times. They're givin' rides all day.
I can get you on if you want. Cool!
Let's go. Wait! My dad said we could
watch TV in his
new motor home. Guys? (STEAM WHISTLE BLOWING) Hey, Jim!
Jim, I hear you guys
only sold 30,000 tickets. Well, George,
we're countin'
on a few walk-ups. What is ABC gonna say
when they see
a half-empty shoreline? I suppose we'll find out. I knew this was a mistake. Who'd ever want
to come to this place? KEITH: The banks
of the Ohio River as it flows by the city of Madison,
Indiana, population about 13,000
on a hot summer day. It's the setting today
with more than 100,000 people to watch the Gold Cup race
for Unlimited hydroplanes. It's an American
folklore festival
where thousands and thousands have come to enjoy themselves
and just have some fun. Hello, I'm Keith Jackson and you're about to see today
on ABC's Wide World of Sports what we call the thunderboats,
the Unlimited hydroplanes, the powerhouses
of boat racing,
run for the Gold Cup. This is the Grand Prix
for the Unlimited hydroplanes. This is the one
that every man in boat racing
strives to win at one time or another,
because this is the top prize. (ENGINES REVVING) The boats are now
moving onto the course. As you fans know,
the race is set up
on a points system. They'll run five heats today,
and the five boats
with the most points... will advance
to the winner-take-all final. The heavy favorite today
is Rick Winston
in Miss Budweiser. He's gunning for his third
straight Gold Cup trophy and he's piloted his boat
to four wins in five races
so far this year. (FIRING) (HYDROPLANES ROARING) Coming down the straightaway,
it's deck to deck to deck
across the field, all five boats even. It looks like Cat's Pride
will hold the inside lane. The leader, Cat's Pride,
spinning out in turn two
and stalls. And here's Miss Madison,
coming out of the pack
and taking the lead. (ALL CHEERING)
Jim McCormick, in his first
race in eight years, has taken the lead. And here comes Rick Winston
in the Budweiser. Here's the Budweiser
cutting in front
of the Madison, taking the inside lane. Jim McCormick is caught
in the Bud's rooster tail. Hey, now that's a wash-down! Boy, Rick Winston
was dangerously close
to a penalty on that move. Now McCormick
has more trouble. Here comes the Atlas. No! Now the Notre Dame
is after him. This is critical.
The winner of this duel
takes third place and gets enough points
to make it to the next heat.
Come on, baby! Coming to the finish line,
it's Budweiser,
it's Atlas... Madison taking third,
advancing to the next heat. (ALL CHEERING)
And the home folks
are loving it! JIM: Winston! That wash-down
was no accident,
and you know it! TONY: Jimmy, come on now,
he's not worth it. You know what they say,
McCormick, that's racing. I'm gonna show you racin'!
Come on.
Let it go! And stay focused! KEITH: A previous heat
had to be stopped
shortly after the start because of an accident
that occurred
in the first turn. The Hallmark Homes
boat sank. It's now at the bottom
of the Ohio River. We'll be back for the running
of the next heat
in just a moment. Second or third
in this heat
puts us in the final. Well, then I'm really
gonna have to push her. No, 3,700 RPMs,
that's all this old thing
has in her. How do you expect me
to beat these guys
at three-quarters throttle? You're the driver.
Figure it out. KEITH: As the heat
gets underway,
Miss Madison has a big problem falling well off the pace. Come on, Dad, pick it up. KEITH: Miss Madison
is lagging way behind the other leaders,
almost a half lap. Something's
gotta be wrong. Right on it. Up at the front,
Pay 'n Pak coming hard,
taking the lead. But look,
there's a puff of smoke. That's a blown engine,
no question. Pay 'n Pak's gone,
coasting off the course. With the Pay 'n Pak out,
third is all we need. We're in the final heat. We are in, guys.
We're in, Harry! Just hope that
he can hold together
and finish, son. KEITH: This could be
the miracle the Madison team
was hoping for but Madison's got trouble. They are down on power. It's a struggle right now. Just hold together
and finish. Come on, baby! Here comes Madison,
smoke billowing out
of the engine now. Will she make it?
Can she make it? Come on, Jim! Come on! (CROWD CHEERING)
The checkered flag. McCormick's done it,
and Madison is in
the championship heat. Congratulations on putting
the Miss Madison
in the final heat of a Gold Cup race
for the first time ever. Well, thank you.
The guys have been
working awfully hard and it's a tribute to them
that we're in it. The Budweiser and the Atlas
are the heavy favorites. You've run
against them both today. Who do you give the edge to? Well, I'd like to think that
we'll have a say in that. Is the Madison's strategy
to simply
stay out of the way and hope to be running
at the finish? Oh, hell, no.
We're out there to win,
just like everybody else. KEITH: (LAUGHING)
That's the spirit, Jim. All right, fellows,
let's go get set up
in the Budweiser pit. (ENGINE REVVING) (SIGHING) (EXHALING) (SIGHING) I gotta talk to you
about this final. I don't wanna go home early. I don't know,
Jimmy, it's... You heard me, Harry. We're not just
showin' up today. You're driving
a stick of dynamite. What else do you have? (SIGHING) Wanna go get
your drill-bit box? (VALVE HISSING) (WHIRRING) TONY: Harry, isn't that one
awful big for the nitrous? Wait, Jim, no. This is my decision, guys. We're gonna go,
or we're gonna blow. Listen to me. That white button,
only push that
if you're still racing. You got me? Okay. Ought to call her
the Miss Hindenburg. What are you doin'? What are you doin'? How about I meet you
on this spot in 15 minutes? Mmm-mmm. Easy now. I don't want you
to be all smudged up
for the TV cameras. We're gonna win.
We're gonna win.
For all of us. HARRY: Hey, Jim. I gotta go. Let's do it.
I gotta go. Harry. Harry, what are you doin'? He's gonna be fine. Come on up. We can do this! (HYDROPLANES ROARING) KEITH: Here they come.
It's a good start. (CROWD CHEERING) (ALL CHEERING) Out of the fourth corner,
Miss Budweiser
extending her lead. Coming down
the front stretch. Appears to be
breaking away from the pack. This could be
a runaway, folks. (CROWD SCREAMING) Madison p assing
the Notre Dame! Now he's got
the second-place boat,
Cat's Pride, in his sights. Turn two, and the Madison
now trails only the Budweiser. It's just you now, son. You're all alone out there. KEITH: Under the white flag.
One left to go. Come on. You got it.
You got it, big guy.
Hold him back. (REVVING) (CROWD CHEERING) KEITH: Rick Winston has gotta
feel Jim McCormick
on the back of his neck. I mean, it's dead even. You give him hell,
Jim McCormick! KEITH: He's now coming down
the straightaway
towards the checkered flag just a half a lap away. Go, go, go! Now! Look at this. Look at this! He may catch him.
He may catch him! Come on!
Come on, Jim. Come on! He got him! (SCREAMING)
It's the Madison
at the finish line! (ALL CHEERING)
Madison has won. Miss Madison has won
the Gold Cup. (CROWD CHEERING) Way to go, Dad! Yeah! (WHOOPING) He did it. (ALL YELLING) We did it! We did it! Come on over here! Jimmy, congratulations.
You never won one before and you won the big one
in front of the home folks. Thank you, Keith.
Well, we really wanted it. Well, you guys were just
sitting there quietly,
watching everybody walk away and then all of a sudden,
you're in the driver's seat. Well, we were gonna go,
or we were
gonna blow, Keith. God, I'm just so proud
of this team and this town. God bless you.
Thanks, Jim. And here comes
his wife, Bonnie. How about that, honey? Take a look over here. Mr. McCormick,
can I please
have your autograph? (CHILDREN CLAMORING) GIRL: Mr. McCormick! (CHILDREN CHEERING) I'm greatly honored
to present
the 1971 Gold Cup award to Mr. Jim McCormick
and the Miss Madison team. (CROWD APPLAUDING) MIKE: The citizens of Madison kept their spot
on the racing circuit and now it's one
of the most popular
tourist towns in the Midwest. The Miss Madison team
is still racing
on the Unlimited circuit, although they haven't
won a race since 1973. My father once
said that only someone
who had raced competitively could understand
why so many men had given their lives
to the sport of boat racing. My father continued racing
until 1975 when an accident
forced him to retire
from the circuit altogether. He remained
a fixture in the sport
and in Madison until his death in 1996. That following summer,
I began racing
on the Unlimited circuit. I dedicate each race
to his memory. (GLORY BOUND PLAYING) All the sun on the outside Doesn't touch
what I feel within When I've got you beside me I'm reachin' out
for the rainbow's end You get to me And give me a feelin'
that's comin' on Gettin' stronger
and stronger Glory bound To that
everlastin' feelin' Glory bound Lord, I ain't never,
never comin' down Oh, no It's 5:00 in the mornin' I'm lookin' out
on a sky of gray I don't care,
let the rains come If I'm with you,
it's a sunny day You make me feel
so close to heaven Whenever I'm beside you Glory bound To that
everlastin' feelin' Glory bound Lord, I ain't never,
never comin' down I need the comfort
I see in your smile I need the touch
of your hand Hey, hey, hey Come on and bring out
the best in me, girl Don't you know
that you can Glory bound To that
everlastin' feelin' Glory bound Lord, I ain't never Never, never comin' down, no Glory bound To that
everlastin' feelin' Glory bound Lord, I ain't never, never,
never comin' down, no Glory bound (ROLL LIKE THUNDER PLAYING) I saw you, baby Just like a vision
standin' Underneath the willow tree Girl, singin' Every time
your earrings jangled It sounded
like a symphony A storm's brewin'
at the mountainside Everything is blowin'
off the house Come on, baby Girl, you know
we'll roll like thunder All alone,
just you and me Come on, baby I can't hold on
for too much longer 'Cause here and now
it's gotta be Girl, you know
I do believe That you, you, you,
and me Are gonna
roll like thunder Aw, baby You and me tonight,
we're achin' For something crazy
we can do I wanna
walk the wild side A little love
will make it all right Come on, girl,
kick off your shoes A storm's brewin'
at the mountainside Everything is blowin'
off the house Come on, baby Girl, you know
we'll roll like thunder All alone,
just you and me Come on, baby I can't hold out
for too much longer 'Cause here and now
it's gotta be Girl, you know
I do believe That you, you, you,
and me Are gonna
roll like thunder Late at night By candle light We'll lay our dreams
in black and white Come on, baby Girl, you know
we'll roll like thunder All alone,
just you and me Come on, baby I can't hold on
for too much longer Here and now
it's gotta be Come on, baby Girl, you know
we'll roll like thunder All alone,
just you and me Come on, baby I can't hold on
for too much longer Here and now
it's gotta be Girl, you know
I do believe That you, you, you,
and me
everything important that happens to you
when you're a kid happens during the summer? In the summer of 1971,
I was 10 years old and the only thing I looked
forward to more than
the last day of school was the first day of practice
of hydroplane racing season. You could say Madison kids
were born into racing the same way some folks
are born in the oil business
or farming. The town's port
on the Ohio River at one point had been
the busiest in the Midwest, but that had started
to change. And though the river
had given the town
its prosperity, boat racing had given it
her identity, having hosted the first
professional boat race
in the United States. The town even owned
its own boat. They called it
the Miss Madison. In June of 1961,
my father climbed in
that very same boat, just two days
after I was born, and barely survived
a tragic accident, which ended his racing career and took the life
of his best friend. People used to say I should
have known my father
before the accident, that he was a different man. Well, that summer,
10 years later, he would give us
a glimpse of just
what kind of man he was. (BOAT ENGINE HUMMING) (GLORY BOUND PLAYING) All the sun
on the outside Doesn't touch
what I feel within When I've got you
beside me I'm reachin' out
for the rainbow's end You get to me And give me a feelin'
that's comin' on Gettin' stronger
and stronger Glory bound To that
everlastin' feelin' Glory bound Lord, I ain't never,
never comin' down Oh, no 2:04. She's not even hittin' 110. Guess we better check
that compression tonight. Mmm-mmm.
Gotta do better than that. JIM:
She's a little sluggish.
15:46... How's she runnin', Dad? Well, a little slow
on that one. Probably the supercharger
breakin' down again. Probably. Damn things are
just too unreliable. JIM:
Hey, watch your mouth. (ENGINE ROARING) Best first day
we've ever had. No, no, no, no.
The, the first day
of '62, that was
a whole lot smoother. '62? It rained that day. Hello, everybody. Hey, Cecil. How are you?
Good mornin', Mr. Mayor.
Good. Yeah, much better. (ALL CHEERING) Look at those people, Tony. Best part of this day
for me. She's startin'
to move, eh, Tony? Yeah. Those nights in
the garage last winter
just might pay off. Walker, Walker.
What? Skip Naughton's
pushin' her too hard.
I got me a bad feelin'. (ENGINE SPUTTERING) (CROWD GROANING) (ENGINE DYING) Told you '62 was better. Now it's better, sure. But it still rained
that day. They'll get that fixed.
They'll get it fixed.
It'll be all right. MAN:
I hope so, Mr. Mayor. Well, let's tow her in. (MIDNIGHT CONFESSIONS PLAYING) The sound
of your footsteps Telling me
that you're near Your soft gentle
motion, baby Jimmy, let me give you
a hand with that drill. Brings out the need in me
that no one can hear Hey, Tony,
let's get these plugs
out of here first, huh? Got you. Okay, I'm out. You haven't even gotten
all your cards yet. Well, I don't care.
I'm out. How many you want? Pick one. Hey, everybody. ALL: Hi, Mr. Mayor. Present from Mabel
over at the diner. Fried chicken. (INDISTINCT CHATTERING) All right,
listen, you two. You can save your speeches,
'cause the answer is no. Now, come on, Mayor.
Now, we're only askin'
for a few hundred dollars. Just in case
of an emergency. Every time
you start that engine
there's an emergency. Look, it's out of my hands. You guys know I can't
access municipal funds
without a referendum or
a two-thirds majority vote. Boys, all in favor
of accessin' city funds for boat-related expenses,
say "aye." Aye! Looks like
two-thirds to me. I'll see what I can do. There we go.
That's the spirit. Hey, Jimmy,
you got a second? Read 'em and weep,
gentlemen. (LAUGHING)
The kid picked me
a full house. WALTER:
Isn't it past
your curfew, kid? (ALL LAUGHING) What's goin' on? Well, you know, nothing's set
in stone yet, but Helen and I
are talkin' about
movin' off to Indianapolis. Job offer come up? No, no, no. It's just... I don't know.
It's probably somethin' I should have done
a long time ago. Well, anyway, I guess it's
pretty much up to you, but I was thinkin'
that you're gonna wanna
take over as crew chief. (CHUCKLING) I don't know. I mean, Bonnie's been after me
to cut back on
my boat hours, you know. Jimmy, come on. You've driven these boats.
You worked on these boats. You know this operation
better than anybody. Wow. MIKE: Dad,
when you were drivin',
did you win a lot of races? No, Son,
I never won any. Do some of the teams
bring people out
to the races with 'em? Sure. The bigger teams
bring motor homes
full of people. Kids, too? (CHUCKLING)
I could do stuff for
the crew and everything. And I...
I know. I, I haven't even been
out of town before. Only to Grandma's house,
and that's really
not that far. Mmm-hmm. Well, we'll have to
check with the boss
on this one, okay? All right.
All right. JIM: Just don't tell her
we had any of that
chicken, okay? MIKE: Okay. BONNIE: There we go. So, Amy had a big day. Got home from work,
and I had the radio on. I was changin' her diaper,
and all of a sudden
out it came. Out what came, honey? Her first word. At 11 months?
Mmm-hmm. Well, that's incredible.
BONNIE: I know. JIM: Little girl's
a regular certified genius. That's my girl.
Well, what did she say? Agnew.
Agnew? As in Spiro. JIM: I know who
the man is, Bonnie. Who's Spiro Agnew? This is gonna get around,
you know. Well, if you want,
I can tell 'em she said, "he's a low-down crook"
in the same breath. Oh, come on, Jim.
Look at his hands. (MUSIC PLAYING ON RADIO) (DOOR OPENING) Here you go. Is Mike asleep? Mmm-hmm. Finally. Wanted to know what
his first word was. What was it, "Nixon"? Close. It was "Daddy." Listen, honey. There's somethin' I wanted
to talk to you about. Walker and Helen
are movin' to Indianapolis. He asked me to
take over as team manager. It was completely unexpected.
You said yes? I had to say yes.
How could you do that? How can you say
it's unexpected, Jim? Walker's been lookin'
for an excuse
to get out of here for the last five years
and you know it. If we had any sense at all,
Jim, we'd go, too.
No, no, no. Let's not get started
on this.
Why, Jim? We're getting in
deeper and deeper, you know? How many people leave here
before you see
the writing on the wall? And what wall is this?
A wall from our house? How many homes do we own
up in Indianapolis
or Cincinnati? How many jobs
do we hold up there? How many jobs
did Owen have before
he went to Chicago, Jim? Now, that's really
a fair comparison. Jim, he invited you
to partner with him. Good night, Bonnie. ANNOUNCER ON RADIO:
The forecast for tomorrow
is warm and sunny. Perfect weather
for all you racing fans,
and who in this town isn't? Come out and join us
as we wish a fond bon voyage to the Miss Madison
team as they load up and head off to the sunshine
of Miami for the first race
of the season. We'll get lots of racing fans
and a special appearance
by Mayor Vaughn. Don't forget, listeners,
it's your boat, too. (INDISTINCT CHATTERING) Hey, Mayor. A little somethin'
for the trip. All right, Jimmy,
I wanna talk to you
for a minute. Listen, this is just
for an emergency, okay? Now, there's only
about $200 in this account. It's the Women's Club
Five-County Bake-Off. If old Mrs. Whittington
finds out that we've borrowed from
her raspberry-filling fund, she'll skin
both our heinies. I'll keep that in mind. Put it up top. Hi, honey.
BONNIE: Hi. I can't believe
I approved this. You be good, all right? No gamblin',
no whiskey and no women. Good luck. Bye, Mom.
Bye. (ALL CHEERING) (SHAMBALA PLAYING) Wash away my troubles Wash away my pain With the rain
in Shambala MIKE: Every kid in Madison would have traded places
with me that day. My father and the team
were the only sports heroes
we had, and now I was one of them. Ooh, yeah Yeah, yeah, yeah,
yeah, yeah Ooh, yeah Yeah, yeah, yeah,
yeah, yeah Everyone is helpful,
everyone is kind They're gonna race that thing
so it won't run anymore. Whoa, this is cool!
Great, huh? This is cool. Can I take a look around? Sure. But don't run off too far.
We have dinner plans tonight.
All right. JIM: Hey, Tony,
you see that? The Atlas is goin'
with a new hull this year. And look,
who's that down there
in Bill Muncey's boat? Well, I'll be.
That's Buddy Johnson.
He's a Limited driver. That was great.
Feels great. He's supposed to be
a real comer. (INDISTINCT CHATTERING) (DO YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN
PLAYING ON STEREO) Been forty days
since I don't know when I just saw her
with my best friend ...completely
sprayed this guy with this rooster tail.
It was so funny. Is that Grizzly Adams
over there? Yeah, that's Dan Haggerty.
Who are you? I'm Mike McCormick. This picnic's only
for racing teams. Oh, I'm on
the Miss Madison team. Well, the food's
over there. Okay. (MIMICKING) "I'm on
the Miss Madison team." Oh, hello, Mr. Wallin. Well, by God,
it's the Budweiser team. Hello, George.
How you doin', Roger? Jim McCormick, Miss Madison. So, how are the defending
Gold Cup champions? Well, if you can
still lift that trophy
at the end of the year, we'll be glad to
take it from you again.
I'll lift it. Hey, Roger. Jim. Hey, McCormick, did you
bring a calendar with you? A what?
A calendar. To time that boat with. Hey, old-timer,
why don't you pick
on someone your own size? How about this?
Jimmy, how the hell are you? Great, Harry. And this,
this can't be Mike. Grown up some, hasn't he? Certainly has. Why don't you come onboard,
have a little fish? Can you fish
out of this boat? Caught more fish
than John the Baptist. Who's John the Baptist? (LAUGHING)
Somethin' tells me
this kid spends a little too much time
at the boat garage. (LAUGHING) Son, let me
tell you somethin'. Harry Volpi was as great
a mechanic as they come. If your dad hadn't
walked out on that team
in the middle of that season, we may have won
a race or two. That's not true. Your father is
the only good thing
about that entire group. Oh, I ran into Epperson
and his smart-aleck driver down at
the registration tent. (CHUCKLING)
I'll bet
that made your day. As always. If you'd like to
come by later on, we sure could use
an extra hand. I think you know
the answer to that. (BOTH LAUGHING) You can tie up the race
right now. See that right out there? (INAUDIBLE) ANNOUNCER:
Hello, Madison race fans. This is Jim Hendrick
speaking to you from Marine Stadium
in Miami, Florida. The temperature
is in the 70s. A beautiful sunny day. A great day
for the opening of the 1971 Unlimited
Hydroplane Racing season. Now, the Madison local boys
have been working
all winter long to show well in this
opening of the season. In a start unique
to hydroplane racing, the clock starts to
wind down as the drivers
jockey for position. When the clock goes
completely black, the drivers want their boat
right at the starting line
at full speed. Now, time and time again,
Rick Winston,
the Budweiser driver has proven he's the sport's
most talented starter. (CROWD CHEERING) Open it up! ANNOUNCER:
And they're climbing
at turn number one, with the Budweiser
leading the way and the Miss Madison
backing the pack. Into the corner in turn two,
the Budweiser
extending its lead over the Hawaii Kai
and the Atlas. Yes! Now, Rick Winston in the Bud
really opening her up. Come on, Skip.
Do not push her. Look at this.
Now he's coming up
on the last-place Madison. (CHUCKLING)
He could actually
lap the Madison, and we haven't
seen that in a while. Skip Naughton is really
pushing the Madison, fans. He's determined to hold
the Bud off at any cost. Lap him, Rick!
Come on, man! (ENGINE BACKFIRING) MAN: Go, Budweiser! (CROWD CHEERING) MAN 2: Go, Budweiser! ANNOUNCER: And it looks like
a blown engine, folks. The Miss Madison
is smoking heavily
I told you. ...and it goes
dead in the water. JIM: Hey, Skip,
I just gotta ask you, what happened to
takin' it easy? Take it easy?
He was gonna
lap me out there. I don't care.
I told you
not to push it. What are we
doing here, then?
I came to race. Jesus, don't you guys
have any pride? I'll tell you
what we do not have,
is another engine. Thanks to you,
we are done for the day.
Do you understand? Don't put that on me. Good run.
Got the lap in on him. (BOTH LAUGHING) EPPERSON: All right,
you take a breather,
we'll do it again. All right.
Pull that old engine
out of there. Put the new one in
for the next heat.
Let's move it. Heat two, boys. Happy anniversary, honey. You didn't hear? Hear what? Midwest Grain and Coal
stopped all barge shipping. Completely? They're cutting
half the shifts today. It's 372 men. Come here, y'all.
I wanna
show you somethin'. This here right here
is an Unlimited hydroplane.
Look at this. All right, if you
have any more problems,
just let me know, okay? WOMAN:
Thank you, Jim. TRAVIS: Isn't it great?
Look at that guy in there. It kind of looks like
your daddy,
doesn't he, Mike? Come on. Let's go inside.
You guys
are gonna love this. Everything in here
is authentic.
It's the real McCoy. Look here, look here.
This here boat
raced in Madison in 1928. And then in 1958,
millionaire Sam DuPont donated the current boat
to the city, makin' the Miss Madison
the world's only
community-owned racin' boat. Isn't that somethin'?
All that history right here
in this little-bitty town. ALL: That is cool. TRAVIS: This is important
for y'all
to learn this stuff because we got
a responsibility
to keep this stuff goin'. Come here. Now, I want
to show you somethin'. Need a lift? Is this the hearse? They ought to all be
wearin' dark glasses and usin' them
Seein' Eye dogs
for bein' so damn blind. Bonnie told me
this mornin'. Any chance
it's just a layoff? No. Water transport's
just too expensive. It's... It's obsolete. This whole town's obsolete. (SIGHS) Listen, Jim, Phyllis and I had
a long talk this mornin', and her brother
has a lead on somethin'
for me up in Cincinnati. I just thought
I ought to tell you, on account of the team
and everythin'. Sure. I appreciate that. (JAZZ MUSIC PLAYING) BONNIE: Real estate
was weak before the layoffs. The issue is whether or not
the housin' market can
support the turnover at all. No one buys houses anymore.
Everybody's leasin'.
It's just not practical. (PEOPLE APPLAUDING)
So what do you suggest? Maybe you should go
see Owen next week,
when you're in Chicago. You're somethin' else,
Bonnie.
What? He used to call
all the time. Why not? Hear what he has to say. Chicago. Chicago, Chicago
That toddlin' town You did this.
You requested this. Yes, you did.
No, I did not do that. (LAUGHING)
I wish that I had,
but I didn't. Let's go for a walk. It's fate. The town that Billy Sunday
couldn't shut down On State Street,
that great street I just wanna say
Oh, no! They do things
they don't do on Broadway It's a good thing
you're handsome,
sweetheart. They have the time,
the time of their life I saw a man shoot
his wife last night In Chicago, Chicago SINGER:
That's my hometown (HORNS BLARING) RADIO ANNOUNCER:
That was Instant Karma
with John Lennon. Jesus, Dad. How many people live here? (SIGHS) ANNOUNCER: ...right after
the Chairmen of the Board. Give me just
a little more time And our love will
surely grow Good luck tomorrow. Hey, Bobby, I got to run up
and see an old friend tonight during the sponsors' party. I was wondering if you could
keep an eye on Mike for me. BOBBY: Long as
he promises to stand
in the drink lines for me. Let's think of each other
and hesitate Young and impatient
we may be There's no need
to act foolishly (LAUGHING)
Jimmy Mac!
Get your butt in here. How have you been, Owen?
Oh, wow. Obviously pretty lousy. OWEN: Hey, you just
missed Helen. She just dropped Ricky off.
Oh. Here.
Hey, thanks, man. Can't get over how
big that lake is. That's a clever gadget. Oh, man, this thing
will keep your beer cold
all the livelong day. (CHUCKLING)
Damnedest thing, man. I was down in Mexico,
sales convention. I see this kid on the beach
sellin' 'em for a nickel. Next thing I know,
I'm in the sports-marketin'
business. Right place
at the right time. Story of my life. So, catch me up, man. My sister says
to look for you
on Wide World of Sports, and then, then I hear
you're retired. Yeah, well,
after the accident
I got an offer to drive for a team
out in Seattle, but, you know,
movin' to a new town and all would've taken
some gettin' used to. Hell, man. We got three new facilities
openin' next month. One in Newark,
if you're lookin' around
at all. Well... We really love it
back home, Owen. The regatta's coming up,
and the trees along
the river are in bloom. No place like it.
No place like it,
I tell you. (BAND OF GOLD PLAYING) Now that you're gone All that's left Is a band of gold
Nice to meet you, Jennifer. BOBBY: What's going on? You guys want to
go down to the docks
and check out the boats? Sure. Come on, let's go. BOBBY: The plane
we flew in this time was a lot bigger
than the plane
we flew in to Miami. They even showed a movie.
An "R", too. I've seen
an "R" movie before. Our mall has six theaters
in it and we just sneak in. They've shown an "R"
at our town theater before. You mean there's only one
theater in your whole town? Hey, let's go shoot
bottle rockets
off the pier. Yeah, let's go.
Okay. (CHILDREN CHATTERING) WALLIN:
Well, the racing board
has considered making some changes
to the circuit. KITTLE:
Being from San Diego, you know how important
this is to me. Well, with that
great new waterway
you guys are buildin', we're excited as hell
to have you onboard. The trouble is
findin' you a slot. George,
you know that my group
is very serious. If we get behind this race,
I can guarantee national TV. He's right, George.
Think about it. The APBA and the circuit
stand to gain
thousands of dollars. All right, Bill,
why don't you just tell me
what works for you? Well, first of all,
we'll want the Labor Day
weekend slot. Madison's race?
Uh-huh. Shoot, that means
we'd have to kick 'em
off the circuit, and they've been around
a long time, 1904. That has to be part
of the deal. Sorry. JIM: The guy
from San Diego
is Bill Kittle. Now, he's been
tryin' to get a race
on the circuit for years. And knowin' how much money
those guys are wavin' around, we're probably
lookin' at our last season. You mean
we can't race anymore? Just 'cause
we don't host a race don't mean
we can't have the boat
on the circuit, right? Travis, proceeds
from the regatta practically support
the entire boat operation. I imagine George Wallin
will make some sort of
announcement tonight. Hi, everybody.
I'm George Wallin, president of the American
Power Boat Association. If you don't know that
by now, I'm in deep trouble. (ALL LAUGHING) Unfortunately,
Tri-Cities has had some
sponsors fall through and so they will be
unable to host
the Gold Cup Championship
race, this year. And we've decided,
really, that the only
fair thing to do is to conduct a drawing
among the other five cities. And the city that is drawn
would have the right to host this year's Gold Cup, provided, of course,
that they can guarantee
the prize money, which is $50,000
to be deposited
by tomorrow at midnight. And so, the city
with the right to host the 1971 Gold Cup
Championship race is... Madison, Indiana. (PEOPLE MURMURING) Well, will somebody
from the Madison team
come on up? The whole damn town
isn't worth $50,000. (ALL LAUGHING) Now, Jim, we can pick
another card, you know,
while everybody's still here. You understand that
you're gonna have to come up
with this money by tomorrow. Come on, get on with it.
Pick somebody else. (INDISTINCT CHATTERING) The problem is, gettin' the money by tomorrow
may not work for us. (CHUCKLING)
I didn't think it would. You see, George,
we'd like to deposit
the money right now. Jim, look, we're in enough
of a time crunch as it is,
you know what I mean? If... If you're not really
serious, you're wastin'
everybody's time. Let me just
pick another card. $50,000 and zero cents. See you in Madison, George. This will be
the greatest news
to hit Madison in years. Jimmy, you ought to think
about runnin' for mayor. MAYOR: $50,000? $50,000.
Were you out of your mind? Come on,
let's get on with it. MAN 2: Yeah,
let's get on with it. (ALL CHATTERING) Folks, I called
this meeting. I wanted to see
where everybody stands
on this issue. Mr. Mayor, just in case
you didn't know, last week 400 people
lost their jobs. I'm one of 'em,
and I say we forget about
all this racing business. And I say we stand behind
Jimmy and the boys. ALL: Yes! Yeah. That's easy for you to say.
You work in Louisville. Now, folks,
I reckon we need to sell 25,000 regatta tickets
to break even. Now, how many have
we sold so far, Audrey? Well, as of tonight, 134. (CROWD GROANING) This whole thing's a joke. Okay, folks, settle down.
Let me say something. No, no, that's fine.
I'm just...
Please. Just let me say something.
All right. Now, folks, before you vote,
Jim McCormick
has a few words to say. JIM: I know that
this will be your decision, but I brought along
a letter that
the San Diego Racing Club sent to the
American Power Boat
Association last night. "This letter is to protest
the decision to allow Madison "to host the Gold Cup. (ALL EXCLAIMING) "We are not alone
in our belief "that the championship race
belongs in a major city, "not in some backwoods town
on a dirty river." Backwoods town?
Dirty what? "As you know, the good people
of San Diego..." (ALL PROTESTING)
Those no-good sunbathing
sons of bitches. We'll show them
what a real race
looks like. All in favor of
hosting the Gold Cup,
raise your hand. (ALL CHEERING) (CRYING) Honey? Honey. Honey, I know
what you're gonna say. Somethin' has to give.
Then let it give. I am not interested in
becoming Styrofoam king
of North America. Well, I know that. Those people
back there are me. They were there for me
after the accident, and I'm not turnin'
my back on them now. JAKE: Good goin'
tonight, Jimmy. Thank you, Jake. Wait just a second. I'll talk to you.
Just a second. We may need
a little help from
you folks down at the bank. What kind of help?
That check of Wallin's. If you could buy us
a week or two
before it clears. How am I gonna do that? (PHONE RINGING) Good morning.
Madison Bank and Trust. Yeah, this is George Wallin, president of the American
Power Boat Association, callin' to find out
when that $50,000
check's gonna clear. I'm sorry, Mr. Wallin,
you'll need to speak with
Gertie, our check processor. Well, put her on. We do check processing
on Tuesdays and Fridays. What is this, Mayberry? If you'd like, I can give
Gertie your message tonight. Tonight?
Yes, sir. At bingo. Bingo? Never mind. (INDISTINCT CHATTERING) (CHOIR SINGING) Audrey,
how many can you get me
from the Women's Club? Okay, if you can do that,
I would really appreciate it. Jim? I gotta go.
I'll call you back.
Come on. Let's go. MAN ON RADIO:
One-Bravo-Delta,
this is Central Station. You have a call. One-Bravo-Delta,
come in, please. Who is this? JIM: It's
Jim McCormick, Harry. (MOANING) Yeah? (STUTTERS) We're not gettin' enough
power from our engines and we really need
the prize money in
these next two races. Yeah?
Well, I got to thinkin' about your old
nitrous oxide
injection system. Stay away from it, Jim. Is any of that old
equipment still around? If I couldn't do anything
with that stuff
with all of Epperson's money, you guys don't have
a chance in hell. Jim, we are not
talking about blowing up
just boats and parts. We're talking about
blowing up drivers. I understand that, Harry. Listen, we put in a bid
to host the Gold Cup. (SIGHING) MIKE: Harry Volpi
had pioneered the use of nitrous-oxide injections
for boat engines. And we were confident
that this simple and
straightforward device would be the answer
to all our problems. Does anybody
recognize anything? TRAVIS: Where are
the directions? This stuff looks
like scuba gear. It's just
engine equipment. This is crazy. Harry Volpi's
blown up more boats
than the US Navy. MALE ANNOUNCER:
Another picture-perfect day in Seattle, hydroplane fans, as the Miss Madison,
racin' here
on Lake Washington, hope to overcome
a tough start this season, and they hope
that the momentum of Madison
bein' the host city
for the 1971 Gold Cup will do it for 'em. MIKE: Get your
Gold Cup tickets. Labor Day weekend
in Madison, Indiana,
on the scenic Ohio River. Come on,
get your Gold Cup tickets. Sir? Ma'am? Injection system
checks out? Yep. Canisters are mounted.
She's ready to go. (ENGINE ROARING)
Skip, come here. I think we got a handle
on that nitrous system. When you get in open water,
go ahead and hit that
white button. You'll get a boost of power. Anything you guys can do
to make this tub go faster,
I'm all for it. Gold Cup tickets.
Get your Gold Cup tickets. Gold Cup tickets.
Get 'em now. Gold Cup tickets!
Get 'em now.
They're goin' fast. Get your Gold Cup tickets. Look here. Moonhead's
trying to get people
to come to his Hillbilly Cup. I don't see you sellin'
any Gold Cup tickets,
Epperson. I guess I will be soon,
since I heard that
we're hosting the Gold Cup since you guys haven't
sold enough tickets yet.
That's a lie. George Wallin's talking to
my dad about it right now. Why don't we just go
over there and ask him? You're so full of it. Wanna do somethin' about it? That's what I thought. A chicken, just like his dad.
Let's go. (CROWD CHEERING) MALE ANNOUNCER:
After a perfectly
timed start, Skip Naughton
steers the Miss Madison
through the first turn right in the middle
of the pack. That's a 14:06
on that first corner, Jim. Look at Winston
tryin' to take the inside. It's all right.
She's lookin' good. ANNOUNCER: Coming off
the fourth corner, the Miss Madison
is really moving, fans, only a boat length
out of the lead. He could use it
on this stretch. Skip Naughton is
driving a great race,
a beautiful race, as he brings her
down the main strait. Come on, Skip, let's go. ANNOUNCER: Oh, God! A terrible explosion
has rocked the Miss Madison. The entire right side...
Where's the Safety Rescue? Bill, Bill, come on. ANNOUNCER: Skip Naughton
is swimming away.
He seems to be okay, but he's swimming away
from a burning, sinking boat. MAN: Get those hillbillies
off the water! Skip, listen, I thought
we had a handle on it.
I apologize, really. Mechanics who know
what they're doin' have a hard enough
time with this stuff,
let alone a gas pumper, a dockworker
and some retard. I quit. MIKE: The drive from Seattle
took almost three days, but it felt like three years. We returned on
a bleak Saturday afternoon. My father and I
had barely spoken
during the trip, already aware of
what this would mean
to the team and the town. I'm headin' down
to the boat garage
if you wanna come. No. Come on. Let's go for a ride. (BIRDS TWITTERING) Come on,
there's somethin'
I wanna show you. It's just up here. You brought me up here
to see a cave? Not just any cave, Son. (HATCH SQUEAKING) Your grandpa
brought me down here
when I was a little boy to show me what
stalactites look like. Claimed he discovered
this place when he was
in high school. Told me I was
the only person
he ever told about it. (BOTH PANTING) (JIM SIGHING) It's somethin' else, huh? Here, take a look at this. My dad would
have tanned my hide
if he'd ever seen this. I used to come up here
sometimes when I needed
to think about things. That's one
of the special things
about where we live. And it just
occurred to me today
that you never been here. (BIRDS TWITTERING) Hey, Lyle, I'm sorry.
I tried to call you
last week, but we had a problem
out in Seattle. I'll talk to you later. I'll call you right back. Jim. Yeah? We need to talk. Patty said
they might be lookin' for someone
over at Meecham's. What, did you tell her
about this already? No, I didn't tell her
about this already. I wouldn't do that. I'm sorry. You know, Jim,
this may be for the best. At least it's a fresh start,
you know? I know Bobby and Tony
will miss you, but they just
have to understand. I can't do that, Bonnie.
That boat's
all this town's got. Jim, what are you saying? You're sayin'
that this doesn't
change anything? (AMY CRYING) Why are we stoppin' here? Get out of the car, Jim. What?
Get out of the car. Bonnie, for cryin' out loud... I told you before
you had a choice, Jimmy. It's pretty clear to me
you've already made it. Go! Okay. (PHONE RINGING) Phone's ringing. I know. (PHONE RINGING) (MUSIC PLAYING
ON CAR STEREO) Cliffsboro! This is the place
with the Putt-Putt course and the cool old stores
with homemade taffy! Well, we're just
stopping for gas.
Batting cages! (GROANING) No, I'm sorry.
We're an hour
from Grandma's, Mike. You know what a mob scene
those places were the last time
we came through here. (SONG PLAYING ON CAR STEREO) And a pocket
full of dreams The big folks
came to town I love that
thunderin' sound Will you just
fill it up for me, please?
Yes, ma'am. Oh. Get back in the car, sweetie. Seven-sixteenth, okay? Seven-sixteenth?
I'm sorry. Travis!
I'm sorry. Travis, would you watch
where you're goin'? That could
really hurt somebody. I... I think I might
go to Shipley's and get me some coffee
or somethin'. What? Honey? Bonnie? (CRICKETS CHIRPING) Y'all on lunch break? It's beyond repair. Long night
in front of us, then. It's already
been a long night. TONY: Nothin' more
we can do. It's totalled. We need boat builders,
not mechanics. Well, I'll just find
somebody who can fix it. I already called someone. TONY: Staudacher
up in Michigan. $6,000, four weeks at least. Then I'll get Peter
or somebody to work on it. Jim, you're not listenin'
to me. It's destroyed. Don't tell me
I ain't listenin'. After all we've been
through to get this far and you're ready
to just throw it away. Why don't you just get off
your high horse, McCormick? It's just a damn boat. If that's the way
you feel about it, then maybe
you should have taken that great, fancy,
high-class job
up in Cincinnati. Maybe I should have. You've had a rough
couple of days, Jimmy. I think maybe
we all ought to get
a little sleep. (FOOTSTEPS PATTERING) (SCOFFS)
Mmm. (INHALING) There's a reason
they call them
"the good old days." What a time. Goin' every weekend
from race to race, with Davy and Linda
and everybody. It seemed
like such an adventure
for a while. (BONNIE SIGHING) Stupid. Soon it was races on Sundays,
funerals on Tuesdays. Sometimes a man
we barely knew,
sometimes a friend. And Davy. It's still in his blood,
isn't it? Good night, sweetheart. Good night, Mom. Your public servant,
available at all hours... Mayor, tomorrow's the deadline
for coverin'
the check, and... Well, we weren't
even close. Here's about
$12,000 in there. I'm sorry. Come on in, Jim. I'll make you a Black Cow. As far as the boat goes,
we're done for the season. Probably for good. I take full responsibility
for that. (SIGHING) Sure is calm tonight. Yeah, the plain fact is
that if it hadn't been for a couple
of misguided Indians, none of us would
be here anyway. Supposedly
they were paddling
upstream from Kentucky and they settled here
because they thought
they were in Cincinnati. Next thing you know,
we're the busiest port
outside New Orleans, wealthiest town
in the state. I remember
when I was a little boy, my dad and I
used to sit down there
on the shore and count all the boats
comin' in
and out of the port. Everybody
nowadays will tell you
they saw it comin', but back then, nobody could ever imagine
what this river
would look like without all those boats
goin' up and down. Maybe those Indians
should have built this town
on a superhighway. I guess we should've realized
it was only a matter of time before boat racin'
outgrew us, too. I'm sorry
for wakin' you up. You didn't wake me up. (PAPER RUSTLING) (THUNDER RUMBLING) (CAR DOOR CLOSING) MIKE: Well,
for those 24 hours, it seemed like
every person in town
came to the team's aid. Now, it's Tuesday,
and I want to talk to Gertie. SECRETARY:
I'm sorry, Mr. Wallin. She had to run
to her grandson's
piano recital. Oh, this is ridiculous.
Get me the bank president. He's at the recital also. Who is this kid,
Vladimir Horowitz? No, sir,
Ritchie McCallister. There are no Vladimirs
in Madison,
as far as I know. Have a nice day. (RAIN PATTERING) Darlene, you think
they'd let an old fat guy
be an astronaut? Sir? If I do somethin' stupid
and get
voted out of office, I'd have to come up
with somethin' else,
right? (CHUCKLES) Hello? Hello? Oh, afternoon,
Miss McCormick. Hi. I hope you don't mind
we come back here. Well,
we heard from some folks
down there at Shipley's that Jim wasn't gonna
be able to finish this,
due to the boat and all. So he doesn't know
you're here? No, ma'am. Well, let me get you guys
some pop or something. This boat's
gonna be in the water wherever the heck
the Gold Cup is. TONY: Hey, Jimbo!
Yeah? You got a phone call here. It's Jake Merrill
over at the bank. Uh-oh. (SIGHING) Hey, Jake. JAKE: Hey, Jim,
have you talked
to the Mayor? Yeah,
I talked to him last night.
I was at his house. So you know
he covered the check. What?
The $50,000. He did what?
Yeah, from the city's
sanitation funds. (STUTTERS) Listen, I gotta go.
I gotta... I gotta
get to the ticket office. Okay, bye.
Okay, Jim. Tony!
Call this guy
Buddy Johnson. See if he's available
to race for us. What for?
We got the Gold Cup. What? We what?
We got the Gold Cup. We may not have
our garbage collected
for the next three years... but we got the Gold Cup! (LAUGHING)
We got it! Let's go call him! SECRETARY:
Good morning.
Madison Bank and Trust. (BABY PLEASE DON'T GO PLAYING) Baby, please don't go You're gonna have
to rebuild the sponson and take it all the way
back to the stringers. Down to New Orleans You know I love you so,
Baby, please don't go All right Before I be your dog MAN ON RADIO:
One-Bravo-Delta,
you have a call. One-Bravo-Delta. Be your dog Come on, Harry,
I know
you're out there. Baby, please don't go All right When your man done gone When the man done gone When the man done gone,
at the county farm Let's do it! Baby, please don't go All right Oh, hit it Hey (MOTORBOAT HUMMING) BOBBY: It floats! (CROWD CHEERING) CROWD: Yeah! (MAN WHISTLING)
BOBBY: It floats! (MAN WHOOPING) Yeah! Excuse me.
What's going on? Oh, it floats.
Isn't that great? Hey, you're Buddy.
In the flesh. Mr. McCormick! Oh, God, I'm sorry.
We were just
testing the boat out here. Well... Here,
meet my wife Bonnie.
And it's Jim, by the way. How are you?
This is my new bride Tami.
Newlyweds. Congratulations. Thanks. Six weeks. Well, come on, Buddy,
let me introduce you
to the Miss Madison. Oh, she is an angel. So I hear you're gonna be
driving for Atlas Van Lines
in Dayton this weekend. Yeah, they only
need me for one race, so I'll be available
for the Gold Cup.
Well, Atlas is a damn
fine operation. You're gonna
have some excellent
equipment underneath you. Yeah, I can't hardly wait. Well, let... Let me
just tell you a little
bit about this boat. Go ahead and
hop in there, Buddy. (STUTTERS) she's 12 years old, she's heavy
and she's gonna handle
a whole lot different than anything
you've ever piloted. I... I'm just telling you,
'cause we just rebuilt the whole right sponson
on her. The engine is down
on horsepower. And... Well, frankly,
Buddy, we really don't know
what she's got left in her. I'll tell you what, Jim. As long as she floats
and her engine runs, I'll put her
at the front of the pack. Supper was great.
Thanks again.
Oh. You're welcome.
I'm glad you could come. Good luck on the Atlas.
See you Tuesday?
Yeah. Great. See you next week.
Oh, you betcha, boss. Drive safely.
Thanks. Thanks.
Bye. BUDDY: Hey, come here. (TAMI GIGGLING) (BUDDY WHOOPING) JIM: Oh, he's a stick
of dynamite. Years ago I knew
a guy like that. Well, let's see
if I can still try here. (GRUNTING) (LAUGHING)
It's not funny. I hurt my back! MIKE: With a new driver
and restored boat, the mood in the town was high. But things were different
with me and none of that
seemed to matter anymore. (BIRDS TWITTERING) MALE ANNOUNCER ON TV:
Making his first appearance
here in Dayton, is Limited class driver
Buddy Johnson
in the Atlas Van Lines boat. (PHONE RINGING)
Although he's driving
for Atlas today, Buddy will be the driver
for the Madison team at next week's
Gold Cup Championship race. BONNIE: Madison Regatta
ticket office. Hey, Audrey.
Hi, Jim.
We got the race on. Great, thank you.
Hi, honey. I'm okay.
How are the ticket
sales coming along? It's all right.
Bit of an upswing this week, but we need
a lot of walk-ups,
or we're in big trouble. The final heat's startin'.
Thank you. ANNOUNCER: The boats
are charging towards
the starting line deck to deck...
Come on, Buddy. ...Budweiser and Cat's Pride
on the inside. Which one is he?
He's right there. JIM: On the outside. He's racin' for Atlas
this week. ...is on the far outside.
Let's go. They hit the start,
and the race... (EXPLOSION) (ALL GASPING)
ANNOUNCER: An accident! My God,
an accident on the course! It's the Atlas
Van Lines boat! The Atlas has flipped
on the course! It's Buddy Johnson's boat! Oh, God. ANNOUNCER: What a tragic
accident this will be. Buddy Johnson, 22 years old, and the sport's
most prominent
up-and-coming driver from the Limited class, seen there on the stretcher,
lifting to that helicopter. Seems the rescue teams here
are on the course. His young wife is looking on. Oh, God,
what she must be feeling. Our thoughts and our prayers
are with the family. (BIRDS CAWING) MALE ANNOUNCER:
And Madison
making her move now as they head down
the straightaway
into the backstretch. And it's Budweiser
still leading
the Miss Madison, followed by
the Towne Club,
the Thriftway, with Atlas Van Lines
way back in the pack. And look at this, folks.
Davy Snyder in the Towne Club making his move,
challenging his best friend
Jim McCormick. He's right on
McCormick's shoulder. And it's Budweiser
and Madison going for
the same lane. Going for the same lane,
folks! McCormick is gonna
have to drop back. But no, he hits the gas pedal!
He spins out! McCormick spins
out 180 degrees! Here comes Davy Snyder
with Towne Club. Flips twice! No! And there's two drivers
face down in the water! Bonnie. Bonnie.
What? Why did I even go up there? I knew what you were doin'. I owe it to them, Bonnie. Who do you owe? The team, the town?
Who, Buddy? Buddy has nothin'
to do with this. Who, then? Davy? Is this your way of asking
for his forgiveness? You think Davy wants
you to go out there
and kill yourself? You don't owe anyone. For eight years I've been
trying to explain to people
what I was thinkin' when I walked away
from that cockpit
in the middle of the season, and for eight years
I've been
trying to convince them that it was because
of Epperson, or because
of Davy's crash,
or because of you, and all along I've known
it didn't have anything
to do with anybody but me. Jim...
Now hold on a second. Maybe I didn't have the guts
to keep racin' for the same reason
that I do not have
the guts to leave here. It's not fair. I'm gonna do it, Bonnie. (REVVING) (MOTORBOAT ROARING) (ENGINE SPUTTERING) Oh, he stalled it. (CROWD MUTTERING) We got an all-practice day
tomorrow, now. Oh, Lordy.
What? TONY: Good grief. There's no lookin' back now.
Let's go. I keep waitin'
on the caboose. Wait, you guys. MAN ON RADIO:
One-Bravo-Delta,
this is Central Station. You got another one. McCormick, you know,
this is really
becoming ridiculous. Harry, Harry, it's Bonnie. What's wrong? (STEAM WHISTLE BLOWING) WOMAN ON PA:
Welcome to Madison,
Indiana, folks, proud home
of the Miss Madison team. Thank you for joining us
as we host the Gold Cup for the first time
in the town's history. Please watch your step
as you disembark. And don't forget
to buy your tickets
for the big race tomorrow. You can find them
in the gold and red booths
to your right. On behalf of
the Belle of Louisville, we hope you enjoy your stay
here in Madison. Hey, Harry! What the heck are you
doin' up here? How about that, huh? (JIM CHUCKLING) I should have just
moved my boat up here
and retired. Gotten a hell of a lot
more fishin' in,
I'll tell you that. Don't we call that
dirt, son? HARRY: You're gonna have
to re-wash
every one of these. Okay.
No, no, not okay. Do it.
Okay. I mean... Mr. Volpi, it's a pleasure.
Hello, sir. How are you? Tony Steinhardt.
You can call me Harry, Tony. You got it.
I was goin' over
this blower assembly. I'll tell you right off,
you're gonna wanna re-check
the clearance on this one. Will do.
Good attitude. I like it. Roberto.
A face from the past. Been a long time, Harry. Sure has. That's lookin' real good. Damn right it does. Atta boy. Harry, about
the nitrous system... No, no. No nitrous now, son.
It's out of the question. You're gonna
wanna disassemble
this entire engine while I go out
and find myself
something to eat. I'll be back
in an hour or two. I don't know
how you heard, Harry,
but thanks. I got a hunch you do. You know the first thing
the big fish
tell the little baby fish? "Don't ever eat anything
hanging on a string
off a dock." Let's go fishing. Let me see you cast. Atta boy.
The man can cast. Haven't been
helping your dad out
too much lately, have you? What's it gonna matter?
People will
still laugh at us. People? You mean the people
on the other teams? It would be nice,
wouldn't it if we could change places
with other people. You know, kind of
wake up one day and
live in a different place, big house and fancy parents. That'd really be swell,
wouldn't it? We wouldn't lose anymore. No, and you
wouldn't have to work at it
anymore, either, would you? No. Do you think
your dad and the team
would like it that way? There's nobody
that works harder
at this game than the boys
in that garage. Then we should be winning. Well, yes, sir,
I guess we should. But every now and then,
a pocketful of money will whoop the pants
out of plain old hard work. (FISHING LINE WHIRRING) You got somethin'.
Pull on her. Atta boy.
You're a fisherman! You're a fisherman! MAN ON RADIO:
It's 10:48, WMAD, ten hours to go before
our own Jim McCormick... climbs in the Miss Madison
to race for the Gold Cup. Hey, Jim.
Yeah? You wanna go out to my truck
and get the socket wrench? Sure. Wait a minute.
Your truck? You didn't drive your truck. Now, if you weren't
so damn tired, you'd have figured that out
before you even
went out there. Come on, Harry,
you're shorthanded
as it is. We got 10 hours
to get that engine
runnin' right. Go to sleep! All right, well, I'm goin'. I got that breather hose
off the accessory housing. So, where do we go next? Next page. (POUNDING ON DOOR) (SIGHING) (CHUCKLING) (HARRY MUTTERING) McCormick,
I told you to go home
and get some sleep. (CRICKETS CHIRPING) MAYOR: Hey, Jimbo! Big day for you tomorrow. Big day for all of us. Listen, Jimmy,
don't worry too much
about the race. Just coax her
through a couple of laps,
we'll all be proud. See you tomorrow. (METALLIC CLANKING) HARRY: I see why
this nitrous system
ain't gonna work. Your motor just
plumb wore out. Half these parts
are shot. Maybe we should
get some new ones. There aren't many
World War II airplane
engines available in southern Indiana
at this hour. Hey, maybe we ought to
drive to Columbus
and steal the engine from that old fighter plane
in front of City Hall. Now, hold on a second here. I'll do it. I'm in. Fellows, even if there
is still an engine in it,
which there probably isn't, we're talkin' about
a plane on display down in front
of their City Hall. As in the mayor's office,
the county jail. I don't think
there's much left here
to discuss. Do you? We can take my truck. Wait, I was just kiddin'. (SIGHING) Please don't look at me
like that. You wanna do old Harry
a favor? Go home
and get some sleep. I need you in the morning
to be sharp. BOBBY: Maybe we
should come back
tomorrow around noon. Won't be as bright. Here. No, let me have that.
Okay. We're on it.
It's okay. (DOG BARKING) What have you got there? (GRUNTING) It's the tach drive. You got it?
I can't get in there. (GRUNTING) Now if we just... had somebody with smaller... Hands? HARRY: Well, I'll be. (BIRDS CHIRPING) Go get them, Jimmy. It's just like in
Huckleberry Finn. Look at the smoke
coming out of those stacks! That's not smoke,
that's steam. GIRL: Wow! Have you ever been on it? Sure, loads of times. They're givin' rides all day.
I can get you on if you want. Cool!
Let's go. Wait! My dad said we could
watch TV in his
new motor home. Guys? (STEAM WHISTLE BLOWING) Hey, Jim!
Jim, I hear you guys
only sold 30,000 tickets. Well, George,
we're countin'
on a few walk-ups. What is ABC gonna say
when they see
a half-empty shoreline? I suppose we'll find out. I knew this was a mistake. Who'd ever want
to come to this place? KEITH: The banks
of the Ohio River as it flows by the city of Madison,
Indiana, population about 13,000
on a hot summer day. It's the setting today
with more than 100,000 people to watch the Gold Cup race
for Unlimited hydroplanes. It's an American
folklore festival
where thousands and thousands have come to enjoy themselves
and just have some fun. Hello, I'm Keith Jackson and you're about to see today
on ABC's Wide World of Sports what we call the thunderboats,
the Unlimited hydroplanes, the powerhouses
of boat racing,
run for the Gold Cup. This is the Grand Prix
for the Unlimited hydroplanes. This is the one
that every man in boat racing
strives to win at one time or another,
because this is the top prize. (ENGINES REVVING) The boats are now
moving onto the course. As you fans know,
the race is set up
on a points system. They'll run five heats today,
and the five boats
with the most points... will advance
to the winner-take-all final. The heavy favorite today
is Rick Winston
in Miss Budweiser. He's gunning for his third
straight Gold Cup trophy and he's piloted his boat
to four wins in five races
so far this year. (FIRING) (HYDROPLANES ROARING) Coming down the straightaway,
it's deck to deck to deck
across the field, all five boats even. It looks like Cat's Pride
will hold the inside lane. The leader, Cat's Pride,
spinning out in turn two
and stalls. And here's Miss Madison,
coming out of the pack
and taking the lead. (ALL CHEERING)
Jim McCormick, in his first
race in eight years, has taken the lead. And here comes Rick Winston
in the Budweiser. Here's the Budweiser
cutting in front
of the Madison, taking the inside lane. Jim McCormick is caught
in the Bud's rooster tail. Hey, now that's a wash-down! Boy, Rick Winston
was dangerously close
to a penalty on that move. Now McCormick
has more trouble. Here comes the Atlas. No! Now the Notre Dame
is after him. This is critical.
The winner of this duel
takes third place and gets enough points
to make it to the next heat.
Come on, baby! Coming to the finish line,
it's Budweiser,
it's Atlas... Madison taking third,
advancing to the next heat. (ALL CHEERING)
And the home folks
are loving it! JIM: Winston! That wash-down
was no accident,
and you know it! TONY: Jimmy, come on now,
he's not worth it. You know what they say,
McCormick, that's racing. I'm gonna show you racin'!
Come on.
Let it go! And stay focused! KEITH: A previous heat
had to be stopped
shortly after the start because of an accident
that occurred
in the first turn. The Hallmark Homes
boat sank. It's now at the bottom
of the Ohio River. We'll be back for the running
of the next heat
in just a moment. Second or third
in this heat
puts us in the final. Well, then I'm really
gonna have to push her. No, 3,700 RPMs,
that's all this old thing
has in her. How do you expect me
to beat these guys
at three-quarters throttle? You're the driver.
Figure it out. KEITH: As the heat
gets underway,
Miss Madison has a big problem falling well off the pace. Come on, Dad, pick it up. KEITH: Miss Madison
is lagging way behind the other leaders,
almost a half lap. Something's
gotta be wrong. Right on it. Up at the front,
Pay 'n Pak coming hard,
taking the lead. But look,
there's a puff of smoke. That's a blown engine,
no question. Pay 'n Pak's gone,
coasting off the course. With the Pay 'n Pak out,
third is all we need. We're in the final heat. We are in, guys.
We're in, Harry! Just hope that
he can hold together
and finish, son. KEITH: This could be
the miracle the Madison team
was hoping for but Madison's got trouble. They are down on power. It's a struggle right now. Just hold together
and finish. Come on, baby! Here comes Madison,
smoke billowing out
of the engine now. Will she make it?
Can she make it? Come on, Jim! Come on! (CROWD CHEERING)
The checkered flag. McCormick's done it,
and Madison is in
the championship heat. Congratulations on putting
the Miss Madison
in the final heat of a Gold Cup race
for the first time ever. Well, thank you.
The guys have been
working awfully hard and it's a tribute to them
that we're in it. The Budweiser and the Atlas
are the heavy favorites. You've run
against them both today. Who do you give the edge to? Well, I'd like to think that
we'll have a say in that. Is the Madison's strategy
to simply
stay out of the way and hope to be running
at the finish? Oh, hell, no.
We're out there to win,
just like everybody else. KEITH: (LAUGHING)
That's the spirit, Jim. All right, fellows,
let's go get set up
in the Budweiser pit. (ENGINE REVVING) (SIGHING) (EXHALING) (SIGHING) I gotta talk to you
about this final. I don't wanna go home early. I don't know,
Jimmy, it's... You heard me, Harry. We're not just
showin' up today. You're driving
a stick of dynamite. What else do you have? (SIGHING) Wanna go get
your drill-bit box? (VALVE HISSING) (WHIRRING) TONY: Harry, isn't that one
awful big for the nitrous? Wait, Jim, no. This is my decision, guys. We're gonna go,
or we're gonna blow. Listen to me. That white button,
only push that
if you're still racing. You got me? Okay. Ought to call her
the Miss Hindenburg. What are you doin'? What are you doin'? How about I meet you
on this spot in 15 minutes? Mmm-mmm. Easy now. I don't want you
to be all smudged up
for the TV cameras. We're gonna win.
We're gonna win.
For all of us. HARRY: Hey, Jim. I gotta go. Let's do it.
I gotta go. Harry. Harry, what are you doin'? He's gonna be fine. Come on up. We can do this! (HYDROPLANES ROARING) KEITH: Here they come.
It's a good start. (CROWD CHEERING) (ALL CHEERING) Out of the fourth corner,
Miss Budweiser
extending her lead. Coming down
the front stretch. Appears to be
breaking away from the pack. This could be
a runaway, folks. (CROWD SCREAMING) Madison p assing
the Notre Dame! Now he's got
the second-place boat,
Cat's Pride, in his sights. Turn two, and the Madison
now trails only the Budweiser. It's just you now, son. You're all alone out there. KEITH: Under the white flag.
One left to go. Come on. You got it.
You got it, big guy.
Hold him back. (REVVING) (CROWD CHEERING) KEITH: Rick Winston has gotta
feel Jim McCormick
on the back of his neck. I mean, it's dead even. You give him hell,
Jim McCormick! KEITH: He's now coming down
the straightaway
towards the checkered flag just a half a lap away. Go, go, go! Now! Look at this. Look at this! He may catch him.
He may catch him! Come on!
Come on, Jim. Come on! He got him! (SCREAMING)
It's the Madison
at the finish line! (ALL CHEERING)
Madison has won. Miss Madison has won
the Gold Cup. (CROWD CHEERING) Way to go, Dad! Yeah! (WHOOPING) He did it. (ALL YELLING) We did it! We did it! Come on over here! Jimmy, congratulations.
You never won one before and you won the big one
in front of the home folks. Thank you, Keith.
Well, we really wanted it. Well, you guys were just
sitting there quietly,
watching everybody walk away and then all of a sudden,
you're in the driver's seat. Well, we were gonna go,
or we were
gonna blow, Keith. God, I'm just so proud
of this team and this town. God bless you.
Thanks, Jim. And here comes
his wife, Bonnie. How about that, honey? Take a look over here. Mr. McCormick,
can I please
have your autograph? (CHILDREN CLAMORING) GIRL: Mr. McCormick! (CHILDREN CHEERING) I'm greatly honored
to present
the 1971 Gold Cup award to Mr. Jim McCormick
and the Miss Madison team. (CROWD APPLAUDING) MIKE: The citizens of Madison kept their spot
on the racing circuit and now it's one
of the most popular
tourist towns in the Midwest. The Miss Madison team
is still racing
on the Unlimited circuit, although they haven't
won a race since 1973. My father once
said that only someone
who had raced competitively could understand
why so many men had given their lives
to the sport of boat racing. My father continued racing
until 1975 when an accident
forced him to retire
from the circuit altogether. He remained
a fixture in the sport
and in Madison until his death in 1996. That following summer,
I began racing
on the Unlimited circuit. I dedicate each race
to his memory. (GLORY BOUND PLAYING) All the sun on the outside Doesn't touch
what I feel within When I've got you beside me I'm reachin' out
for the rainbow's end You get to me And give me a feelin'
that's comin' on Gettin' stronger
and stronger Glory bound To that
everlastin' feelin' Glory bound Lord, I ain't never,
never comin' down Oh, no It's 5:00 in the mornin' I'm lookin' out
on a sky of gray I don't care,
let the rains come If I'm with you,
it's a sunny day You make me feel
so close to heaven Whenever I'm beside you Glory bound To that
everlastin' feelin' Glory bound Lord, I ain't never,
never comin' down I need the comfort
I see in your smile I need the touch
of your hand Hey, hey, hey Come on and bring out
the best in me, girl Don't you know
that you can Glory bound To that
everlastin' feelin' Glory bound Lord, I ain't never Never, never comin' down, no Glory bound To that
everlastin' feelin' Glory bound Lord, I ain't never, never,
never comin' down, no Glory bound (ROLL LIKE THUNDER PLAYING) I saw you, baby Just like a vision
standin' Underneath the willow tree Girl, singin' Every time
your earrings jangled It sounded
like a symphony A storm's brewin'
at the mountainside Everything is blowin'
off the house Come on, baby Girl, you know
we'll roll like thunder All alone,
just you and me Come on, baby I can't hold on
for too much longer 'Cause here and now
it's gotta be Girl, you know
I do believe That you, you, you,
and me Are gonna
roll like thunder Aw, baby You and me tonight,
we're achin' For something crazy
we can do I wanna
walk the wild side A little love
will make it all right Come on, girl,
kick off your shoes A storm's brewin'
at the mountainside Everything is blowin'
off the house Come on, baby Girl, you know
we'll roll like thunder All alone,
just you and me Come on, baby I can't hold out
for too much longer 'Cause here and now
it's gotta be Girl, you know
I do believe That you, you, you,
and me Are gonna
roll like thunder Late at night By candle light We'll lay our dreams
in black and white Come on, baby Girl, you know
we'll roll like thunder All alone,
just you and me Come on, baby I can't hold on
for too much longer Here and now
it's gotta be Come on, baby Girl, you know
we'll roll like thunder All alone,
just you and me Come on, baby I can't hold on
for too much longer Here and now
it's gotta be Girl, you know
I do believe That you, you, you,
and me