Quoted from the website:
The Film
The Glamour Sport of the 1910’s, 20’s, and 30’s — The Six-Day
Bicycle Race
The riders were some of the best paid and most respected athletes during the golden era of sports…the Jazz Age. It was a seen and be seen event every year in all the major metropolitan areas of the United States and Canada. Movie stars, politicians, and gangsters mixed with everyday sports fans to create an atmosphere not found in any other sport.
Jazz bands and song pluggers performed in the infield as the bookies plied their trade. The finest sports writers of the day, such as Grantland Rice and Damon Runyon, spun tales of heroes and villains. The riders raced for big money and big endorsements.
Every major city in North America had its own “Race to Nowhere” each winter, when the college football season was over (pro football was strictly small time) and the baseball season had yet to start.
This film traces the history of this completely forgotten sport from its early days in the 1880’s through its sad demise in the 1950’s. Over 40 hours of interviews with riders, supporters, family members and historians bring life to the rich tapestry which was the Six-Day Bicycle Race.
Narrated by award winning author and television sports journalist Frank Deford, this film brings to life the color and excitement of an era when a bike rider could make in six days what his father might earn in six years.
More than 10 years in the making, the Six-Day Bicycle Race is a film that brings together the largest known collection of photographs, archival footage and personal recollections by and of people long since passed away.
The producers of this film hope you will come to love the characters and the institution of the Six-Day Bicycle Race as much as we have.
Mark Tyson
Jeff Groman
Peter Joffre Nye
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I'm getting a copy for myself and I want to have movie night at Ace Metric! Who's in?
9 comments:
I'm in, how about this Monday after the bike collective meeting, so 8:30pm?
i just ordered the dvd so i don't think it'll be here by Monday.
sounds like an amazing film, I'm in...
im down! keep me updated!
Looks really cool. I read the book "MAJOR" about Major Taylor. He raced some of these. It's an unreal what they subjected themselves to in these types of races.
I'd highly recommend the book, too, if you're the reading type.
One of these racers [a really old Italian] came into my shop almost a year ago and talked to me about the races for about 20 minutes. Wish I had his name and contact information for you gents, could have been a guest speaker!
movies,bikes, the only thing missing is girls and beer. i am so there.
any updates?
I want to see this :]
Sunday in Hell and Hell on Wheels were pretty cool to watch as well.
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