Movie Review: Blonde Comet

Blonde Comet
Starring: Virginia Vale, Robert Kent, Barney Oldfield, Vince Barnett, William Halligan, Joey Ray, Red Knight, Diana Hughes 

Director: William Beaudine 

Producers Releasing Corporation (PRC), USA, 1941. 

This movie can be found in Fuel Injected Films 20 Movie Collection by Mill Creek Entertainment. 

Beverly Blake (Virginia Vale) known as race driver Blonde Comet, attends European racing events quickly rising in ranks. Mechanic Curly (Vince Barnett, naturally a baldie) reads admiringly about Blonde Comet in newspaper. What a sweetheart! Race driver Jim Flynn (Robert Kent) is not her fan and thinks that women should not race. Jim's cowboy friend Texas (Red Knight) is also a race driver. Jim warns that racing is dangerous. 

Jim and Curly

Test driving

Jim is test driving his car on a closed road. Beverly and assistant Jennie (Diana Hughes) are driving towards the Southern Ascot racing track. The road block stops them so Beverly kicks the road sign over. Jim does not like them trespassing. then he realises that Beverly is Blonde Comet. Beverly hopes to see Jim at Ascot, if he qualifies. 

Hi-ya!

What are you doing on a closed road?

Before the race Curly uses the opportunity to get acquintanted with Jennie. Curly, you old dog. Jennie is by the way Swedish. Jennie Jorgenson. Talar du svenska? asks Curly. Yes she does. Race driver Red (Joey Ray) gets chastising from racing legend Barney Oldfield. Red is a liar and reckless driver. Jim has built a carburetor that cuts fuel consumption by 40 %. Barney suggests that Jim should sell his invention to US Army. In the race Jim and Beverly lead. Red causes Tex to crash and Tex dies. After the race Jim punches Red. 

Jennie

Curly, you old dog

Barney, Texas and Red

Beverly's father is tire manufacturer Cannonball Blake (William Halligan). Beverly is promoting Trojan tire brand. As the other drivers donate money for sending Texas' body back home for a funeral. Also Beverly wants to contribute money and Jim begins to like Beverly more. At the Oakland Speedway race Red's reckless driving style costs his life. Next race is at Indianapolis. Jim and Barney are very close at making a carburetor deal with the government. Jim warns Beverly that the Indianapolis is a tough race for a girl. 

Romantic Curly

Indy 500

As Barney does not want to take risks with the government deal, Jim's special carburetor is installed also in Beverly's car. Jim loses a wheel and is out of race. Beverly is over-exhausted so she borrows her car to Jim. Jim wins the race. Jim proposes Beverly but she must stop racing. Racing is the man's job in the family. Women's liberation can wait. 

Beverly Blake

The movie is adequately entertaining mixture of romantic comedy and racing. The music is uplifting and peppy. Virginia Vale is spirited race driver. Vince Barnett is fun as goofy mechanic Curly and steals the show. The drama is quite bare-boned and unsurprising but it works as a time capsule of the classic car races. The stock-footage racing scenes look exciting and they are well integrated to the story. There are some brutal crashes, driver safety was not a big issue back then. Also spot the interesting old-time horn loudspeaker setups.

Horn loudspeakers

Rating: Good