Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/126507
Scenes from The Devil and Max Devlin By lee Taylor Photos © Walt Disney Productions Disney Productions brought their own speical magic to Indian Dunes and Carlsbad. the end of May'and the first half of June. .... 1980; as they transformed the southland tracks into the Devil's playground. All in fun and fantasy, a part of Disney's upcoming production, The Devil and Ma Devlin, slated for February release. In this film. the Devil sends his First Assistant, Barney Satin, fiendishly portrayed by Bill Cosby, to strike an unusual bargain with Max Devlin, a minor league sinner, played by Elliott Gould. Max does some· serious soulsearching in his race against the clock to recuit three mortals as replacements for his own condemned soul. Adam Rich, Julie Budd and David Knell comprise the unsuspecting trio Max sets out to recruit. Also starring is Susan Anspach as the mother of one of the ta~, caught up in the grand .~hc!IIle eht"" . In addition to a top notch cast, this devilish tale. based on a screenplay by Mary Rodgers (Freaky Fn'day) features "soul" music by Academy Awardwinning composer Marvin Hamlisch. Lyricists Carol Bayer Sager and Allee Willis worked with Harnlisch on the fiIm's two main compositions, Any Fool Could See and Roses are Rainbows. Besides the Indian Dunes and Carlsbad locations, Barney pursues Max in his search throughout the Universal Amphitheater, the Troubadour, the Music Center, the Pasadena Civic Auditorium and onto the beach in Venice. Steven Stern helms directorial chores for producer Ron Miller and co· producer Jerry Courtland. Disney Productions approached the California Racing Club and asked for racers to ·supply a sense of motocross authenticty and color. Disney and the California Racing Club enjoy an amiable relationship, having worked together in the past on such projects as the Speed Tunnel attraction at Disneyland. The California Racing Club happily responded with 200 racers, family members and friends, with more thlln one feel;ng the ~l!1"e' of t~ silver screen and mugging for the cameras. Disney went all the way in creating authentic motocross scenes. Bikes from all major factories were used and the property department spent days festooning the tTacks with banners and bunting. The motocross finale, filmed at Carlsbad. is every promoter's dream. Brilliant banners and flags representing the different bikes and the nations entered in the race, stirred in the breeze. In the pits colorful canopies and an assortment of local vans and pickup trucks added to the energy and excitement of this new film, a milestone in the creation of a positive portrayal of motocross. The stuntmen involved in the moto' cross sequences, read like the Who's Who of motocross-Bud Ekins and Mike Runyard to name just a couple. All under the coordination of Alan Gibbs. Throughout the film the acting is superb, Cosby, as Assistant Devil. is a fiery upstart, dressed for motocross in black leathers. complete with a skull and crossbones on the back of his jacket. In addition to his many films vnd-~!Ii"n ...,Ies,'€Mbr hu had 20- albums on the National Charts, seven of them certified Gold. Cosby is making his Disney debut. Elliott Gould recently starred opposite Genevieve Bujold and Ricky Schroder in his Disney debut, The Last FlighJ of Noah s Ark, and is remembered for some memorable performances, among them, M·A·S·H and Bob and Carol and Ted and Alice. Off camera, both Elliott and Bill went out of their way to ~ to know newcomers on the set, stopping whenever poIIible for pictures and autographs and never too busy to shake a hand and say hello. Cast and crew alike did everything possible to make the California Racing Club people feel at home and welcome. David Knell makes his Disney debut as Nelson "Nerd" Nordlinger, an aspiring teenage motorcycle jock who is the third unsuspecting victim, David had never ridden before and surprised everyone by his improvement during the filming, David is a fourth·generation actor and has appeared in CBS Movies of the Week as well as film roles in Hair and The Warriors. Sonny Shroyer, who plays the naive deputy 00 Enos, stars as Big Billy Hunniker, a renowned racer on the motocross circuit. •