6 Day Bike Rider | |
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Directed by | Lloyd Bacon |
Screenplay by | Earl Baldwin |
Story by | Earl Baldwin |
Starring | Joe E. Brown Maxine Doyle Frank McHugh Gordon Westcott Arthur Aylesworth Lottie Williams |
Cinematography | Warren Lynch |
Edited by | George Amy |
Production company | |
Distributed by | Warner Bros. |
Release date |
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Running time | 69 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
6 Day Bike Rider is a 1934 American comedy film directed by Lloyd Bacon, written by Earl Baldwin, and starring Joe E. Brown, Maxine Doyle, Frank McHugh, Gordon Westcott, Arthur Aylesworth and Lottie Williams. The film's production took eleven days from July 9, 1934. There was a multi-bicyclist collision during close-up filming. Reggie McNamara, who was known as the "Iron Man" due to his 108 six-day bicycle races, had his film debut as one of the racers. It was released by Warner Bros. on October 20, 1934.
This is the story of a young clerk who has failed at everything he has tried in his life so far. He enters a six-day bicycle race to impress his girlfriend and hilarious hijinks ensue. He eventually wins this race, marries his girlfriend and they live happily ever after.
Production began on July 9, 1934 by First National Pictures and took eleven days. [1] [2] During production, children could meet the star Joe E. Brown and talk to him. [2] Warner Brothers distributed the film. [1] Bacon based the film on six-day racing, in which a team of two people would circle a wooden track on a bicycle for six days. The team typically consisted of a man and a woman, who took turns riding. [3] Reggie McNamara, known as the “Iron Man” because of his 108 six-day bicycle races, played the part of one of the racers in his film debut. [4]
A multi-cyclist collision started when a bicycle's wheel collapsed, causing 16 bicyclists to hit the motorcycle of a cameraman who was filming close to the action. Nine of the bicyclists were hurt, one of whom was critically injured. [1] [5]
6 Day Bike Rider was released theatrically in 1934 with the featurettes Darling Enemy, starring Gertrude Niesen, the Merrie Melodies cartoon Rhythm in the Bow and recent news. [6] On November 24, 1934 in Plainfield, New Jersey, the film was screened during events that were based around the film. The two-day-long events included a "Recreation Field Day of Joe. E. Brown's 6 Day Bike Rider", a costume bicycle parade, a trick rider, a children's show, and a screening of 6 Day Bike Rider at the Oxford Theater. [7] [8]
A review in The Owensboro Messenger said, "6 Day Bike Rider is a hilarious comedy of thrills and spills on racing track." [2] An Arizona Daily Star article stated that 6 Day Bike Rider is "said to be one of the most humorous pictures of Joe. E Brown's long comedy career." [9] AllMovie reviewer Hal Erickson wrote in 2020, "Even though the fad which inspired it has passed into history, Six-Day Bike Rider remains fresh and funny today." [10]
A Variety reviewer was unimpressed with the performances, stating that the film has a "foolish story" and concluded their review by saying, "With Director Lloyd Bacon, it was a case of being handed a bowl of tapioca and told to make caviar." [11] A 2017 TV Guide review states, "Unusually poor outing for Brown finds him entering a six-day bicycle race, which he wins, naturally". [12]
A bicycle, also called a pedal cycle, bike, push-bike or cycle, is a human-powered or motor-assisted, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, with two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other. A bicycle rider is called a cyclist, or bicyclist.
Critical Mass is a form of direct action in which people travel as a group on bicycles at a set location and time. The idea is for people to group together to make it safe for each other to ride bicycles through their streets, based on the old adage: there's safety in numbers.
The penny-farthing, also known as a high wheel, high wheeler or ordinary, is an early type of bicycle. It was popular in the 1870s and 1880s, with its large front wheel providing high speeds, owing to it travelling a large distance for every rotation of the wheel. These bicycles had solid rubber tires and as a consequence the only shock absorption was in the saddle.
Marshall Walter "Major" Taylor was an American professional cyclist. Even by modern cycling standards, Taylor could be considered the greatest American sprinter of all time.
Hybrid bicycles blend characteristics from more specialized road bikes, touring bikes and mountain bikes. The resulting "hybrid" is a general-purpose bike that can tolerate a wide range of riding conditions and applications. Their stability, comfort and ease of use make them popular with novice cyclists, casual riders, commuters, and children.
A fixed-gear bicycle is a bicycle that has a drivetrain with no freewheel mechanism such that the pedals always will spin together with the rear wheel. The freewheel was developed early in the history of bicycle design but the fixed-gear bicycle remained the standard track racing design. More recently the "fixie" has become a popular alternative among mainly urban cyclists, offering the advantage of simplicity compared with the standard multi-geared bicycle.
John Brown was an American college football player and film actor billed as John Mack Brown at the height of his screen career. He acted and starred mainly in Western films.
Edward DeKalb Acuff was an American stage and film actor. He frequently was cast as a droll comic relief, in the support of the star. His best-known recurring role is that of Mr. Beasley, the postman, in the Blondie movie series that starred Penny Singleton and Arthur Lake.
This is a glossary of terms and jargon used in cycling, mountain biking, and cycle sport.
Joe Breeze is an American bicycle framebuilder, designer and advocate from Marin County, California. An early participant in the sport of mountain biking, Breeze, along with other pioneers including Gary Fisher, Charlie Kelly, and Tom Ritchey, is known for his central role in developing the mountain bike. Breeze is credited with designing and building the first all-new mountain bikes, which riders colloquially called Breezers. He built the prototype, known as Breezer #1, in 1977 and completed nine more Series I Breezers by early 1978. Breezer #1 is now in the collection of the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American History.
Arthur Preston Aylesworth was an American stage and film actor.
A cruiser bicycle, also known as a beach cruiser or (formerly) motobike, is a bicycle that usually combines balloon tires, an upright seating posture, a single-speed drivetrain, and straightforward steel construction with expressive styling. Cruisers are popular among casual bicyclists and vacationers because they are very stable and easy to ride, but their heavy weight and balloon tires tend to make them rather slow. Another common feature is their ability to be customized with accessories including fenders, lights and saddle bags. They are designed for use primarily on paved roads, low speeds/distances, and are included in the non-racing/non-touring class and heavyweight or middleweight styles of the road bicycle type.
Lottie Williams was an American character actress whose career spanned both the silent and sound film eras.
The Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia (BCGP) is a nonprofit advocacy group that has been working to improve conditions for bicyclists in the Greater Philadelphia region through advocacy and education since its founding in 1972.
Maxine Doyle was an American film actress who appeared in almost 40 films between 1933 and 1946. Today's audiences may know Maxine Doyle from her appearance in the Leon Errol musical short Service with a Smile (1934), one of the first films in full Technicolor, which was restored and revived by Warner Bros.
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to bicycles:
Detroit is a popular city for cycling. It is flat with an extensive road network with a number of recreational and competitive opportunities and is, according to cycling advocate David Byrne, one of the top eight biking cities in the world. The city has invested in greenways and bike lanes and other bicycle-friendly infrastructure. Bike rental is available from the riverfront and tours of the city's architecture can be booked.
Cycling in San Francisco has grown in popularity in recent years, aided by improving cycling infrastructure and community support. San Francisco's compact urban form and mild climate enable cyclists to reach work, shopping, and recreational destinations quickly and comfortably. Though San Francisco's famed steep hills can make cycling difficult, many parts of the city are relatively flat, including some of the most densely populated. However, heavy automobile traffic, the lack of bike lanes on many streets, and difficulty in crossing major streets deter most residents from cycling frequently in San Francisco.
The predecessor of USACycling, the Amateur Bicycle League of America (ABLA) was founded in 1921 and held National Championships starting that year. From 1921 to 1964, these championships were two-, three-, or four-event omniums of track-style events, rather than a road race. USACycling souvenir programs list no results for events in 1931-1934, 1938, and 1942-1944. The 1939 program summarizes the 1937 National Champions. The 1938 results are from a national championship with similar events and format that the Amateur Athletic Union promoted.
The Idaho stop is the common name for laws that allow bicyclists to treat a stop sign as a yield sign, and a red light as a stop sign. It first became law in Idaho in 1982, but was not adopted elsewhere until Delaware adopted a limited stop-as-yield law, the "Delaware Yield", in 2017. Arkansas was the second US state to legalize both stop-as-yield and red-light-as-stop in April 2019. Studies in Delaware and Idaho have shown significant decreases in crashes at stop-controlled intersections. In France and Belgium, some intersections use red-light-as-yield signs.