Kansas City Bomber

Overview

The riotous world of women's roller-derby provides the framework for this actioner that centers upon the travails of a skater who begins an affair with the team owner. She soon finds herself victimized by jealous teammates until the largest woman on the team befriends her. When the big girl is traded, the roller derby queen must defend herself.

Product Details

Release Date:	07/16/2013
UPC:	0883316844113
Original Release:	1972
Rating:	PG
Source:	Warner Archives
Region Code:	All
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital]
Language:	English
Time:	1:39:00

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Raquel Welch	K.C. Carr
Kevin McCarthy	Burt Henry
Norman Alden	Horrible Hank Hopkins
Helena Kallianiotes	Jackie Burdette
Jeanne Cooper	Vivien
Mary Kay Pass	Lovey
Martine Bartlett	Mrs. Carr
Cornelia Sharpe	Tammy O'Brien
William Gray Espy	Randy
Dick Lane	Len
Russ Marin	Dick Wicks
Stephen Manley	Walt
Jodie Foster	Rita
Georgia Schmidt	Old Woman
Shelly Novack	Fan
Jim Nickerson	Fan
Patti 'Moo-Moo' Calvin	Big Bertha Bogliani
Bill McKinney	Actor
Mary Place	Actor
Ross Martin	Dick Wicks
Don Ellis	Composer

Technical Credits

Tom Rickman

Calvin Clements

Jerrold Freedman	Director
Martin Elfand	Producer
Arthur Gardner	Executive Producer
Jules V. Levy	Executive Producer,Executive Producer
Tom Rickman	Screenwriter
Calvin Clements	Screenwriter
Don Johnson	Sound/Sound Designer
Harry Tetrick	Sound/Sound Designer

Editorial Reviews

A clichéd, at times trashy melodrama, Kansas City Bomber nonetheless has a certain gritty power to it that keeps it sticking in the mind. True, it's undeniably campy in places -- the mere thought of Raquel Welch as a roller-derby queen makes that unavoidable -- and at times it seems as if the creators threw in every dramatic cliché they could think of; however, it's not as bad as it seems it really should be. It's not good, either, mind you, just more memorable than one would expect. Surprisingly, Welch acquits herself pretty well. She's impressive in the skating sequences and she gets through the dramatic scenes with few major missteps. Kevin McCarthy does even better with his thankless oily-heel role, Jodie Foster is fine in a small part, and Helena Kallianiotes manages to rise above the material to give a genuinely impressive performance. Jerrold Freedman's direction too often emphasizes the obvious, but he shoots the action scenes well and creates a convincingly shabby atmosphere as he chronicles the not so glamorous life of the skaters and their equally not so glamorous fans.