The Cannonball Run (1981, Twentieth Century Fox) is a campy, slapstick comedy movie released in 1981 that starred Burt Reynolds, Roger Moore, Dom DeLuise and Farrah Fawcett. Hal Needham was the director and had an uncredited role as an emergency medical technician. The premise is very similar to the earlier Cannonball and The Gumball Rally (both 1976). It also has two sequels, 1984's Cannonball Run II and 1989's Speed Zone! also known as Cannonball Fever and sometimes overlooked as being part of the series.

A wild, illegal, and popular cross-country car is organized, and the eccentric entrants will do anything to win, including low-down, dirty tricks. Written by Murray Chapman

The plot of a cross-country road race is based on an actual event, the Cannonball Baker Sea to Shining Sea Memorial Trophy Dash, organized by Brock Yates to protest the 55 mph speed limit then in effect in the U.S. The Cannonball was named for Ernest G. "Cannonball" Baker, who in the roaring 20's rode his motorcycle across the country. Many of the characters are based on ruses developed by real Cannonball racers over the several years that the event was run. Written by Michael F. Hollander, official-unofficial Cannonball photographer

In this movie Burt Reynolds is an adventurer who decides to participate in an illegal car race all over the country. There is an all-star cast of racers (Jackie Chan, Farrah Fawcett, Peter Fonda, Dean Martin, Roger Moore, Sammy Davis Jr. and others) that will do anything to outrun all the difficulties (including the police) and win the race. Written by Chris Makrozahopoulos