Review of The Big Wheel

Mickey Rooney is a "fresh kid" and ace racecar driver who's involved in the tragic death of a fellow driver on the track; he recovers his courage to race in the Indianapolis 500, the same race that claimed the life of his father years before. Low-budget release from United Artists integrates footage of real drivers and fans in the stands with studio shots of Rooney in the pit and on the track. The visual result isn't as haphazard as it might have been, likely due to cinematographer Ernest Laszlo's finesse, although the close-ups of Mickey driving--wearing tight goggles and making exaggerated faces--are silly, as are the segues to mama Spring Byington over-emoting on the sidelines. Screenwriter Robert Smith is working on the thin side, never explaining why nobody attempted to save an injured driver on fire or why most of Rooney's colleagues are dying to take a poke at him, but he does well building this narrative as a character portrait. Rooney is an eager kid, not necessarily a hot-dogger, who just wants to race. There isn't much of the expected boy-girl stuff (the ignored affections of a female mechanic are thankfully kept to a minimum), but the fisticuffs action is brought on a bit heavily, lapsing into cartoony territory. ** from ****