This chill drive-in documentary about 'Big Jim' Dunn, who conquered his fears of fire and heights to become an LA county firefighter while making a name for himself as a drag racer during weekends and summer vacations, is best viewed a quarter of a mile - er, hour - at a time. Indelible moments: Dunn receiving a joke trophy for red-lighting; his teenage son's low-key disapproval of dad only getting 1½% plus $500 for the ubiquitous Dunn & Reath Plymouth Barracuda model kit from MPC, before stating that he will be getting an accounting degree just in case his own funny car racing plans stall out; son and daughter winning trophies for racing their banana seat Schwinns in a parking lot; the cross-cutting between Dunn's early morning shave and his wife's careful preparation of bologna and lettuce on white bread sandwiches; and the time tunnel optical effect that brings us back to Dunn's early years in racing. Today, you can tell people this played theaters all over the country for six years, making millions before its sale to television brought it another decade of exposure, and they won't believe you. Rated G, for general audiences.
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