Autoblog

James Garner was hospitalized last week after suffering a mild stroke at his home. Garner's publicist told the AP that the 80-year-old actor is doing well and should be home soon. While Garner's acting career has produced a lengthy and diverse body of work, for a lot of us here at Autoblog, it's hard to think of Jim Garner and not think of Jim Rockford and his gold Firebird Esprit. We're sure there's also no shortage of readers who instantly associate him with his starring role in John Frankenheimer's Grand Prix, hailed by many as the greatest racing movie of all time. Garner was also very active in motorsports in real life, owning American International Racing from 1967-69. He has raced on and off-road, and was inducted to the Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame because of his role in elevating the stature of that particular branch of motorsport in the late sixties and early seventies. He's also driven the Indy 500 pace car three times. So, regardless of whether you know him best as Maverick or Jim Rockford, remember also that James Garner's historically a car guy. We wish him well and hope he has a speedy recovery.

[Source: AP via CNN, TV Squad]

We know many Autoblog readers were among the 7,105 people who signed the petition to persuade Warner Home Video to release this classic movie on DVD. Well, we're a little late in posting this update, but in case you haven't heard, your efforts have been rewarded! Warner announced in April that a U.S. release for a two-disc 40th anniversary special edition of John Frankenheimer's Academy Award winning movie is scheduled for July 11.

The re-release is fully restored with Dolby Digital 5.1 sound, in 16x9 widescreen format, and includes several special feature documentaries on the making of the movie.

The movie predates the era of computer-generated special effects, and all the racing footage was shot "live," with many of the cars driven by real-life grand prix racers. Many legendary racers also appear in cameo roles in the film, including Graham Hill, Richie Ginther, Dan Gurney, Bruce McLaren, and Phil Hill, and hardcore fans will have fun playing "spot the famous racer" while watching the movie.

Kudos to The Motorsport Collector in Downers Grove, Illinois for spearheading the petition drive. Reward their efforts by pre-ordering the DVD at their website: www.PutGrandPrixonDVD.com. (Amazon is also accepting advance orders.) We're warming up the Autoblog Theatre and getting the popcorn ready!

[via the ekartingnews.com forum]