Watch this trailer for Snake & Mongoose

Zach Bowman — Thu, 08 Nov 2012 16:59:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Classics, Videos, Celebrities

If you think drag racing is boring, we encourage you to take a closer look at the sport's early days. When Don "The Snake" Prudhomme and Tom "The Mongoose" McEwen were first lining up to shoot down the quarter mile against each other in the '60s, the National Hot Rod Association was still less than 15 years old. Back then, the cars were more dangerous and a driver was lucky to have a local parts store for a sponsor. But Prudhomme and McEwen changed all that with their public rivalry and lightning-quick marketing sense. It was these two who first talked Mattel into sponsoring their cars with the Hot Wheels toy line, unleashing a torrent of marketing dollars on the entire motorsports world.

Decades later, a new independent film is out to tell that story. Snake & Mongoose follows Prudhomme and McEwen throughout their arc of their relationship, and the first trailer for the flick has officially landed online. You can check it out below and be sure to head over to the movie site for more information. Word has it we can expect to see the film hit theaters early next year.

Continue reading Watch this trailer for Snake & Mongoose

Watch this trailer for Snake & Mongoose originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 08 Nov 2012 16:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Snake & Mongoose drag racing movie coming soon

Dan Roth — Mon, 13 Aug 2012 08:45:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Classics

Nitromethane fueled the funny car battles on the drag strips of the 1970s, and Mattel's marketing money made the sport burn brightly and also changed the face of all sports marketing for good. The rivalry between Don Prudhomme ("Snake") and Tom McEwen ("Mongoose") began in the 1960s and grew more intense as funny cars became wilder and wilder. Now it's being chronicled by the film Snake & Mongoose, which is completing post-production now.

Alan Paradise worked on a TV project back in 2005 commemorating the Mattel sponsorship when Tom McEwen suggested the story could be book-worthy. From there, compelling stories and historical photos convinced Paradise that the story would play well on film.

The spectacle of modern sports owes a debt to Mattel funneling money into both drivers' teams, and the tightly tied-in effort generated some of the hottest Hot Wheels toys ever. The yellow Snake Plymouth Barracuda and red Mongoose Duster ran races over and over again in suburban houses all over the nation with the Mongoose and Snake Drag Race Set, complete with a pair of loops and parachutes.

The film is a small, scrappy effort compared to Hollywood blockbusters. Production is finished, and it had the benefit of Don Prudhomme offering advice such as "he ought to give him the finger" to make sure the quarter-mile action is authentic. The cast is star-studded, with Jesse Williams, Richard Blake, Noah Wyle, and none other than Ian Ziering as engine builder Keith Black. "Snake & Mongoose" is one of several racing-themed films coming soon, another reason for moviegoing motorsports fans to rejoice.

Snake & Mongoose drag racing movie coming soon originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 13 Aug 2012 08:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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