Kansas City Bomber

Loana-NO PHOTO AVAILABLE! This is what you are greeted with on IMDb when you click on the character name of Raquel Welch from ONE MILLION B.C….Considering her iconic fur-bikini clad image was the best-selling poster EVER until Farah Fawcett came along a decade later, I find this fact to be just beyond the limits of my Suspension of Disbelief! I imagine that someone, somewhere, feels that Jo Raquel Tejada deserves a break….And believe me, I could not possibly be in more agreement with that decision! With its miserable 5.4 IMDb rating, and MEASLY 711 votes, (To be crystal….That's considerably LESS than the 1,000 votes needed to be taken seriously here!) I state, most emphatically, that BOMBER is the most underrated film of the thousands on which I have voted on this website! Believe me, I have NEVER made the previous comment before!

Here is a film which parallels the intense focus of its lead character, K.C. Carr, on the somewhat seamy world of professional team roller-skating. For those of you under 40, this sport (or is that exhibition?) enjoyed a considerable cult following in the 50's, 60's and 70's. BOMBER does not pretend to offer us romance or glamor or alternate back-stories…Just a gritty and intense focus on K.C. Carr and her obsession to excel in team-skating. Perhaps, this is a bit of a metaphor for her desperation to be taken seriously as an actress? How do I recall so clearly a film released well over 40 years ago? That's a fair question!

Well, when HANNIE CAULDER was released in 1971, I thought the film was rather under-appreciated by both the critics and the public alike and, even much more obvious, was the undeserved nature of the almost universal panning of Ms. Welch's performance in the title role! There was a growing vocal tide of resentment in the media against Raquel Welch. When BOMBER was released, the media was awash in Raquel Welch jokes…Johnny Carson quipped: "Hey, how about that new Raquel Welch movie…Kansas City BOMBER…Talk about accurate Box-Office Predictions!!!" Ahhhhh…Ms. Welch has been haunted, for most of her career, by the ghost of Loana (Photo Seared into our Collective Cultural Memory!) So, I paid to see BOMBER on three occasions in 1972, applying my most critical eye! All I could see was a very skilled actress whose interpretation permeated every cell of her being. I suppose I was one of a very select group who saw it that way! BOMBER does have a lot more going for it than just the title role…Helena Kallianiotes turns in an excellent performance in a Golden Globe nominated supporting role.

BOMBER displays even handed direction that immerses us in the very realistic, rather seedy world of professional team skating. The technical excellence of the filming and editing of the on track scenes also cannot be overlooked. Although you might not rate it 9*, as I did, if you can manage to see BOMBER with an open mind, I am sure you will find it both entertaining and worthwhile!

ENJOY!/DISFRUTELA! Any comments, questions or observations, in English o en Español, are most welcome!

Bruising action and bruised egos propel the plot in this look at the pro roller derby world of the early 1970s. Raquel Welch plays K.C. Carr, a physically tough but emotionally vulnerable young woman who can "jam" with the best of them. For K.C., her job as a player pays the bills, but it keeps her on the road, separated from her two young, fatherless children.

I would estimate that roughly fifty percent of the film takes place in an indoor rink, where skaters go lap after lap around the rink, trying to gain advantage on each other, as the audience cheers and jeers, depending on who they like and don't like. The film portrays fans as low-class, uneducated dolts, oblivious to their obvious manipulation by franchise owner Mr. Henry (Kevin McCarthy), who carefully orchestrates skater performances. The seedy backstage world of pro skating reeks of cheap quarters and beer joints. Among the players, jealousies, anger, and fear lurk just below the surface.

Aside from the roller derby element, the story is rather thin. But it does end in a somewhat surprising way.

Raquel Welch gives a really fine performance, even though she's just a tad too "pretty", relative to the other women skaters. K.C. wants to get along and be a team player, but her adversaries give her a rough time. Welch gives her character an emotional depth that makes K.C. warm-hearted despite her physical toughness.

Lighting is very dark, which matches the film's dreary, downbeat tone throughout. Camera shots are quite effective in the fast changing skating action.

Owing to its narrow focus, "Kansas City Bomber" will be of interest to a very restricted base of potential viewers. Beyond this base, the film is worth a look for the fine performance of Raquel Welch.

Kansas City Bomber is both a gritty,realistic action film and a perfect showcase for the talents of Raquel Welch! The film opens with a (staged) match-race which sests the tone for the rest of the story... Raquel portrays Diane"KC"Carr-a beautiful,dissallusional mother of two who has become a pro-skater for both the money and the desire to succeed in something for HERSELF!Her two children(curiously about the same ages as Raquels kids in real-life) live in Kansas City with her concerned yet old-fashioned mother.KC's mother of course wants her to quit the life on the road and simply come home to the kids.KC says she just needs"a piece of the action" but we can tell that Mom's advice IS sinking in! Meanwhile life on the road as a pro-skater is no bed of roses: KC's new team the Portland Loggers is managed by the shifty and suave Burt Henry-Mr. Henry has "big plans" for KC-not to mention making her his(latest?) love interest!Much to the dismay of the other girls on the team-especially the aging,alcoholic,scrapper Jackie Burdett. Mr.Henry's idea of achieving his 'big plans' involve elevating KC's status at whatever the cost! Will he succeed? Or will KC's better judgement win out? Aside from the obvious plot drama,Kansas City Bomber is probably the first movie to reveal the life of second-rate athletes.This movie takes some chances with showing it's skaters as they were in the 1970s-mostly middle-aged and lonely! They travel from city to city in buses,hang out together in cheap bars,and get no other joys from their lives-except while signing thier fans autographs! I especially appreciate the way that the filmakers resisted the temptation to glamourize the sport of pro-skating-instead they have portrayed it mostly as it was in the 70s-a dying sport! These skaters perform to dingy and half-empty arenas and expo centers-populated with the elderly,disabled and too young patrons! Clearly nobody is getting rich here-EXCEPT for the sleazy Mr.Henry!

Raquel Welch had for a long time been noted for her physical attributes, but Kansas City Bomber plays this down, and focuses on her acting skills and character portrayal. Welch plays KC Carr, top roller derby skater, who is following her own career and dreams, but is also tormented about spending more time with her two kids. Carr is traded to the Portland team, through manipulation by the team's owner, Burt Henry (Kevin McCarthy). Henry thinks of his players as little more than trade-able commodities, and sees Carr as not only the top skater on his team, but also as a romantic interest. Carr goes along with Henry's romantic attention, which causes friction among the other players on the team.

For those unfamiliar with the sport, roller derby was popular in the 50's, 60's, and 70's, featuring teams with men's and women's units. The fastest skater (wearing the designated helmet) scores points by passing opposing players on the track. The opposing team, of course, tries to prevent this from happening, usually having a big thug in the back of the pack, to inflict mayhem on the skater. The sport had some athletic skills, but was mostly showboating, like WWF. The fans were mostly retirees and blue-collar people. This film captures the atmosphere at these events perfectly.

KC also has to deal with Jackie Burdette (Helena Kallianotes), the other top skater on the team, who dislikes KC as a rival. Norman Alden plays Horrible Hank Hopkins well. Hank is the big anchor guy on the team, who befriends KC, although he is a bit simple, and the other players have little respect for him. KC's mother, played by Martine Bartlett, constantly rags on KC about not spending enough time with her two children (one of whom is played by Jodie Foster, in her screen debut).

I've seen several Raquel Welch movies, but this one is definitely my favorite.

Legitimate sex symbols like Raquel Welch have always had to face the (sexist) prejudice of the "since they're so beautiful, they can't act" variety (of course, this often extends to male stars as well - Richard Gere, for example). But Raquel gives a fine performance in "Kansas City Bomber" - quiet when it needs to be, spirited when it needs to be. And she was not the same type of sex symbol that Marilyn Monroe was: she was highly athletic, and in this movie you can see her roller-skating, punching, kicking, headlocking, elbow-dropping, jumping, ducking, taking bumps, rolling around on the ground (including a memorable catfight right next to some train tracks!), etc. It's a physically challenging role, and Raquel is more than up to the challenge. The movie does feel aimless and repetitive at times, the ending doesn't really resolve much and Kevin McCarthy is not exactly the most believable romantic partner for Raquel, but her fans, as well as fans of movies about women in sports, will probably find enough of interest here. (**1/2)

* Another recommendation: the pro-wrestling film "All The Marbles".