This weekend, the 2025 Indy Toronto returns to Exhibition Place. Nearly a decade has passed since the last female racer competed at the Indy Toronto. Not quite as bad as Formula 1 that hasn’t had a woman racing since 1976, but pretty bad! Female racers have a long connection to IndyCar, and in their honour this week’s Fast Film Friday will focus on the 1941 film ‘Blonde Comet‘ about a woman on the road to Indy.
A very progressive film for the era, ‘Blonde Comet‘ tells the story of race car driver Beverly Blake (Virginia Vale) who has been competing on the European road racing circuit. These races were called Grand Prix races before F1 was even invented, and the movie uses period footage of the Monaco street circuit and the road course at Donington Park Circuit in England. She is a media darling and makes a name for herself with top finishes.
When Beverly returns to California, she is faced with resistance from the male dominated world of US auto racing. Hardcore racers like Jim Flynn (Robert Kent) think a woman has no place at the race track. Sure, she’s nice to look at compared to all the other mugs at the track, but nobody takes her seriously. However, director William Beaudine presents Beverly as a strong, independent woman not afraid to compete and win against the good old boys.
The film uses authentic racing footage from the 1930s California race tracks, like the long ago demolished Ascot Speedway. There’s is absolutely no crappy special effects or rear projection. The lead actor and actress actually sit in race cars being towed around the track by a pickup truck, allowing close ups of racing action. Very immersive for the 1940s!
To give the film broad appeal, there’s also a love story between Beverly and Jim. Initially a chilly relationship by two racers who see themselves as rivals, they warm up to one another. Beverly likes Jim’s caveman behaviour, especially when he punches out another driver. Jim catches feeling for Beverly as begins to respect and admire this fast female. A vintage film with a classic formula; fast cars plus a manly man and a pretty girl. It’s a time capsule of an era in motorsports.
In the final race, at the Indianapolis 500, Beverly is leading by a lap as Jim’s car was already caught up in a wreck. With 5 laps to go, she pulls into the pits and pretends to be such a weak woman that she cannot continue. Exhausted, the crew has to yank her out of the driver’s seat. Beverly demands that Jim take over her car and drive it to victory. It is exactly like Lightning McQueen giving up his spot in the final race of ‘Cars 3‘ to Cruz Ramirez… except backwards. Lightning had his chance, and gave a female racer her shot. In ‘Blonde Comet‘ Beverly gives up a win at the Indy 500 to please her man.
In the final scene, the two lovers are seen in a silhouette. Jim tells Beverly that the race track is no place for a woman, and only the ‘man of the family’ should be racing. She’s overcome with joy at the marriage proposal that she kisses him, the music swells, and the credits roll. Check out the scathing reviews on Letterboxd and you’ll see that today’s viewing public hated this ending. One commenter even noted that the movie takes a very forward thinking idea like a female racer, then in the last scene the moral of the story is revealed that a woman’s place is in the kitchen.
Over here in the film department at Demaras Racing we interpret the ending differently. Beverly is a very smart lady. She started racing to promote her father’s tire manufacturing company, and winning the Indy 500 did exactly that. Just because her caveman boyfriend wants her to stay home doesn’t mean she’ll listen to him! It’s more a exploration of societal attitudes in the 1940s between the old patriarchy that wanted to keep women at home, and the attitudes of young women who won’t be kept down.