Viva Knievel! is a 1977 action film starring Evel Knievel , Gene Kelly, and Lauren Hutton. Daredevil motorcycle rider Evel Knievel stars as himself in this fictional story. The film opens with Knievel sneaking into an orphanage late at night to deliver presents: Evel Knievel action figures. One of the boys casts away his crutches, telling Knievel that if he could walk after his crashes, then he can, too. Knievel then prepares for another of his stunt jumps. We are introduced to his alcoholic mechanic Wil Atkins , who was a former stunt rider himself before his wife died, driving him to... drink. While signing autographs, Knievel is ambushed by feminist photojournalist Kate Morgan , who has been sent to photograph the jump: if Knievel is killed, it will be a great story. As it happens, Evel does crash while attempting the stunt, and though badly injured, survives. He berates Morgan, announces his retirement, and is taken to the hospital. While rehabilitating, Knievel resists all attempts to get back on the horse, including those from Jessie , a former protégé with mysterious backers who want Evel to do a jump in Mexico.
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| Release date: | June 1977 |
| Directed by: | Gordon Douglas |
| Rated: |  |
| Runtime: | 106 Minutes |
| Producer: | Stanley Hough |
| Editor: | Harold F. Kress |
| Music by: | Charles Bernstein |
| Screenplay by: | Norman Katkov, Antonio Santillán |
| Genre: | Action, Comedy, Thriller |