Richard Lane, born in 1899 in Rice Lake, Wisconsin, carved a niche in the realm of cult cinema with his role in Kansas City Bomber (1972). Known for his extensive background in vaudeville and motion pictures, Lane brought a unique flair to his performances, having honed his skills in various entertainment forms. In Kansas City Bomber, he contributes to the gritty atmosphere of the roller derby scene, reflecting his own history with live performance. His career, which included notable work as an emcee during WWII, showcases the evolution of entertainment from vaudeville to the silver screen.
Kansas City Bomber
The film is an inside look at the world of Roller Games, then a popular league sport-entertainment, a more theatrical version of roller derby. The story focuses on K.C. Carr, who has just left her former team in Kansas City, Missouri, to start her life as a single mother over again in Portland, Oregon, with a team called the Portland Loggers. Loggers' owner Burt Henry is clearly interested in her, and he and K.C. date. Henry has a rather ruthless side to him: he trades away K.C.'s best friend on the team, and when he sees that star male skater "Horrible" Hank Hopkins (Norman Alden) is interested in her, he manipulates the audience into booing Hopkins, causing him to go crazy and lose his job. Henry's endgame is to set up a match race between K.C. and her teammate and rival Jackie Burdette, with K.C. deliberately losing so that she can join Henry at a new team he's setting up in Chicago. However, K.C. no longer trusts Henry (or his promises to let her bring her daughter along) and wins the match race. Roller derby skater K.C. Carr tries to balance her desire for a happy personal life and her dreams of stardom.
