The Wild One, 1953

This was a big time movie in its day. A Stanly Kramer film none the less starring Marlon Brando as Johnny. Johnny is the leader of a large outlaw motorcycle club. They actually use the term “outlaw club” more than once in the film. I couldn't help but wonder if that is where that term was born. On the back of the club member’s leather jackets is a skull with crossed pistons; sound familiar? I wonder where they got that idea. On the top rocker are the letters B R M C. I couldn't help but wonder what that stood for. As the film progressed I believe I got my answer.

Later in the film a very young, Lee Marvin playing the part of Gypsy, Johnny’s rival. He blames Johnny for splitting up the club called the Beetles. Then in another scene one of the females who’s trying to win Johnny’s attention reminds him of the time she scrambled with the Rebel’s. Since she makes it plain that they were together you can surmise that the letters on their jackets stand for Beetle Rebel’s Motorcycle Club. OK the name is less than cool but that is about the only thing that isn’t.

One of the things I loved was that unlike many biker flicks this one was totally true to the time period. The guys were all short haired, wearing dungarees with the cuffs rolled up and their leather jackets. No one ever looked cooler in a biker flick than Marlon Brando in this one. Everything from the sullen look on his handsome face to the way cool shades to the totally hip lingo. I loved the terms they used like; square, daddy-o, jive and scramble. You can imagine a generation just freaking society out with terms like that rolling off their tongues. Setting them apart further beyond the motorcycles and leather jackets were the wild hats of all shapes and sizes. If you look close you’ll see everything from a French artist style barrette to a navy style beanie to a Daniel Boone style skunk skinned cap. Wild hats were common place back in the day. It's just another way of setting themselves apart from the likes of Joe citizen.

The film is about an outlaw club that takes over a small one cop town. The boys start out behaving well enough. They even managed to maintain, after an old man runs one of them over with his car, breaking the ankle of a member called Crazy. Naturally things go from bad to worse. The town is in havoc and a handful of towns people try to take the law into their own hands. Along the way Johnny becomes smitten with the girl next door type from the Breakers diner. Sadly that too goes the way of the dodo. In the end Johnny gets pinched by the Sheriff and his troopers who are called in from another town. In all the ciaos an old man is accidentally killed. Naturally poor leader of the pack Johnny is blamed. I won’t say anymore you get the drift.

I will say that this film unlike most that I have had the displeasure of watching is really very good. The acting is a bit 1950’s cheesy but Brando oozes enough cool to combat even that. It’s like a snapshot back in time. It doesn’t show the outlaws as anything more than a bunch of disenfranchised people looking for a good time while conforming to their own rules. Thankfully it does not display them as any kind of crazy whacked out lunatics as most of these films do. I have zero problem recommending this film. It gets six out of six shots and that’s no jive daddy-o!