"WHAT'VE YOU GOT?"

I first encountered THE WILD ONE (1953), in a paperback book that reprinted material from early issues of the legendary MAD magazine. In fact, I might still have a copy of that book somewhere around here. The parody of THE WILD ONE, entitled "The Wild 1/2" was written by Harvey Kurtzman with art by Wally Wood. It was originally published in MAD #15 in September 1954. I had no idea what the whole thing was about but I read it any way. I'm sure Kurtzman's jokes sailed right over my head but even at a young age, I recognized and admired the incredible artwork of the gone-too-soon Wally Wood. 

My next encounter with WILD was when I first started writing film notes for the Paramount Theatre's Summer Classic Film Series. The year was 1996 and if I recall correctly, one of the first (if not THE first  screening I wrote the notes for was for a '50s rebellion double feature featuring REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE (1955) and THE WILD ONE. I sat through both features the night they ran, which, as time went on, became a feat I was no longer able to accomplish. The idea of watching a movie, either at home or in a theater, that starts at 9:00 p.m. or later, is something that belongs to my younger days. I'm usually in bed and asleep by 9:30 on any night of the week. 

THE WILD ONE was loosely based on a real incident that occurred in 1947 and was written up in the pages of LIFE magazine. On July 4th, 1947, a motorcycle gang terrorized the small town of Hollister, California. The material later became the basis for a short story, "The Cyclists' Raid" by Frank Rooney. 

While the events depicted in the film are, by today's standards, incredibly tame, this material was pretty bracing stuff for audiences in 1953. Produced by Stanley Kramer, who made a career out of making liberal, "message" oriented films that tackled the problems of post war American society, WILD was a no-holds-barred look at the widely misunderstood phenomenon of motorcycle gangs. While some gangs of the time did engage in violence and wild behavior, the majority of the '50s biker clubs were comprised of WWII vets, their girl friends and wives, who enjoyed riding on the weekends. The Black Rebels Motorcycle Club depicted in the film, is a far cry from the notorious Hell's Angels and other gangs who gained notoriety in the 1960s as the subject of books, documentaries and feature films. 

Motorcycle gatherings are still with us today. The biggest and best known is the annual get together in Sturgis, South Dakota, while Central Texas plays host to the annual ROT (Republic of Texas) Rally every June. I look forward to the ROT Rally, not because I'm a motorcycle enthusiast but because many of the people in town for the weekend spend a lot of money here in Manor, a move I'm all in favor of. Sadly, the current pandemic caused this year's rally to be canceled. I hope it will take place in 2021 but at this point, only time can tell. 

Johnny (Brando), is the confused, conflicted leader of the Rebels. He's rebelling against something but he's not exactly sure just what it is. He commands respect from his gang and what he says goes. The bikers mainly drink a lot of beer (which is never seen as being paid for), racing their bikes, cat calling the local women and roughhousing with each other. There is wilder, more dangerous behavior in Dallas during OU weekend than is seen here. 

Johnny butts heads with Chino (Lee Marvin), a former gang member of Johnny's who now leads his own pack. As iconic as Brando is (and this film went a long way towards making him such), I much prefer watching Marvin's rough-and-tumble performance. He seems much more natural while Brando, in many scenes, appears to be caught "acting". 

Johnny is intrigued by Kathie (the supremely beautiful Mary Murphy), who works in a café run by her uncle (Ray (BONANZA) Teal). Her father Harry (Robert Keith) is the ineffectual police chief of the town. Johnny yearns to be moving on and Kathie, desperate to escape her suffocating, dead-end environment, longs to go with him. 

But a vigilante mob rears its' ugly head in the third act when a group of citizens, frustrated by Harry's ineffectiveness, take matters into their own hands. An innocent man is accidently killed but sympathetic Sheriff Singer (Jay C. Flippen), cuts Johnny a break and orders him and the gang out of town. 

THE WILD ONE is crisply shot by cinematographer Hal Mohr and the night time scenes have a film noir ambience. In fact, some consider THEWILD ONE an actual noir. I don't.

The supporting cast includes Will Wright (Ben Weaver on THE ANDY GRIFFITH SHOW), cult actor and Stanley Kubrick regular Timothy Carey, Jerry (THE DICK VAN DYKE SHOW) Paris and, believe it or not, Alvy Moore (County Agent Hank Kimball on GREEN ACRES) as a biker. 

I mean, seriously, how vicious can a biker gang be that has this guy in it?

Astonishingly, THE WILD ONE was only Marlon Brando's fifth feature film. He had already earned three Best Actor Academy Award nominations including A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE (1951), VIVA ZAPATA! (1952) and JULIUS CASEAR (1953). 

Horribly dated, THE WILD ONE is still worth a look to see how popular culture confronted the "threat" of motorcycle gangs in the 1950s and for Brando's ascent into the ranks of cinema icons.