DeeKnow’s Grotto

Last night we watched a DVD copy of 1953 biker movie 'The Wild One'. It stars (if you can call the performance that :) Marlon Brando as "Johnny" leader of a leather clad gang of yobs riding English motor bikes around rural America terrorising small towns they pass through upsetting Sherrifs and local 'Squares'

The serious nature of the movie was emphasised by the following message on the splash screen as the dramatic musical score opened the movie...

This is a shocking story.
It could never take place
in most American towns-
But it did in this one

It is a public challenge
not to let it happen again

Apparently this wasn't going to be a comedy, but I swear the two of us never stopped laughing from the opening scene right through to the end. It was hillarious, kinda like a stage show except it was filmed in the streets of some dusty hick town.

Johnny looked kinda mean until he got off his bike, at which point Brando's shorter than expected stature made him look a little silly with the rolled up jeans, biker jacket and floppy hat look.

While his boys were boozing it up in the cafe Johnny spent pretty much the whole movie trying to pick up Kathie, daughter of the town sheriff. She played very hard to get and Johhny "didn't trust no cops" so the relationship wasn't exactly off to a flying start.

At one point Kym shrieked with a mixture of laughter and horror when Johnny grabbed the poor girl in a violent and very non-PC embrace stealing a kiss off her as she submitted without protest. Oh those were the days aye? :)

The plot was pretty much lots of drinking, and riding, and falling off of bikes. Then more drinking, and fighting, and womanising, then more drinking and fighting, then an arrest or two, an escape from jail and some more dancing and drinking. And so on and so on....

The movie would struggle to get an oscar nomination these days, that's if Womens Lib groups actually allowed it to be shown in any main-stream cinemas without burning them down, but it was actually kinda fun. If you're after a no brainer to fill in a sunday arvo you could probably do a lot worse.

10:12:19 PM