The Wild One
Encyclopedia
The Wild One is a 1953
outlaw biker film
directed by László Benedek
and produced by Stanley Kramer
. It is famed for Marlon Brando
's iconic portrayal of the gang leader Johnny Strabler.
. The story was later published in book form as part of The Best American Short Stories 1952. The story took a cue from an actual biker street party on the Fourth of July weekend in 1947 in Hollister, California
that was elaborately trumped up in the July 21, 1947 issue of Life Magazine
, and dubbed the Hollister riot
, with staged photographs of wild motorcycle outlaw revelers. The Hollister event is now celebrated annually. In the film, the setting is the fictional Wrightsville, California.
The bikers head to Wrightsville, which only has one elderly, conciliatory lawman, Chief Harry Bleeker (Robert Keith), to maintain order. The residents are uneasy, but mostly willing to put up with their visitors. When their antics cause Art Kleiner (Will Wright
) to swerve and crash his car, he demands that something be done, but Harry is reluctant to act, a weakness that is not lost on the interlopers. Although the young men become more and more boisterous, their custom is enthusiastically welcomed by Frank Bleeker (Ray Teal
) who runs the local cafe-bar, employing Harry's daughter, Kathie and the elderly Jimmy (Wiliam Vedder).
At the Bleeker's cafe, Johnny meets Kathie, (Mary Murphy
). He asks her out to a dance being held that night. Kathie politely turns him down, but she is visibly intrigued by Johnny's dark, brooding personality. When another local girl (Peggy Maley
) asks him "What are you rebelling against, Johnny?", he answers "Whaddaya got?" Johnny is attracted to Kathie and decides to stay a while. However, when he learns that she is the policeman's daughter, he changes his mind.
Then a rival biker gang, The Beetles, arrives. Their leader, Chino (Lee Marvin
), bears a grudge against Johnny. The two groups used to be one large gang before Johnny split it up. When Chino takes Johnny's trophy, the two begin to fight. Johnny wins.
When local Charlie Thomas (Hugh Sanders
) stubbornly tries to drive through, he hits a parked motorcycle and injures Meatball, one of Chino's bikers. Chino pulls Charlie out and leads both gangs to overturn his car. Harry intervenes and begins to arrest both Chino and Charlie, but when other townsfolk remind Harry that Charlie would cause problems for him in the future, he only takes Chino to the station. Later that night, Chino's gang abducts Charlie and puts him in the same jail cell as Chino, who is too drunk to leave with his friends.
Later, as both gangs wreck the town and intimidate the inhabitants, some bikers chase and surround Kathie, but Johnny rescues her and takes her on a long ride in the countryside. Frightened at first, Kathie comes to see that Johnny is genuinely attracted to her and means her no harm. When she opens up to him and asks to go with him, he rejects her. Crying, she runs away. Johnny drives off to search for her. This is seen and misinterpreted by Art Kleiner.
The townsfolk have had enough; Johnny's supposed assault on Kathie is the last straw. Vigilantes led by Charlie Thomas chase and catch Johnny and beat him mercilessly, but he escapes on his motorcycle when the mob is confronted by Harry. The mob give chase, and he is hit by a thrown tire iron and falls. His riderless motorcycle strikes and kills Jimmy.
Sheriff Singer (Jay C. Flippen
) arrives with his deputies and restores order. Johnny is initially arrested for Jimmy's death. Kathie pleads on his behalf. Seeing this, two witnesses step forward and testify that Johnny was not responsible for the tragedy. Johnny is unable to thank them. The motorcyclists are ordered to leave the county albeit paying for all damage. Returning alone to Wrightsville, however, Johnny re-visits the cafe to say goodbye to Kathie one final time. He smiles awkwardly offering her his stolen trophy before leaving.
reports that 80% critics have given the film a positive review, with a rating average of 7.1/10. Dave Kehr
of The Chicago Reader
wrote: "Legions of Brando impersonators have turned his performance in this seminal 1954 motorcycle movie into self-parody, but it's still a sleazy good time." Variety
noted that the film "is long on suspense, brutality and sadism ... All performances are highly competent."
and was first seen by the carefully tended UK public (a Rocker
subset at least) at the 59 Club
in Paddington
, London in 1968.
According to the book, Triumph Motorcycle In America, Triumph motorcycle's then-importers, Johnson Motors, objected to the prominent use of Triumph motorcycles in the film. However, later, Gil Stratton Jr, who played "Mouse" in the film, advertised Triumph motorcycles in the 1960s when he was a famous TV sports announcer (ironic given his antics mocking this activity at the film's opening). Moreover, the current Triumph factory now uses images from the film to advertise their motorcycles.
, a Perfecto style motorcycle jacket and a tilted cap; he rides a 1950 Triumph Thunderbird 6T
. Brando's haircut inspired a craze for sideburns, followed by James Dean
and Elvis Presley
, among others.
Presley also used Johnny's image as a model for his role in Jailhouse Rock.
James Dean bought a Triumph TR5 Trophy
motorcycle to mimic Brando's own Triumph Thunderbird
6T motorcycle that he used in the film.
Brando's image remains potent today. In the mid-1990s, Yamaha
used lookalikes of Mary Murphy's and Marlon Brando's characters to advertise their cruiser range of motorcycles. In the 2008 film Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, Shia LaBeouf's
character, Mutt Williams, first appears in the same outfit as Johnny Strabler, right down to the tilted cap. For 2010, Triumph motorcycles
introduced a range of clothing and promotional items inspired by Brando's image from The Wild One.
as "The Wild 1/2."
Several AIP "beach party"
movies of the 1960s include a comic reference to "The Wild One" in the form of Harvey Lembeck
's character, the speech-impedimented
Eric von Zipper, who dressed like Marlon Brando's Johnny Strabler and claimed that "Marlo Brandon [sic] used to be my idol," led a small comically inept motorcycle "gang" named The Rats.
The rock group Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
got its name from the name of Brando's gang, although in the film, the gang is referred to as "Black Rebels Motorcycle Club". One story maintains that The Beatles
took their name from the other motorcycle club led by Lee Marvin
, the Beetles, as referred to in The Beatles Anthology
.
In a Bloom County
strip, Cutter John
, a wheelchair
-bound Vietnam War
veteran
, asks his girlfriend Bobbi whether she had seen last night's late movie, an old 50s classic with Marlon Brando playing "the leader of this outlaw wheelchair gang that rides into this sleepy mid-western
town and terrorizes the citizenry". Bobbi does not seem to be interested, so he adds: "It's called The Wheeled One" and glances at his wheelchair.
The Ready or Not episode "Smoke Screen" features a fantasy sequence in which the character Busy imagines herself a cool rebel. She rides into a local arcade dressed like Brando in The Wild One, with her best friend on the back of the motorcycle.
In Episode 11 ("Cool Jerk") of the first season of Hey Arnold!
, Arnold and new friend Frankie watch this film at a local theater after Frankie persuades him to play hooky for the day.
In an episode of SpongeBob SquarePants
("Born To Be Wild"), a gang of bikers terrorize Bikini Bottom. SpongeBob tries to warn the town of these bikers.
1953 in film
The year 1953 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*September 16 — The Robe debuts as the first anamorphic, widescreen CinemaScope film.-Top grossing films : After theatrical re-issue- Awards :Academy Awards:A...
outlaw biker film
Outlaw biker film
The outlaw biker film is a film genre that portrays its characters as motorcycle riding rebels. The characters are usually members of an outlaw motorcycle club.-History:...
directed by László Benedek
László Benedek
László Benedek, sometimes credited as Laslo Benedek , was a Hungarian-born film director.- Biography :Born in Budapest, he worked as a writer and editor in Hungarian cinema until World War II. Louis B...
and produced by Stanley Kramer
Stanley Kramer
Stanley Earl Kramer was an American film director and producer. Kramer was responsible for some of Hollywood's most famous "message" movies...
. It is famed for Marlon Brando
Marlon Brando
Marlon Brando, Jr. was an American movie star and political activist. "Unchallenged as the most important actor in modern American Cinema" according to the St...
's iconic portrayal of the gang leader Johnny Strabler.
Basis
The Wild One was based on a short story, The Cyclists' Raid by Frank Rooney, in the January 1951 issue of Harper's MagazineHarper's Magazine
Harper's Magazine is a monthly magazine of literature, politics, culture, finance, and the arts, with a generally left-wing perspective. It is the second-oldest continuously published monthly magazine in the U.S. . The current editor is Ellen Rosenbush, who replaced Roger Hodge in January 2010...
. The story was later published in book form as part of The Best American Short Stories 1952. The story took a cue from an actual biker street party on the Fourth of July weekend in 1947 in Hollister, California
Hollister, California
Hollister is a city in and the county seat of San Benito County, California, United States. The population was 34,928 at the 2010 census. Hollister is primarily an agricultural town.-History:...
that was elaborately trumped up in the July 21, 1947 issue of Life Magazine
Life (magazine)
Life generally refers to three American magazines:*A humor and general interest magazine published from 1883 to 1936. Time founder Henry Luce bought the magazine in 1936 solely so that he could acquire the rights to its name....
, and dubbed the Hollister riot
Hollister riot
The Hollister riot occurred during the Gypsy Tour motorcycle rally in Hollister, California, from July 4 to July 6, 1947. The event was sensationalized by yellow news reports of bikers "taking over the town" and staged photos of public rowdiness....
, with staged photographs of wild motorcycle outlaw revelers. The Hollister event is now celebrated annually. In the film, the setting is the fictional Wrightsville, California.
Plot
The Black Rebels Motorcycle Club, a group of bikers led by Johnny Strabler (Marlon Brando), rides into Carbonville, California during a motorcycle race and causes trouble. A member of the gang steals the second place trophy (the first place one being too large to hide) and presents it to Johnny. Stewards and policemen order them to leave.The bikers head to Wrightsville, which only has one elderly, conciliatory lawman, Chief Harry Bleeker (Robert Keith), to maintain order. The residents are uneasy, but mostly willing to put up with their visitors. When their antics cause Art Kleiner (Will Wright
Will Wright (actor)
William Henry "Will" Wright was an American character actor. He was frequently cast in curmudgeonly roles. He was sometimes credited as Will J. Wright....
) to swerve and crash his car, he demands that something be done, but Harry is reluctant to act, a weakness that is not lost on the interlopers. Although the young men become more and more boisterous, their custom is enthusiastically welcomed by Frank Bleeker (Ray Teal
Ray Teal
Ray Teal was an actor who appeared in more than 250 movies and some 90 television programs in his 37-year career. His longest running role was as Sheriff Roy Coffee on NBC's most successful western, Bonanza...
) who runs the local cafe-bar, employing Harry's daughter, Kathie and the elderly Jimmy (Wiliam Vedder).
At the Bleeker's cafe, Johnny meets Kathie, (Mary Murphy
Mary Murphy (actress)
Mary Murphy was an American film actress of the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. She was born in Washington, D.C. and spent most of her early childhood in Cleveland, Ohio. Her father, James Victor Murphy, died in 1940. Shortly afterwards, she and her mother moved to Southern California...
). He asks her out to a dance being held that night. Kathie politely turns him down, but she is visibly intrigued by Johnny's dark, brooding personality. When another local girl (Peggy Maley
Peggy Maley
Peggy Maley is an actress who appeared in numerous movies and television programs. In 1942 she was crowned Miss Atlantic City. She delivered the famous feeder line to Marlon Brando in the film The Wild One: "Hey, Johnny, what are you rebelling against?".-External links:*...
) asks him "What are you rebelling against, Johnny?", he answers "Whaddaya got?" Johnny is attracted to Kathie and decides to stay a while. However, when he learns that she is the policeman's daughter, he changes his mind.
Then a rival biker gang, The Beetles, arrives. Their leader, Chino (Lee Marvin
Lee Marvin
Lee Marvin was an American film actor. Known for his gravelly voice, white hair and 6' 2" stature, Marvin at first did supporting roles, mostly villains, soldiers and other hardboiled characters, but after winning an Academy Award for Best Actor for his dual roles in Cat Ballou , he landed more...
), bears a grudge against Johnny. The two groups used to be one large gang before Johnny split it up. When Chino takes Johnny's trophy, the two begin to fight. Johnny wins.
When local Charlie Thomas (Hugh Sanders
Hugh Sanders
Hugh Sanders was an American actor. Born in Illinois, Sanders was a guest star in several series, including The Lone Ranger, Highway Patrol, Four Star Playhouse, Playhouse 90, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Richard Diamond, Private Detective, Bonanza, Zane Grey Theater, and Bat Masterson.-...
) stubbornly tries to drive through, he hits a parked motorcycle and injures Meatball, one of Chino's bikers. Chino pulls Charlie out and leads both gangs to overturn his car. Harry intervenes and begins to arrest both Chino and Charlie, but when other townsfolk remind Harry that Charlie would cause problems for him in the future, he only takes Chino to the station. Later that night, Chino's gang abducts Charlie and puts him in the same jail cell as Chino, who is too drunk to leave with his friends.
Later, as both gangs wreck the town and intimidate the inhabitants, some bikers chase and surround Kathie, but Johnny rescues her and takes her on a long ride in the countryside. Frightened at first, Kathie comes to see that Johnny is genuinely attracted to her and means her no harm. When she opens up to him and asks to go with him, he rejects her. Crying, she runs away. Johnny drives off to search for her. This is seen and misinterpreted by Art Kleiner.
The townsfolk have had enough; Johnny's supposed assault on Kathie is the last straw. Vigilantes led by Charlie Thomas chase and catch Johnny and beat him mercilessly, but he escapes on his motorcycle when the mob is confronted by Harry. The mob give chase, and he is hit by a thrown tire iron and falls. His riderless motorcycle strikes and kills Jimmy.
Sheriff Singer (Jay C. Flippen
Jay C. Flippen
Jay C. Flippen is an American character actor who often played police officers or weary criminals in many films of the 1940s/'50s....
) arrives with his deputies and restores order. Johnny is initially arrested for Jimmy's death. Kathie pleads on his behalf. Seeing this, two witnesses step forward and testify that Johnny was not responsible for the tragedy. Johnny is unable to thank them. The motorcyclists are ordered to leave the county albeit paying for all damage. Returning alone to Wrightsville, however, Johnny re-visits the cafe to say goodbye to Kathie one final time. He smiles awkwardly offering her his stolen trophy before leaving.
Cast
- Marlon BrandoMarlon BrandoMarlon Brando, Jr. was an American movie star and political activist. "Unchallenged as the most important actor in modern American Cinema" according to the St...
as Johnny Strabler and the narrator - Mary MurphyMary Murphy (actress)Mary Murphy was an American film actress of the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. She was born in Washington, D.C. and spent most of her early childhood in Cleveland, Ohio. Her father, James Victor Murphy, died in 1940. Shortly afterwards, she and her mother moved to Southern California...
as Kathie Bleeker - Robert Keith as Police Chief Harry Bleeker, Kathie's father
- Lee MarvinLee MarvinLee Marvin was an American film actor. Known for his gravelly voice, white hair and 6' 2" stature, Marvin at first did supporting roles, mostly villains, soldiers and other hardboiled characters, but after winning an Academy Award for Best Actor for his dual roles in Cat Ballou , he landed more...
as Chino - Jay C. FlippenJay C. FlippenJay C. Flippen is an American character actor who often played police officers or weary criminals in many films of the 1940s/'50s....
as Sheriff Stew Singer - Peggy MaleyPeggy MaleyPeggy Maley is an actress who appeared in numerous movies and television programs. In 1942 she was crowned Miss Atlantic City. She delivered the famous feeder line to Marlon Brando in the film The Wild One: "Hey, Johnny, what are you rebelling against?".-External links:*...
as Mildred - Hugh SandersHugh SandersHugh Sanders was an American actor. Born in Illinois, Sanders was a guest star in several series, including The Lone Ranger, Highway Patrol, Four Star Playhouse, Playhouse 90, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Richard Diamond, Private Detective, Bonanza, Zane Grey Theater, and Bat Masterson.-...
as Charlie Thomas - Ray TealRay TealRay Teal was an actor who appeared in more than 250 movies and some 90 television programs in his 37-year career. His longest running role was as Sheriff Roy Coffee on NBC's most successful western, Bonanza...
as Frank Bleeker, Kathie's uncle and employer - John BrownJohn Brown (actor)John Brown was an English radio and film actor.He had major roles in several popular radio shows. He played Irma's love interest Al in My Friend Irma, Digby "Digger" O'Dell in The Life of Riley and "Broadway" in The Damon Runyon Theatre...
as Bill Hannegan - Will WrightWill Wright (actor)William Henry "Will" Wright was an American character actor. He was frequently cast in curmudgeonly roles. He was sometimes credited as Will J. Wright....
as Art Kleiner - Yvonne Doughty as Britches, Beetles member
- Timothy CareyTimothy CareyTimothy Agoglia Carey was an American film and television actor....
as vocal Beetles member at fight (uncredited) - Angela StevensAngela StevensAngela Stevens is an American film actress and singer. She made over 40 film and television appearances between 1950 and 1963.-Career:...
as Betty (uncredited) - John DoucetteJohn DoucetteJohn Doucette was a film character actor. He was a balding, husky man remembered for playing mob muscle and western bad guys in movies...
as Sage Valley race steward (uncredited) - Pat O'Malley as Sawyer (uncredited)
- Robert BiceRobert BiceRobert Bice , was an American television and film actor. Bice was born in Dallas, Texas, United States.-Career:Bice appeared in 199 films and television programs between 1943 and 1967...
as Wilson (uncredited) - Jerry ParisJerry ParisJerry Paris was an American actor and director best known for playing Jerry Helper, the dentist and next door neighbor of Rob and Laura Petrie, on The Dick Van Dyke Show.-Life and career:...
as Dextro, B.R.M.C. member (uncredited) - Alvy MooreAlvy MooreJack Alvin "Alvy" Moore was an American light comic actor best known for his role as scatterbrained county agricultural agent "Hank Kimball" on the television series Green Acres....
as Pigeon, B.R.M.C. member (uncredited) - Gil Stratton as Mouse, B.R.M.C. member (uncredited)
- Richard FarnsworthRichard FarnsworthRichard W. Farnsworth was an American actor and stuntman. His film career began in 1937; however, he achieved his greatest success for his performances in The Grey Fox and The Straight Story , for which he received a nomination for an Academy Award for Best Actor.- Early life :Farnsworth was born...
(uncredited)
Critical reception
The Wild One was well received by film critics. Review aggregator Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
reports that 80% critics have given the film a positive review, with a rating average of 7.1/10. Dave Kehr
Dave Kehr
Dave Kehr is an American film critic. A critic at the Chicago Reader and the Chicago Tribune for many years, he writes a weekly column for The New York Times on DVD releases, in addition to contributing occasional pieces on individual films or filmmakers.-Early life and education:Dave Kehr did...
of The Chicago Reader
The Chicago Reader
The Chicago Reader is an American alternative weekly newspaper in Chicago, Illinois, noted for its literary style of journalism and coverage of the arts, particularly film and theater. It was founded in 1971 by a group of friends from Carleton College...
wrote: "Legions of Brando impersonators have turned his performance in this seminal 1954 motorcycle movie into self-parody, but it's still a sleazy good time." Variety
Variety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
noted that the film "is long on suspense, brutality and sadism ... All performances are highly competent."
Controversies
In the United Kingdom, the film was banned by the British Board of Film Censors for fourteen years. It finally got an 'X' certificate in November 1967,and was first seen by the carefully tended UK public (a Rocker
Rocker (subculture)
Rockers, leather boys or ton-up boys are a biker subculture that originated in the United Kingdom during the 1950s. It was mainly centered around British cafe racer motorcycles and rock and roll music....
subset at least) at the 59 Club
59 Club
The 59 Club, also written as The Fifty Nine Club and known as "the '9", is a British motorcycle club with members internationally.The 59 Club started as a Church of England-based youth club founded in Hackney Wick on 2 April 1959, in the East End of London, then an underprivileged area suffering...
in Paddington
Paddington
Paddington is a district within the City of Westminster, in central London, England. Formerly a metropolitan borough, it was integrated with Westminster and Greater London in 1965...
, London in 1968.
According to the book, Triumph Motorcycle In America, Triumph motorcycle's then-importers, Johnson Motors, objected to the prominent use of Triumph motorcycles in the film. However, later, Gil Stratton Jr, who played "Mouse" in the film, advertised Triumph motorcycles in the 1960s when he was a famous TV sports announcer (ironic given his antics mocking this activity at the film's opening). Moreover, the current Triumph factory now uses images from the film to advertise their motorcycles.
Brando's image
Brando's portrayal of the Johnny has become an iconic image. His character wears long sideburnsSideburns
Sideburns or sideboards are patches of facial hair grown on the sides of the face, extending from the hairline to below the ears and worn with an unbearded chin...
, a Perfecto style motorcycle jacket and a tilted cap; he rides a 1950 Triumph Thunderbird 6T
Triumph Thunderbird
The Triumph Thunderbird is a British motorcycle that was introduced by Triumph in 1949 and produced in its original form until 1966. The name was used three more times for new and distinct Triumph models.-Original model:...
. Brando's haircut inspired a craze for sideburns, followed by James Dean
James Dean
James Byron Dean was an American film actor. He is a cultural icon, best embodied in the title of his most celebrated film, Rebel Without a Cause , in which he starred as troubled Los Angeles teenager Jim Stark...
and Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
, among others.
Presley also used Johnny's image as a model for his role in Jailhouse Rock.
James Dean bought a Triumph TR5 Trophy
Triumph TR5 Trophy
The TR5 Trophy is a motorcycle that was made by Triumph at the Meriden factory.Based on the Triumph Speed Twin, the TR5 was a trials machine designed for off road use with a high level two into one exhaust and good handling on public roads....
motorcycle to mimic Brando's own Triumph Thunderbird
Triumph Thunderbird
The Triumph Thunderbird is a British motorcycle that was introduced by Triumph in 1949 and produced in its original form until 1966. The name was used three more times for new and distinct Triumph models.-Original model:...
6T motorcycle that he used in the film.
Brando's image remains potent today. In the mid-1990s, Yamaha
Yamaha Motor Company
, is a Japanese motorized vehicle-producing company. Yamaha Motor is part of Yamaha Corporation and its headquarter is located in Iwata, Shizuoka. Along with expanding Yamaha Corporation into the world's biggest piano maker, then Yamaha CEO Genichi Kawakami took Yamaha into the field of motorized...
used lookalikes of Mary Murphy's and Marlon Brando's characters to advertise their cruiser range of motorcycles. In the 2008 film Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, Shia LaBeouf's
Shia LaBeouf
Shia Saide LaBeouf is an American actor who became known among younger audiences for his part in the Disney Channel series Even Stevens and made his film debut in Holes . In 2007, he starred as the leads in Disturbia and Transformers...
character, Mutt Williams, first appears in the same outfit as Johnny Strabler, right down to the tilted cap. For 2010, Triumph motorcycles
Triumph Motorcycles Ltd
Triumph Motorcycles Ltd is the largest surviving British motorcycle manufacturer, which was established in 1984 by John Bloor after the original manufacturer Triumph Engineering went into receivership...
introduced a range of clothing and promotional items inspired by Brando's image from The Wild One.
Parodies
The film was subject to an early parody in MADMAD
Mad or MAD may refer to:* Infection with rabies, from the Latin term for madness* Moroccan dirham, the ISO 4217 code for the currency of Morocco* The state of being angry* The state of insanity...
as "The Wild 1/2."
Several AIP "beach party"
Beach Party
Beach Party was the first of several beach party films from American International Pictures aimed at a teen audience. It was directed by William Asher and written by Lou Rusoff. The main actors included Robert Cummings, Dorothy Malone, Frankie Avalon, and Annette Funicello...
movies of the 1960s include a comic reference to "The Wild One" in the form of Harvey Lembeck
Harvey Lembeck
Harvey Lembeck was an American comedic actor best remembered for his role as Cpl. Rocco Barbella on The Phil Silvers Show in the late 1950s, and as the stumbling, overconfident outlaw biker Eric Von Zipper in the beach party movie series during the 1960s...
's character, the speech-impedimented
Apraxia
Apraxia is a disorder caused by damage to specific areas of the cerebrum. Apraxia is characterized by loss of the ability to execute or carry out learned purposeful movements, despite having the desire and the physical ability to perform the movements...
Eric von Zipper, who dressed like Marlon Brando's Johnny Strabler and claimed that "Marlo Brandon [sic] used to be my idol," led a small comically inept motorcycle "gang" named The Rats.
Other references
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club is an American rock band from San Francisco, California, now based in Los Angeles. BRMC is known for their garage rock, blues, folk revival, neo-psychedelia sound. They are influenced by bands such as: The Brian Jonestown Massacre, The Verve, The Rolling Stones, Oasis, T...
got its name from the name of Brando's gang, although in the film, the gang is referred to as "Black Rebels Motorcycle Club". One story maintains that The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
took their name from the other motorcycle club led by Lee Marvin
Lee Marvin
Lee Marvin was an American film actor. Known for his gravelly voice, white hair and 6' 2" stature, Marvin at first did supporting roles, mostly villains, soldiers and other hardboiled characters, but after winning an Academy Award for Best Actor for his dual roles in Cat Ballou , he landed more...
, the Beetles, as referred to in The Beatles Anthology
The Beatles Anthology
The Beatles Anthology is the name of a documentary series, a set of three double albums and a book focusing on the history of The Beatles. Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr all participated in the making and approval of the works, which are sometimes referred to collectively as the...
.
In a Bloom County
Bloom County
Bloom County is an American comic strip by Berkeley Breathed which ran from December 8, 1980, until August 6, 1989. It examined events in politics and culture through the viewpoint of a fanciful small town in Middle America, where children often have adult personalities and vocabularies and where...
strip, Cutter John
Cutter John
Cutter John is a fictional character in the 1980s comic strip Bloom County by Berke Breathed.Cutter, a wheelchair-user and Vietnam War veteran was one of the county's most well-liked citizens. Despite being somewhat childish and awkward at times, he was very popular with the ladies, particularly...
, a wheelchair
Wheelchair
A wheelchair is a chair with wheels, designed to be a replacement for walking. The device comes in variations where it is propelled by motors or by the seated occupant turning the rear wheels by hand. Often there are handles behind the seat for someone else to do the pushing...
-bound Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
veteran
Veteran
A veteran is a person who has had long service or experience in a particular occupation or field; " A veteran of ..."...
, asks his girlfriend Bobbi whether she had seen last night's late movie, an old 50s classic with Marlon Brando playing "the leader of this outlaw wheelchair gang that rides into this sleepy mid-western
Midwestern United States
The Midwestern United States is one of the four U.S. geographic regions defined by the United States Census Bureau, providing an official definition of the American Midwest....
town and terrorizes the citizenry". Bobbi does not seem to be interested, so he adds: "It's called The Wheeled One" and glances at his wheelchair.
The Ready or Not episode "Smoke Screen" features a fantasy sequence in which the character Busy imagines herself a cool rebel. She rides into a local arcade dressed like Brando in The Wild One, with her best friend on the back of the motorcycle.
In Episode 11 ("Cool Jerk") of the first season of Hey Arnold!
Hey Arnold!
Hey Arnold! is an American animated television series created by Craig Bartlett for Nickelodeon. The show's premise focuses on a fourth grader named Arnold who lives with his grandparents. Episodes center on his experiences navigating big city life while dealing with the problems he and his friends...
, Arnold and new friend Frankie watch this film at a local theater after Frankie persuades him to play hooky for the day.
In an episode of SpongeBob SquarePants
SpongeBob SquarePants
SpongeBob SquarePants is an American animated television series, created by marine biologist and animator Stephen Hillenburg. Much of the series centers on the exploits and adventures of the title character and his various friends in the underwater city of "Bikini Bottom"...
("Born To Be Wild"), a gang of bikers terrorize Bikini Bottom. SpongeBob tries to warn the town of these bikers.