The Wild One (1953)

Director:

Laslo Benedek

Writers:

John Paxton (writer)
Frank Rooney (novel)
(more)

Release Date:

February 1954 (Japan)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

Marlon Brando! Driven Too Far By His Own Hot Blood!

Plot:

Two rival motorcycle gangs terrorize a small town after one of their leaders is thrown in jail.

Plot Keywords:

Gang | Motorcycle | Rival | Rebel | Sheriff

Cast

Marlon Brando	...	Johnny Strabler / Narrator
Mary Murphy	...	Kathie Bleeker
Robert Keith	...	Sheriff Harry Bleeker
Lee Marvin	...	Chino
Jay C. Flippen	...	Sheriff Stew Singer
Peggy Maley	...	Mildred
Hugh Sanders	...	Charlie Thomas
Ray Teal	...	Uncle Frank Bleeker
John Brown	...	Bill Hamegan
Will Wright	...	Art Kleiner
Robert Osterloh	...	Ben
Robert Bice	...	Wilson
Yvonne Doughty	...	Britches
William Vedder	...	Jimmy
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Wally Albright	...	Cyclist (uncredited)
Don Anderson	...	Stinger (uncredited)
Timothy Carey	...	Chino's Boy #1 (uncredited)
Keith Clarke	...	Gringo (uncredited)
Jim Connell	...	Boxer (uncredited)
Ted Cooper	...	Racer (uncredited)
George Dockstader	...	Cyclist (uncredited)
John Doucette	...	Sage Valley Race Official (uncredited)
Darren Dublin	...	Dinky (uncredited)
Richard Farnsworth	...	(uncredited)
Sam Gilman	...	(uncredited)
Joe Haworth	...	One of Chino's Boys (uncredited)
Harry Landers	...	GoGo (uncredited)
Eve March	...	Dorothy (telephone operator) (uncredited)
Mort Mills	...	Deputy (uncredited)
Alvy Moore	...	Pigeon (uncredited)
Mary Newton	...	Mrs. Thomas (uncredited)
Pat O'Malley	...	Sawyer (uncredited)
Jerry Paris	...	Dextro (uncredited)
Gene Peterson	...	Crazy (uncredited)
K.L. Smith	...	One of Chino's Boys (uncredited)
Angela Stevens	...	Betty (uncredited)
Gil Stratton	...	Mouse (uncredited)
John Tarangelo	...	Red (uncredited)
Bruno VeSota	...	Simmonds (uncredited)
Blackie Whiteford	...	Bystander at Art's Accident (uncredited)

Directed by
Laslo Benedek

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Ben Maddow		uncredited
John Paxton		writer
Frank Rooney		novel "The Cyclists' Raid"

Produced by
Stanley Kramer	....	producer

Original Music by
Leith Stevens

Cinematography by
Hal Mohr

Film Editing by
Al Clark

Production Design by
Rudolph Sternad

Art Direction by
Walter Holscher

Set Decoration by
Louis Diage

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Paul Donnelly	....	assistant director

Sound Department
George Cooper	....	sound engineer

Stunts
Fred Carson	....	stunt double: Marlon Brando (uncredited)
Larry Duran	....	stunts (uncredited)
Richard Farnsworth	....	stunts (uncredited)
Whitey Hughes	....	stunts (uncredited)
Carey Loftin	....	stunts (uncredited)
David Sharpe	....	fight double: Marlon Brando (uncredited)
Tom Steele	....	fight double: Lee Marvin (uncredited)

Music Department
Morris Stoloff	....	musical director
Arthur Morton	....	orchestrator (uncredited)
Shorty Rogers	....	music arranger (uncredited)

Other crew
Jim Cameron	....	technical advisor (uncredited)
Willie Forkner	....	technical advisor (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Stanley Kramer Productions

Distributors

• Columbia Pictures (1953) (USA) (theatrical)
• Columbia Pictures (1960) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Columbia TriStar (1999) (Brazil) (DVD)
• RCA/Columbia Pictures Home Video (1986) (USA) (VHS)

Also Known As:

Hot Blood (USA) (working title)
The Cyclists Raid (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

79 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

Finland:(Banned) (1954) | Finland:K-16 (1966) | Norway:16 (1956) | Norway:(Banned) (1954 - 1956) | Australia:PG | Sweden:15 | UK:PG (video rating) (1988) | UK:R (original rating) (1955) | UK:X (re-rating) (1967) (cut) | USA:Approved (PCA #16106)

Filming Locations:

Columbia/Warner Bros. Ranch - 411 N. Hollywood Way, Burbank, California, USA

Company:

Stanley Kramer Productions

Trivia:

A popular still from the film shows an off-set Marlon Brando astride a Matchless twin cylinder motorcycle, it's 'M' logo gas tank badge being secured upside-down to resemble a 'W'. This was stunt rider 'Wally Allbright''s motorcycle.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: Wire holding handle-bar/throttle can be seen during side view of Johnny's run-away cycle before it hits and kills Jimmy.

Quotes:

Johnny: [opening narration] It begins here for me on this road. How the whole mess happened I don't know, but I know it couldn't happen again in a million years. Maybe I could of stopped it early, but once the trouble was on its way, I was just goin' with it. Mostly I remember the girl. I can't explain it - a sad chick like that, but somethin' changed in me. She got to me, but that's later anyway. This is where it begins for me right on this road.

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in Take Off (1978)

You Have to Look at the Whole Thing

Enter Marlon Brando. He has that great presence. I'm sure the kids of the time must have glommed on to his rebellious presence with that big Triumph, spitting in the face of authority. His character is rather simplistic. He is so self centered and sorry for himself that it's hard to care much. At his age, he really hasn't had much time to develop so much angst. He and his buddies are out to hurt people because they feel entitled. The townspeople may not be perfect, but they have no role in his life and this pack shows up. Early 1950's people probably would have reacted the same way. If they are there on some diplomatic mission to change the prejudice against them, I suppose you could support them. But they are pack and the frighten people. What did they think was going to happen? Anyway, it got Brando into the movies and his charismatic being is all over the place. I would guess, knowing what attitude he carried around, that this wouldn't have been his most prized moment.