The Wild One

***The Wild One*** (1953) is an outlaw biker movie. The movie was based on a short story that told of the damage done to a small California town in 1947 by thousands of rowdy outlaw bikers. The movie was directed by László Benedek. It stars Marlon Brando and Lee Marvin (in his movie debut) as rival biker gang leaders. It is the first outlaw biker movie. Critics and teenagers liked the movie. It inspired fads such as sideburns.

## Background

The movie was based on the short story "The Cyclists' Raid" by Frank Rooney. Rooney wrote the story after seeing photos in a _Life_ magazine showing the damage done by 4,000 bikers to a small town in California after a weekend spree of violence in 1947.

The story was published in _Harper's Magazine_ in 1951. Kramer bought the sceen rights. Brando was leery about taking on the role of a lowlife bully after playing Stanley Kowalski in _A Streetcar Named Desire_. He accepted though because he liked the director and the movie's social commentary.

## Cast

- Marlon Brando as Johnny, leader of the Rebels
- Mary Murphy as Kathie Bleeker, a waitress
- Robert Keith as Police Chief Harry Bleeker, Kathie's father
- Lee Marvin as Chino, leader of The Beetles
- Jay C. Flippen as Sheriff Stew Singer
- Peggy Maley as Mildred, a beautician
- Ray Teal as Frank Bleeker, Kathie's uncle
- Will Wright as Art Kleiner, a townsman
- Yvonne Doughty as Britches, Beetles member

## Story

Johnny leads his biker gang into a small town. The club members are rowdy. They hang out at the cafe drinking beer. Kathie works in the cafe. Johnny takes a liking to her. He asks her out. She declines. Johnny learns that she is a policeman's daughter. He changes his mind about dating her.

Another biker gang rides into town. Their leader is Chino. He does not like Johnny. The two fight. Johnny wins. Chino's bikers vandalize the town and harass the townspeople. They tease Kathie. Johnny rescues her. The two ride into a park. Kathie is attracted to Johnny. He mauls her. She cries and runs off. Johnny rides after her.

The townspeople have had enough of the bikers. Some think Johnny assaulted Kathie. Johnny is caught by angry townsmen. They beat him, but he gets away on his motorcycle. The townspeople chase him. A tire iron is thrown. It hits Johnny and he falls from his bike. His motorcycle takes off without its rider. It hits and kills an old man.

The sheriff arrives with his deputies. Order is restored. Johnny is arrested for killing the old man. Two witnesses say that Johnny was not responsible for the old man's death. The bikers are ordered to leave town. Johnny goes back to the cafe to say goodbye to Kathie. He then leaves.

## Critical response

Dave Kehr of _The Chicago Reader_ has written: "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."

The Catholic Legion of Decency objected to the "excessive brutality, lack of moral compensation and suggestiveness" in _The Wild One_. One French journalist described the movie as "the most unpleasant American movie ever seen." The magazine _Positif_ described the movie as a masterpiece and "the [movie] of the year".

Brando has written: "The public's reaction to _The Wild One_ was, I believe, a product of its time and circumstances. It was only seventy-nine minutes long, short by modern standards, and it looks dated and corny now; I don't think it has aged well."

## Popular reaction

Brando's sideburns inspired a fad. James Dean and Elvis Presley wore them. Brando's character was parodied by Harvey Lembeck in the "beach party" movies of the early 1960s.

Presley used Johnny's image as a model for his role in _Jailhouse Rock_. James Dean bought a Triumph TR5 Trophy motorcycle like Brando's Triumph Thunderbird 6T motorcycle. For 2010, Triumph motorcycles introduced a range of clothing and promotional items inspired by Brando's image from _The Wild One_.

## Other websites

- Tim Dirks reviews _The Wild One_
- The Wild One Banned in UK

## Infobox (movie)

- **name**: The Wild One
- **caption**: Publicity photo of Marlon Brando
- **director**: László Benedek
- **producer**: Stanley Kramer
- **writer**: John Paxton
Ben Maddow
- **narrator**: Marlon Brando
- **starring**: Marlon Brando
Mary Murphy
Lee Marvin
- **music**: Leith Stevens
- **cinematography**: Hal Mohr
- **editing**: Al Clark
- **distributor**: Columbia Pictures
- **released**: December 30, 1953
- **runtime**: 79 minutes
- **country**: United States
- **language**: English