photo #954492

Released in 1953, The Wild One was the original outlaw biker film. The film starred Marlon Brando, whose character, Johnny Strabler, became a cultural icon of the 1950s. The film also stars Lee Marvin as "Chino", leader of The Beetles, a rival motorcycle gang. The Black Rebels Motorcycle Club (BRMC), the gang led by Johnny Strabler, ride into the small town of Wrightsville California. The character of Johnny Strabler, as portrayed by Brando, became an influential image in the 1950s. His character sported long sideburns, a Perfecto-style motorcycle jacket, a tilted cap, and rode a 1950 Triumph Thunderbird 6T motorcycle. Among others, Brando's persona helped inspire James Dean and Elvis Presley who, had used Johnny's image as a model for his role in the 1957 movie, Jailhouse Rock. The small town has only one law enforcement officer, Police Chief Harry Bleeker. Bleeker is passive and helpless against the two gangs. The townspeople are uneasy of the gang, but accepting. In the United Kingdom, the film was banned for fourteen years. On November 21, 1967, the film received an 'X' certificate and was seen by the people in the UK for the first time. Much of the music in the film is on this album and is played by Leith Stevens and his All Stars. However, there are, if I remember correctly, two songs in the film, played by Shorty Rodgers, an RCA Victor artist. I had found this at an estate sale many years ago, and I've never seen another.