Outlaw Biker Gang Movies And Memorabilia
By William J. Felchner - August 26, 2022
Hell hath no fury in Hollywood like a biker gang scorned. The venerable outlaw motorcycle gang movie - replete with wild, marauding bikers, ear-splitting road machines, rough-looking mamas and scared, milk-drinking straights - has been traversing the highways of Tinseltown since the early 1950s. Here are 10 great outlaw biker films and the colorful movie memorabilia they spawned. Fasten your seat belts for a bumpy, nostalgic ride down one of Hollywoods more wild and interesting cinematic sub-genres. 1. The Wild One (1953). Based on the Frank Rooney short story The Cyclists Raid (Harpers Magazine, January 1951), producer Stanley Kramers The Wild One is considered by many to be the original outlaw motorcycle gang movie. The film stars Hollywoods quintessential rebel Marlon Brando as Johnny Strabler, leader of the hell-raising Black Rebel Motorcycle Club. Lee Marvin co-stars as Chino, leader of the rival Beetles biker gang. The two hooligan entities converge in Wrightsville, Calif., where local police chief Harry Bleeker (Robert Keith) struggles to maintain law and order. Directed by Laszlo Benedek, The Wild One is a big favorite with collectors. The films standard one sheet poster (27-by-41 inches) is sure to get a collectors engine racing, with one restored example in very good condition on linen selling at auction for $1,314.50. A half sheet poster (22-by-28 inches) in rolled very fine+ condition brought a top bid of $418.25. 2. The Wild Angels (1966). Peter Fonda of legendary Easy Rider (1969) fame has the lead role. The Heavenly Blues are a Hells Angels chapter operating out of Venice, Calif. and Fonda is their lead man. Also along for the wild ride are Nancy Sinatra, Bruce Dern, Diane Ladd, Buck Taylor, Michael J. Pollard, and a sprinkling of actual members of the real-life Hells Angels and Coffin Cheaters motorcycle clubs. Produced and directed by Roger Corman and released by budget-conscious American International Pictures (AIP), The Wild Angels remains a cult classic among biker film aficionados. The eight-card lobby set, originally displayed in movie theater lobbies to promote the picture, represents biker film art at its best. One complete set of 11-by-14-inch color cards in very fine condition sold at auction for $179.25. 3. C.C. and Company (1970). Directed by Seymour Robbie and released by AVCO Embassy Pictures, C.C. and Company stars fabled New York Jets quarterback and Super Bowl III hero Broadway Joe Namath as C.C. Ryder, an ex-grease monkey who tells his boss to shove it and joins the Heads motorcycle gang. The latter is led by big, brawny William Smith (a familiar heavy in many biker films) as the evil Moon. The films climax takes place at a motocross where Namath and Smith lock horns, with pretty Ann-Margret as fashion writer Ann McCalley figuring prominently in their macho rivalry. C.C. and Company memorabilia is still quite affordable. The pictures standard one sheet poster (27-by-41 inches) is the big draw, promising a Joe Namath - loving, brawling and bustin it up! One example in folded fine/very fine condition brought a top bid of $40 at auction. 4. The Born Losers (1967). An important entry in biker film lore as this picture introduced Tom Laughlin as Billy Jack, an ex-Green Beret Vietnam vet who takes on the Born Losers motorcycle gang in a small California town. Jeremy Slate plays the gangs leader Danny Carmody, with Elizabeth James and William Wellman Jr. (son of the great movie director) also on hand. Laughlin directed the film under the pseudonym T.C. Frank and later shot to stardom playing the title role in the 1971 sleeper hit Billy Jack. The standard one sheet poster is a real blast, featuring the blurb: Kitten On Wheels With Her BikeHer Boots and Bikini! Out for kicksin for trouble! Shes going to join theBorn Losers. One example in folded very fine- condition sold at auction for $107.55. 5. The Glory Stompers (1967). Dennis Hopper - Peter Fondas co-star in 1969s Easy Rider - stars as Chino, the soulless leader of the Black Souls motorcycle gang in this low-budget entry from American International Pictures. Chino and his grubby clan leave rival Glory Stompers biker gang leader Darryl (Jody McCrea) for dead, kidnap his girlfriend Chris (Chris Noel) and hightail it to the Mexican border. In hot pursuit is the resurrected Darryl and ex-Glory Stompers member Smiley (Jock Mahoney). A favorite exploitation film of actor-director Quentin Tarantino, The Glory Stompers produced some wild movie promo material. The films insert poster (14-by-36-inches) - promising the Deadliest Cycle War ever to be waged! - represents an outstanding piece of biker movie history. One example in rolled very fine condition brought a top bid of $30 at auction. 6. Werewolves on Wheels (1971). The unbeatable combination of horror and hell-raising converge in this offbeat biker film from Fanfare Corporation. Steve Oliver as Adam and D.J. Anderson as Helen head the cast, with Billy Gray (Bud Anderson on TVs Father Knows Best) and singer Barry McGuire (The Eve of Destruction) also along for the ride into Hades. The biker gang of note in this flick is The Devils Advocates, who trash a monastery inhabited by devil-worshipping monks, only to be hit with a curse later when one of their mamas is transformed into a werewolf. Werewolves on Wheels movie material commands excellent prices today. The films standard one sheet poster (27-by-41 inches) executed by Joe Smith is hog wild, featuring outstanding, over-the-top graphics along with the blurb: The Gang Thought It Was Toughtil it found a new type of hellThe Bride of Satan! One example in folded very fine condition roared to a top bid of $334.60. 7. The Hard Ride (1971). Vietnam vets and biker gangs often commingled in Hollywood biker films of the 1960s and 70s. In this flick from American International Pictures, Robert Fuller plays newly-discharged Vietnam veteran Phil, who returns home from the war to fulfill a promise to a dying friend. He takes charge of his buddys beloved motorcycle Baby, meets up with said buddys girlfriend Sheryl (Sherry McBain) and runs afoul of a biker gang in the desert. The eight-card movie theater lobby set - dominated by the beautiful, saucy, red-headed Sherry McBain clad in all black - is a winner with collectors. One set in very fine+ condition sold at auction for $36. 8. The Rebel Rousers (1970). Jack Nicholson, Bruce Dern and Harry Dean Stanton star in this low-budget biker film which these gentlemen have been collectively trying to forget ever since they filmed it in 1967. The boys are members of the Rebel Rousers, a biker gang on the loose in a small town in coastal California. Also on hand are Cameron Mitchell and Diane Ladd - the obligatory straights - who run afoul of the gang. The Rebel Rousers, released in 1970 in order to capitalize on Jack Nicholsons Oscar-nominated performance as George Hanson in Easy Rider (1969) features some wild movie promotional material. The standard one sheet poster (27-by-41-inches) incorporates elements of the old Confederate battle flag. One example in folded very fine condition brought $71.70 at auction. 9. Hells Angels on Wheels (1967). Released by U.S. Films Inc. and directed by Richard Rush, Hells Angels on Wheels stars Adam Rourke, Jack Nicholson and Sabrina Scharf. Nicholson plays the role of Poet, a bored gas station attendant who joins the Angels for kicks. Also appearing in the film is Ralph Sonny Barger, the real-life president at the time of the Oakland chapter of Hells Angels. The standard one sheet poster (27-by-41 inches) - promising The Shattering True Story of the Hells Angels of Northern California! - is replete with biker themes and symbols. One example in restored fine/very fine condition on linen sold at auction for $155.35. 10. The Mini-Skirt Mob (1968). Yet another American International Pictures biker film but with a unique twist: the gang is all female. Diane McBain stars as Shayne, the leggy leader of a biker gang known as the Mini-Skirt Mob (actually it should be the Micro Mini-Skirt Mob given the length of their skirts). Instead of Harleys and Triumphs, the girls unleash hell on lightweight Hondas while kicking tail in wild go-go boots. Nothing is more vicious than a scorned, guilt-ridden blonde, the movie trailer warns. The standard one sheet poster, which features the blurb They Play Around with Murder Like They Play Around with Men! Theyre hog straddling female animals on the prowl! (whew!), pictures Diane McBain sprawled out on a motorcycle. One example in folded very fine condition zoomed to a top bid of $191.20 at auction. Other notable entries in the genre include Motorcycle Gang (1957), Chrome and Hot Leather (1971), Nams Angels (1970), The Black Six (1973), Hells Angels 69 (1969), Naked Angels (1969), The Cycle Savages (1969), Hells Belles (1969), The Hellcats (1968), The Wild Rebels (1967) and Run, Angel, Run! (1969). Auction results and photos courtesy of Heritage Auctions.
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