Motorcycle Gang (1957 film)
{{Short description|1957 film by Edward L. Cahn}}
{{About||the 1994 television film|Motorcycle Gang (1994 film)}}
{{Infobox film
| name = Motorcycle Gang
| image =File:Motorcycle Gang (1957 film).jpg
| caption =
| director = Edward L. Cahn
| producer =Alex Gordon
| writer = Lou Rusoff
| based_on =
| starring = John Ashley
| music = Albert Glasser
| cinematography =
| editing =
| studio =Golden State Productions
| distributor = American International Pictures (US)
Anglo-Amalgamated (UK)
| released = {{Film date|1957|10|22}}
| runtime = 79 minutes
| country = United States
| language = English
| gross =
}}
Motorcycle Gang is a 1957 film which is a semi-remake of Dragstrip Girl. It was released by American International Pictures as a double feature with Sorority Girl.{{cite book | last = Sanders | first = Don and Susan | title = The American Drive-In Movie Theatre | year = 1997 | publisher = Motorbooks International | isbn = 0-7603-0425-4 | page=121}}
Cast
- Anne Neyland as Terry Lindsay
- Steve Terrell as Randy
- John Ashley as Nick Rogers
- Carl Switzer as Speed
- Raymond Hatton as Uncle Ed
- Russ Bender as Lt. Joe Watson
- Jean Moorhead as Marilyn
- Scott Peters as Hank
- Eddie Kafafian as Jack
- Shirley Falls as Darlene
- Aki Aleong as Cyrus Q. Wong
- Wayne Taylor as Phil
Production
The film was announced in March 1957. Lance Fuller was going to star.{{Cite news|title=FILM EVENTS|date=Mar 5, 1957|work=Los Angeles Times|id={{ProQuest|167105474}}}}
Filming was held up when star John Ashley was drafted into the army. It was shot during two weeks when he was on leave after basic training.Mark McGee, Faster and Furiouser: The Revised and Fattened Fable of American International Pictures, McFarland, 1996 p133
The cast also included former Our Gang star Carl Switzer.{{Cite news|author=Schallert, E.|title='Seven for sinners' due to match roman, horton; elaine davis signed.|date=Aug 10, 1957|work=Los Angeles Times|id={{ProQuest|167173023}}}}
Reception
The Los Angeles Times called it "commendably free of unhealthy sensationalism... tells its unpretentious little moral simply enough."{{Cite news|author=C, S.|title=Romances of cycle hounds told in film|date=Nov 22, 1957|work=Los Angeles Times|id={{ProQuest|167171207}}}}
The Monthly Film Bulletin said the film "without being positively vicious... has its fair share of violence and unpleasantness."{{Cite news|title=MOTORCYCLE GANG|date=1958|work=Monthly Film Bulletin|volume=25|page=36|via=ProQuest}}
Diabolique magazine claimed Ashley gave the best performance.{{cite magazine|first=Stephen|last=Vagg|url=https://diaboliquemagazine.com/the-nine-lives-of-john-ashley/url=https://diaboliquemagazine.com/the-nine-lives-of-john-ashley/|magazine=Diabolique Magazine|title=A Hell of a Life: The Nine Lives of John Ashley|date=December 2019}}{{Dead link|date=April 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
Legacy
Film director John Carpenter listed the movie as one of his guilty pleasures. "Good guy teen Steve Terrell vs. cool bad guy teen John Ashley on motorcycles. Anne Neyland has some trouble deciding between them. Carl (Alfalfa) Switzer is the comic relief. Russ Bender tries to help testosterone-fueled teens go straight and narrow. Very cool."{{cite news|author=Carpenter, J.|date=1996|title=John Carpenter's guilty pleasures|work=Film Comment|volume=32|issue=5|pages=50–53|id={{ProQuest|210277066}}}}
Theme Comparison
1950s motorcycle gang interest, showing the same influence of female gentleness upon aimless, male youth, may further be studied in The Wild One.
See also
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{IMDb title|0050728}}
- {{TCMDb title|84041}}
- [https://archive.org/details/variety208-1957-11/page/n251?q=%22john+ashley%22+%22dot+records%22 Review of film] at Variety
{{Edward L. Cahn}}
Category:Films directed by Edward L. Cahn
Category:American auto racing films
Category:American International Pictures films
Category:Films scored by Albert Glasser
Category:Motorcycle racing films
Category:1950s English-language films
Category:English-language crime films
{{1950s-US-drama-film-stub}}