The Wild One (1953)

Thank you, Marlon Brando.

James Dean's Rebel Without A Cause, reviewed on this site last week, did little for this movie fan.

But The Wild One, a 1953 drama from director Laslo Benedek (Death of a Salesman) packs some real punch. It's well worth a view.

There's a sense of unease through much of this brief 79-minute feature.

Johnny Strabler (Marlon Brando) leads a motorcycle gang. The ruffians on wheels get a quick heave-ho when they stop in one small community. But a weak sheriff, Harry Bleeker (Robert Keith), a population mostly anxious not to get involved and a bar owner who sees potential to make plenty of money on booze sales, Frank Bleeker (Ray Toal), result in Strabler and his boys setting up for a night of carousing.

Bar employee Kathie Bleeker (Mary Murphy), niece of the boss and daughter of the sheriff, soon catches Strabler's eye. For a guy well familiar with being the boss and in control, Bleeker is a rare curve ball. He likes her. She likes him. But she packs a lot more punch - emotionally - than he anticipates.

Some town folk, especially Charlie Tremas (Hugh Sanders), want the sheriff to clear Strabler and his boys out of town. Pronto. But Harry, unlike his colleague in that earlier town, isn't an enforcer. He wants to make nice.

That proves a problem when Chino (Lee Marvin), and his crew of bikers, also arrive in town. Seems Chino and Johnny belonged to the same biker gang, but split up. They're adversaries, not friends. Meanwhile, the booze keeps flowing, stores start to be looted and Charlie and some other residents opt to enforce the law on their own. Trouble is brewing and someone is bound to get hurt, or killed.

There's lots to enjoy here. Brando was in the middle of a run of some of his biggest roles - A Streetcar Named Desire (1951), On the Waterfront (1954) and Guys and Dolls (1955) all hit the screen within a five-year span. Impressive.

Marvin, quite a busy man establishing his reputation in the early 1950s, shines as the nasty Chino. He's Strabbler without the, if you look for it, kind heart.

The Wild One isn't too subtle about this, but it also raises questions about really laying down the law or trying to make nice. Guess which one works? Charlie's approach to justice also suggests who is the greater danger to a community - transient bikers eager to drink and romance the ladies or citizens eager to grab clubs and start tracking down troublemakers.

Too bad about how really obvious it is Brando isn't riding his own bike. Not a big problem, but it's a distraction. Murphy is impressive as a beauty with a brain. She wants out of the small town and always dreamed some fella would make an appearance and take her away. Johnny may take her heart, but will he take her too. "Why do you hate everybody?" she asks him. We get some idea near the film's end, but Johnny doesn't talk much.

RATING: 8/10

FUN FACTS: Robert Keith appeared in an episode of The Twilight Zone, The Masks, in 1964.

Yvonne Doughty is Britches, an old flame of Johnny's. She only has five television and film credits between 1949 and 1955. The Wild One is the only title that gave her screen credit.

The Wild One is based on The Cyclists' Raid, a story published in Harper's about young bikers who invaded a small town in July 1947.

Lee Marvin and Marlon Brando seldom spoke off-screen, writes Stefan Kramer in Somebody: The Reckless Life and Remarkable Career of Marlon Brando.

The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962)

Just how much thinking does John Ford want us to do with Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, The?

Outlaw Liberty Valance (Lee Marvin) terrorizes the western town of Shinbone. Tom Doniphon (John Wayne) is the only one brave enough, and with a good enough shot, to kill him. But he doesn't. Why?

Fresh out of school lawyer Ransom Stoppard arrives in Shinbone from the eastern United States. He wants the law to deal with Valance. But Marshal Link Appleyard (Andy Devine) is afraid of his own shadow and jumps whenever someone comes up to him unexpectedly. Doniphon suggests Stoppard needs to start packing a gun if he wants to put an end to Valance's reign of terror. What's Ford suggesting about the rule of law in the wild west? "Out here a man settles his own problems," Doniphon tells Stoppard.

Does Doniphon, who suggests might makes right, deep down the most progressive person in Shinbone? The girl he fancies, Hallie Stoddard (Vera Miles), runs a restaurant. She earns her own living. Doniphon tells her more than once she looks great when she's mad. Hmmm, does he have a soft spot for women who speak their mind? That would be a different mindset to have in the 19th century. And how about his friend Pompey (Woody Strode). Pompey's black, the only black person we see in Shinbone. Is Doniphon more accepting of equal rights for blacks? When a bartender refuses to serve Pompey, it's Doniphon who speaks up for that rule to be dropped.

The film opens with Stoppard returning to Shinbone for Doniphon's funeral. His old friend was so destitute the undertaker pinched his boots for some form of payment. Just what kind of life did Doniphon have after Stoppard went on to greater success?

Is Doniphon willing to sacrifice himself for the greater good? Some residents of Shinbone, such as Stoppard, see benefits in the territory becoming a state to help the little guy and thwart the plans of cattle barons. He sees Hallie, the woman he plans to marry and who he has added an extension to his home, falling for Stoppard. But he doesn't stop the relationship. Why?

Was Ford giving a sly wink to modern politics when a cowboy on a horse enters a political meeting and does a trick on stage. Is this an early example of a photo opportunity, a way to add some sizzle to a political hopeful?

How about Doniphon continually calling Stoppard "pilgrim." Is it a reference to Doniphon making the long trek to Shinbone? Is he suggesting Stoppard is on a quest of sorts - to see law and order in the west? Or, his goals will have to take him beyond Shinbone?

Wayne's character is fascinating to watch. He's a man's man, but he hurts when Hallie falls for Stoppard. Doniphon can lay claim to an amazing accomplishment, but he keeps quiet for years to his own detriment. Why?

Marvin makes a great villain. This guy is ruthless. He beats people with his whip. Valance will have nothing to do with Stoppard's talk of law. "I'll teach you law, western law," he thunders when the two men first meet.

Funny thing about Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, The. In some ways, viewers can see where the story is going. But, boy, do a little digging and things get a little hazier.

RATING: 8/10

FUN FACTS: Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, The received an Oscar nomination for costume design (Edith Head).

Vera Miles was also in another very fine film directed by John Ford, The Searchers. Wow. She was also in The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms.

Woody Strode squared off with Kirk Douglas in Spartacus. His film debut was in another John Ford film, Stagecoach.

Jeannette Nolan, who appears here with John Qualen as Nora and Peter Ericson, made her last film appearance in The Horse Whisperer.

7 Men From Now (1956)

Good to meet you, Budd Boetticher.



A great reward for writing this blog is learning about actors, directors and films I'd never crossed paths with before. Here's another find that I'd like to share.



This is the first film I've watched from director Boetticher (Commanche Station, Ride Lonsome).



7 Men From Now opens with a thunder clap, a dark night, heavy rain and title lyrics that include "when they hear the mighty voice of justice, one by one seven men will die." The mood is set. There won't be many laughs in this beautiful looking effort from 1956.



Former Silver Springs sheriff Ben Stride (Randolph Scott) wastes no time starting with the body count. He's hunting down the men who robbed Wells Fargo of $20,000 and, when doing so, killed his wife. When we first see him, he steps out of the rain and into a confined space where two of the outlaws are keeping dry. The tension builds.



The revenge scenario is straightforward enough, but things get interesting with other characters who become part of Stride's world. John and Annie Greer (Walter Reed, Gail Russell) are headed west through Arizona seeking opportunity. John's not much of a man's man. He's a salesman. Annie is his beautiful wife. They need help with trail challenges, like deep mud.



Bill Masters (Lee Marvin) is one of the men Stride has put behind bars. He and his sidekick, Clete (Don 'Red' Barry) want the Wells Fargo loot. Masters is handy with a gun and playing mind games with Stride and John Greer. He knows Stride took his wife from another man. Masters sees Stride has his eye on Mrs. Greer. He's interested in her too.



Stride finds the men he wants, but the odds look tough heading into the final showdown. Will Masters help him out or shoot him in the back? How will Stride deal with his feelings for Annie?



7 Men From Now offers beautiful scenery, engaging story and great performances from Scott and Marvin. "Any time you're ready, sheriff," suggests Masters. I agree. Watch this film.



RATING: 8/10