It’s not the drive-in really, not unless you get to enjoy truly bad cinema. Never mind that crap you get today that sincerely disappoints one’s soul, like “Monsters V. Aliens” and “Land of the Lost.” These films were made by the cream of Hollywood’s crop. Expectations are high. (Or were…)
What I mean by bad cinema are the films crafted by individuals and companies where no lofty expectations are held, where the cream doth not rise, but settles, congealing into a blackened sludge on the bottom. Such films tickle our fancy. How can someone be so openly gawdawful, so brazen in his or her ineptitude?
“Oh dear God, what were they thinking…?”
On today’s installment of Drive-in Cinema, let’s take a peek at 1957’s Motorcycle Gang. (Thanks to SabuCat Trailers for the clip):
Was that fun? What did you think of that body throw John Ashley gets? The next guy that pulls a gun on me in a dark alley…I will seriously not try that on him. ‘Cause I’ll get shot. Better just cough up my wallet…
More or less Motorcycle Gang is a teenage angst film, typical of those crafted by American-International Pictures (A.I.P.…ask for them by name.). The plot is simple: a kid trying to go straight is challenged by a ne’re-do-well friend from his past. This all centers, of course, on motorcycles, which at the time of this film’s conception, were a popular item among the youth, along with hot rods, and were seen as symbols of rebellion against all that was good about America. Oh--and the love a woman is at stake here, too. Girls, like motorcycles, were a popular item among 1950s youth and too were seen as symbols of rebellion against all that was good about America.
For a complete synopsis of the film and credits try here at TCM. If you'd like to buy a copy of the movie, you could try here, or Amazon.Com.
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