Back in 1954 a new black & white movie came out by COLUMBIA PICTURES, a STANLEY KRAMER PRODUCTION. Actors featured were MARLON BRANDO and LEE MARVIN. The name of the flick was “THE WILD ONE.”

The movie was determined to be so violent that it was banned in England and some other countries. Many theaters in the USA refused to show it for fear of corrupting their children.

Well let’s see…there was a fistfight between Brando and Marvin. A bike got knocked over, a storefront window broken, and a man accidentally run over and killed by a rider less motorcycle. And oh yeah…Johnny said “WHAT HAVE YOU GOT”? When asked what he was rebelling against??? An obvious blatant response from a leader of a vicious biker gang. How would that measure up to present day (violent) movies?

Frank Rooney wrote a fictional novel called “CYCLIST RAID” in which appeared in Harpers magazine in 1951. It was loosely used as the script for the Kramer movie. By the way I’ve read it and it was an exciting action filled story. Bikers hit this little sleepy town and raise a lot of harmless hell. They’re all wearing WWI airplane type leather buckle down caps and green goggles. And get this…they never take them off! NEVER EVER!! Well one biker did lift his goggles when he was saying good-by to the girl just before high-tailing it out of town…but he was a moon-eyed PANZY!

Rooney’s story was vaguely based on news reports from the July 21, 1947 LIFE MAGAZINE entry called “CYCLIST’S HOLIDAY.” They featured a full page picture of an obvious drunk biker astride a fire-breathing Harley, beer in each hand and numerous bottles neatly piled up under and around the machine (a proven staged shot). The caption stated in effect, “He and friends (4000 members of a motorcycle club) terrorized a town (Hollister, calif.) for three days, ramming into restaurants and bars, breaking furniture and mirrors, etc, etc, etc,” it stated.

The San Francisco Chronicle had contributed that (staged) picture. They ran a very similar one in their paper with a lengthily article about the Hollister July 4th melee. Sounded pretty rough and tough too. Unfortunately that reporter and his photographer got there too late to actually view the excitement. Other than that (staged) shot the best they could do was to snap a few pictures of people sleeping it off while lying on some lawns.

But their reputations were at stake and they had to justify their time and expenses for their trip so they did the natural all American thaaang…they sensationalized the story. And in the process they focused on the BFMC as the RODIES. Well dugh…the name “BOOZEFIGHTERS MC” was painted in big letters all over the club’s travel trailer, parked in the downtown area.

From that time on the Boozefighters’ name has been referred to as “THE ORIGINAL WILD ONES” that inspired the movie “THE WILD ONE.” Actually I think it is the other way around. But anyway our club inherited an infamous reputation in the history of the AMERICAN BIKER legend. As result that negative tag has turned out to become a good thing.

The SONY company was commissioned to digitize a DVD re-make of the classic movie “The Wild One”, too include a sort of documentary introduction. Their research led them to the Boozefighters, and our book. We received an invitation (and we excepted) to play a significant roll in that exciting project.

March 18, 2007 approximately 15 motorcycles roar up a hilly road into a movie set, in which had the camera roll’n

(so to speak).

After coming to a stop for a close up shot Karen Kramer (Stanley Kramer’s widow) shouted out in a jubilant voice (from back of `Knuckles’ ride) comments about how excited it was to be riding with the BOOZEFIGHTERS!

Then Karen dis-mounted and sat on the side of another bike while being interviewed about the movie re-make project. She must have been an actress in her time because she sure had a bubbly personality and did a great job.

Afterwards she posed with a group of us as `Dancer’ (our BFMC Natl Ambassador) presented her with our “Wild Ones” book. Karen was thrilled to get it and insisted on getting everyone’s autograph, saying it was going to be one of her most valuable collections.

Additional individual interviews were filmed of JQ `HISTORY’, `SNOWMAN’, `BIG DADDY’, & BILL `PRESS’ HAYES. It would take too long to explain the Q &A and who knows what all will end up on the cutting room floor anyway. Check out the DVD when it comes out.

On a personal note thanks to Robert Patrick (President of Prosp. CH 101) for the gift to Dancer & I for coming all the way out from Texas. It was our pleasure and thanks for allowing us to attend your chapter meeting.

And most of all thanks to Knuckles and your lovely wife for coordinating the weekend’s events, and for opening your house to all of us. We really had a great time and I’m confident it will go down as a most positive historical event and accomplishment for the BFMC.

JQ `HISTORY’

*Post-note…The Wild One DVD is scheduled to be released to the public by approximately September 2007. Buy it…it’ll be a HOOT!