The Wild Angels

Director: Roger Corman Roger Corman

Overview

This film follows a group of wild bikers, led by Heavenly Blues (Peter Fonda), as they cause havoc and destruction while paying tribute to a dead gang member, "Loser" Josey Kerns.

Product Details

Release Date:	02/17/2015
UPC:	0887090090308
Original Release:	1966
Rating:	R
Source:	Olive
Region Code:	1
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital Stereo]
Language:	English
Time:	1:33:00
Sales rank:	15,475

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Peter Fonda	Heavenly Blues
Nancy Sinatra	Mike
Bruce Dern	'Loser'
Lou Procopio	Joint
Coby Denton	Bull Puckey
Marc Cavell	Frankenstein
Buck Taylor	Dear John
Norman Alden	Medic
Michael J. Pollard	Pigmy
Diane Ladd	Gaysh
Joan Shawlee	Mama Monahan
Gayle Hunnicutt	Suzie
Art Baker	Thomas
Frank Maxwell	Preacher
Frank Gerstle	Hospital Policeman
Kim Hamilton	Nurse
Peter Bogdanovich	Townsman in Fight at Funeral
Dick Miller	Actor

Technical Credits

Roger Corman

Director,Producer

Editorial Reviews

Though not the first film to feature outlaw motorcycle gangs -- The Wild Ones claims that title -- director Roger Corman's 1966 low-budget landmark certainly revved up the genre with this unflinching, born-to-be-wild look at bikers. Cool-headed Peter Fonda stars as the charismatic, if not nihilistic, gang leader Heavenly Blues, who always rides the roads with his fetching costar, Nancy Sinatra -- a calculated casting move by the ever-shrewd Corman, who hoped to lure audiences with a marquee bearing such illustrious family names. Blues leads his gang on a trip to recover a stolen bike belonging to his loose cannon buddy, the Loser, played by Bruce Dern. But when the Loser is brought down by the law, the adventure turns existential, climaxing in a funeral that proves cathartic for Blues as well as for Gaysh, the Loser's loyal, long-suffering girl (played to a tee by Diane Ladd), and the rest of the Angels. Masterfully edited by maverick Monte Hellman, The Wild Angels continues to shock audiences with its unapologetically decadent (but never graphic) portrayal of Hells Angels life -- almost every scene results in sex, drugs, rock 'n' roll, or, ideally, a party involving all three. No doubt America's shifting moral climate aided in the film's commercial success, which inevitably spawned a slew of cheap imitations -- many starring notables such as Russ Tamblyn, John Cassavetes, Jack Nicholson, and Casey Kasem. None ever topped the rebellious spirit of The Wild Angels, but they all helped clear the highway for Fonda's most memorable vehicle, 1969's Easy Rider. That disaffected road revolution, directed by Dennis Hopper, doesn't wear a biker flick's typical leathers, but its genesis owes so much to Corman's cool ride.