Review of Motorcycle Gang

Introduction

Is it me or is the most curious form of low-budget, b-movie deja vu? Just last week I viewed and reviewed a movie called `Dragstrip Girl`, and low and behold, here`s that damn movie again. Well, at least half the cast are the same (including the two male leads both playing rivals on wheels), the locations are all spookily familiar and the plot is virtually identical. Wait a minute! This movie was directed in 1958 by Edward L. Cahn, and penned by Lou Rusoff - and so was `Dragstrip Girl`. My guess is that this movie was turned out the very week after production finished on this, or vice-versa.

Of course it has all the same vital ingredients to ensure success at the drive-ins. There`s love interest in the form of Anne Neyland and stacks of `motor-sickle` action, although these are dirt bikes rather than stylish Harleys, and there`s a healthy dose of rock`n`roll and some good old-fashioned fisticuffs to spruce up the proceedings too.
Like `Dragstrip Girl`, this movie features Steve Terrell as Randy, a dependable good guy who fixes-up `sickles` and races them. John Ashley, his old rival who has done porridge for some shared and unnamed misdemeanour suddenly reappears and wants revenge. Cue the high drama fisticuffs!

Anne Neyland plays the essential tomboyish girl-rebel, Terry, who becomes the focus of the two rivals attention. (Not a patch on the delightful Fay Spain who took the same role in `Dragstrip Girl` though…). Her best line from the movie must surely be "Burning rubber is my one big vice!"

When Randy looks low due to Ashley`s moves on Terry, his ex-girlfriend Marilyn, delivers the simmering and loaded question: "Feel like a ride?". (And there`s plenty more disguised and steaming sexiness trying to limbo under the sensors pole…).

Naturally, Ashley and his thuggish cohorts terrorize the crazy but decent young cats at the local diner. But wait! Here comes Randy on his sickle to save the day!!

The cast is pure b-movie obscurity personified with one notable exception. Randy`s sidekick is played by zany 30-year-old former Little Rascal Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer, in his penultimate screen role. Sadly, despite the aping, he`s toe-curlingly unfunny which may partly account for why he was rarely seen again.

Video

Presented in a very standard 4:3 (1:33:1) format, with little effort illustrated with regard to panning so a little of the action appears to be lost. Overall though this is a surprisingly good print where contrast has held up well and with little sign of wear. It is a low-budget b-movie though so don`t expect miracles from a lighting point of view.

Audio

Presented here in original mono, it all stands up well and is probably far clearer than it ever was in the individual tinny echo chambers that comprised the audio in drive-Ins of the period, this movies natural viewing environment.

Features

In common with other movies in the collection, there is a 50-minute audio only interview with Producer Samuel Z. Arkoff. There are also a number of drive-in style trailers for other drive-in style movies in the collection. Strangely the only subtitles on offer are Dutch.

Conclusion

This is yet another in the fast-expanding `Arkoff film library` that features a whole range of low-budget drive-in movie sci-fi and horror schlock and 1950`s youth movies. This clearly fits into the latter category and is a typical example of the genre. It has all the right ingredients, including a sassy dame who`s looking for kicks, rival dudes, motorbikes and a whole lotta rock and roll.

Overall it`s a tight little movie that rarely pauses for breath. It`s a little over an hour and is consequently not really long enough to drag - if you`ll excuse the pun. Nostalgia freaks will love this 50`s b-movie which is a great reflection of the youth culture of the time. Of course, if you`ve seen `Dragstrip Girl` then you`ve seen this movie already in a slightly better version but with cars rather than bikes. On a final note, don`t get this muddled up with the cheesy 1994 movie of the same name…this is definitely the cheesy 1950`s one.