The Choppers (1961)

User Rating:

4.3/10   

Director:

Leigh Jason

Writer:

Arch Hall Sr. (writer)

Release Date:

30 November 1961 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

A gang of teenage delinquents terrorize a small community by stealing cars and stripping them for parts, then selling the parts to a crooked junkyard owner. The police and an insurance company investigator set out to break up the gang. |

Plot Keywords:

Gang | Juvenile Delinquent | Hot Rod | Independent Film

Cast

Arch Hall Jr.	...	Jack 'Cruiser' Bryan
Marianne Gaba	...	Liz
Robert Paget	...	Torch Lester (as Robert Padget)
Tom Brown	...	Tom Hart
Burr Middleton	...	Tony 'The Snooper' Panilli (as Mickey Hoyle)
Rex Holman	...	Flip Johnson (as Roye Baker)
Chuck Barnes	...	Ben Shore
William Shaw	...	Police Lt. Frank Fleming (as Bill Shaw)
Bruno VeSota	...	Moose McGill
Britt Wood	...	Cowboy Boggs
Dee Gee Green	...	Gypsy
Richard Cowl	...	Mr. Lester (as Richard S. Cowl)
Patrick Hawley	...	Officer Jenks (as Pat Hawley)

Runtime:

USA:66 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Sound Mix:

Mono

Company:

Rushmore Productions

Trivia:

Film debut of Arch Hall Jr.

Goofs:

Continuity: The Choppers hook up a tow line to a car they find abandoned on the side of the road, a light-colored 1959 Buick two-door convertible, and tow it to a side road in order to strip it. However, when they come to the end of the road and unhook the car, it has turned into a dark-colored late-1940s four-door sedan. The same Buick again turns up near the end of the picture as the last car they try to strip.

Quotes:

Mr. Lester: [drunkenly, into microphone] I wanna tell the whole world something. Those cops, they ain't gonna take my boy Torch. There ain't enough cops in the whole world to take my boy Torch. You hear me? They ain't gonna take my boy Torch!
Jim Bradford: [taking away microphone] Ladies and gentlemen, when you pick up your morning newspaper and read about some youngster getting into trouble and wonder why... I think you've heard one good answer.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Wild Guitar (1962)

Soundtrack:

Monkey in My Hatband

Typical yet entertaining b-movie

Sure this film isn't "Rebel Without a Cause". Heck, it isn't even "High School Caeser" or "High School Confedential". However, it is an amusing diversion for a rainy afternoon. Arch Hall Jr. stars as Jack Crusier, the leader of a gang of teenage car-strippers called the Choppers. They are employed by a sleazy character name Big Moose, who runs an auto salvage yard. However, the cops (and one good-looking cop's girlfriend) are quickly closing in on the gang. The film tries (and fails) to offer moral explanation for why the kids act this way, citing bad parenting and neglect. The acting (with the slight exception of Bruno VeSota) is terrible. Also, Arch Hall has to be one of the most bizarre attempts at crafting a teen idol.

So why do I enjoy this film? Its a stereotypical delinquency picture from its time, and is a complete byproduct of the late 50s / early 60s. This film wouldn't get made in any other time. It is campy and amusing, worthy of a small cult following. It's not Hall's best film ("The Sadist" gets that honor, as he actually turns in a stunning performance), but there are worse ways to spend a rainy afternoon. The DVD double feature of this and "Wild Guitar" from Something Weird Video is highly recommended. Entertaining and quickly paced as long as you don't expect art. (4/10)