92-463: Wild One , Wild Ones , The Wild One or The Wild Ones may refer to: Film [ edit ] The Wild One , 1953 film starring Marlon Brando The Wild One , a 2022 film based on the life of James Morrill , a mid-19th century British castaway in Australia The Wild Ones (film) , 2012 Spanish film The Wild One (2023 film) ,
184-475: A 1975 song by Thin Lizzy from Fighting "Wild One", a 2014 song by Nikki Lane from All or Nothin' "The Wild One" (song) , a 2008 song by the band Jet featuring Iggy Pop "The Wild One", a 1974 song by Suzi Quatro from Quatro "Wild Ones" (Flo Rida song) , 2011, featuring Sia "Wild Ones" (Jessie Murph and Jelly Roll song) , 2023 "The Wild Ones" (song) , a 1994 song by Suede "The Wild Ones",
276-469: A 1980 song by Status Quo from the album Just Supposin' Performers [ edit ] The Wild Ones (band) , a 1960s rock group "The Wild One", a nickname for Johnny O'Keefe Other uses [ edit ] The Wild One (roller coaster) , a wooden roller coaster at Six Flags America Wild Ones (organization) , a not-for-profit educational organization that promotes environmentally sound landscaping practices Wild Ones (video game) ,
368-610: A 1993 country music song "Wild One" (Martha and the Vandellas song) , 1964 "Wild One" (Johnny O'Keefe song) , 1958, also known as "Real Wild Child" "Wild One" (Green Day song) , a song by Green Day from the 2012 album ¡Dos! "Wild One", a song by Dio from the album Lock Up the Wolves "Wild One", a 2009 song by Rooney released on the EP Wild One "Wild One", a 2002 song by Darius Rucker from Back to Then "Wild One",
460-576: A 1996 compilation album Wild One , a 2009 EP by Rooney The Wild One , a 2008 album by Sugarplum Fairy Wild Ones (Flo Rida album) , a 2012 album by Flo Rida Wild Ones (Kip Moore album) , a 2015 album by Kip Moore Wild Ones , a 2013 album by Black Prairie (written as accompaniment to the book by Jon Mooallem) The Wild Ones (album) , a 1982 album by the Cockney Rejects Songs [ edit ] "Wild One" (Bobby Rydell song) , 1960 "Wild One" (Faith Hill song) ,
552-602: A 25-minute featurette titled "The Wild One and the BBFC", "The Wild One on Super 8 ", an image gallery, and theatrical trailer. The Wild One was generally well received by film critics. Rotten Tomatoes reports that 76% critics have given the film a positive response based on 25 reviews, with a rating average of 7/10. Dave Kehr of the Chicago Reader wrote, "Legions of Brando impersonators have turned his performance in this seminal 1954 motorcycle movie into self-parody, but it's still
644-600: A Lifetime at the Movies , film critic Leslie Halliwell had, in 1954, been the first to show the film in the United Kingdom at his Rex cinema in Cambridge, having successfully petitioned his local authority to grant a certificate despite the BBFC's recent refusal to do so. Despite attendances from motorcycle clubs, Teddy Boys and "a sprinkling of London sophisticates and actors", he noted his usual clientele were largely unimpressed and
736-400: A certificate, not really on the grounds of its violence, as it is usually stated but because of its message. The film showed a gang of motor-cycle thugs terrorising a small town; it was in fact based on a real incident. It showed authority became scared, and therefore weak, and suggested that if there were enough hoodlums and they behaved in a menacing way they could get away with it. This was at
828-475: A concussion and fractures to his head and face. He lost four teeth, and his hands were badly lacerated. O'Keefe was air-lifted back to Sydney for treatment and survived. Many believe he never fully recovered from the accident and that it was the catalyst for his subsequent mental health problems. He continued recording and scored another No. 1 hit in August 1960 with "Don't You Know"/"Come on And Take My Hand", and
920-434: A dance being held that night. Kathie politely turns him down, but Johnny's dark, brooding personality visibly intrigues her. When Mildred, another local girl, asks him, "What are you rebelling against, Johnny?", he answers "Whaddaya got?" Johnny is attracted to Kathie and decides to stay a while. However, when he learns that she is the policeman's daughter, he changes his mind. A rival biker club arrives. Their leader Chino bears
1012-676: A documentary on the Holocaust survivor and director Jack Garfein Literature [ edit ] Wild Ones (manga) , a 2004 manga by Kiyo Fujiwara The Wild One (novel) , a 1967 children's novel by Monica Edwards Wild Ones: A Sometimes Dismaying, Weirdly Reassuring Story About Looking at People Looking at Animals in America , a 2013 novel by Jon Mooallem Music [ edit ] Albums [ edit ] Wild One (The Guess Who album) , 1972 Wild One: The Very Best of Thin Lizzy ,
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#17328947124441104-826: A film called Rock 'n' Roll which premiered on 30 October. The film, thought lost but rediscovered in 2020, includes rare footage of a 1950s rock and roll concert in Australia. " She's My Baby " was recorded in Los Angeles with producer Snuff Garrett during O'Keefe's first visit to the United States in October 1959. It was recorded at a 5-song session at Goldstar recording studios in Hollywood on 5 November 1959 ("She's My Baby", " It's Too Late ", "Own True Self", "Ready For You" and "Come On and Take My Hand"). His decision to try his luck in
1196-468: A former video game by Playdom Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Wild One . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wild_One&oldid=1194206063 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description
1288-409: A great sense of humour, although his school grades fluctuated due to his misbehaviour and the fact that he was easily distracted. Sydney radio personality Gary O'Callaghan , who was a classmate, later recalled that O'Keefe was often in trouble. During his time at high school, he joined the school cadets, where he made good progress learning trumpet, and he reluctantly sang solo in the school choir. He
1380-515: A grudge against Johnny. Chino reveals the two groups used to be one large club before Johnny split it up. When Chino takes Johnny's trophy, the two start fighting and Johnny wins. Meanwhile, local Charlie Thomas stubbornly tries to drive through; he hits a parked motorcycle and injures Meatball, one of Chino's bikers. Chino pulls Charlie out and leads both gangs to overturn his car. Harry starts arresting Chino and Charlie, but when other townspeople remind Harry that Charlie would cause problems for him in
1472-526: A long ride in the countryside. Frightened at first, Kathie comes to see that Johnny is genuinely attracted to her and means her no harm. When she opens up to him and asks to go with him, he rejects her. Crying, she runs away. Johnny drives off to search for her. Art sees and misinterprets this as an attack. The townspeople have had enough. Johnny's supposed assault on Kathie is the last straw. Vigilantes led by Charlie chase and catch Johnny and beat him mercilessly, but he escapes on his motorcycle when Harry confronts
1564-589: A new music trend from the UK known as Merseybeat was gaining momentum. Within a few months, the emergence of the new wave of guitar/vocal groups led by the Beatles and the Rolling Stones ushered in a new era in popular music, and their advent signalled the start of a rapid decline in O'Keefe's career. These overseas acts inspired a new generation of local 'beat' stars, spearheaded by Bobby & Laurie , Billy Thorpe &
1656-431: A pair of trick glasses which squirted water over the audience. Radio personality Harry Griffiths, who met O'Keefe at this time, remembered him as "a bad-tempered ratbag" who often argued with Merzi, although Merzi commented that they never clashed over music. Recognising O'Keefe's potential, Merzi began tutoring him on piano, encouraging him to broaden his repertoire and helping him to refine his stagecraft. O'Keefe became
1748-557: A re-release of "She's My Baby", which reached No. 22 in August 1969. In 1969, O'Keefe toured Vietnam to entertain Australian troops stationed there. On the business front, he signed a new contract with Festival at the end of 1969 and continued to record and release singles. In July 1972 that he scored another hit with a re-recorded version of 1958 hit "So Tough", which reached No. 7 in September 1972. In January 1973, O'Keefe performed at
1840-566: A regular singer with the Merzi quintet and performed with them every Sunday at the charity shows they performed at the Bondi Auditorium. O'Keefe performed his routine no matter how small the audience, sometimes braving the rotten eggs and fruit thrown at him. After his second stint of National Service, O'Keefe began singing with Merzi two nights a week, at university college dances, 21st birthdays and private parties. Merzi also managed to get O'Keefe
1932-469: A regular spot on the 2UW live radio show Saturday Night Dancing . Up to this point O'Keefe had performed for free, simply to gain experience. His first paid engagement as a singer was as a Johnny Ray impersonator, performing on the Bathurst radio station 2BS , for which he was paid £17 plus expenses. In June 1955, O'Keefe's life changed irrevocably after seeing and hearing Bill Haley singing " Rock Around
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#17328947124442024-416: A selection of rock 'n' roll records and asked him to imitate the guitar playing, which he was easily able to do. Impressed, O'Keefe offered him the job and handed him a pile of records, saying "Here, learn these. The dance is on Saturday night." Their first performance was at Stones Cabaret in the beach side suburb of Coogee . By early 1957, they were playing four dances a week and performing on Saturdays in
2116-418: A sleazy good time." Variety noted that the film "is long on suspense, brutality and sadism ... All performances are highly competent." Leslie Halliwell stated in his Halliwell's Filmgoers Companion that the film was a "(b)rooding, compulsive, well-made little melodrama" whose narrative however does "lack dramatic point". In the United Kingdom, the film was refused a certificate for public exhibition by
2208-406: A steward, a Highway Patrol policeman orders them to leave. The bikers head to Wrightsville, which has only one elderly, conciliatory lawman, Chief Harry Bleeker, to maintain order. The residents are uneasy, but mostly willing to put up with their visitors. When their antics cause Art Kleiner to swerve and crash his car, he demands that something be done, but Harry is reluctant to act, a weakness that
2300-437: A time when the activities of what were called the ' Teddy Boys ' were beginning to cause concern. We felt that there was a danger of stimulation and imitation. On two or three occasions in the following years we were asked by the distributor to reconsider this decision, but we kept to it until 1969 [ sic ] when we gave it an 'X' certificate; even then there was some criticism of our decision. There were objections to
2392-476: A two-month tour. O'Keefe took the staid NZ music scene by storm, although he was banned from playing at some halls and faced problems getting airplay. At that time the New Zealand Broadcasting Corporation had a monopoly on radio, they had only one J.O'K. record in their library, and they refused to play his new single "Wild One" – although a hastily issued version by NZ rocker Johnny Devlin
2484-495: Is a splendid picture. I do hope that the time will come, and come soon, when we do not have to worry about this kind of thing, but I am afraid that we do have to worry about it now. Matthews states that the film was rejected twice again, the second time after the scooter-riding mods and motorcycle-riding rockers rioted at Clacton in March 1964. It was only with someone not concerned with the original refusal – Lord Harlech – assuming
2576-423: Is credited officially to Greenan, O'Keefe, and Dave Owens, some sources suggest that O'Keefe was not directly involved in the composition. Sydney disc jockey Tony Withers was credited with helping to get radio airplay for the song, but writer credits on subsequent versions often omit Withers, who later worked in the United Kingdom on pirate stations Radio Atlanta and, as Tony Windsor, on Radio London . "Wild One"
2668-415: Is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages The Wild One The Wild One is a 1953 American crime film directed by László Benedek and produced by Stanley Kramer . The picture is most noted for the character of Johnny Strabler, portrayed by Marlon Brando , whose persona became a cultural icon of the 1950s. The Wild One is considered to be
2760-420: Is not lost on the interlopers. This accident results in the gang having to stay longer in town, as one member called Crazy injured himself falling off his motorcycle. Although the young men become more and more boisterous, their custom is enthusiastically welcomed by Harry's brother Frank who runs the local cafe-bar, employing Harry's daughter, Kathie, and the elderly Jimmy. Johnny meets Kathie and asks her out to
2852-451: Is to the unrestricted hooliganism. Without the hooliganism there can be no film and with it there can be no certificate. Other members of the board such as his successor as chairman, John Trevelyan , backed him, stating, reports Matthews, that: Having regard to the widespread concern about the increase in juvenile crime, the Board is not prepared to pass any film dealing with this subject unless
Wild One - Misplaced Pages Continue
2944-479: The British Board of Film Censors (BBFC), effectively banning the film for 14 years. There were some screenings in film societies where local councils overturned the BBFC's decision. In his book Censored (Chatto & Windus 1994), Tom Dewe Matthews reports that then-chairman of the BBFC, Arthur Watkins , rejected one of the many requests by Columbia Pictures for certification of the film, stating: Our objection
3036-552: The Royal Australian Air Force . He was stationed at Richmond , approximately 50 kilometres (31 miles) north-west of Sydney and served his six-month period in two blocks, from December–February 1952 and December–February 1953. The first turning point in O'Keefe's career was in early 1953, when he began singing with the quintet of jazz accordionist Gus Merzi at charity dances. During these appearances, O'Keefe would sing his specialty, Johnny Ray's " Cry ", while wearing
3128-523: The 1950s. His character wears long sideburns , a Perfecto-style motorcycle jacket and a tilted cap; he rides a 1950 Triumph Thunderbird 6T . His haircut helped to inspire a craze for sideburns, followed by James Dean and Elvis Presley , among others. Presley also used Johnny's image as a model for his role in Jailhouse Rock . James Dean bought a Triumph TR5 Trophy motorcycle to mimic Brando's own Triumph Thunderbird 6T motorcycle that he rode in
3220-476: The Aztecs , Ray Brown & The Whispers , Tony Worsley & The Fabulous Blue Jays , Normie Rowe , and The Easybeats , who took the Australian pop scene by storm, and, at least in Australia, soon came to rival the popularity of the biggest overseas acts. Although he had helped the careers of many of his rock'n'roll contemporaries, O'Keefe was resistant to the changes in pop music and made himself unpopular amongst
3312-454: The Big Picture", "Brando: An Icon is Born" and "Stanley Kramer: A Man's Search for Truth". A U.S. and Canadian Blu-ray was released in 2015 by Mill Creek Entertainment with no extra features. The film was released in the United Kingdom on May 22, 2017 by Powerhouse Films with a few of the previous extras ported over. The features include an audio commentary with film historian Jeanine Basinger,
3404-648: The Clock " in the film Blackboard Jungle . He realised that this was the style of music he wanted to perform, and dedicated himself to becoming a rock 'n' roll singer and a star. By 1960, O'Keefe was the most popular and successful singer in Australia and a major TV star. Australian rock historian Ian McFarlane succinctly described O'Keefe's qualities in the Encyclopedia of Australian Rock & Pop : In September 1956, O'Keefe and his friend Dave Owen, an American-born tenor sax player, formed Australia's first rock'n'roll band,
3496-815: The Columbia Pictures Ranch, "Western Street 'A ' ", which was re-dressed to depict a 1950s Midwest American town with the dirt paths covered in asphalt. The sharpness of the film photography was achieved with a Garutso lens, according to Halliwell's Filmgoers Companion . The Wild One was released on VHS and Betamax formats and later on DVD. In the United States, a DVD was released in November 1998 by Sony Pictures . In 2013, Sony Pictures released it on Blu-ray in Germany with special features, including an introduction by Karen Kramer (Stanley Kramer's wife) and three featurettes titled "Hollister, California: Bikers, Booze and
3588-548: The Dee Jays . The original lineup of the group was Kevin Naughton (guitar), Keith Williams (bass) and Johnny Purser (drums). Naughton left soon after the band formed and he was replaced by Indonesian-born guitarist Lou Casch. Johnny Greenan joined the Dee Jays on tenor saxophone, replacing John Balkin. This was the band that supported a tour by Little Richard and his band. Casch's contribution to O'Keefe's sound, both live and on record,
3680-464: The Dee Jays' performance that they got too drunk to play. Their first EP, Shakin' At The Stadium , included JOK's signature tune "Wild One", co-written by O'Keefe with Greenan, Owens and top Sydney DJ Tony Withers . This became his first hit in March 1958, peaking at No. 20 on the newly established Sydney Top 40 (at this time there was no national pop chart in Australia). Although it was claimed that it
3772-510: The Johnny O'Keefe Show . The show was a major success, but this only added to his already hectic workload and increased the pressure on him. In August 1962 he suffered another breakdown and spent two months in the psychiatric ward at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Sydney, beginning what was to become a repeating cycle of much-publicised breakdowns, hospitalisation and recovery. During his convalescence
Wild One - Misplaced Pages Continue
3864-526: The March 2, 1953, issue of Time magazine at page 38, Marlon Brando acknowledged the controversy surrounding the production, saying he would retire from films because: The stage has more freedom from censorship than the screen, e.g., The Wild One , about a band of rough riding motorcyclists. There were 15 different pressure groups that didn't want this picture to be made [...] Reflecting forty years later in his autobiography, Songs My Mother Taught Me (1994, Random House), Brando said he had "had fun" making
3956-513: The Plymouth ploughed into a gravel truck. While the front of the large car bore the brunt of the very severe impact, all three were seriously injured. O'Keefe's face was smashed and Greenan was thrown out of the car, landing six metres away on the Pacific Highway , causing a fractured vertebra and loss of front teeth. Janice Greenan suffered a severe concussion. O'Keefe suffered multiple lacerations,
4048-671: The Sixties came in April 1964, two months before the Beatles toured Australia, when " She Wears My Ring " reached No. 2 on the singles chart. The follow-up single charted significantly lower, peaking at a modest No. 30, and titles of the two songs seemed, in retrospect, to presage the downturn in O'Keefe's career the A-side, "Rock'n'Roll Will Stand" was backed by a cover of The Shirelles ' "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow?". His popularity continued to decline and sales of his records fell. Sing, Sing, Sing
4140-587: The TV show was renamed Sing, Sing, Sing and he was temporarily replaced as host by folk singer Lionel Long . O'Keefe scored his fourth Australian No. 1 hit with " Move Baby Move " in July 1963, and also "Shake Baby Shake" (#8, October 1963) and "Twist It Up" which reached No. 32 in December 1963. It was around this time that O'Keefe finally parted ways with his backing group the Dee Jays, as he devoted more and more time to TV. It
4232-517: The USA was strongly opposed by his friend and mentor Lee Gordon but the ever-ambitious O'Keefe had already set his sights on breaking into the American market, and in L.A. he met with record executive Mickey Shaw who introduced him to executives of Liberty Records . In February 1960 O'Keefe returned to the U.S. for a promotional tour, where he was promoted as "The Boomerang Boy", and much to his chagrin, O'Keefe
4324-439: The article "A Report on Stanley Kramer's Motion Picture of The Wild One ". Therein, Triumph's US importers stated that the film: is calculated to do nothing but harm particularly to a minority group of business people- motorcycle dealers throughout the U.S.A. Moreover, the letter went on to claim: To say that the story is unfair is putting it mildly. and you cannot deny that the general impression will be left with those who see
4416-546: The burgeoning Australian club and cabaret circuit, and aside from the 1969 live LP Live on the Gold Coast , his only album releases were compilations of past hits, mostly issued on Festival's budget label Calendar . During the later 1960s, O'Keefe doggedly continued recording new singles, but only three made it into the Top 40: "Sun's Gonna Shine Tomorrow"(#38, May 1966), "Be Careful of Stones That You Throw" (#28, August 1966) and
4508-635: The chairmanship of BBFC, telling Columbia in a letter to them dated 3 April 1959: There has been a lot of publicity about adolescent gangs in London and elsewhere recently and, while in some ways the present gangs are more vicious than those depicted in the film, the behaviour of Brando and the two gangs to authority and adults generally is of the kind that provides a dangerous example to those wretched young people who take every opportunity of throwing their weight about [...] Once again we have made this decision [to refuse certification] with reluctance because we think it
4600-587: The chairmanship that The Wild One was finally passed for general exhibition as, Matthews reports, "the film would no longer be likely to have its original impact". On November 21, 1967, the film was passed for exhibition by the BBFC and received an 'X' certificate. The premiere was, Matthews writes, at the Columbia Cinema, Shaftsbury Avenue in February 1968. As recounted in his book Seats in All Parts: Half
4692-523: The collection of the Powerhouse Museum , Sydney, was reputedly made by his mother Thelma. At the time Casch joined the band, they were promoting their own dances at local venues such as the Balmain Workingmen's Institute and Stone's Cabaret. O'Keefe was involved in every aspect of the group's career including hiring the halls, placing ads in the local newspapers and putting up posters. "O'Keefe
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#17328947124444784-470: The compensating moral values are so firmly presented as to justify its exhibition to audiences likely to contain (even with an "X" certificate) a large number of young and immature persons. Columbia Pictures, Matthews wrote, even offered a new version of the film with a preface and a new ending but that too was rejected upon viewing by the BBFC. Matthews states that Trevelyan maintained his predecessor's stance, albeit in more conciliatory terms, when he assumed
4876-514: The country who could read music. According to Lou Casch, they backed acts including Chuck Berry , The Everly Brothers , Fabian , Tab Hunter , Jimmie Rodgers and Ricky Nelson , and on his 1960 tour, Nelson was booed by fans of O'Keefe's whom he had reputedly planted in the audience. Their skill and energy and O'Keefe's frantic performances also saw them upstage many of the visiting performers. Casch recalled that he actually played behind Jerry Lee Lewis, whose own backing musicians were so daunted by
4968-513: The county, albeit paying for all damage. However, Johnny returns alone to Wrightsville and revisits the cafe to say goodbye to Kathie one final time. He first tries to hide his humiliation and acts as though he is leaving after getting a cup of coffee, but then he returns, smiles and gives her the stolen trophy as a gift. Uncredited The main differences between the screenplay and Frank Rooney's source story, "Cyclists' Raid", were that there were no rival gangs nor any romance between Cathy and any of
5060-482: The day, including the first visits to Australia by black jazz artists such as Louis Armstrong . O'Keefe and the Dee Jays' first major break was a support spot on Lee Gordon's first "Big Show" rock'n'roll tour, which starred Little Richard, Gene Vincent , and Eddie Cochran . When Gene Vincent and his band were stranded in Honolulu on their way to Australia, Gordon contacted O'Keefe and asked him to fill in for Vincent for
5152-558: The film "played to very average business". In an article for Sight & Sound (summer 1955 issue, vol. 25, no. 1), Halliwell opined the BBFC ban gave a wrong impression of the film and, had it been awarded an 'A' certificate, would have attracted limited audiences of those who appreciated Kramer's work with no sensation. Looking back at his decision, Trevelyan himself in his book What the Censor Saw (Michael Joseph Ltd 1973), sought to justify and clarify his decision that he: must refuse
5244-420: The film for weeks because he thought it too violent. While he suspected that producer Stanley Kramer , writer John Paxton and director Lazlo Benedek may have initially intended to illustrate how easy it was for men to descend into an amoral pack mentality, in the end "they were really only interested in telling an entertaining story". The persona of Johnny as portrayed by Brando became an influential image in
5336-570: The film in the United States of America, too, but of a more commercial nature. According to the book Triumph Motorcycles in America , Triumph 's then-US importers, Johnson Motors, objected to the prominent use of Triumph motorcycles in the film. The full text of the letter sent by Triumph's American importers to the President of the Motion Picture Association of America Inc was published in the April 1953 issue of Motorcyclist magazine in
5428-526: The film that a motorcyclist is a drunken, irresponsible individual "just not nice to know". [...] I urge you give the foregoing comments your unbiased consideration, with a view of stopping the production of this film. Having visited the set, the Motorcyclist journalist further stated: Maybe I was at the studio on the wrong day, but from my observations I don't see where motorcycling will benefit from Kramer's "celluloid saga of cycling". [...] I don't see where
5520-491: The film, but that "none of us involved in the picture ever imagined that it would instigate or encourage youthful rebellion". He noted that "[i]n this film we were accused of glamorizing motorcycle gangs, whose members were considered inherently evil, with no redeeming qualities" and "[a] few nuts even claimed that The Wild One was part of a Hollywood campaign to loosen our morals and incite young people to rebel against their elders." Brando also revealed that he could not watch
5612-455: The film. In his autobiography, Songs My Mother Taught Me , Brando, writing of the film's effect, revealed that he himself was "as surprised as anyone when T-shirts, jeans and leather jackets suddenly became symbols of rebellion". A 1964 silkscreen ink on canvas painting titled "Four Marlons" by Andy Warhol depicted four identical portraits of the actor as Johnny leaning across his Triumph Thunderbird motorcycle. The same portrait but singular
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#17328947124445704-479: The first night of the tour in Wollongong. This was followed by another support spot on the second all-star Big Show, which included The Crickets (with lead singer Buddy Holly on his first and only Australian tour), Jerry Lee Lewis and Paul Anka . During this period The Dee Jays also acted as the backing band for many of the international acts that Gordon toured, since they were at the time the only rock'n'roll band in
5796-543: The future, he only takes Chino to the station. Later that night some members of the rival biker club harass Dorothy, the telephone switchboard operator into leaving, thereby disrupting the townspeople's communication, while the BRMC abducts Charlie and puts him in the same jail cell as Chino, who is too drunk to leave with the club. Later, as both clubs wreck the town and intimidate the residents, some bikers led by Gringo chase and surround Kathie, but Johnny rescues her and takes her on
5888-542: The house. His parents were both good singers. His mother was an excellent pianist and his father occasionally played in a jazz band. O'Keefe made his stage debut at the age of four when he played the role of "Dopey" in the Waverley College production of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs . Being unable to read or memorise the script, O'Keefe improvised his part. The young O'Keefe was intelligent and perceptive, with
5980-499: The interval between films at the Embassy Theatre, Manly . O'Keefe and the Dee Jays quickly attracted a strong local following. O'Keefe's trademark was his flamboyant stage attire, which included gold lamé jackets and brightly coloured suits trimmed with fake fur. Many of these outfits were made for him by Sydney show business costumier Len Taylor, although one famous red suit trimmed with leopard-print velvet cuffs and lapels, now in
6072-479: The local press that he had in fact been signed to Festival. Anxious not to lose face, Taylor auditioned O'Keefe and signed him to the label. O'Keefe's debut single (issued as a 78rpm record), "You Hit The Wrong Note, Billy Goat" b/w "The Chicken Song", was released in July 1957 but it failed to chart and sold poorly, as did the follow-up, a cover of Pat Boones " Love Letters in the Sand " – which O'Keefe later described as
6164-438: The mob. The mob give chase. Johnny is hit by a thrown tire iron and falls. His riderless motorcycle strikes and kills Jimmy. Sheriff Stew Singer arrives with his deputies and restores order. Johnny is initially arrested for Jimmy's death, with Kathie pleading on his behalf. Seeing this, Art and Frank state that Johnny was not responsible for the tragedy, with Johnny being unable to thank them. The motorcyclists are ordered to leave
6256-475: The motorcycle industry, including manufacturers, distributors, dealers and riders will benefit from The Wild One . However, in the following decade, Gil Stratton Jr , who played Mouse in the film, advertised Triumph motorcycles in his later career as a famous TV sports announcer. As of 2014 , the manufacturers publicly were publicly identifying Brando as a celebrity who had helped to "cement the Triumph legend". In
6348-475: The motorcyclists, and indeed she is the victim of the fatal motorcycle accident. Unlike in the film, it is her father (who is not a policeman) who exacts violent revenge upon an innocent young motorcyclist. Brando later revealed in his autobiography, Songs My Mother Taught Me (1994 Random House), that "(m)ore than most parts I've played in the movies or onstage, I related to Johnny, and because of this, I believe I played him as more sensitive and sympathetic than
6440-429: The new groups by banning "long-haired" acts, such as The Missing Links , from appearing on Sing, Sing, Sing . O'Keefe was alienated by the new developments in pop music, and later described this period as "the biggest downer in my career". Another major blow to O'Keefe was the sudden death of his musical partner and friend Lee Gordon, who died from a heart attack in London on 7 November 1963. O'Keefe's last major hit of
6532-506: The newspaper and magazine reports, Rooney's short story, and the film The Wild One are part of the legend of the Hollister riot . The Black Rebels Motorcycle Club (BRMC), led by Johnny Strabler, rides into Carbonville, California, during a motorcycle race and causes trouble. A member of the motorcycle club, Pidgeon, steals the second-place trophy (the first place one being too large to hide) and presents it to Johnny. After an altercation with
6624-587: The next single, "Ready For You"/"Save The Last Dance For Me", reached No. 4 in November. In January 1961 O'Keefe attempted another tour of the United States, but it was also unsuccessful. His run of Australian hits continued in spite of his mounting personal problems. "I'm Counting on You" became his second No. 1 hit in August 1961, followed by a third chart-topper, "Sing (And Tell The Blues So Long)" in March 1962, and "I Thank You", which reached No. 22 in December. O'Keefe's tenure with Six O'Clock Rock ended in mid-1961, and in October he moved to ATN-7 as compere of
6716-547: The original outlaw biker film , and the first to examine American outlaw motorcycle gang violence. The supporting cast features Lee Marvin as Chino, truculent leader of the motorcycle gang "The Beetles". The film's screenplay was based on Frank Rooney's short story "Cyclists' Raid", published in the January 1951 Harper's Magazine and anthologized in The Best American Short Stories 1952 . Rooney's story
6808-436: The script envisioned. There's a line where he snarls, 'Nobody tells me what to do'. That's exactly how I've felt all my life." Brando also stipulated in his contract that he would ride his own Triumph motorcycle in the film. The technical advisor on the film was identified in the April 1953 issue of Motorcyclist as Carey Loftin , which also noted that 150 motorcyclists were hired as extras. Filming mainly took place at
6900-604: The worst record of his career. O'Keefe had become a close friend of the music concert promoter, Lee Gordon , and O'Keefe and the Dee Jays' popularity really took off when they were installed as the featured support act for Gordon's famous "Big Show" concert bills at the Sydney Stadium . These concerts were landmarks in Australian popular entertainment, being among the first tours to feature leading overseas rock'n'roll stars, including Little Richard, Bo Diddley , Buddy Holly and Jerry Lee Lewis; Gordon also toured many top jazz acts of
6992-399: Was played. O'Keefe also toyed with the local press, playing on Lou Casch's exotic appearance by telling journalists that Casch was the son of an Arrernte Aboriginal chieftain from Ayers Rock and that Casch's hand-built guitar was made from mulga wood. In mid-October 1959, O'Keefe performed in shows titled Lee Gordon's 1959 Rock'n'Roll Spectacular. The Sydney concerts were edited into
7084-963: Was a keen swimmer, surfer and sailor and often sailed with the Vaucluse Juniors sailing club. He matriculated in 1951, gaining an 'A' in French and a 'B' in English, mathematics, physics and economics. In 1952, he enrolled in a part-time economics degrees course at the University of Sydney , but soon abandoned it and enrolled in a short course at the College of Retailing in Sydney, after which he went to work in his father's furniture store in Pitt Street , Sydney. He had already begun performing at dances and 'socials' while at high school, but his interest in music blossomed after he left school. A strong early musical influence
7176-467: Was also a radio and television entertainer and presenter. O'Keefe died in 1978 from a drug overdose. He was the younger brother of Australian jurist Barry O'Keefe (a former head of the New South Wales ICAC ). His father, Alderman Ray O'Keefe, was Mayor of Waverley Council in the early 1960s. Through Barry, O'Keefe was the uncle of Australian television personality Andrew O'Keefe . O'Keefe
7268-563: Was also recorded by Jerry Lee Lewis , Everlife , Joan Jett & The Blackhearts , Glamour Camp , Marshall Crenshaw , Brian Setzer , Wakefield and Jet . O'Keefe first met Bill Haley during his tour in 1957 in Australia. Haley was impressed by O'Keefe, giving him a song to record (" You Hit The Wrong Note, Billy Goat ") and recommending him to Ken Taylor, A&R manager of leading local record company Festival Records . Taylor, however, failed to act on Haley's advice, so O'Keefe then famously took matters into his own hands and began telling
7360-467: Was also taking place downstairs. Some of the dance patrons came to blows with wedding guests in the men's toilets, and within minutes the fight had erupted into a full-scale riot that spilled out into the street, with police eventually calling in the Naval Shore Patrol to help restore order. It was this incident, according to Casch, that inspired O'Keefe's signature tune, "Wild One". While the song
7452-578: Was an Australian rock and roll singer whose career began in the early 1950s. A pioneer of Rock music in Australia , his hits include " Wild One " (1958), " Shout! " and "She's My Baby". Often referred to by his initials "J.O'K." or by his nickname "The Wild One", O'Keefe was the first Australian rock n' roll performer to tour the United States, and the first Australian artist to make the local Top 40 charts. He had twenty-nine Top 40 hits in Australia between 1958 and 1973. In his twenty-year career, O'Keefe released over 50 singles, 50 EPs and 100 albums. O'Keefe
7544-482: Was an era in which many major artists mimed songs at outdoor locations, such at Manly Beach's Fairy Bower in 1967. Live performances began to taper off. The Dee Jays stayed together, however, and continued performing until 1980. Fearing that O'Keefe might have to be replaced as compère , the Seven network renamed O'Keefe's TV show Sing Sing Sing in February 1963, but its popularity continued nevertheless. By late 1963,
7636-444: Was born in the eastern Sydney suburb of Bondi Junction on 19 January 1935. He was the second of three children of Raymond Moran O'Keefe and Thelma Edna Kennedy. He was raised as a Catholic and attended the local Catholic primary school, followed by secondary schooling at Waverley College in nearby Waverley . He had a solid musical background and listened to the radio almost constantly at home although he did not often sing around
7728-497: Was cancelled in October 1965. In January 1967, O'Keefe compèred a new TV show called Where The Action Is . It was produced and broadcast by the newly opened Channel TEN-10 and filmed at various outdoor locations around Sydney. O'Keefe released a 'spin-off' album also titled Where The Action Is in 1967, but the series was not successful and budget problems and low ratings led to its cancellation in November 1967. From 1968 onwards O'Keefe devoted most of his time to performing on
7820-609: Was considerable. He was born in Ambon in 1924, grew up in Aceh and Jakarta , began playing guitar at an early age, and became a dedicated jazz musician. In 1952, he came to Australia under the Colombo Plan to study medicine at the University of Sydney. He was introduced to O'Keefe by Keith Williams, whom he had known from a jazz trio in which they played. At their first meeting O'Keefe played Casch
7912-590: Was exhibited as "Marlon Brando" in 1967. Mad magazine parodied The Wild One in their September 1954 issue as The Wild 1/2 starring "Marlon Branflakes". One story maintains that the Beatles took their name from the rival motorcycle club, referred to as The Beetles, as referenced in The Beatles Anthology (but as aforementioned, the film was banned in Britain until 1967). Johnny O%27Keefe John Michael O'Keefe (19 January 1935 – 6 October 1978)
8004-463: Was inspired by sensationalistic media coverage of an American Motorcyclist Association motorcycle rally that got out of hand on the Fourth of July weekend in 1947 in Hollister, California . The overcrowding, drinking and street stunting were given national attention in the July 21, 1947, issue of Life , with a possibly staged photograph of a wild drunken man on a motorcycle. The events, conflated with
8096-467: Was obliged to give boomerang throwing exhibitions. According to Ian McFarlane, Liberty offered to pay $ 5 to anyone who could throw further than the singer, but they had to pay out many times at one exhibition when O'Keefe turned up drunk. In the early hours of 27 June 1960, O'Keefe, Greenan and Greenan's wife Janice were driving back to Sydney from the Gold Coast . About 20 kilometres north of Kempsey ,
8188-645: Was recorded live at the Stadium, it was in fact a studio recording, overdubbed with the sound of a real stadium audience. O'Keefe issued three more singles during 1958: "Over The Mountain" b/w Lawdy Miss Clawdy ", "So Tough" b/w That'll Be Alright" (a cover of The Cuff Links song which reached No. 12 in Sydney) and "I Ain't Gonna Do It" b/w "Could This Be Magic?" O'Keefe had played a few dates in New Zealand in 1958, but in early 1959 rising NZ promoter Harry M Miller organised
8280-501: Was recorded originally by Jerry Allison with Buddy Holly backing on guitar in 1958 under the alias "Ivan", his middle name, after hearing O'Keefe perform it on tour. It reached No. 68 on the American Billboard singles chart and was revived in 1986 and recorded by Iggy Pop as " Real Wild Child ". A cover by Christopher Otcasek was used on the soundtrack for the movie Pretty Woman starring Julia Roberts and Richard Gere. It
8372-473: Was the American singer Johnnie Ray , who toured Australia to great acclaim in the 1950s and O'Keefe began his singing career as a Ray impersonator. During this period he met and became good friends with Alan Dale , also an aspiring singer, who was then employed at the O'Keefe's furniture business. In December 1952, Dale and O'Keefe were called up for National Service . Dale went into the Army and O'Keefe went into
8464-486: Was the promoter, singer, bouncer, door attendant, sold the ice creams, mixed the drinks and cleaned the halls, while working during the days at his father's furniture store." At the time, rock 'n' roll and its followers in Sydney often found themselves at odds with non-aficionados. According to Lou Casch, on one occasion, while O'Keefe and the Dee Jays played at an upstairs dance venue in Newtown , an "Italian wedding" reception
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