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Reviews
Roustabout (1964)
The best of two 1960s genres: Motorsickles & Elvis!
An amazingly banal soundtrack,this tale of love, strife & life on the road has "The Pelvis" as his most unlovable character of all his classic Saturday afternoon time-killers. If that weren't enough right there, it's also probably the best sugar-coating Hollywood could ever do about the life of a "carny"-type.
Features Our Hero jauntily (and experienced riders would say, uneasily) motoring about the land on his might Honda 350 Dream, his gee-tar strapped on the back of his leather jacket. I think it's the same one he wore a few years later in his TV special, but I could be wrong about that. At least he's clothed, unlike that time Jerry Lee Lewis & he took a late-night Memphis MC ride Au natural! Come on...I love Elvis, but when you see stuff like this, you know he wasn't too serious about winning any Academy Awards. The songs are strictly for those that like Elvis prior to his larger "Hunka Hunka Burnin' Love" period that most of his imitators emulate. They're short, too, and easy to learn for those family singalongs . I've found the soundtrack to be a lifesaver on those long, hard rides across the land on MY Honda.
No, folks...this is a somewhat lean, and pretty mean (especially to his love interest) Presley. Similar to "Speedway", except no singing female co-star. "Thank yew vera much!"
C.C. & Company (1970)
Undoubtedly one of the goofiest biker films ever!
Luscious Ann Margaret,her husband Roger Smith, an almost schoolboy-like "Broadway Joe", assorted character actors known for playing these kinds of roles, and a script that motorcycle enthusiasts either laugh like loons, or groan, at...or both.
Features some of the most priceless dialog this side of an Elvis epic. Some examples: "Those are the kind of people who give motorcycling a BAD name!", "Are you boys gonna help out a damsel in distress, or just make like Marlon Brando?", and more! Chicks and dudes - you will dig this! This love story/musical/60s stoner drive-in delight highlights incredibly stupid acts of riding AND crime (PLEASE don't try these anywhere!). All this, and Wayne Cochran (aka "The King of Blue-eyed Soul"), too. Makes a great double bill with either "Roustabout", "Easy Rider", "On Any Sunday", or NFL highlights of the Jets when Joe was their star QB. Good thing he stuck to sports after this mostly-intentionally forgotten effort. At least the bikes are cool, and the locations are stunning in that vivid color they used back then. Oh, and A-M gets a song in there, too...I think.
Hear No Evil (1982)
My bike's in the movie than I am...does that tell you anything?
Ho-hum 80s made-for-TV biker flick, featuring Gil "Buck Rogers" Gerard as the Narc, a Russ Meyer "Supervixens" star (Raven De La Croix) as the Bay Riders's President's squeeze, and almost 100 actual SF bay area bikers as extras roaring around the now-demolished Embarcadero Freeway (including this reviewer), plus a few local celebrities, AND an incredibly amazing St. Bernard.
Good struggles to vanquish the truly evil, as evil wastes anybody, and even tries to...aw, I don't wanna do a "spioler". Ther's some violence, action & no sex, but Miss De La Croix fills out her, uh, wardrobe nicely, and there's a few faces you'll recognize as being typecast for this movie.
VERY loosely based on real-life incidents...and not much in the way of acting or plot. The locations are nice, the bikes rock (my long-gone black '81 Harley FXEF was the "double" for the bad guy's bike, hence my title for this. You can see me sleeping on it during the graveyard sequence...I was tired that day! What a great way to earn some extra summer dough, eh? If you like cheesy MC flicks, this's for you. It's no "Mask", and not nearly as ironically humorous as those 60s films.