''Hells Angels on Wheels'' is a 1967

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

biker film This list is for films where at least one biker appears as a significant plot element. A bike in a film does not qualify for this list. Before 1960 * '' The Uncontrollable Motorcycle'' (1909) * '' Alkali Ike's Motorcycle'' (1912) * '' A Motorcyc ...

directed by

Richard Rush Richard Rush (August 29, 1780 – July 30, 1859) was the 8th United States Attorney General and the 8th United States Secretary of the Treasury. He also served as John Quincy Adams's running mate on the National Republican ticket in 1828. Born ...

, and starring Adam Roarke,

Jack Nicholson John Joseph Nicholson (born April 22, 1937) is an American retired actor and filmmaker. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest actors of all time. In many of his films, he played rebels against the social structure. He received numerous ...

, and

Sabrina Scharf Sabrina Scharf Schiller (born Sandra Mae Trentman, October 17, 1943) is an American actress, lawyer, real estate developer, and activist best known for her roles on American television shows. Born in Delphos, Ohio, she moved with her mother t ...

. The film tells the story of a gas-station attendant with a bad attitude who finds life more exciting after he is allowed to hang out with a chapter of the

Hells Angels The Hells Angels Motorcycle Club (HAMC) is a worldwide outlaw motorcycle club whose members typically ride Harley-Davidson motorcycles. In the United States and Canada, the Hells Angels are incorporated as the Hells Angels Motorcycle Corporati ...

outlaw motorcycle club An outlaw motorcycle club is a motorcycle subculture generally centered on the use of cruiser motorcycles, particularly Harley-Davidsons and choppers, and a set of ideals that purport to celebrate freedom, nonconformity to mainstream culture, ...

Plot

The Angels first take note of "Poet" (Jack Nicholson) after one of them inadvertently damages his motorcycle and breaks its headlight. Poet, with far more guts than brains, challenges the Angel that hit his motorcycle. This is an act that would traditionally result in every Angel present participating in a group beating of the attacker. "When a non-Angel hits an Angel, all Angels retaliate." But the leader of the Angels, Buddy (Adam Roarke), intervenes and tells Poet that the Angels will replace the headlight. In the meantime, he's welcome to ride with them while they take care of business—which turns out to be going to a bar and beating up the members of another club who previously beat an Angel. Poet is told to wait outside, but ends up helping the Angels. Later that night, the Angels return the favor by hunting down and beating four sailors who beat Poet four-against-one after he parted company with the group. Poet accidentally bumps into one of the sailors and speaks rudely to him before he realizes that the sailor has three other sailors with him. The four sailors then refuse to accept his apology—but the Angels only know that four sailors beat up Poet, and he doesn't tell them how the earlier fight started. One of the sailors pulls a knife on the Angels and is then killed accidentally in the fight that follows. Poet is allowed to ride with the Angels and is eventually elevated to "prospect" status. He is attracted to Buddy's some-time girlfriend (Sabrina Scharf) who toys with him while remaining hopelessly committed to Buddy. Much of the story that follows consists of scenes of the Angels partying or being provoked to violence by "squares." Other scenes include running an older man in a car off the road to his death; forcing two cops off the road when freeing their friend, arrested for the death; or entering a bar where they are not welcome. Eventually, Buddy's girlfriend succeeds in provoking a confrontation between Buddy and Poet, with only one of the men surviving.

Cast

* Adam Roarke as Buddy *

as Poet *

as Shill *

Jana Taylor Jana Taylor (July 27, 1943 – April 27, 2004) was an American actress best known for her role as Angie Costello on the ABC soap opera ''General Hospital''. Early life Taylor was born on July 27, 1943, in Far Rockaway, Queens, New York. Car ...

as Abigale *Richard Anders as Bull *John Garwood as Jocko *I.J. Jefferson as Pearl *James Oliver as Darrell 'Gypsy' Whitman *

Jack Starrett Claude Ennis "Jack" Starrett Jr. (November 2, 1936 – March 27, 1989) was an American actor and film director.Staff report (March 29, 1989). Jack Starrett, 52; Adventure Film Actor, Director. ''Los Angeles Times'' Starrett is perhaps best k ...

as Sgt. Bingham * Bruno VeSota as Priest *

Sonny Barger Ralph Hubert "Sonny" Barger, Jr. (October 8, 1938 – June 29, 2022) was an American outlaw biker, author and actor who was a founding member of the Oakland, California chapter of the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club in 1957. After forming the Oak ...

as Hells Angels President * Robert Allen as Dr. Carstairs *

Virgil Frye Virgil Charles Frye (August 21, 1930 – May 7, 2012) was an American actor and former Golden Gloves boxing champion. He grew up in Estherville, Iowa. He had two children, Sean Frye ('' E.T. The Extra Terrestrial'') and Soleil Moon Frye (''Punky ...

as Biker

Production

Adam Roarke, who plays the Angels club president Buddy, starred in several other motorcycle films of the era. Ralph 'Sonny' Barger, the president of the

Oakland, California Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third largest city overall in the ...

chapter of the Hells Angels, is seen in an early scene but has no spoken lines in the film. He was also credited as a consultant.

later played the role of Sara in the film ''

Easy Rider ''Easy Rider'' is a 1969 American independent drug culture road drama film written by Peter Fonda, Dennis Hopper, and Terry Southern, produced by Fonda, and directed by Hopper. Fonda and Hopper play two bikers who travel through the American So ...

'' (1969), one of the two girls met in the commune.

Release

''Hells Angels on Wheels'' was released in theatres on December 1, 1967. The film was released on DVD on December 30, 2003.

References

External links