Hells Angels on Wheels ** (1967, Adam Roarke, Jack Nicholson, Sabrina Scharf) – Classic Movie Review 3865

The young Jack Nicholson’s presence as a gas station attendant – or petrol pump worker – called Poet confers cult status on director Richard Rush’s interesting and amusingly dated, if rather draggy 1967 biker movie Hells Angels on Wheels. Yes, in the Sixties, there used to be gas station attendants, actual people before the machines took over.

Poet is lured from the pathetic saddo garage where he works into a ride on the wild side by a lusty Hell’s Angels gang led by outlaw motorcycle club’s president Buddy (Adam Roarke). But big trouble brews when it turns out the Angels like violence and murder, and, worse still for Poet, the leader’s girlfriend Shill (Sabrina Scharf) and he fall in love.

Nicholson puts a little polish on the very raggedly handled goings-on and Laszlo Kovacs’s exciting cinematography is the film’s other main asset.

But, as far as R Wright Campbell’s screenplay is concerned, a lot of the time the actors just seem to be making it up as they go along. However, with its slight capturing of the late-Sixties zeitgeist, this is certainly worth a little look.

Hells Angels on Wheels has also in the cast are Jana Taylor, John Garwood, Richard Anders, I J Jefferson, James Oliver, future film director Jack Starrett as Sergeant Bingham, Bruno VeSota, Bob Kelljan, Kathryn Harrow, Bud Cardos, Tex Hall, Gary Littlejohn and Barbara Patterson. Ralph ‘Sonny’ Barger, the president of the Oakland chapter of the Hell’s Angels, is seen in an early scene and is credited as a consultant.

Scharf later played Sara, one of the girls in the commune, in Easy Rider (1969).

Nicholson made two other films with Rush: Too Soon to Love (1960) and Psych-Out (1968).

Nicholson’s 12 Oscar nominations make him the most nominated male actor in the Academy’s history. He is one of only three actors to win three Oscars.

Brooklyn-born tough guy Adam Roarke, who made his name in nine Sixties biker movies, died on April 27 1996, aged 58.

© Derek Winnert 2016 Classic Movie Review 3865
Check out more reviews on: derekwinnert.com