The Wild Ride is a 1960 American film directed by Harvey Berman and starring Jack Nicholson as a rebellious punk named Johnny, of the Beat generation, who spends his days as an amateur Dirt track racing in between partying and troublemaking. The film has become part of the public domain and is considered by some to be a cult film.
Plot
Re-cut version
The Wild Ride was re-edited with new footage that makes the original film a long flashback sequence. Running 88 minutes and titled
Velocity, the new scenes feature impersonator Joe Richards playing an older version of the character originally played by Nicholson, as well as performances by Jorge Garcia, Jason Sudeikis, and Dick Miller.
Cast
- Jack Nicholson as Johnny Varron
- Georgianna Carter as Nancy
- Robert Bean as Dave
- Carol Bigby as Joyce
- John Bologni as Barny
- Gary Espinosa as Cliff
- Judith Tresize as Ann
- Wesley Marie Tackitt
- Sydene Wallace
- Donna Dabney
- Garry Korpi
- Leonard Williams
- John Holden
- Raymond O'Day
- Carl Vicknair as Police Officer #1
Production
The executive producer on the film was Roger Corman. Harvey Berman was a high school drama teacher in northern California who had gone to the UCLA drama school with some friends of Corman. He decided to make a film during the summer using some of his high school drama class students in the cast and crew and sending a few Hollywood professionals to work with them. One of these was Jack Nicholson. Corman later wrote "this is one of the little pictures I remember with pleasure; it turned out very well."
Category:1960 films
Category:American films
Category:1960s drama films
Category:Chase films
Category:English-language films
Category:Black-and-white films