The Vintagent Classics: The films that inspired us.
THE DIRT GANG (1972)
Run Time: 1:29:00
Producer: American International Pictures (AIP)
Director: Jerry Jameson
Writer: Michael DeForrest, Michael C. Healy
Key Cast: Paul Carr, Michael Pataki, Lee de Broux
FILM MAKERS
God Help The Fuzz that flashes a badge on the Dirt Gang!
The timeless story of a filthy biker gang who simply want to pour beer over themselves, terrorize and rape, but mean, normal people always try to spoil their fun. This is the final film from AIP’s six-year run of biker films that began in 1966 with Roger Corman’s, “The Wild Angels.” The Dirt Gang tells the tale of a motorcycle gang who terrorizes a film crew who are in the desert filming a western.
Jerry Jameson is best known (or unknown) as a Director for TV. His credits include Dallas, Dynasty, Walker Texas Ranger, and Murder She Wrote just to name a few. The only two films are The Dirt Gang (1972) and Bat People (1974).
SUMMARY
After a failed gas station robbery that resulted in a shot biker and torched cop car, the gang of “dirt bike gypsies” led by a silver eye-patch wearing whacko named Monk, decide to split to Mexico. Monk lost his eye in a bike crash some years ago and ever since he’s been itching to mess up the guy who’s responsible.
The gang rides onto a Western Movie set and proceed to wreak havoc until filming halts. The director agrees feed them in the catering tent only on the condition that they split afterwards. Soon the bikers realize that it’s the perfect time to pour booze all over themselves.
A stunt man named Zeno, warns script girl Mary that there’s trouble brewing. And he’s not kidding because soon Monk recognizes Zeno as the dude who caused his eye to pop out! Some years back, when Zeno was riding with the gang, the two of them were in a bike duel. The brutal ritual involved opponents riding towards each other at full speed while swinging motorcycle chains.
With the entire film crew held hostage, Monk will stop at nothing to incite the peace-loving Zeno into another duel—this time to the death! Soundtrack music by the group: The Harvest. Paul Carr, Michael Pataki, Lee de Broux, Jon Shank, Nancy Harris, T.J. Escott, Jessica Stuart, Tom Anders, Joe Mosca, Michael Forest, Jo Anne Meredith. – The Video Beat
RELATED MEDIA
Watch the Full Film at Cine Meccanica
Related Posts
The Motorcycle Portraits: Dutch and Vikki
What's come to me over time is…
The Vintagent Classics: Stuntman
People play with their lives.
The Vintagent Classics: Motorcycle Gang
You’ve got a one cylinder mind.
The Vintagent Classics: TRON
The Electronic Gladiator
B-Movie Hollywood silliness at its finest ? …. errr .. worst ?
Hmmm …. jury is out on this one .
I mean seriously … an Outlaw Dirt Bike gang ? Kind a lot of an oxymoron if there ever was one .
Seriously though …. aint it amazing the way Hollywood tried ( and is still trying ) to bleed the motorcycle film genre dry …. while barely producing anything worth watching ?
Sigh … oh well … as the ‘ weird sisters said ” what’s fair is foul and what is foul is fair ” … or in the words of the other bard ( Peter Gabriel ) ” Upside Downside Up ” … such is the state of the world we currently reside in …. where genuine irony has gone the way of the DoDo …