Wild in den Straßen

I saw this movie in the theater a week or so after my junior year in high school. It was my first date where I was allowed to drive. The film received a lot of fanfare, aimed entirely at my generation. I went with high expectations and was of course disappointed. I think it was supposed to be some kind of Hollywood version of a social protest film, set in a slightly tongue-in-cheek spirit. It came off as just goofy. I thought it was goofy at the time, when I was 17 and almost anything designed especially for me I perceived as at least a little bit cool and hip. But not Wild In The Streets. Nope.

Some folks might think it has acquired some kind of cheeky flavor to it that makes it a good film, you know, like Plan 9 From Outer Space is supposedly a good movie too. But nope, Wild In the Street is simply a below par film, and for that matter, so is Plan 9.

Nobody could crank'em out like AIP, nobody. Done on a surprisingly big budget, this is one of the company's most fun pictures. It is a classic portrayal of the late '60s and has a great script and performances. The songs are a lot of fun, and Les Baxter's delirious underscore, especially when Shelly Winters is sent to the LSD old folks home, is truly unique, proving him once again to be one of the most underrated composers working in films in the '50s and '60s.

Max Frost and his band want to run the country and with the help of their friends and some pharmacology, they take over the political structure of the USA. It's a reasonably well made cautionary tale of the late 60's. It briefly became a cult favorite and was said to have prompted then-mayor of Chicago, Richard Daily, to put guards around the city's water supply just prior to, and during the 1968 Democratic National Convention to prevent anarchists from "dosing" the water with psychedelics.

The storyline is fairly slick for the time; how do a bunch of don't-trust-anyone-over-30 kids take over the country? There's a little romance, a little angst, a little rock music, and a lot of scenery-chewing and overacting by the "Major Stars" including Shelly Winters and Ed Begley. Hal Holbrook was able to keep it toned down.

This was also one of the first major films the late Richard Prior appeared in. The other being Sid Cesar's "The Busy Body", released the same year.

The psychedelic aspects of "Wild in the Streets" make it a great film to pair with Peter Fonda's "The Trip" for a 60's double feature flashback fest. Enjoy and never trust anyone under 30. heh.

My high school buddies and I drove into Chicago to watch this the day it opened in 1968 and were not disappointed. On the way, WLS AM radio played "Jumpin' Jack Flash", which was the first time any of us had heard that tune. I think we may have inhaled some contraband, but I remember this day like it was yesterday. It was good to be "young, dumb and full of ***!" (-to quote Mr Busey, from Point Break.)

Some epic bits from this movie: 1) Richard Pryor spikes the DC water supply with LSD, resulting in a congress-full of hopelessly tripped-out Senators and Representatives. 2) Ed Begley and Shelley Winters wander about in flowing robes and caftans at the "Acid Concentration Camp" for people over 30. 3) Extremely young Billy Mumy confronting the great lout, Max Frost and declaring "We're putting everyone over 8 out of business!" 4)Diane Varsi cavorting nude in a fountain 4) Future Brady Buncher Barry Williams as the young terrorist Max.

See, this is one highly-lacking-in-credibility enterprise, but you have to love it. Watch and remark to yourself how this movie could only have been made in that halcyon year, 1968. Nothing this wonderfully over-the-top crazed and ridiculously sublime has been made since nor will ever grace the screen again.

For comparison (and companion) purposes, view this superb teen psychodrama in series with other 1968 befuddlements such as: "Planet of the Apes", "2001: A Space Oddysey", "Rosemary's Baby", "Putney Swope" and "The Savage Seven".

Christopher Jones only immortal role was the highly Hitleresque rocker, Max Frost.

Jeez, gimme the DVD already! This glorious cinematic potato is out of print!

Wild in the Streets

The problem with teenagers voting is that they loiter around the ballot box afterwards.

However, the adolescents in this musical are more apt to through a dance party.

Subversive since infancy, Max Frost (Christopher Jones) now fronts a successful rock group of astute teens (Richard Pryor, Kevin Coughlin, Diane Varsi) that Senator Fergus (Hal Holbrook) would like to partner with.

But before he'll endorse the policymaker, Frost wants Fergus to lower the voting age to 14, or else Frost's fans will riot.

Eventually, Frost uses LSD to win the US presidency and send everyone over 35 to internment camps.

An outlandish cautionary tale about the social tensions affecting sixties youth, this cult classic may have some trippy ideas and seriously catching tunes, but its message of dissent is drowned out by all its bell-bottomed kitsch.

Regardless, what good is the vote at 14 if you can't go binge drink afterwards?

Yellow Light

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