The Choppers
Directed by Leigh Jason
Written by Arch Hall Sr.
1961/USA
Rushmore Productions
First viewing/YouTube
[box] Mr. Lester: [drunkenly, into microphone] I wanna tell the whole world something. Those cops, they ain’t gonna take my boy Torch. There ain’t enough cops in the whole world to take my boy Torch. You hear me? They ain’t gonna take my boy Torch![/box]
The title refers to stolen auto parts, not motorcycles, in this low-budget JD movie.
A gang of teenagers has a thriving business in stripping stalled cars and selling them to a corrupt auto repair shop. They target their victims by siphoning just enough gas to strand the drivers in the middle of nowhere with a long walk ahead of them. Needless to say, all the kids are having a crummy childhood. A police man and an insurance man team up to find the culprits.
There were a couple of characters that made me smile – a gun-toting old-timer and Arch Hall Jr. and his guitar. I can actually still hum the tune of “Monkey in My Hatband”. These moments were not enough to move the film into bad movie gold.
Montage of clips
