‘The Wild One’ with Burt Kearns

Episode 14

Let’s start the engines on a new kick! Now through the end of June (when “The Bikeriders” hit theaters), we’re tracing the archetype of the motorcycle rebel.

Most historians agree the first biker picture was “The Wild One” (1953) starring an iconically moody and leather-clad Marlon Brando. Today, author Burt Kearns joins the show to share how “The Wild One” became a flashpoint for censorship, anti-hero adulation, and Hollywood iconography. Kearns’ new book Marlon Brando: Hollywood Rebel is out now.

Listen to the episode below and check out the rest of the series:

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About “The Kick”

“The Kick” is a theme-obsessed movie podcast where new releases are the ultimate excuse to fill blindspots and let that completist flag fly.

Part of the Now Playing Network, the show runs in multi-episode arcs—or kicks—that explore a particular sub-genre or filmography, and then culminate in a relevant new film. As in, “I’m on a sports-romance kick, and it won’t be over until I see Challengers.

Every week, host Chance Solem-Pfeifer is joined by a fellow writer, filmmaker, or movie appreciator. You can contact him at chancesolempfeifer [at] gmail [dot] com and read his film writings in the Willamette Week.