Born to Be Wild (1938)

Truck drivers Steve Hackett and Bill Purvis are fired from their jobs with the West Coast Trucking company for not using second-gear going down steep grades. Davis, the company ... See full summary »

Director:

Joseph Kane

Writer:

Nathanael West (original screenplay)

Stars:

Ralph Byrd, Doris Weston, Ward Bond

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ralph Byrd	...	Steve Hackett
Doris Weston	...	Mary Stevens
Ward Bond	...	Bill Purvis
Robert Emmett Keane	...	J. Stearns Davis
Ben Hewlett	...	Wilson (as Bentley Hewett)
Charles Williams	...	Company Spotter
Davison Clark	...	Stranger
Byron Foulger	...	Husband
George Anderson	...	Mayor
Edwin Stanley	...	Randolph
Ben Hendricks Jr.	...	Deputy
Sterlita Peluffo	...	Manuela (as Stelita)
Lew Kelly	...	Reilly, Diner Counterman
Harrison Greene	...	J. Carroll Malloy
George Magrill	...	Hank

Storyline

Truck drivers Steve Hackett and Bill Purvis are fired from their jobs with the West Coast Trucking company for not using second-gear going down steep grades. Davis, the company vice-president, surprisingly asks them to carry a load of merchandise to Arrowhead and offers a $1000 bonus. He tells them it is a load of lettuce. Several miles out of Los Angelese, they are stopped by a mob of lettuce-farm workers on strike. When the first crate is tossed off the truck, it explodes and the two pals learn their merchandise is a cargo of dynamite. The workers let them proceed and they crash into a car driven by Mary Stevens, whom they had met at a restaurant. She and her dog, "Butch" (played by a Credited dog named Stooge), join them and they deliver their cargo, and learn unscrupulous real-estate operators have jammed the locks on the dam in order to ruin the ranchers and farmers and take over their property.

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Plot Keywords:

dog | dynamite | truck driver | rancher | bonus | 

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Taglines:

GANGLAND RIDES the HIGHWAY! (original poster)

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Genres:

Action | Comedy | Drama | Music

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

16 February 1938 (USA)

Also Known As:

Nasceu para ser Selvagem

Company Credits

Production Co:

Republic Pictures (I)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

66 min 54 min (edited)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Soundtracks

Songs by Jack Lawrence and Peter Tinturin

User Reviews

Pure delight

Joseph Kane seems to have some kind of golden touch. The low budget films he directs would appear to be very depressing and embarrassing to the cast. Or so you would think. In Kane's films, he seems to be able to get them to see the light side and have fun and this shows. This is what I like about them. the plots are ludicrous and brutally contrived but they are less like film and more about a surprisingly enjoyable house party. That's why his westerns are so fun. There's no Oscar stress, it's the depression, and they're working. Look at Public Cowboy No. 1 or Man From Music Mountain. In Born to be Wild we have a couple of guys driving a truck and having some pretty crazy problems. Ralph Byrd shows way more personality than in those Dick Tracy things. The female lead is a very appealing Doris Weston who had practically no career. The surprise for me was Ward Bond who showed great range and personality as a curmudgeonly truck driver who was capable of being the life of the party with a hilarious rumba. The relaxed wit and chemistry among these three is excellent. The other great thing about this film is the location shooting and the period atmosphere. You can't fully enjoy this film unless you have an interest in 30's history. They show things like a picket line, a hokey land developer, etc. And the film moves along, you never wallow in tedium. As usual in a Kane film, even the bad guys seem to be having fun. The story, well I don't know.