Wild in the Streets (1968)

A young man gains significant political influence as the leader of a counterculture rock band with his rallying cry of voting rights for teenagers.

Director:

Barry Shear

Writer:

Robert Thom

Stars:

Christopher Jones, Shelley Winters, Diane Varsi

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 1 win & 2 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Shelley Winters	...	Daphne Flatow
Christopher Jones	...	Max Frost
Diane Varsi	...	Sally LeRoy
Hal Holbrook	...	Senator Johnny Fergus
Millie Perkins	...	Mary Fergus
Richard Pryor	...	Stanley X
Bert Freed	...	Max Jacob Flatow, Sr.
Kevin Coughlin	...	Billy Cage
Larry Bishop	...	The Hook
May Ishihara	...	Fuji Elly
Salli Sachse	...	Hippie Mother
Kellie Flanagan	...	Mary Fergus
Don Wyndham	...	Joseph Fergus
Michael Margotta	...	Jimmy Fergus
Ed Begley	...	Senator Amos Allbright

Storyline

Wealthy twenty-two year old Max Frost - born Max Jacob Flatow, Jr. - is a rock music superstar, he a rock music franchise unto himself. He has cut ties with his parents, especially due to the control wielded by his overbearing mother, Daphne Flatow, that control against which he rebelled and is still rebelling in the form of having an entourage solely of young people, who he believes knows better than people even a few years older than them. Age-wise, the senior member of his entourage is his acid-dropping girlfriend, former child star Sally LeRoy, age twenty-four, the junior member being fifteen year old Yale law graduate Billy Cage, his business advisor and his band's guitarist. Max decides to endorse thirty-seven year old Congressman Johnny Fergus, running on the Democratic ticket for a California senate seat, as one of Johnny's platform policies is to lower the voting age to eighteen. Johnny happily accepts that endorsement because of Max's power over young people, whose votes ...

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Plot Keywords:

right hand man | hook handed trumpeter | trumpeter | attorney | drummer | 

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Taglines:

This is the story of Max Frost, 24 years old...President of the United States...who created the world in his own image. To him, 30 is over the hill. 52% of the nation is under 25...and they've got the power. That's how he became President...it's perhaps the most unusual motion picture you will ever see!

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Music

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for drug content

Details

Official Sites:

MGM

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

29 May 1968 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Day it Happened, Baby

Filming Locations:

Beverly Hills, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$1,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

American International Pictures (AIP)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

97 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Ryder Sound Services)

Color:

Color (Pathecolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

On November 5, 1968, the Republican nominee Max Frost is elected President of the United States, defeating the Democratic incumbent Lyndon Baines Johnson. He is inaugurated as the 37th President on January 20, 1969. In reality, former Republican Vice President Richard Nixon won the 1968 election, defeating the Democratic incumbent Vice President Hubert H. Humphrey. At the time of filming, it was widely expected that Johnson would run for a second full term in 1968. However, on March 31, 1968, he announced that he did not intend to do so.

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Goofs

When Max blows up the car, he places the explosives on the front seat. However, the initial explosion occurs in the car's trunk. One can also see that the car's driver's door had been rigged to just fall off.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Mrs. Daphne Flatow: I don't want to have a baby. I never wanted a baby. My mother said, I'm gonna die if I have a baby.
Max Jacob Flatow, Sr.: Come on, please, come to bed.
Mrs. Daphne Flatow: No!
Max Jacob Flatow, Sr.: I won't do anything! I promise you. I won't do a thing.
Mrs. Daphne Flatow: If it's a boy, I'll die. I'll just die.

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Connections

Referenced in Psycho's Sister: Making 'The Name of the Game Is Kill' (2013)

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Soundtracks

Shelley In Camp
Written by Les Baxter
Performed by The Gurus

User Reviews

Many Things Age Poorly

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.