The Wanderers (1979)

Set against the urban jungle of 1963 New York's gangland subculture, this coming of age teenage movie is set around the Italian gang the Wanderers. Slight comedy, slight High School angst ... See full summary »

Director:

Philip Kaufman

Writers:

Richard Price (novel), Rose Kaufman (screenplay)

Stars:

Ken Wahl, Karen Allen, John Friedrich

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ken Wahl	...	Richie
John Friedrich	...	Joey
Karen Allen	...	Nina
Toni Kalem	...	Despie Galasso
Alan Rosenberg	...	Turkey
Jim Youngs	...	Buddy
Tony Ganios	...	Perry
Linda Manz	...	Peewee
William Andrews	...	Emilio
Erland van Lidth	...	Terror (as Erland Van Lidth De Jeude)
Val Avery	...	Mr. Sharp
Dolph Sweet	...	Chubby Galasso
Michael Wright	...	Clinton
Burtt Harris	...	Marine Recruiter
Samm-Art Williams	...	Roger

Storyline

Set against the urban jungle of 1963 New York's gangland subculture, this coming of age teenage movie is set around the Italian gang the Wanderers. Slight comedy, slight High School angst and every bit entertaining with its classic 1950's Rock n' Roll soundtrack such as "Walk Like a Man", "Big Girls Don't Cry" by The Four Seasons and "My Boyfriend's Back" by The Angels. Focusing around a football game where the different gangs play with and against each other, then at its grand finale, come together in a mass of union to defend their honour and their turf. Nostalgic stuff and above all a Rock n' Roll retrospective on a grand musical era. Timeless.

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Plot Keywords:

ethnic slur | racial slur | black american | blackboard | urban setting | 

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Taglines:

The magic, the music, the mystery of growing up.

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

4 July 1979 (USA)

Also Known As:

Los pandilleros

Filming Locations:

Fordham Road, Bronx, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$1,937, 18 November 2016, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$11,827, 2 December 2016

Company Credits

Production Co:

Film Finance Group,Orion Pictures,Polyc International BV

Technical Specs

Runtime:

112 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The "elbow-tit" scene, where Ken Wahl first meets Karen Allen, was shot on Lydig Avenue, one block south of Pelham Parkway, outside of the actual Wanderers' turf, which ranged from Allerton to Burke Avenues.

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Goofs

In a classroom scene, Mr. Sharp writes on the blackboard "all men are created equal." He asks the class "who wrote that?" The class jokes "you did." Then Sharp says it was 'A. Lincoln'. It was written by Thomas Jefferson in the Declaration of Independence.

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Quotes

Chubby Galasso: [Chubby knows that the out of town bowlers are hustlers, but is playing along]
Chubby Galasso: C'mon, you guys gonna play or not? Let's cut the bullshit. Wanna keep score, too? Go ahead. I'm just a dumb guinea. What do I know? For all I know, you guys could be pros.
Hustler #1: Hey, wh-what are you guys talking about?
Galasso Brother: You guys are real good, is what we're talking about.
[saunters up to the hustlers with a menacing look]
Hustler #2: [...]

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Connections

Referenced in Old School (2003)

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Soundtracks

Nel blu dipinto di blu (Volare)
Performed by Terri Perri
Courtesy of Terri Perri
Written by Domenico Modugno (uncredited) and Franco Migliacci (uncredited)

User Reviews

How come this hasn't become a classic?

One of the greatest scenes ever put on film is in this movie: Ken Wahl, about to get married, facing the transition between youth and responsibility, peers through a window at the action at Gerdes' Folk City in Greenwich Village, where, he dimly senses, there's a whole new world beyond his comprehension...it's pure gold, like most everything in this movie. I don't recall rock'n'roll songs ever being put to better or more appropriate use in a sound track. I don't recall a movie ever shifting more seamlessly, effortlessly, from gritty naturalism to bizarro impressionism and back. The cast is great! Whatever happened to some of these actors? There really was a Fordham Baldies, and I grew up not far from the old Alexander's in the Bronx, so I can't pretend to objectivity. For me, this is rather like a New York version of American Graffiti; it creates a world that I feel at home in, even if I never was a gang member and we left the Bronx when I was eight. By the way, the adaptation from Richard Price's book is, I think, remarkable. The book is a series of thematically linked stories that become a single organic story in the film. And I can't blame Ken Wahl--or his character--from being besotted by Karen Allen. Personally, I'd have gone right into Gerdes and flung myself at her feet. Oh yeah, the late Dolph Sweet is superb here.