The Wild One is more associated with Stanley Kramer and, well, Brando than its director. I’ve already forgotten his name.

AN is not very good at filling in Kurtz’s backstory. How did he go from a 38 year old man hoofing through basic training to being what he was at the end of the movie? (Brando was like 53 at the time of filming.) Should we blame John Milius? Probably should blame Brando who wasn’t supposed to have shown up on set a zillion pounds overweight.

Although I’m being critical of Brando, I really would like to see at least One Eyed Jacks and The Missouri Breaks which have cult followings and Criterion editions.

In addition to playing Zapata, William Bligh, Napoleon, Colonel Kurtz and Superman’s father, Brando also played GEORGE LINCOLN ROCKWELL IN THE SEQUEL TO ROOTS. Remember when TonyV posted Alex Haley’s old Playboy interview with Rockwell? That interview is dramatized in the sequel with James Earl Jones playing Haley and Brando playing the Nazi! It was his last role before disappearing from screens for seven or eight years. (The Freshman is the last thing he did that got any respect at all…oh wait, we live in Bizarro World where Michael Jackson really did launch a huge successful comeback in 2001!)