Linda Manz | Through the Shattered Lens

In 1963, teenage Richie Gennaro (Ken Wahl) may not be much of a high school student but he’s the coolest kid on his block. He’s the leader of the Wanderers, an Italian-American street gang. Among his friends are the neurotic Joey (John Friedrich), Turkey (Alan Rosenberg), and Perry (Tony Ganios — yes, Meat from Porky’s), who has just moved to the Bronx but whose height and ability to fight makes him a key member of the Wanderers. Richie dating Despie (Toni Kalem), the daughter of the local mob boss (Dolph Sweet). However, when Richie meets Nina (Karen Allen), he wonders if there’s something more out there than just spending the rest of his days in the Bronx.

Based on a novel by Richard Price, The Wanderers has always been overshadowed by 1979’s other big gang movie, The Warriors. That’s too bad because they’re both great films. Walter Hill has always said that he envisioned The Warriors as being set in the near-future. The Wanderers, on the other hand, is very much a film about the past. An episodic movie that is more about capturing a time and a place as opposed to telling a traditional story, The Wanderers portrays 1963 with a mix of nostalgia and realism. The soundtrack is heavy with early rock and roll. There’s a scene where Richie sees a group of adults crying as they watch the coverage of John F. Kennedy’s assassination. Nina listens to Bob Dylan at a coffeehouse and the local mob boss is a fan of The Hustler. But for Richie and his friends, adulthood is something to be put off for as long as possible. Life is about wearing their jackets, giving each other a hard time, trying to get lucky, trying not get slapped upside their heads by their parents, and preparing for the big football game against a rival gang. When a Marine recruiter tricks the members of one gang into enlisting, it’s a big deal to Richie because he no longer has to worry about being harassed by them. Those of us watching, however, know that Vietnam is in thee future. Scenes of Richie and Joey joking around are combined with moments of sudden violence. For the most part, the Wanderers and their neighborhood rivals are amiable rivals but, take a wrong turn, and you might find yourself being chased by the viscous Ducky Boys. For Richie, his life revolves around being a Wanderer but nothing can last forever and the film ends with a celebration that feels like a last hurrah for a changing world. Some will escape The Bronx and find a new world with new possibilities and new freedoms. There’s a particularly interesting subtext to the friendship of Perry and Joey, with the film ending on a subtle note that suggests that there’s more to their relationship than just being members of the same gang.

The end result is one of the best coming-of-age stories out there. Ken Wahl, John Friedrich, Alan Rosenberg, and Tony Ganios all give excellent performances as the main Wanderers. Karen Allen and Toni Kalem are perfectly cast as the two women who represent Richie’s possible future. (The strip poker scene is a highlight.) Kalem’s Despie represents the Bronx while Allen’s Nina represents the world outside and the film treats both of them with respect. At first, Despite might seem like a stereotype but she soon proves herself to be more aware of what’s actually going on around her than anyone realized. Richie may like Nina but it’s hard to imagine him ever being truly happy away from his home.

The Wanderers deserves more attention than it has received over the years. It’s funny, touching, and sometimes scary. (The Ducky Boys, despite their name, will haunt you.) Wander over and watch it.

“Subvert normality.”

— Cebe (Linda Manz) in Out of the Blue (1980)

The 1980 Canadian film Out of the Blue opens with a terrifying scene. Don Barnes (Dennis Hopper), drinking a beer and playing with his daughter while driving a truck, crashes into a school bus. The bus is full of children, many of whom are seen being thrown into the air as the truck literally splits the bus in half.

Don is sent to prison. His wife, Kathy (Sharon Farrell), becomes a drug addict. His daughter, Cebe (Linda Manz), grows up to be an angry and alienated teenager. Cebe spends her time either aimlessly wandering around her economically depressed hometown or else ranting about the phoniness of society to anyone who will listen (and quite a few who won’t). Much like the killer cops in Magnum Force, all of her heroes are dead. Occasionally, she sees a pompous therapist (Raymond Burr) whose liberal humanism turns out to be just as empty as the reactionary society that Cebe is striking out against. Cebe’s heroes are Elvis, Sid Vicious, and her father.

When Don is finally released from prison, he returns home and he announces that he’s straightened out his life. He promises that he’ll stay sober and he’ll be a good father. That, of course, is all bullshit. Soon, Don is struggling to hold down a job and spending his time drinking with his friend Charlie (Don Gordon). Anyone who has ever had to deal with an alcoholic father will be able to painfully relate to the scenes where Don goes from being kind and loving to demonic in a matter of seconds.

Eventually, it all leads to a violent ending, one that is powerful precisely because it is so inevitable.

Out of the Blue is one of my favorite films, one that I relate to more than I really like to admit. Directed in a raw and uncompromising manner by Dennis Hopper, Out of the Blue is a look at life on the margins of society. And while some would argue that not much happens in the film between the explosive opening and the equally explosive ending, nothing needs to happen. The power of the film comes not from its plot and instead from the perfect performances of Linda Manz, Dennis Hopper, Sharon Farrell, and Don Gordon. Only Raymond Burr feels out of place but there’s a reason for that.

As much as I love Out of the Blue as a movie, I love the story of its production as well. Originally, Out of the Blue was to be your typical movie about a rebellious teen who is saved by a patient and compassionate counselor. Dennis Hopper was originally just supposed to co-star. However, after the shooting started to run behind schedule, the film’s original director was fired. Hopper talked the producers into letting him take over as a director.

This was the first film that Hopper was allowed to direct since the 1971 release of the infamous flop, The Last Movie. Hopper, who was then best known for his drug use and his alcoholism, promised to be on his best behavior. However, he then proceeded to secretly rewrite the entire film.

When Raymond Burr showed up to shoot his scenes, he was under the impression that he was still the star of the film. Hopper essentially proceeded to shoot two separate films. One film followed the original script and starred Raymond Burr. The other was Hopper’s vision. When it came time to take all of the footage and edit together the film that would be called Out of Blue, only two of Burr’s scenes made it into final cut and, in both of those scenes, Burr’s character is portrayed as being clueless.

Out of the Blue is not a happy film but it’s a good one. More people need to see it.