''The Rebel Rousers'' is a 1970 American independent

outlaw biker film The outlaw biker film is a film genre that portrays its characters as motorcycle riding rebels. The characters are usually members of an outlaw motorcycle club. History Outlaw biker clubs formed in the late 1940s on the West Coast after the e ...

starring Cameron Mitchell,

Jack Nicholson John Joseph Nicholson (born April 22, 1937) is an American retired actor and filmmaker. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest actors of all time. In many of his films, he played rebels against the social structure. He received numerous ...

Diane Ladd Diane Ladd is an American actress. She has appeared in over 120 film and television roles. For the 1974 film ''Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore'', she won the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role and was nominated for the Academy A ...

Bruce Dern Bruce MacLeish Dern (born June 4, 1936) is an American actor. He has often played supporting villainous characters of unstable natures. He has received several accolades, including the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actor and the Silver ...

, and

Harry Dean Stanton Harry Dean Stanton (July 14, 1926 – September 15, 2017) was an American actor, musician, and singer. In a career that spanned more than six decades, Stanton played supporting roles in films including ''Cool Hand Luke'' (1967), ''Kelly's Heroes ...

. Filmed in 1967, it did not receive a release until 1970 following the success of ''

Easy Rider ''Easy Rider'' is a 1969 American independent drug culture road drama film written by Peter Fonda, Dennis Hopper, and Terry Southern, produced by Fonda, and directed by Hopper. Fonda and Hopper play two bikers who travel through the American So ...

'' . It is one of several motorcycle gang films of the period to feature Nicholson, Dern and Stanton. The film was co-written, produced and directed by Martin B. Cohen in his only directorial effort.

Plot

Paul Collier searches for Karen, his girl friend who is going to have his child but ran away from him instead of marrying him. As the two attempt to reconcile a small motorcycle gang called the Rebel Rousers comes into the town. Their leader, J.J. Weston went to school and played football with Paul, but rather than catch up with each other, Paul goes to search for Karen and J.J. goes with his gang. The gang's exuberant behaviour in a local

diner A diner is a small, inexpensive restaurant found across the United States, as well as in Canada and parts of Western Europe. Diners offer a wide range of foods, mostly American cuisine, a casual atmosphere, and, characteristically, a co ...

causes the sheriff to run them out of town. Outside of the town, Paul and Karen are captured by the gang with Paul beaten up and the gang vying for who will be the first to have their way with Karen. Though J.J. tries to help the couple the gang pull a pistol on him. J.J. seeks to delay Karen's fate by holding a motorcycle drag race to determine who will "win" Paul's pregnant girlfriend. Paul makes his way to the town where the sheriff is away taking a prisoner to another town to serve his sentence. No one in town will help Paul free his girlfriend until he comes across a group of Mexicans who confront the Rebel Rousers.

Production

Martin B. Cohen was the manager of Bruce Dern and his then wife Diane Ladd, formed his own film company Paragon International Pictures. Following the success of ''

The Wild Angels ''The Wild Angels'' is a 1966 American outlaw biker film produced and directed by Roger Corman. Made on location in Southern California, ''The Wild Angels'' was the first film to associate actor Peter Fonda with Harley-Davidson motorcycles an ...

'', Cohen cast Dern and Ladd who was pregnant with

Laura Dern Laura Elizabeth Dern (born February 10, 1967) is an American actress. She is the recipient of numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, a BAFTA Award, and five Golden Globe Awards. Born to actor Bruce Dern and act ...

in the motorcycle gang film. Bruce Dern brought his friend Jack Nicholson in the film along with Nicholson's former roommate Harry Dean Stanton and their friend Neil Nephew. John 'Bud' Cardos acted as production manager, performed stunts and appeared in the film. Cohen, who recalled the film as the worst thing he ever made told Dern that he was friends with Cameron Mitchell whose name would be above the title as he was a big star. Cameron Mitchell remembered Jack Nicholson picking out a pair of striped pants and a stocking hat to in order to stand out in the film.McGilligan. Patrick ''Jack's Life: A Biography of Jack Nicholson'' W. W. Norton & Company, 17 Feb 1996 The film was shot in January 1967 in Paradise Cove,

Malibu, California Malibu ( ; es, Malibú; Chumash: ) is a beach city in the Santa Monica Mountains region of Los Angeles County, California, situated about west of Downtown Los Angeles. It is known for its Mediterranean climate and its strip of the Malib ...

and

Chloride, Arizona Chloride is a onetime silver mining camp in Mohave County, Arizona, United States, and is considered the oldest continuously inhabited mining town in the state. The town is a census-designated place (CDP), with a population at the 2020 census o ...

but not released until after the success of ''

''.

Cast

* Cameron Mitchell as Paul Collier *

as J.J. Weston *

as Karen * Dean Stanton as Randolph *

as Bunny *

Neil Nephew Neil Burstyn (July 17, 1939 – November 9, 1978), known as Neil Nephew, was an American actor, writer and story editor. His works as an actor include '' Panic in Year Zero!'' (1962), ''The Rebel Rousers'' (1970) and ''Alex in Wonderland ' ...

as a Gang member *

John 'Bud' Cardos John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Seco ...

as the sheriff

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Rebel Rousers 1970 films 1970 drama films American auto racing films American independent films Motorcycle racing films Outlaw biker films 1970s American films