In Praise of Transcontinental International Pictures - Part V: THE VROOM VROOM GANG

 

Way back when we covered Transcontinental International Pictures final biker film THE HOSPITABLE 8 (1971).  We now take a look at their first foray into the genre. 

The outlaw biker film was big in the sixties.  Maybe not Beatles big . . . Or Rolling Stones big . . . But definitely Spanky and Our Gang big.  

Roger Corman’s THE WILD ANGELS sparked the biker film craze in 1966, becoming a huge hit. The following year, TIP hopped on the budding trend with THE VROOM VROOM GANG, joining an already crowded lineup of biker flicks like DEVIL’S ANGELS, THE GLORY STOMPERS, HELL’S ANGELS ON WHEELS, and THE REBEL ROUSERS.

The movie follows the exploits of gang of hog riding neanderthals whose favorite pastimes include bar fights, gang rapes and bringing drunk and disorderly to new levels of debauchery.  Including an incredible muddy, bloody brawl at a swamp buggy race.

Filmed on a $130,000 budget in Tampa and Naples, Florida, THE VROOM VROOM GANG was a major success for TIP, prompting the company to release five more biker films. While it didn’t match the output of American International Pictures, it far exceeded that of Janus Films.

Director Albert Lewis began his career by directing industrial films and editing adult features. He eventually transitioned to television, directing dozens of shows and earning a reputation as the go-to director for "Evil Twin" episodes, having directed eleven of them so far.

Bo Brenner, who played Pretty Boy, appeared in a few episodes of Flipper and Gentle Ben before transitioning to a career as an acting teacher.

Joe Joe Bauer had a bright future as a race car driver until a dipstick injury brought his career to a halt. He then ventured into acting, but aside from THE VROOM VROOM GANG and two nudie cuties, TO BE NUDE IS TO BE FREE (1963) and SUNDRENCHED LOVERS (1964), his acting career sputtered out—without the help of a dipstick this time.

TIP's Klark Kincaid was a drinking buddy with someone high up in the General Mills, Inc. organization, so he was able to have the food company release a limited tie-in cereal for the VROOM VROOM GANG. 

Both the movie and the cereal were long forgotten until . . .