The Choppers (1961)

Fanciful, disturbing, and wildly original, it announces the arrival of a fresh, bold voice in American cinema.

I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

Five teenage boys--four from bad homes and the fifth a rich kid with an absentee mother--are wanted by a police lieutenant on car thief detail for stripping non-working autos left by the side of the road. The kids are fast and efficient at their work, using a poultry truck as a cover for slipping passed the cops, making their capture a headache for the authorities. Amateur juvie outing from low-rent producer Arch Hall and featuring the film debut of his son, Arch Hall, Jr. Not poorly-made exactly, though with spiritless performances and enervated pacing. The camp dialogue and pop songs almost make it tolerable. *1/2 from ****

whatta cute little movie. this has got my vote for one of the cutest things i've ever seen. the tougher this movie tries to be, the cuter the whole thing gets.now i'm not advocating crime or anything, but lets face facts, it's cute when people do bad things. as long as it doesn't get too out of hand. remember Beavis and Butt-Head with the whole "breakin da law breakin da law" thing? cute. i always think people are really cute when they attempt to be bad. it's very existential and it shows healthy contempt for the barriers that restrict us. it's very healthy and well adjusted to be bad, as long as you don't go ballistic with that knowledge you'll probably be okay.i'm a big fan of Archnik Hall. especially here when he was a cute little tyke. Arhchie baby can be scary no doubt. he was pretty menacing and creepy in the excellent 'The Sadist'. but not here. he's pretty darn adorable with his greaser hair cut and zooming around in his cute little mini hot rod. the effect is supposed to be bad ass tough, but it just comes off as so funny for some reason, i just can't take any of these cute little punks very seriously. especially when they start singing that little "monkey has a hat" song.when they strip cars and menace people and then do stupid things and start fighting with each other, it just all seems to get funnier and funnier. i think it has a little to do with the fact that these guys are so clean cut looking and baby faced that they're just not scary.i'm not saying all bad behavior is cool. some people do get carried away and are in serious need of a spanking. others wind up in prison or dead because they went too far with it.basically life philosophy is pretty much do what ya babies like. just make sure you're smart about it and you know your limits. OW! ARCHIE HALL RULES AND THE CHOPPER BUNCH IS OOKY POOKY ADORABLE! OW!

This is Arch Hall, Jr.'s first film and it's strange that although he appeared a year later in WILD GUITAR that he looked a lot younger and less polished in THE CHOPPERS. Not surprisingly, his father, schlock film maker Arch Hall, Sr. was also in the film in a bit part as a radio announcer decrying the sad plight of youth run wild. Leigh Jason directed this film with enough style and grace to make me almost think that Hall, Sr. had done so--in other words, he, too, was a hack.Despite the title, this film is NOT about motorcycles or helicopters but about youths who make money and get cheap thrills "chopping" cars. In other words, they strip cars illegally--selling the parts to an unscrupulous junkyard owner who resells them. The beginning appears to be narrated by Hall, Sr. and much of the film feels very stiff--like a much stiffer version of "Dragnet". The only performers who weren't stiff in their deliveries were the teens--who seemed like total stereotypes of the "youth gone wild" beatniks of the age. Also, I am pretty sure that at least one of the songs you hear in the background is one of Arch, Jr.'s--he sang in several of his films and I'd recognize that adequate voice anywhere.There were a few interesting quality touches in the film. One occurred at about the 47 minutes mark. As the truck was driving down the highway, you see the driver turning the wheel back and forth in the closeup--like he's turning the corner. But when the camera pulls back, you see the road is straight as an arrow for miles! Another was the great acting by the drunk dad near the end--a terrible performance that stood out way ahead of all the other poor performances! Overall, a bad film that is worth seeing for a laugh. In other words, bad movie fans will enjoy it immensely--others probably won't be so impressed.

For a movie that rhymes "Monkeys in my Hatband" with "I can do a handstand" for the lead character's big song, this movie was pretty good.It's a movie with a moral that if parents don't look out for their kids they will start stealing car parts and shoot a bunch of cops. Does anybody know what he meant by "Monkeys in my hatband"?I don't get it. Perhaps watching this movie on the roof of a supermarket in center city Philadelphia made it a bit more entertaining.I hope that Arch Hall Jr. is one day recognized as the genius he is.