It’s Easy Rider’s Birthday [VIDEO]
One of my favorite biker flicks, Easy Rider, was released 46 years ago today and went, almost instantly, from cult classic to bona fide Hollywood gold.
Here are a few Easy Rider fun facts:
- Peter Fonda promised Dennis Hopper he could direct the movie so he'd star in it.
- Their characters, Billy and Wyatt, were named after Wyatt Earp and Billy The Kid.
- Harley Davidson refused to provide bikes. They were worried about what the films characters would do to the company's image.
- The bikes were ex-L. A. police bikes customized by Ben Hardy andliff Vaughs.
- You still see Fonda's iconic chopper at rallys and museums but they're reproductions. Careful, spoiler alert here. Of the 4 bikes used in the film, only one remains and it was practically destroyed in the accident scene at the end.
- The wrecked bike was bought and restored by Dan Haggerty, who sold it in 2001 for $1.35 million.
- The most that's ever been paid for a motorcycle.
- The original film was almost 5 hours long and took Fonda a year to edit.
- When the characters smoke pot, they're really smoking pot. When they're tripping on LSD, they're not really on LSD.
Personally, I think they did try filming on acid. How else can you explain a 5 hour version?
It's cheesy-ness and 60's hippy vibe alone make it worth watching and it's kinda neat to see Hopper, Fonda and Jack Nicholson as 20-somethings. It's a little sad though, seeing that the free wheeling lifestyles of Wyatt and Billy are gone while the prejudices and intolerance they encounter are thriving. If you've never seen it, check it out.