Last night, I went to the Brattle Theatre in Cambridge to see The Wanderers. Released in the summer of 1979 and directed by Philip Kaufman, it was notable for its largely unknown cast featuring Ken Wahl (second from the left) in his acting debut.
I had only seen The Wanderers once before and that was 30 years ago, but the film left an impression on me. I remember it for being both ridiculous and sublime. The ridiculous being the "elbow-titting" scene and that sublime being when Ken Wahl sees people crying in the streets and he runs to a crowd of being outside a TV shop who have just learned that President Kennedy was assassinated.
It also left an impression because the movie was set in The Bronx in 1963. Although my Dad had left The Bronx by then The Bronx never left him. He had been in a street gang and it provided a glimpse of what his life was like.
Watching the film last night, I was reminded of Animal House for two reasons. Both films were set in the early 1960's and feature a similar soundtrack. Indeed, The Isley Brothers' "Shout" is featured in both films. And, of course, there is Karen Allen. Her presence is also interesting because she represents the transition from greaser rocker to beatnik folkie. When this film was released in 1979, 1963 might as well have been a different century. If one were to release a film in 2017 set in 2001, our appearance and fashion have only changed subtlety. What has changed between 2001 and 2017 is the technology and life after the 9/11 attacks.
The Wanderers features several character actors. There was Val Avery who had been in The Magnificent Seven and numerous TV shows like The Twilight Zone, The Untouchables, The Munsters, I Spy, The Fugitive and, of course, Columbo. There was Dolph Sweet who would later play the father on the 1980's NBC TV series Gimme a Break with Nell Carter. Olympia Dukakis had a small role as the mother of one of the gang members. Less than a decade later, she would win a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for Moonstruck. Fans of The Sopranos will recognize Toni Kalem who played Big Pussy's wife and later widow.
I completely did not recognize Alan Rosenberg with his shaved head aspiring to be a Fordham Baldy. He would later join the cast of L.A. Law and spent a term as President of the Screen Actors Guild. While I did not know Erland Van Lidth De Jeude's name off the top of my head (he played Terror, the leader of the Fordham Baldies), I recognized him from his role in Stir Crazy with Gene Wilder and Richard Pryor. Sadly, he died of heart failure in 1987 at the age of 34.
But most of the cast faded into obscurity - John Friedrich, Linda Manz, Jim Youngs, Michael Wright, Samm-Art Williams and so did Tony Gallios after the Porkys movies. To some degree the same could also be said of Ken Wahl. Aside from The Wanderers and Fort Apache, The Bronx, Wahl would find success in the late '80's, early '90's TV series Wiseguy. But Wahl has been out of the public eye for nearly a quarter century following a broken neck sustained after falling down some stairs. This led to problems with alcohol and drugs which complicated his ability to learn how to walk again and do things most people take for granted.
Don't get me wrong. Wahl has been happily married to Shane Barbi for the past 20 years and is active on Twitter where he highlights his concerns for our veterans and for animals. (He also appears to be a Trump supporter. Well, one can agree to disagree in this country). But there aren't any current pictures of him. I can understand that. I'm sure he isn't in very good physical condition and doesn't want people feeling sorry for him. He probably wants people to remember him when they saw him in Wiseguy and in The Wanderers. If I were in his shoes, I might very well do the same. When better days aren't ahead we focus on better days past. In a way that was what The Wanderers was all about.
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