Bad movies can be good fun. Presenting The Choppers, a lurid tale of wild hot rods and troubled teenagers. It’s got everything—including TV Tommy Ivo’s famed T-bucket roadster. See it here.
It’s been a long time, we bet, since this classic teenage car flick appeared on commercial broadcast TV. It was once a regular on the Saturday B movie matinees, where we remember it fondly. Released in 1961, The Choppers featured Arch Hall Jr. (son of low-budget movie impresario Arch Hall Sr.) as the leader of a gang of teenage car strippers. But for many of us, the real star was his car—an awesome Ford Model T roadster with a hot Buick nailhead V8 for power. In real life, the T bucket was built and owned by the famed drag racer and TV actor Tommy Ivo.
Memorable moments also include the colorful character actors Burno VeSota and Britt Wood as the operators of a crooked auto salvage yard, and Marianne Gaba, the TV and real-life girlfriend of teen idol Ricky Nelson, as secretary Liz. At just over 60 minutes, The Choppers is pleasingly short for a Hollywood movie, but pretty long for the internet, so we’ll excuse you for fast-forwarding through the slow scenes. Enjoy the movie.
Monkey in my hatband!
Sure would like to get my hands on that T-bucket. Five-K back in ’61 was a lot of money. Regarding the movie, the acting sure has changed over the years. It was a great departure from the usual. Thanks for posting it….
I believe the Ivo T is in the NHRA Museum in Pomona, California.