FILM SCREENINGS

The Wild One

1953. USA. Directed by László Benedek. Screenplay by John Paxton. Music by Leith Stevens. With Marlon Brando, Lee Marvin, Mary Murphy. While Brando's leather-clad motorcycle rebel was inspiring countless imitators both onscreen and off, Leith Stevens's groundbreaking use of jazz source cues, arranged by the trumpeter Shorty Rogers, helped start a craze for jazz-inflected movie soundtracks. Rogers, who became involved with the film at Brando's insistence, assembled his west coast All-Stars—Jimmy Giuffre, Bud Shank, and Shelly Manne, along with other jazz musicians who frequented the legendary Lighthouse in Hermosa Beach—to create a brash and brassy modern sound. 79 min.