John "Johnny" Strabler / Narrator quotes from The Wild One (1953)

Johnny

Say, you live here all the time?

Kathie

All my life.

Johnny

We've been over to Carbonville at the meet.

Kathie

A bunch of motorcycles came through this way yesterday. They didn't stop. [She sees his trophy.] Is that what they give you in those races for killin' yourself?

Johnny

That's right. Want it?

Kathie

No.

Johnny

Well, go on, take it. Go ahead.

Kathie

No.

Johnny

Go on.

Kathie

You can't do that. You - You won it. You have to get your name engraved on it, or whatever you do. It's important to you. You don't - you don't give something like that away just like that, not unless you knew a girl real well and, well, and you liked her.

Hey, Johnny.

Johnny

Yo!

About this town. They got a doc here.

They're gonna rewire Crazy. Hey, what are we gonna do, sit around and scratch our self?

Yeah, we gonna wait for Crazy, or we gonna get outta this dump?

Johnny

We gonna wait for Crazy.

Kathie

Where are you going when you leave here? Don't you know?

Johnny

Oh man, we just gonna go.

Kathie

Just trying to make conversation. It means nothing to me.

Johnny

Well, on the weekends, we go out and have a ball.

Kathie

And what do you do? I mean, do you just ride around? Or do you go on some sort of a picnic or something?

Johnny

A picnic? Man, you are too square. I'll have to straighten you out. Now, listen, you don't go any one special place. That's cornball style. You just go. [He snaps his fingers.] A bunch gets together after all week it builds up, you just...the idea is to have a ball. Now if you gonna stay cool, you got to wail. You got to put somethin' down. You got to make some jive. Don't you know what I'm talkin' about?

Mildred

Hey, Johnny, what are you rebelling against?

Johnny

What've you got?

Kathie

He was afraid of making a mistake. He was afraid of losing his job. He's the town joke and I'm stuck with him. He doesn't got any business being a cop. No more than you have with that [fake trophy]. He's a fake - like you. Well, you've impressed everybody now, big motorcycle racer. Why don't you take that back so they can give it to somebody who really won it?

Johnny

Say what? Who are you? Some girl who makes sandwiches or somethin'? Your father wears that hat that says he's a big important man and you start telling me what to do. Nobody tells me what to do. You keep needlin' me, and if I want to, I'm gonna take this joint apart. And you're not gonna know what hit ya.

Kathie

I'm sorry. I-I can't fight back. Too tired. It would be better, wouldn't it? Then you could hit me.

Johnny

You think you're too good for me. Nobody's too good for me. Anybody thinks they're too good for me, I make sure I knock 'em over sometime. Right now, I can slap you around to show you how good you are. And tomorrow, I'm someplace else and I don't even know you or nothing.

Kathie

Do you want to?

Johnny

I wouldn't waste my time with a square like you. What do I want to knock myself out for? I'm gonna take you back and dump you. Come on, where're you going?

Kathie

Johnny. [She gently touches his arm.]

Johnny

Quit that.

Kathie

It's crazy, isn't it? You're afraid of me. I don't know why, but I'm not afraid of you now. You're afraid of me.

Johnny

I'm afraid of you? Are you cracked? Come on, get on.

Kathie

I wanted to touch you. I wanted to try anyway.

Johnny

Try what?

Kathie

I don't know. I wanted to make it the way I always thought it would be sometime - with somebody. The way I always thought it might be. You're still fighting, aren't you? You're always fighting. Why do you hate everybody? [touching his motorcycle] I've never ridden on a motorcycle before. It's fast, it scared me, but I forgot everything. It felt good. Is that what you do? You know what I used to think about? I used to think about it alot after my mother died - that somebody would come here and stop at Uncle Frank's place, and buy a cup of coffee or something, and he'd like me right away and take me with him. Johnny, you were going to give me that statue. Will you give it to me now?

Johnny

Why?

Kathie

I don't know. I just wondered if you still wanted to give it to me, that's all. It's crazy.

Johnny

Where did you want this guy to take you - this guy who had a cup of coffee?

Kathie

I don't know. Wherever he was going, I guess. I'm shaky. I wish I was going someplace. I wish you were going someplace. We could go together.