Born to Be Wild (1938): cast, story & where to watch

Released in 1938, Born to Be Wild is an action and drama film directed by Joseph Kane, running about 66 minutes. “GANGLAND RIDES the HIGHWAY! (original poster)” — that tagline sets the tone.

What it’s about. Truck drivers Steve Hackett and Bill Purvis are fired from their jobs with the West Coast Trucking company for not using second-gear going down steep grades. Davis, the company vice-president, surprisingly asks them to carry a load of merchandise to Arrowhead and offers a $1000 bonus. He tells them it is a load of lettuce. Several miles out of Los Angelese, they are stopped by a mob of lettuce-farm workers on strike. When the first crate is tossed off the truck, it explodes and the two pals learn their merchandise is a cargo of dynamite. The workers let them proceed and they crash into a car driven by Mary Stevens, whom they had met at a restaurant. She and her dog, "Butch" (played by a Credited dog named Stooge), join them and they deliver their cargo, and learn unscrupulous real-estate operators have jammed the locks on the dam in order to ruin the ranchers and farmers and take over their property.

Who’s in it. Born to Be Wild stars Ralph Byrd as Steve Hackett, Doris Weston as Mary Stevens, Ward Bond as Bill Purvis and Robert Emmett Keane as J. Stearns Davis, among others.

Where to watch. In US you can rent or buy it from Amazon Video. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch Born to Be Wild page.

If you liked it. Fans of Born to Be Wild tend to enjoy The Dark Knight, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Inception and The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.