Walk on the Wild Side (1962)

56% of users liked it
(1,187 ratings)

This moody and controversial drama takes place in Depression-era New Orleans. Dove (Laurence Harvey) has traveled by bus from Texas to find his wayward lover Hallie (Capucine). He meets young Kitty Twist (Jane Fonda) as the two get off in the crescent city. Teresina (Anne Baxter) gives him a job at… More This moody and controversial drama takes place in Depression-era New Orleans. Dove (Laurence Harvey) has traveled by bus from Texas to find his wayward lover Hallie (Capucine). He meets young Kitty Twist (Jane Fonda) as the two get off in the crescent city. Teresina (Anne Baxter) gives him a job at her small cafe. In his free time, Dove searches for Hallie and finds her at work as a prostitute in the Doll's House. Dove implores Hallie to return to him but she refuses. When the lecherous lesbian madame Jo (Barbara Stanwyck) discovers Dove's intentions towards Hallie, she has him beaten to a bloody pulp by her hired goons. He is found by Kitty, now a happy hooker at the Doll House, and is taken back to the cafe where the compassionate Teresina heals his physical and emotional wounds. The film taken from the novel by Nelson Algren is much tamer than the original text. The title track, sung by Brook Benton, was nominated for an Academy Award. The "black-cat stalking" opening and closing sequences (by designer Saul Bass) is a perfect little "film-within-a-film." This footage, with its superb lighting, framing, panning, and editing, should be appreciated by anyone who wants to know more about the art of cinematography. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 54 min.
Directed By: Edward Dmytryk
Written By: Nelson Algren, John Fante, Edmund Morris
Genres: Drama, Classics

In Theaters: Jan 1, 1962 Wide
On DVD: Feb 10, 2004

Critic Reviews

Steve Crum, Video-Reviewmaster.com
Sleazy atmosphere prevails with Fonda and Capucine as brothel babes.
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com
Sharply uneven, this lurid, intense drams is pseudo Tennessee Williams (say Fugitive Kind), about a Texas drifer and desperate women in his life, but it showcases Stanwyck as a lesbian (one of Hollywood's first) and early signs of Jane Fonda's talent
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
best known for that marvelous opening credit sequence created by Saul Bass.
Staci Layne Wilson, StaciWilson.com
Tame by today's standards, but the Saul Bass title sequnce can't be beat.

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Featured Audience Ratings

Michael G

Lawrence Harvey plays a good-natured gentleman idiot hayseed looking for his ex in 30s New Orleans only to find out she became a whore. Harvey's accent is kind of forced, Capucine as usual relies too much on her looks and Barbara Stanwyck plays her later era typical brassy old… More
Lawrence Harvey plays a good-natured gentleman idiot hayseed looking for his ex in 30s New Orleans only to find out she became a whore. Harvey's accent is kind of forced, Capucine as usual relies too much on her looks and Barbara Stanwyck plays her later era typical brassy old broad role--with the exception of her character being gay. The only standout is a young Jane Fonda who was as every bit good as she was foxy. Although she's got maybe 20 minutes of screen time Walk on the Wild Side is totally worth it for her.
jay n

Wild weird film, some odd casting choices, Anne Baxter as a mexican senorita?, add to the strange appeal of this mongrel of a movie

Cast

            Laurence Harvey as Dove Linkhorn

            Capucine as Hallie

            Jane Fonda as Kitty Twist

            Anne Baxter as Teresina Vidaverri

            Barbara Stanwyck as Jo Courtney

            Joanna Cook Moore as Miss Precious

            Richard Rust as Oliver

            Karl Swenson as Schmidt

            Don 'Red' Barry as Dockery

            Juanita Moore as Mama

            John Anderson as Preacher

            Todd Armstrong as Lt. Omar Stroud

            Lillian Bronson as Amy Gerard

            Adrienne Marden as Eva Gerard

            Sherry O'Neil as Reba

            Kathryn Card as Landlady

            Murray Alper as Simon

            Todd Anderson as Lieutenant Omar Stroud

            Steve Benton as Van Driver

            Nesdon Booth
            
            John Bryant as Spence

            Cordy Clark as Fat Woman

            Graham Denton
            
            Barbara Hines as Prostitute

            Ted Jacques as Sheriff

            Chester Jones as Black Waiter

            Alexander Lockwood as Doctor

            Ken Lynch as Frank Bonito

            Edward Mallory as Sidekick

            Paul Maxey as Auctioneer

            Bill Walker as Black Man

            Ray Walker as Salesman

            Willard Waterman
            
See full cast