Then Came Bronson (1969)

After his best friend (Martin Sheen) commits suicide, a journalist (Michael Parks) becomes disillusioned with the way his life is going so he quits his job and hops on a motorcycle and goes where life takes him. Directed by William A. Graham (CHANGE OF HABIT), this was a TV movie pilot for a projected TV series that came six months after this aired. It was released theatrically in Europe in an alternate cut (including nudity) and that's the cut I watched. It was the era of films like EASY RIDER and FIVE EASY PIECES and this film follows a similar path of someone leaving the establishment behind and searching for "something". The core of the film however is the relationship between Parks and Bonnie Bedelia as a runaway bride who joins him on his odyssey, at least to New Orleans anyway. The ending seems abrupt as if the makers had run out of steam. Parks seems to be channeling James Dean (something which marred much of his career) which gives his performance an artificial quality. There's a nice score by George Duning. With Sheree North, Akim Tamiroff, Gary Merrill and Bert Freed.