The Dirt Bike Kid
Encyclopedia
The Dirt Bike Kid is a 1985 film directed by Hoite Caston, produced by Julie Corman
, starring Peter Billingsley
and Stuart Pankin
, about a boy who discovered a magic dirt bike that has a mind of its own.
) is a lazy boy who lives with his widowed mother (Anne Bloom
) who is struggling to support herself and her son since the death of her husband. One day, Mrs. Simmons orders Jack to buy groceries with her last $50 bill she has in her savings, but Jack is distracted by a dirt bike race and uses the $50 to buy a dirt bike from a local bully named Max (Gavin Allen
). When Jack has the bike, he learns it is alive, or possibly occupied by a friendly spirit
, and does things to help out Jack. Mrs. Simmons is furious that Jack spent her money on a dirt bike, and promptly confiscates
the bike and sells it to a local shop owner Mr. Zak (Al Evans
) regaining her $50. However, the bike returns in the middle of the night to visit Jack. Jack tells this to Mr. Zak, who says Jack can work off his debt by having himself and the bike make deliveries for him.
Jack also plays on a Little League team sponsored by the Doghouse, a hot dog
joint owned by Mike (Patrick Collins
), who was a lifetime friend of Jack's father and is trying to look out for Jack in the wake of his father's death. The Doghouse is experiencing serious financial problems and is being sought to be demolished by the town's banker Mr. Hodgkins (Stuart Pankin
) in order to make way for a second Hodgkins Bank. One of his tellers is Mazie Clavell (Sage Parker) who is also a coach of the rival Little League team. She later quits when she sees Hodgkins as a ruthless businessman who advocates getting ahead at all costs, and begins dating Mike, whom she sees as an honest business owner who faces adversity squarely. Jack and his friend Pee Wee use the bike to help uncover why Hodgkins is after the Doghouse, especially after hacking
into the bank's computer they learn that the Doghouse's land would not make a very good location for Hodgkins' bank and that Mr. Hodgkins' personal account is not as sizable as the community is led to believe. Hodgkins learns of Jack's attempt to save the Doghouse, and enlists the aid of Max (who is a player on his Little League team) who brings in a biker named Big Slime (Weasel Forshaw).
When Mr. Hodgkins converses on Jack's house, Mr. Hodgkins calls in Chief Salt (John William Galt) of the local force. Chief Salt who orders his men to impound the dirt bike as he is overextended on his mortgage at Hodgkins' Bank, and whom Mr. Hodgkins' chooses not to foreclose
on Chief Salt in exchange. Mr. Hodgkins states to Jack and his mom that if he wants the dirt bike back, the impoundment fee is $100.000. However, Mazie and Mike come to Jack's aid by paying the impoundment fee for Jack to get his dirt bike back.
When the groundbreaking ceremony on the bank's construction is set to begin by having a bulldozer
raze the Doghouse, Jack shows up with his Little League team, who disrupts the event by getting into a pie fight with Max, Hodgkins, and Big Slime's bikers. The dirt bike then takes away a shocked Hodgkins' while Jack is driving it. With Hodgkins in tow, Jack says that he is aware of the financial problems of both Hodgkins and Mike, and has an idea where all can benefit.
One year later, Hodgkins shows up in a goofy hot dog suit to commemorate the opening of a shopping mall
that features a renovated Doghouse and the new Hodgkins Bank, now fully constructed. Pee Wee, once unpopular with girls, is now admired by pretty girls. Jack's mom has found good work, Mike and Mazie are now married and expecting their first baby. Chief Salt now works as a security guard in the bank after having been presumably fired from his job as police chief by the town council for corruption
. Big Slime (who is now wearing a shirt and tie and admits his true name is Arthur) has dissolved his biker gang and taken a job as a teller
in the new Hodgkins Bank. With the community lifted, the dirt bike's magic stops working for Jack, whose mother tells him it may have been magic for Jack only to help him out. Jack gives the bike to another little boy, and it appears the magic returns once again for another child.
Julie Corman
Julie Corman is an American film producer. Corman is married to film producer and director Roger Corman.-Career:Julie Corman began her career in the film industry by she marrying legendary film director/ producer, Roger Corman. Her first feature producing credits consisted of a series of "Night...
, starring Peter Billingsley
Peter Billingsley
Peter Billingsley , also known as Peter Michaelsen and Peter Billingsley-Michaelsen, is an American actor, director, and producer best known for his role as Ralphie in the 1983 movie A Christmas Story. He began his career as an infant, in television commercials.-Early life, family and...
and Stuart Pankin
Stuart Pankin
Stuart Pankin is an American film and television actor.-Early life:Pankin was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and attended Dickinson College, where he was a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon, and Columbia University.-Career:...
, about a boy who discovered a magic dirt bike that has a mind of its own.
Plot
Jack Simmons (Peter BillingsleyPeter Billingsley
Peter Billingsley , also known as Peter Michaelsen and Peter Billingsley-Michaelsen, is an American actor, director, and producer best known for his role as Ralphie in the 1983 movie A Christmas Story. He began his career as an infant, in television commercials.-Early life, family and...
) is a lazy boy who lives with his widowed mother (Anne Bloom
Anne Bloom
-Biography:Anne Bloom's television acting career began with an appearance on ABC's medical drama Marcus Welby, M.D. in 1974. A brief film career included the part of Peter Billingsley's mother in 1985's The Dirt Bike Kid, though she is probably best known for her role as television news...
) who is struggling to support herself and her son since the death of her husband. One day, Mrs. Simmons orders Jack to buy groceries with her last $50 bill she has in her savings, but Jack is distracted by a dirt bike race and uses the $50 to buy a dirt bike from a local bully named Max (Gavin Allen
Gavin Allen
Gavin Allen is an Australian former rugby league player of the 1980s and 90s. He played club football in the Brisbane Rugby League premiership for Fortitude Valley and in the NSWRL premiership for the St...
). When Jack has the bike, he learns it is alive, or possibly occupied by a friendly spirit
Spiritual possession
Spirit possession is a paranormal or supernatural event in which it is said that spirits, gods, demons, animas, extraterrestrials, or other disincarnate or extraterrestrial entities take control of a human body, resulting in noticeable changes in health and behaviour...
, and does things to help out Jack. Mrs. Simmons is furious that Jack spent her money on a dirt bike, and promptly confiscates
Confiscation
Confiscation, from the Latin confiscatio 'joining to the fiscus, i.e. transfer to the treasury' is a legal seizure without compensation by a government or other public authority...
the bike and sells it to a local shop owner Mr. Zak (Al Evans
Al Evans
Alfred Hubert Evans was an American Major League Baseball catcher and a Minor League manager. Listed at 5' 11", 190 lb., Evans batted and threw right-handed. He was born in Kenly, North Carolina....
) regaining her $50. However, the bike returns in the middle of the night to visit Jack. Jack tells this to Mr. Zak, who says Jack can work off his debt by having himself and the bike make deliveries for him.
Jack also plays on a Little League team sponsored by the Doghouse, a hot dog
Hot dog
A hot dog is a sausage served in a sliced bun. It is very often garnished with mustard, ketchup, onions, mayonnaise, relish and/or sauerkraut.-History:...
joint owned by Mike (Patrick Collins
Patrick Collins
Patrick Collins may refer to:* Paddy Collins , Irish sportsman* Patrick K. Collins , rugby union coach* Patrick Collins , American pornographic film producer and director...
), who was a lifetime friend of Jack's father and is trying to look out for Jack in the wake of his father's death. The Doghouse is experiencing serious financial problems and is being sought to be demolished by the town's banker Mr. Hodgkins (Stuart Pankin
Stuart Pankin
Stuart Pankin is an American film and television actor.-Early life:Pankin was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and attended Dickinson College, where he was a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon, and Columbia University.-Career:...
) in order to make way for a second Hodgkins Bank. One of his tellers is Mazie Clavell (Sage Parker) who is also a coach of the rival Little League team. She later quits when she sees Hodgkins as a ruthless businessman who advocates getting ahead at all costs, and begins dating Mike, whom she sees as an honest business owner who faces adversity squarely. Jack and his friend Pee Wee use the bike to help uncover why Hodgkins is after the Doghouse, especially after hacking
Hacker (computer security)
In computer security and everyday language, a hacker is someone who breaks into computers and computer networks. Hackers may be motivated by a multitude of reasons, including profit, protest, or because of the challenge...
into the bank's computer they learn that the Doghouse's land would not make a very good location for Hodgkins' bank and that Mr. Hodgkins' personal account is not as sizable as the community is led to believe. Hodgkins learns of Jack's attempt to save the Doghouse, and enlists the aid of Max (who is a player on his Little League team) who brings in a biker named Big Slime (Weasel Forshaw).
When Mr. Hodgkins converses on Jack's house, Mr. Hodgkins calls in Chief Salt (John William Galt) of the local force. Chief Salt who orders his men to impound the dirt bike as he is overextended on his mortgage at Hodgkins' Bank, and whom Mr. Hodgkins' chooses not to foreclose
Foreclosure
Foreclosure is the legal process by which a mortgage lender , or other lien holder, obtains a termination of a mortgage borrower 's equitable right of redemption, either by court order or by operation of law...
on Chief Salt in exchange. Mr. Hodgkins states to Jack and his mom that if he wants the dirt bike back, the impoundment fee is $100.000. However, Mazie and Mike come to Jack's aid by paying the impoundment fee for Jack to get his dirt bike back.
When the groundbreaking ceremony on the bank's construction is set to begin by having a bulldozer
Bulldozer
A bulldozer is a crawler equipped with a substantial metal plate used to push large quantities of soil, sand, rubble, etc., during construction work and typically equipped at the rear with a claw-like device to loosen densely-compacted materials.Bulldozers can be found on a wide range of sites,...
raze the Doghouse, Jack shows up with his Little League team, who disrupts the event by getting into a pie fight with Max, Hodgkins, and Big Slime's bikers. The dirt bike then takes away a shocked Hodgkins' while Jack is driving it. With Hodgkins in tow, Jack says that he is aware of the financial problems of both Hodgkins and Mike, and has an idea where all can benefit.
One year later, Hodgkins shows up in a goofy hot dog suit to commemorate the opening of a shopping mall
Shopping mall
A shopping mall, shopping centre, shopping arcade, shopping precinct or simply mall is one or more buildings forming a complex of shops representing merchandisers, with interconnecting walkways enabling visitors to easily walk from unit to unit, along with a parking area — a modern, indoor version...
that features a renovated Doghouse and the new Hodgkins Bank, now fully constructed. Pee Wee, once unpopular with girls, is now admired by pretty girls. Jack's mom has found good work, Mike and Mazie are now married and expecting their first baby. Chief Salt now works as a security guard in the bank after having been presumably fired from his job as police chief by the town council for corruption
Political corruption
Political corruption is the use of legislated powers by government officials for illegitimate private gain. Misuse of government power for other purposes, such as repression of political opponents and general police brutality, is not considered political corruption. Neither are illegal acts by...
. Big Slime (who is now wearing a shirt and tie and admits his true name is Arthur) has dissolved his biker gang and taken a job as a teller
Bank teller
A teller is an employee of a bank who deals directly with most customers. In some places, this employee is known as a cashier. Most teller jobs require cash handling experience and a high school diploma. Most banks provide on the job training....
in the new Hodgkins Bank. With the community lifted, the dirt bike's magic stops working for Jack, whose mother tells him it may have been magic for Jack only to help him out. Jack gives the bike to another little boy, and it appears the magic returns once again for another child.
Cast
- Peter BillingsleyPeter BillingsleyPeter Billingsley , also known as Peter Michaelsen and Peter Billingsley-Michaelsen, is an American actor, director, and producer best known for his role as Ralphie in the 1983 movie A Christmas Story. He began his career as an infant, in television commercials.-Early life, family and...
as Jack Simmons - Stuart PankinStuart PankinStuart Pankin is an American film and television actor.-Early life:Pankin was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and attended Dickinson College, where he was a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon, and Columbia University.-Career:...
as Mr. Hodgkins - Anne BloomAnne Bloom-Biography:Anne Bloom's television acting career began with an appearance on ABC's medical drama Marcus Welby, M.D. in 1974. A brief film career included the part of Peter Billingsley's mother in 1985's The Dirt Bike Kid, though she is probably best known for her role as television news...
as Janet Simmons - Gavin AllenGavin AllenGavin Allen is an Australian former rugby league player of the 1980s and 90s. He played club football in the Brisbane Rugby League premiership for Fortitude Valley and in the NSWRL premiership for the St...
as Max - Al EvansAl EvansAlfred Hubert Evans was an American Major League Baseball catcher and a Minor League manager. Listed at 5' 11", 190 lb., Evans batted and threw right-handed. He was born in Kenly, North Carolina....
as Mr. Zak - Patrick CollinsPatrick CollinsPatrick Collins may refer to:* Paddy Collins , Irish sportsman* Patrick K. Collins , rugby union coach* Patrick Collins , American pornographic film producer and director...
as Mike - Sage Parker as Mazie Clavell
- Weasel Forshaw as Big Slime
- John William Galt as Police Chief Salt