TITLE: Chrome and Hot Leather
YEAR OF MOVIE RELEASE: 1971
PRODUCTION COMPANY: Saber Productions
DISTRIBUTOR: American International Pictures
AUSTRALIAN DISTRIBUTOR: Roadshow
TAGLINE: “Don’t muck around with a Green Beret’s mama!”
ADDITIONAL POSTER TEXT: “It’s kill or be killed in a cycle gang-war!”
DIRECTOR: Lee Frost
CAST: William Smith, Tony Young, Michael Haynes, Peter Brown, Marvin Gaye, Michael Stearns, Kathy Baumann and Larry Bishop
PRODUCER: Wes Bishop
CINEMATOGRAPHY: Lee Frost
SCREENPLAY: Michael Allen Haynes, David Neibel and Don Tait
MUSIC: Porter Jordan
POSTER PRINTER: M.A.P.S. Litho Pty. Ltd.
FORMAT: Australian One Sheet
GENRE: Action / Biker
COLLECTOR’S NOTE
Chrome and Hot Leather offers an unexpected crossover between biker cinema and soul music, featuring Marvin Gaye as Jim, one of the Green Berets. His name appears prominently among the cast on this Australian poster.
The film also marked Cheryl Ladd’s feature-film debut, under her earlier screen name Cherie Moor. Director Lee Frost doubled as cinematographer, receiving a “photographed and directed by” credit in the film. These connections give this motorcycle revenge film added interest for collectors following the careers of its performers and independent filmmakers.
POSTER DESIGN FEATURES
Black halftone imagery and bold orange lettering create a striking design against a pale background. A large central image of a woman in fitted clothing overlaps the title and an angled motorcycle, while an upper-left confrontation introduces the film’s violence.
Smaller orange-and-black motorcycle scenes add movement, including a rider performing a wheelie at the upper right and a tumbling bike-and-rider montage near the bottom. The oversized title combines white CHROME AND lettering with orange HOT LEATHER across a heavy black panel.
The orange Green Beret tagline fills the upper-right corner, balanced by the smaller “It’s kill or be killed” message beside the central figure. Black cast lettering, the Australian M classification symbol and the American International / Roadshow release panel complete this bold example of early-1970s biker-film advertising.