Outlaw Bikers

1974. Geraldo Rivera for his Good Night America program hosts Sandy Alexander and Deakon Proudfoot, presidents of Hells Angels motorcycle club chapters in New York City and Oakland, California. We start with Geraldo relating a personal story of attempting to get some footage of the group's clubhouse in the East Village before moving on to discussions with Sandy and Deakon. Do any of the Hells Angels have jobs?

Later in the segment we meet some of the brothers and ladies of the club in the audience -- what does Vinny use the knife for? Peeling bananas, oranges, things like that.

Many victims who allegedly suffered violence at the hands of the 'outlaw motorcycle club' were invited to the show but declined to come, with the same true for law enforcement officials.

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May 10, 1992. A campground the Sons of Silence motorcycle club has rented. Here Krista Bradford, reporter for Geraldo Rivera's Now It Can Be Told, takes us to the outskirts of Sturgis, South Dakota during a biker rally there. Her host is Paul Klein, or PK.

We hear a lot from Mr. Klein in this clip as well as see happenings at the campgrounds including beer drinking, arm wrestling, and target practice. Mr. Klein talks about his beliefs and more. An official investigating biker gangs provides perspective. Later, we meet some of the biker women involved with these men:

"Why hang out with a bunch of wimps, when you could hang out with these guys..."

Paul Klein was the manager of Jim & I's Star Bar in Colorado Springs, and was shot and killed there in 1993.

In 2025, the Sons of Silence Motorcycle Club is estimated at the 6th largest in the world, with a membership of over 250.

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1974, Geraldo Rivera on his show Good Night America hosts a special r.e. the Hells Angels biker group. This clip shows a segment from the film 'Angels forever, forever angels' which was produced in cooperation with the Grateful Dead, and due to be released the upcoming Spring of 1975.

Fifty years later in 2024 the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club remains the largest 'outlaw' motorcycle club in the world, with over 600 members in 66 countries.

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1974. Geraldo Rivera as part of his Good Night America program heads to Folsom prison in California, one of the oldest penitentiaries in the country. The facility holds about 2,000 inmates but today we hear from two members of the Hells Angels, Ralph 'Sonny' Barger and James 'Fu' Griffin. The men maintain they are not guilty of "...everything the media says about us." What about the comparison of Hells Angels to the SS, to the nazis?

Both James Griffin and Ralph Barger were convicted of and serving time for drug possession. James Griffin died in 1985. Ralph Barger passed away in 2022.

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October 5th, 1990. Geraldo Rivera on his namesake talk show brings us 'Biker Chicks', this segment hearing from Sunshine, Debbie and their respective partners.

"Some people, you know, when you first get on a bike you just never get off ... there's a lot I really like about bikers, mostly just how perceptive they are to everything around them..."

Debbie talks about why bikers are great, and Sunshine speaks towards the end of the clip about what attracted her to Puppy. The women display clear arguments about what they like, and we get an insider viewpoint from living on the road.

This day, Geraldo's television history.

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1988. Geraldo Rivera on his namesake talk show introduces us to Malcolm Forbes and the new niche of motorcycle riding, 'Rich Urban Bikers'.

"I think it's just the freedom feeling, everybody talks about it but it's real. I think it's like the cowboy in the west with his horse -- we in the east have our horsepower..."

We hear about Mr. Forbes fabulous adventures around the world, on one occasion even carrying Elizabeth Taylor along for the ride. Also shown is a clip from the 1974 "Angels Forever, Forever Angels", for a look at the classic perception of motorcycle clubs. That perception has changed as many more appreciate the freedom of the open road, from businessmen to lawyers and beyond.

Mr. Malcom Forbes passed away in 1990.

Geraldo's television history.

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A complete, restored presentation of Geraldo Rivera's 1974 Hells Angels investigation including every segment from the original Good Night America broadcast. Don Imus sets the scene before the motorcycle club's charter presidents sit down with Geraldo at 4:05.

"We have a common denominator — our motorcycles. Through these motorcycles that brought us all together, and love for each other…"

Meet Sandy Alexander, president of the New York City Hells Angels, and Deakon Proudfoot of the Oakland, California chapter. Sandy says it takes a man to be a Hells Angel, you've got to be strong. Deakon says the movies give a false impression of the group.

Later, from Folsom Prison, meet Ralph "Sonny" Barger — the legendary Hells Angels leader -- and James Griffin, both serving time. They deny any current club affiliation and call linking the Hells Angels to the SS "simply Jewish propaganda."

Back in the studio, Sandy sidesteps the question of how the Hells Angels make their money. A clip of Jerry Garcia appears — the Grateful Dead frontman met the club in the 1960s and calls them "real, real serious."

We also meet Vinny, who uses his knife to peel bananas, and his pregnant wife, confident she'll have a good life with the Angels. Sandy and Deakon close with advice that still lands today:

"Don't convict someone for what they are — convict them for what they've done."

An outlaw motorcycle club time capsule from the vault of Geraldo's Television History — subscribe for more.

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1974. Geraldo Rivera on his Good Night America program interviews Jerry Garcia to get his views on the Hell's Angels. This clip starts with a litle bit of "That's Alright Mama" at a recent concert before we learn -- the biker club members aren't the boy scouts of America.

Jerry Garcia passed away in 1995.

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