Friday, February 21, 2014

Today in motorcycle history, February 21, 1946





   

  



  Anthony Daniels is born in Salisbury, Wiltshire, England.






  In the low-budget comedy-horror film "I Bought a Vampire Motorcycle" Anthony Daniels plays an eccentric priest who attempts to exorcise the bike’s evil spirits.




  Set in a suburb of Birmingham, England, the film is about a man named Noddy and his girlfriend Kim who operate a motorcycle courier/messenger business.  One day Noddy buys a classic 750cc Norton Commando for 1100 pounds 
(he lies to Kim and tells her he only paid 600, mistake number one) with the intention of restoring it.  The bike, however, is possessed by the evil spirit of a man who was being summoned by an occultist performing a satanic ritual, who was then killed when a motorcycle gang shoots him with a crossbow.  The arrow goes through  the occultist and then penetrates the Norton's tank, bringing with it the evil spirit.
Whenever the spirit is overcome by a seeming blood lust, the bike would start up, ride on its own and kill people.  Are you with me so far?  Ok.  Noddy brings the Commando home to fix the damage caused by the crossbow.  He replaces the gas tank, with help from his friend, Buzzer.  Buzzer decides to steal the gas cap for "funzies", then the bike kills him by decapitation.  The fun begins.







  Anthony Daniels played the Droid, C-3PO, in all six of the Star Wars films.  Really.