My wild days, Twisting in Rome, October 1962. The Forbidden Cities (Le città proibite), directed by Giuseppe Maria Scotese, was released on October 5, 1963, and was produced by Italcaribe Studios.
This 1963 Italian mondo documentary explores the wild nightlife and forbidden districts of cities around the world, New York, Hamburg, London, Paris, Tokyo, Rio, and more.
Most of it was actually shot in Rome studios using clever sets and stock footage. One of the most memorable scenes is the “Atomic Twist” dance sequence, filmed in a fake New York bomb shelter. Runtime: 105 minutes
How my classmate and lifelong friend, Mike Frieman, and I got to Rome, from Walla Walla to New York City, via hitchhiking, a free freighter ride from New York City to Bremerhaven, Germany, then Hamburg, Copenhagen, Munich, Innsbruck, Florence, Livorno, and finally to Rome, where more than 100 American teenagers auditioned to dance in the film, and the outcome is another story.
This was the first three months of our 10-month journey.