big wednesday stunt surfers big wednesday stunt surfers. He flew to Hollywood and headed straight for Warner Brothers studios, where he happened to pull up a chair alongside another of the films stars, Billy Kat. In 1978 surfer and filmmaker John Milius (Apocalypse Now, Red Dawn) set out to make a feature length film for the big screen based on his youth surfing and growing up in Malibu Ca., it would become the iconic film of the 70's "Big Wednesday". The logo, a red diamond with a bear in it, features prominently throughout the movie, on shop windows, T-shirts, car windows and on surfboards. Other potential explanations suggested that in the late 1970s, the Vietnam wound was still too fresh and binge drinking, a prominent feature of the film, had lost its flavour. I worry I might lose sight of the characters. It combines brilliantly heart gripping surfing action, heart wrenching emotions, and heart uplifting humour, all set against the back-drop of the Vietnam War, teenagers growing up, the wisdom of elders (Bear) and of course, the surfing. You had to have permission from the director, John Milius [to paddle out]. Originally Milius envisioned the story as a novel and he included the treatment in a letter, entitled We were gods, to literary agent Lynn Nesbit. The idea of the ocean as the new Far West is reinforced by the films references to Milius favourite Westerns, including The Wild Bunch (the scene in which four characters walk to the draft office) and The Searchers (Hank Worden, the actor who played Mose Harper in Fords classic was cast as one of the secondary characters in Big Wednesday). | Most famously, hes responsible for creating the character Colonel Kilgore in Apocolypse Now and writing the films most iconic line: Charlies dont surf.. There goes Greenough to get some water shots, with an assistant, we guess. Release Dates So much so in fact, that Milius friends Steven Spielberg and George Lucas famously agreed to trade profit percentage points on their forthcoming films Close Encounters of the Third Kind and Star Wars with the movies box office takings. Of the eight hours we were there everyday, we probably averaged about an hour of actually doing something for the movie. "[12], When I did Big Wednesday my first impressions were that I was going to do this coming-of-age story with Arthurian overtones about surfers that nobody took seriously, their troubled lives made larger than life by their experience with the sea. Recently, we called him up at home in Laguna Beach to see what he could remember from his time working on the film. Can't play on this device. Apparently, therefore, Big Wednesday is a 100% Hollywood movie. At some point, old cars were placed on the beach by ranchers to try to keep the surfers out. It doesn't work. When it comes to authentic depictions of a surfing life, few Holywood films hold a candle to 78 cult classic Big Wednesday. Several surf legends - Peter Townend, Ian Cairns, Jay Riddle and Bill Hamilton - were involved in the making of the film as stunt coordinators or doubles. Browse the full lineup and get your ticket here. When they were shooting you werent allowed in the water. Here hes getting pulled behind a boat, probably just killing time between takes. Purchase Big Wednesday on digital and stream instantly or download offline. Nineteen seventy-six was a big year for innovation. IAN will be signing his new book from 6:30 to 7:30. Big Wednesday went as far as moulding surfing iconography. Surf star Gerry Lopez, who would. The surfers and stunt doubles with director John Milius. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. Jean Micheal Vincent and Billy Kat were there but the Masochist wasnt. It was a central experience in our lives. IC: Well, it was pretty horrible in 76. The final treatment drew on many of the writers own experiences, with the trip to Mexico and the famous draft dodging scene reportedly both based on real events. On the set, from left to right, Billy Hamilton, director John Milius, Peter PT Townend, Ian Cairns, Ray Riddle and Gary Busey. document,'script','https://connect.facebook.net/en_US/fbevents.js'); Photo: Stoner, Unlike many Holywood surf flicks, Big Wednesday had real surfers fingerprints all over it. Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington provides funding as a member of The Conversation NZ. Then in 77, they were getting paid, so we were cordial. Denny wrote a song about it with Phil Pritchard and it was featured in this film and became quite popular. Although Milius, a self-proclaimed gun-loving Zen Anarchist, blamed Hollywood executives for blacklisting him on the grounds of his outspoken right-wing beliefs, his decline was caused, more likely, by a series of box-office flops and a stroke in 2010. We were really fortunate to have those big days at Sunset. Sign up for the Wavelength newsletter to get the latest news, announcements, special offers and event information, Wavelength Media, Unit GF43 & GF55, Winslade HouseManor Drive, Exeter, EX5 1FY, UK, Wavelength Magazine. There, he sought advice from Gerry Lopez, brought in for the action-filled climax to play himself, who told him in the event of a wipeout, to go like a dishrag in a dryer. Sage advice, as ever, from the surfing sensei. Big Wednesday Warner Brothers' 1978 coming-of-age surfing movie directed by John Milius, starring Gary Busey, Jan-Michael Vincent, and William Katt; initially a critical and box-office dud, but rehabilitated over the years into a cult favorite. Published by at June 22, 2022. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. A lot of them died in Vietnam and OD'd on dope. This thing would be wrapped up in two weeks. n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)}; "The 40th-anniversary edition of 'Big . So wed gone from death threats in 76 to having them protect us in the water the following winter. Looks like that heavy camera setup bumped George in the eye, and hes laughing it off. We had a huge bottle of water, and what they didnt tell us was they were filling it up out of the well, so everyone got amoebic dysentery. IC: Yeah, we were all there hanging at Sunset. The opening and closing sequences of Big Wednesday feature the three protagonists walking through the ruins of a decaying portico like kings of an ancient civilisation where traditional values such as heroism, courage and loyalty are still upheld. {if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function(){n.callMethod? Browse the full lineup and get your ticket here. Tell me about your experience at the Ranch? In the late 1950s, Milius surfed regularly in Malibu, where he met Denny Aaberg, the brother of surf legend Kemp Aaberg and the future co-writer of Big Wednesday. MacGillivray, in turn, supervised a team of surf cinematographers. This is a faux pas of no mean eminence; after all, Miss Hale actually is Mr. Katt's mother. You know theyve got craft services there so you can go to the catering truck and order anything you want. This movie is about friendship: surfing is just the background. Terry knew him through friends at the beach and Denny knew him from surfing. "It was a special time," said Aaberg of the 1960s. Above is the Silver Splendor 1956 and below is the Overland Trail 1949 Pullman Club Car . (1) Cairns in a Sunset tube (2) PT off the bottom. Robb Report. Heres a good one from Paul Baragona. The nostalgic celebration of friendship is strongly associated with the critique of contemporary capitalist American society. Our best coup was stashing our boards in the bushes the night before a swell was supposed to hit. But we simply didnt take into account things like, oh, sharks, civil war and dysentery.. Together with percussionist Sam Adams, they are the Saltwater Cowboys and play gigs on a regular basis. Company Credits PT leapt at the chance. "The novel is a story about old Malibu, its waves, its local characters, and what it was like to surf there in the 1950s and 1960s," explains Aaberg. The friends include Matt Johnson, a self-destructive type who has a devil-may-care attitude; Jack Barlow, the calm and responsible one of the bunch; and Leroy "The Masochist" Smith, whose nickname tells a lot about his personality. At some point, Lance bailed. Working on big Wednesday in 77, we earned 50 grand. Sure enough, the next morning we arrived to 4-6 perfect Cojo with only P.T., Cairns, Mark Warren, and Gerry Lopez out. Privacy Policy / Terms & Conditions. Los Angeles Times 21 August 1977: n7. In early 77, the points were counted and Peter Townend emerged as the first-ever winner, with fellow Bronzed Aussie Ian Cairns taking the runner up spot. He was also responsible for the creation of the surf-obsessed Captain Kilgore and some of the most iconic lines (Charlies dont surf) in Apocalypse Now (1979). I went there 190lbs and ended up a 170, and in fact one night I lost 10lbs, vomiting and shitting, just incredibly sick. It was the golden era of surfing in the region, a time when surf historian Matt Warshaw says just about everything that was progressive [in surfing] was taking place on that one beautiful beach, without a crowd.. n.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0; When Milius saw them sat next to each other, he couldnt believe the likeness, immediately switching PTs role to that of Kats double instead. At least half the people who participated are dead now. Back then they built the whole Hollywood wall set and we were staying in this country town called Lompoc, which is just north of the Ranch, in the middle of farmland, with all the actors and crew. We were allowed to be out surfing all the time and Cojo is pretty nice its a bit like Little Rincon at Bells. It's the most personal film I'll probably ever make, and I figured I ought to do it now, before I get too far away from it. According to a famous Hollywood legend, Big Wednesday was part of a three-way profit point swap between Milius and his old friends, George Lucas and Steven Spielberg. That experience working on Big Wednesday was kind of how I hoped pro surfing would be. So, PT told Milius, hey, Ive got a bronzed Aussie buddy who could replace him. t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0]; A lot of people never leave it. And we knew how good we had it. WL: Tell me about the filming of the final sequence? Web Development by Phi Web Studio. We were really fortunate to have those big days at Sunset. Although today Big Wednesday is considered one of the best surf movies ever made, the path that led to its cult status was a long and convoluted one. Trips planned for this summer include roundtrip runs to SLO from SB and Goleta on June 30th, July 21st and August 18th. Several surf legends - Peter Townend, Ian Cairns, Jay Riddle and Bill Hamilton - were involved in the making of the film as stunt coordinators or doubles.
