It's all changed now."[7]. "Surfing was a brand new sport with its own aristocracy. We have found an absolute gem of a surfboard packed with provenance. Three 1960s California surfers (Jan-Michael Vincent, William Katt, Gary Busey) fool around, drift apart and reunite years later to ride epic waves. "It was the most personal film I'd done," said Katt. 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. Surf star Gerry Lopez, who would. He looked at these little skinny surfer idiots and he thought these guys are total pussys! Big Wednesday is American writer-director John Milius' attempt to use surfing as a metaphor for life. 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. Similarly, the ocean and the American west coast symbolise the possibility of a return to the frontier, the physical and symbolical home of the authentic American character. I went there 190lbs and ended up a 170, and in fact one night I lost 10lbs, vomiting and shitting, just incredibly sick. 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. With Jan-Michael Vincent, William Katt, Gary Busey, Patti D'Arbanville. Shop Now, 8 OF THE BEST FEMALE SURF RETREATS FOR 2023, Where To Surf In Italy The Wavelength Guide. WL: Are there any other memories from that trip that particularly stand out? Milius wrote the script with his friend and fellow surfer, journalist Denny Aaberg. Next day, the cars had new (old) license plates. Then in 77, they were getting paid, so we were cordial. Click Here for starters. "Big Wednesday" follows three young surfers in the LA area (Jan-Michael Vincent, William Katt and Gary Busey). So he took a sledgehammer and pounded Important all over Big Wednesday. Privacy Policy / Terms & Conditions. Over the last 40 years, John Milius surf cult movie, Big Wednesday (1978), has made a mark on global popular culture. He was a very popular surfer at the time, but now is best known for being the father of Laird Hamilton. [7], They obtained finance from Warner Bros in June 1976. The prevailing wind is offshore, summertime theres swells. Purchase Big Wednesday on digital and stream instantly or download offline. Milius was later responsible for the creation of the surf-obsessed Captain Kilgore (Robert Duvall) in Francis Ford Coppolas Apocalypse Now. (2) PT with his signature arched bottom turn during the final sequence. It was super fun. But to be perfectly candid my interest in competing on the tour dramatically diminished, because I realised there was another world out there. n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version='2.0';n.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0; After roping in a few replacements, including Billy Hamilton, to stand in for Vincent and famous Malibu surfer Lance Carson to double for the third star, Gary Busey, the crew set off for El Salvador, where the filming for Big Wednesday got underway. Here hes getting pulled behind a boat, probably just killing time between takes. The picture stars Jan-Michael Vincent, William Katt, and Gary Busey as California surfers facing life and the Vietnam War against the backdrop of their love of surfing . I worry I might lose sight of the characters. Their surfing lives are traced from the summer of 1962 to their attempts at dodging the Vietnam War draft in 1965 (including faking insanity, homosexuality, and all manner of medical ailments), and to the end of their innocence in 1968 when one of their friends is killed in Vietnam. Hes riding one of the prop longboards made for the film. The first week was fairly fraught, beset by illness, bad waves and a standoff with a gun-toting local militia. Seversons title referenced a popular myth that posited all great surf days fall on Wednesdays. Hell, we offered to smoke dope in front of them just to prove we were surfers. "Big Wednesday" (1978) is a film that was made for baby boomers. Without going to Hawaii it would have fallen flat, but those big wave sequences at the end of the movie are pretty amazing. Click Here to hear the song and see some stills from the film. Forty years after its release the passion and lyricism of the film are even more compelling. Much of the authenticity of the film was due to the fact that Milius was himself an avid surfer. Academy Award-nominee Gary Busey ("Under Siege," "The Firm") stars in a story of three young surfers searching for meaning as their lives change in the '60s and '70s. Big Wednesday - The Hottest Ride Ever: Matt (Jan-Michael Vincent) is praised for his magnificent ride, but he, Jack (William Katt) and Leroy (Gary Busey) know that their summer days are over.. All Rights Reserved. was also an Aussie surf legend and was the first professional world champion. In the foreground is what Denny calls the crumple car. Jean Micheal Vincent and Billy Kat were there but the Masochist wasnt. Renew Premium Membership Now; My Account; Personal Info & Password; Payment & Settings; Premium Benefits; Site Settings; Help Center; Try Premium Free Now; My Account 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. Ian Cairns, shown above, was the surf double for Gary Busey. A lot of them died in Vietnam and OD'd on dope. Send her a message via her facebook page if youd like to go. I tore up your lawn with my '40 Ford Matt Johnson: Took my pants off in front of your friends Matt Johnson: And I even passed out in your closet, but I never, and I don't know who could have if I didn't, but I never, and I repeat never, ever pissed in your steam iron. Nineteen seventy-six was a big year for innovation. Tell me about your experience at the Ranch? IC: Well in May we were in El Salvador, in the summertime, from August to September we were in the Ranch, then we did surf the winter events on the North Shore. Because we were at a beach club far away from the city, and werent travelling back and forwards too much, we didnt see much of that stuff, but yeah, they had some bugs out there and we all got sick. Another luminary brought in for this film was none other than Gerry Lopez. I don't think that kids today have the same kind of values that these people had then; I don't see movies being made about that kind of thing. It doesn't work. Terry Remick was spending a lot of her time with friends on the beaches of Hollister Ranch, enjoying her early twenties, when out of nowhere, a major Hollywood production drops in her lap. The enforcer (played by Reb Brown) was loosely based on a Malibu icon Ray Kunze, who patrolled the lineup and looked out for Milius and Aaberg in the late 50s, while Jack Barlow was loosely based on Aabergs older brother, Kemp. The fictional Bear surfboards logo and t-shirts, originally created by the filmmaker as props for the film, went on to become a popular surf trademark owned by Milius himself. Rent $2.99. Those [guerrillas] looked at him and absolutely freaked. fbq('init', '916699485848838'); Now It Can Be Yours for $68.8 Million. IC: Well, we were in the Northern Ranch, where the breaks Cojo and Governments are. Big Wednesday is a movie that follows the Hollywood cinema canons, filmed by a well-known director who embodies the surfer's spirit. Did working with them that winter help smooth things over a bit? Senior Lecturer, Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington. fbq('track', 'PageView'); Copyright 2020 Surfing.LA. Ahead of the release, Hollywood was abuzz with talk of Big Wednesdays impending success. Business boomed with the late 80s surfwear explosion as Bear expanded its line, replacing fishing as his main source of income. We never got a Big Wednesday day down there, and I was always just saying to Milius, dude, you should have just gone to Western Australia. The points were aggregated, and surfers were informed of their standing, as well as of the remaining competitions that would constitute the second half of the tour. "I'd lived that life since I was ten. However, the rapid commodification of surfing culture that occurred during the late 1970s and 1980s made Big Wednesdays nostalgic celebration of a pure surfing culture relevant again. The new Point Break is hitting the theaters Dec. 25 and the movie required some death-defying stunts that have never happened before. This movie is about friendship: surfing is just the background. That's important to me because I'm a real surfer. Crumple Car was a nickname for Little Drakes. At 62 and 190 lbs., he was a big, powerful Australian surf star that had won lots of international contests. Above he is shooting Billy Hamilton and Ian Cairns in action. Without going to Hawaii it would have fallen flat, but those big wave sequences at the end of the movie are pretty amazing. But we simply didnt take into account things like, oh, sharks, civil war and dysentery.. It was a central experience in our lives. Click here to buy a ticket, or subscribe now for free entry. big wednesday stunt surfers. Big Wednesday is the opposite of all those "beach party" movies of the early 1960's; it takes surfing as seriously as the surfers themselves. There was a lot of pressure to make it more like Animal House, but the movie has a huge following now because it did have loftier ambitions. It inspired the names of things as disparate as the weekly New Zealand lotto draw, an Australian pale ale and countless storms and hurricanes. 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. Shown here walking out to the surf with Dan Merkel and one of his legendary lightning bolt boards. The water camera hes holding was one of those ideas. [17][18][19], The film premiered in wide release in the United States on May 26, 1978.[20]. Following on from their El Salvadoran debacle, the production set up shop at Hollister Ranch, the privately-owned 8.5 mile coastal stretch of glistening point breaks that sits to the north of LA. Jean Micheal Vincent and Billy Kat were there but the Masochist wasnt. The brand morphed into an actual successful company after the release of the movie, producing hundreds of boards, and is still active today, with various people producing Bear-branded boards in different countries. "[7], Aaberg says "it took about a year to write" the script. Or, subscribe to Wavelength now to get free entry to a screening of your choice.]. She is the guide for a few of these private rail trips which travel through the Gaviota Coast. All of a sudden he realised hey theres a lot of shit going on out there in the water. big wednesday stunt surfers big wednesday stunt surfers. It never strayed from that. So, PT told Milius, hey, Ive got a bronzed Aussie buddy who could replace him. The cult success lay in its ability to combine the accurate observation of real people and events, the reproduction of believable stunts and performances, and a supercharged sense of the mythic. WL: Tell me about the filming of the final sequence? While the studio had high hopes for the success of Big Wednesday, it flopped, and was out of the theaters in a month. Also starring Jan-Michael Vincent ("The Winds of War"), real- life mother and son Barbara Hale . Big Wednesday (1978) Full Cast & Crew See agents for this cast & crew on IMDbPro Directed by John Milius Writing Credits Cast (in credits order) complete, awaiting verification Produced by Music by Basil Poledouris Cinematography by Bruce Surtees . Ahead of our upcoming screening, we dived deep into some of the backstories behind the production, exploring the writers, actors, surfers and lensmen who brought it to life. Surf star Gerry Lopez, who would. With the advent of VCRs and DVD players, it is now a full blown cult classic. 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. Nature enthusiast Dean Bannatyne captured this epic video footage When John Milius made Big Wednesday in 1978, he was considered one of the most promising filmmakers in Hollywood. !function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s) This is a faux pas of no mean eminence; after all, Miss Hale actually is Mr. Katt's mother. Im actually really stoked on the surfing in that final sequence, they did a really good job stitching it all together . You can see the wave all over Instagram today, with all the surf teams there. So anyway one Sunday we took him out surfing at Sunzal, it was about 3 feet, and he got smashed and almost drowned and had to be rescued and brought in. "We very much want it to be authentic. Honestly, the whole experience completely ruined me for being back on the pro tour. Heres Jan Michael Vincent again. Denny wrote a song about it with Phil Pritchard and it was featured in this film and became quite popular. Despite what he describes as a childhood of juvenile delinquency, Milius developed into an accomplished screenwriter, penning a series of hit films in which surfing often featured. [21], Janet Maslin, film critic for The New York Times, did not like the performances of the actors and wrote, "The surprise is not that Mr. Milius has made such a resoundingly awful film, but rather that he's made a bland onethe movie often seems even more uneventful than material like this need make it, and Mr. Milius's attention to his actors focuses more closely on their pectorals than on their performances. Nineteen seventy-six was a big year for innovation. The points were aggregated and surfers were informed of their standing and which competitions would constitute the second half of the tour. Set in Malibu over a twelve-year period between 61 and 74, it centres on three friends Jack, Leroy and Matt following them from their hedonistic youthful days, surfing, partying and talking with their fists, through their transition to adulthood in the shadow of the Vietnam War. After that whole period in El Salvador, they wanted to do some shots in California so they set up at Bixby Ranch to get that really sparkling California look. Big Wednesday Jump to Edit Summaries The lives of some California surfers from the early 1960s to the 1970s. We were allowed to be out surfing all the time and Cojo is pretty nice its a bit like Little Rincon at Bells. IC: One day I was at home in Australia and the phone rang and it was Hollywood calling. And the climactic showdown between the heroic trio and the monster waves is so good it makes up for the rest (the trio's Wild Bunch-inspired walk to destiny is by far Milius's finest cinematic moment) More than any other movie Milius directed, Big Wednesday contains the joy of filmmaking (he waited his whole career to make this movie). This is reminiscent of Dennys brother Kemp Aabergs famous pose, captured in an iconic photo taken by John Severson, below. Not to mention a few vintage lenses. A classic of the era, live screenings of Big Wednesday loomed large in Milius early years and he figured the title fit perfectly with his script, representing a juxtaposition between the banality of the mid-week and the dynamism of the swell of the decade. Similarly, most of the sequences of the film, including the iconic Vietnam draft dodging scene and the trip to Mexico, were based on the filmmakers own real-life experiences. xenophon agesilaus summary; [3] It was inspired by a short story Aaberg had published in a 1974 Surfer Magazine entitled "No Pants Mance",[4] and published by Australian surfing magazine Tracks in April 1973[5] and the lives of a group of friends who used to surf with Aaberg and Milius including Lance Carson. 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. There goes Greenough to get some water shots, with an assistant, we guess. Malibu in the early 60s, immediately post-Gidget, when some old-timers were already arguing the breaks best day were behind her. Other highlights included a complex dual scoring system and hilariously swollen heats sizes, often featuring up to eight competitors, (which sounds like a heavy crowd, but thanks to a lack of leashes and clean up sets, still resulted in frequent periods of entirely empty lineup. We were samurai. Denny Aaberg continues his life long passion for playing music. Its pretty sweet, Ill tell you that. And we knew how good we had it. Wed have certain times where wed be shooting scenes and the rest of the time we were just hanging out on the film set watching shit happen. Most famously, hes responsible for creating the character Colonel Kilgore in Apocolypse Now and writing the films most iconic line: Charlies dont surf.. Trips planned for this summer include roundtrip runs to SLO from SB and Goleta on June 30th, July 21st and August 18th. Initially, Milus and Aaberg set out to write a novel that combined some of Malibus real characters with a grander narrative around surfings mythology. His success was shortlived, as Milius sued for patent rights. ABC edited 31 minutes from this film for its 1985 network television premiere. When we saw these photos, we contacted surf legend Denny Aaberg to give us some more insight. IC: Well, it was pretty horrible in 76. Terry knew him through friends at the beach and Denny knew him from surfing. Wed have certain times where wed be shooting scenes and the rest of the time we were just hanging out on the film set watching shit happen. Last accessed: December 1, 2009. Frank McRae played a tough Army Sergeant at the induction center. Lucky for us, Terry was a photographer, and she happened to be friends with George Greenough, who was hired as a photographer for the film. We were really fortunate to have those big days at Sunset. Conceived by Randy Rarrick and Fred Hemmings, The IPS, as it was known, was a little haphazard during that first foray according to those in attendance (or chaos if a certain wounded winged Novocastrian is to be believed. We pitched up at Sunzal, which happens to be where theyre holding the ISA World Games this week. Copyright 20102023, The Conversation US, Inc. Browse the full lineup and get your ticket here. IC: For about two months we were on the North Shore, filming mainly at Sunset, but also other places to get pick up shots. We got alot of emails regarding this page from folks that were extras. "And I can tell you, it's so hard, no one will ever make it again. Above and below are Peter Townend. We never got a Big Wednesday day down there, and I was always just saying to Milius, dude, you should have just gone to Western Australia. Hamilton was surfing for Jan Michael Vincents character and Cairns was the double for Gary Busey. When he comes home from Vietnam he is an Army Green Beret. So's John. He has since had a long and illustrious career promoting surfing as a sport. The first boards were shaped in 1977, by famous board shaper Bill Hamilton. When it comes to authentic depictions of a surfing life, few Holywood films hold a candle to 78 cult classic Big Wednesday. We grabbed our boards from the bushes and had a session with the pros for the 45 minutes it took for the truck with everyone elses boards to show up. (1) Peter Townend and actor William Katt. It's based on the lives of three friends ten years ago. "William Katt: New Golden Boy of Tile Romantic Lead Katt as the Golden Boy", "Big Wednesday: four decades between surfing and myth making", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Big_Wednesday&oldid=1139114837, American coming-of-age comedy-drama films, Rotten Tomatoes template using name parameter, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 13 February 2023, at 12:40. They said, Hey, its Warner Brothers, do you want to come to El Salvador?. 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. ), Cairns was renowned for his big wave prowess and radical manoeuvres in smaller waves. Too bad the movie sucked, the premiere at the Arlington was pretty exciting anyway.. His presence had been specifically requested by one of the films starring trio, Jean Michelle Vincent, who happened to be a personal friend of Townends after the pair had met half a decade earlier surfing at Californias Hollister Ranch. This thing would be wrapped up in two weeks. When they were shooting you werent allowed in the water. So anyway one Sunday we took him out surfing at Sunzal, it was about 3 feet, and he got smashed and almost drowned and had to be rescued and brought in. "Big Wednesday" started as a novel written by John Milius and Denny Aaberg and was initially published in 1978 by Bantam Books. They said, Hey, its Warner Brothers, do you want to come to El Salvador?. (as Karen Rea Grossman) "[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. WL: Can you tell me about getting the call up to double for Busey? Above is a distant view of the set they made, a replica of the Malibu wall, complete with lifeguard tower. 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.. And Denny should know, he co-wrote the film with the director John Milius! (1) Cairns in a Sunset tube (2) PT off the bottom. t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0];s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s)}(window, Company Credits For those of you that dont know about George Greenough, you should learn. A day will come that is like no other. It was work that you got to have fun and got paid for, which was rare back then., Being a lifelong surfer himself, Jan-Michael Vincent had no trouble pulling off an authentic-looking knee paddle. That camera looks heavy. PT leapt at the chance. The lives of some California surfers from the early 1960s to the 1970s. You can also see a pretty nice wave rolling throughGreat photo. Ian Cairns, shown above . But then it just reverted back to normal from there on, it wasnt like wed bought a lifetime membership into the Hui. [8], "Because I surfed, I'm the only director in the world who could have made his picture," said Milius. The lives of some California surfers from the early 1960s to the 1970s.The lives of some California surfers from the early 1960s to the 1970s.The lives of some California surfers from the early 1960s to the 1970s. And at the same time our lives were regulated by a strict chivalry code. In the end, the trip set the production back half a million dollars and yielded just four minutes of useable footage. Matt (Jan-Michael Vincent), Jack (William Katt) and The Masochist (Gary Busey) are three buddies who are the local surfing champions of Malibu in the early 1960's. IC: Yeah, we were all there hanging at Sunset. The surfers and stunt doubles with director John Milius. IC: We were with the whole Hollywood crew, and the stunt coordinator was this really famous guy that did Harrison Ford in the Indiana Jones movie called Terry Leonard, a real mans man. Written by Milius and Dennis Aaberg, it is loosely based on their own experiences at Malibu, California. Spielberg in particular was certain that Big Wednesday was going to be a box office hit, opining it was like "American Graffiti meets Jaws", two of the decade's most successful films.[2]. Big Wednesday - Summer Surfing: Leroy (Gary Busey), Jack (William Katt) and Matt (Jan-Michael Vincent) enjoy surfing together.BUY THE MOVIE: https://www.fandangonow.com/details/movie/big-wednesday-1978/1MVc9480c4ac38b3b6893afc325bd943ccc?cmp=Movieclips_YT_DescriptionWatch the best Big Wednesday scenes \u0026 clips:https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZbXA4lyCtqpK6XB5irhpNHjCf4_lmlTLFILM DESCRIPTION:Three 1960s California surfers (Jan-Michael Vincent, William Katt, Gary Busey) fool around, drift apart and reunite years later to ride epic waves.CREDITS:TM \u0026 Warner Bros. Pictures (1978)Cast: Gary Busey, Jan-Michael Vincent, Lee Purcell, Reb Brown, William KattProducer: Buzz FeitshansDirector: John MiliusWHO ARE WE?The MOVIECLIPS channel is the largest collection of licensed movie clips on the web. This board is deep red with the classic BEAR logo on the deck made famous by Sam Melville's character in Milius . You had to have permission from the director, John Milius [to paddle out]. "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. Free Delivery on all Orders Over 80. 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. Unlike any other film that has been made about surfing, in this one the characters and not the waves are the most important. We were outlaws, juvenile delinquents, anarchists and rascals. We were really fortunate to have those big days at Sunset. "It's so alluring, so easy to get lost in. 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. Remick says this was typical Greenough attire; barefoot, jeans, sweatshirt and self cut hair. Either way, the cast and crew enjoyed filming at such an amazing location. Photo: Stoner, Unlike many Holywood surf flicks, Big Wednesday had real surfers fingerprints all over it. Great feature on Big Wednesday. He features prominently in two documentaries about surfing: Hollywood Dont Surf and Between the Lines: Surfers during the Vietnam War. 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. Matt Johnson: You know, Mrs. Barlow, there's something I'd like straighten out. P.T. After that whole period in El Salvador, they wanted to do some shots in California so they set up at Bixby Ranch to get that really sparkling California look. Matt Johnson: Well, I did a lot of things around here I'm kind of ashamed of. Billy Hamilton, above, was the double for Jan Michael Vincent. No Ads. It was super fun. Te Herenga WakaVictoria University of Wellington provides funding as a member of The Conversation AU. The extras got paid $60 a day, plus a catered lunch and a bus ride up from Santa Barbara everyday. Recently, we called him up at home in Laguna Beach to see what he could remember from his time working on the film. I jumped on a plane and flew down there to join the crew, who were about a week into the shoot. Can't play on this device. "[15], Milius invented the Bear brand of surfboard as a fictional brand to be used in the movie,[16] and even had surfboards made and arranged for a Californian designer to create a logo. An 8' 6" BEAR Surfboard single fin made for Big Wednesday. Hank Worden for some reason took a small role as a guy that pushed a shopping cart around. Here hes getting pulled behind a boat, probably just killing time between takes. September 10, 2020. Its the artful portrayal of these hardy perennials that allows Big Wednesday to still resonate so thoroughly with wave riders over forty years on. The friends reunite years later, after Barlow has served in Vietnam, for the "Great Swell of '74". IAN will be signing his new book from 6:30 to 7:30. IC: Well, we were in the Northern Ranch, where the breaks Cojo and Governments are. Milius was flipping out, remembers a chuckling Peter Townend in an interview with Surfline. So, PT told Milius, hey, Ive got a bronzed Aussie buddy who could replace him. The attrition rate among surfers is very high. Apple Computers was founded, NASA unveiled its first space shuttle, Concorde took its maiden commercial flight and, of equally critical importance, surfing had its very first crack at a joined-up international contest circuit. "I don't want to put it off any further but I don't want to work on it until its ready either.