Click Here for starters. Big Wednesday is a 1978 American coming of age buddy sports comedy-drama film directed by John Milius. We have found an absolute gem of a surfboard packed with provenance. 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 . By most accounts, the trip was a disaster. Another famous water photographer, Dan Merkel, was hired to shoot this film. We surfed there and down at La Libertad and it was pretty fun, just hanging out with the crew. Buy $9.99. It become one of the most influential surf movies ever made. Thats not enough. While working on the script, Milius and Aaberg used Samurai stories, the Arthurian saga and Herman Melvilles Moby Dick as sources of inspiration. When they were shooting you werent allowed in the water. Or, subscribe to Wavelength now to get free entry to a screening of your choice.]. 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. Matt Johnson, Jack Barlow, and Leroy Smith are three young California surfers in the 1960s. Los Angeles Times 21 August 1977: n7. Can't play on this device. The film makers had what they refer to as a cattle call up at the Riviera theater to select the lucky folks. Milius was flipping out, remembers a chuckling Peter Townend in an interview with Surfline. It's about love of a place, love of a time, love of your human contacts, and the loss of those things. 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. IC: For about two months we were on the North Shore, filming mainly at Sunset, but also other places to get pick up shots. They were getting $20 a day plus a whole lot of sunburn to watch perfect waves go unridden.. It was pretty bizarre. (1) Peter Townend and actor William Katt. Although not a veteran himself, Milius is a war and weapons enthusiast, serving for six years on the board of gun advocacy group the NRA. This is a faux pas of no mean eminence; after all, Miss Hale actually is Mr. Katt's mother. It wasnt just a story about somebody trying to ride the biggest wave or something. Denny can be seen above in the green shorts and thats Ian Cairns in the yellow trunks. WL: So it was year two of the new IPS tour, and you were defending a runner up spot, did all that filming not get in the way of competing? | But to be perfectly candid my interest in competing on the tour dramatically diminished, because I realised there was another world out there. All the main characters were inspired by real people, in particular surf legends Lance Carson and Kemp Aaberg and surfboard makers Hap Jacob and Dale Velzy. [13], The leads were played by Jan Michael Vincent, Gary Busey and William Katt. Three friends who share a passion and talent for surfing are separated by military service in Vietnam, but return to the same beach ten years after the summer they ruled the waves. This is one of Terrys favorite shots. Big Wednesday is a movie that follows the Hollywood cinema canons, filmed by a well-known director who embodies the surfer's spirit. Some commentators ascribed the early critical and commercial failure of Big Wednesday to its excessive sentimentality. Except for Big Wednesday, none of the Milius-directed films have a satisfying conclusion. A few of the extras,including Kym Herrin in the blue dress, working hard for their sixty bones. In particular, Milius film had a huge impact on surfing subculture, both in shaping the international perception of the sport and providing one of the most authentic depictions of Californian surfers during the 1960s and 1970s. Those [guerrillas] looked at him and absolutely freaked. Most of the shots of Gary Busey paddling out are me, so I kind of have a lot of those stunt double pieces. Warga, Wayne. 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. Matt Johnson: You know, Mrs. Barlow, there's something I'd like straighten out. Over the last 40 years, John Milius surf cult movie, Big Wednesday (1978), has made a mark on global popular culture. 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. I have fond memories of being one of the extras. Technical Specs, See agents for this cast & crew on IMDbPro, executive in charge of production (uncredited), second assistant director trainee (uncredited), sound effects editor (as Joe von Stroheim), stairs fall double for Geoff Parks (uncredited) / stunt coordinator (uncredited), camera operator: special water photography, wardrobe supervisor: women (as Ann Lambert), wardrobe supervisor: men (as Bill Minton Jr.), music consultant (uncredited) / musician: violin (uncredited), surfing photography consultant (as Roger Brown). One day this El Salvadoran militia comes to visit our beach set, continues Milius. 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. t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0]; My contribution to the movie was telling the assistant director that the license plates on the cars were wrong for the period. 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. 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. Privacy Policy / Terms & Conditions. However, while Star Wars (Lucas) and Close Encounters (Spielberg) would haul in hundreds of millions of dollars, Big Wednesday was a major critical and popular wipe-out, at least initially. 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. Lucky for us, Terry was a photographer, and she happened to be friends with George Greenough, who . It was a full circus going on at all times, recalls Art Brewer, who didnt have an official role, but was often invited to hang out on the set. 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. The films authenticity was enhanced by Milius connection to the surfing world, which enabled him to bring in experienced surf documentary maker Greg MacGillivray. Surf star Gerry Lopez, who would later appear as an actor in other films directed by Milius, played himself in the last sequence of the film. It was pretty bizarre. The first week was fairly fraught, beset by illness, bad waves and a standoff with the gun-toting local militia and at some point, Lance bailed. Free Delivery on all Orders Over 80. By what name was Big Wednesday (1978) officially released in India in English? 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. I dug a Yater spoon out of David Adornettos back yard and used it as my longboard, though we also brought our shortboards. Above and below are Peter Townend. (as Karen Rea Grossman) Vincent was covered in The Undefeated (1969). It was super fun. It's about growing up and relationships and the surf is the exotic background. On the set, from left to right, Billy Hamilton, director John Milius, Peter PT Townend, Ian Cairns, Ray Riddle and Gary Busey. "It was a special time," said Aaberg of the 1960s. While the storys original novel treatment was titled We Are Gods, after Warner Bros expressed an interest in making it into a film, Milius approached Surfer Magazine founder John Severson, to acquire the naming rights of his surf film Big Wednesday, released over a decade prior in 61. big wednesday stunt surfers big wednesday stunt surfers. September 10, 2020. The film is set in California between 1962 and 1974 and follows the lives of three surfers: Matt Johnson (Jan-Michael Vincent), a self-destructive local surf star, and his two best friends, Leroy The Masochist Smith (Gary Busey) and Jack Barlowe (William Katt). Hes riding one of the prop longboards made for the film. IC: Yeah, we were all there hanging at Sunset. Surf star Gerry Lopez, who would. Barbara Hale, mother of William Katt, plays a small role in the film. But not just any BEAR Surfboard made for Big Wednesday -- we have for you the Original Bear Surfboard made for Big Wednesday director John Milius. Overview System Requirements Related. document,'script','https://connect.facebook.net/en_US/fbevents.js'); We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. and nothing that happens after will ever be the same. WL: And then you all jetted off to Hawaii. fbq('init', '916699485848838'); I mean, you had George Greenough in his black and white Highway Patrol car, burning down the dirt roads and then coming into the lot doing donutsIt was more like a party than a working situation, and for me it was just like another day at the beach. Following its home video release in the 1980s, the film gradually acquired cult status. The teen, whose name . 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. And with that, Ian Cairns was in. HD. They formed their own company, The A Team. Forty years after its release the passion and lyricism of the film are even more compelling. was also an Aussie surf legend and was the first professional world champion. Its pretty sweet, Ill tell you that. Renew Premium Membership Now; My Account; Personal Info & Password; Payment & Settings; Premium Benefits; Site Settings; Help Center; Try Premium Free Now; My Account When he comes home from Vietnam he is an Army Green Beret. n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version='2.0';n.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0; With this reunion, the transition in their lives becomes the end point of what the 1960s meant to so many as they see that the times have changed, and what was a time of innocence is gone forever. Click Here to learn about Dan. After the film came out, Bill began shaping under the Bear label depicted in the movie. Theories behind the failure are wide-ranging; the scars of Vietnam were still too raw, there was too much fighting, too much binge drinking and, with the transition brought on by the shortboard revolution complete, the surfing audience viewed the longboard-centric surf scenes as pass. Surf star Gerry Lopez, who would. But even though we did the Ranch for a month, and El Salvador for a couple of months, they still didnt have the big day, so they just said ok were going to Hawaii., were going to sit up there and make it happen. Directed by John Milius.Written by John Milius and Denny Aaberg, loosely based on their own experiences at Malibu and a short story Aaberg had published in a 1974 Surfer Magazine entitled "No Pants Lance." We were allowed to be out surfing all the time and Cojo is pretty nice its a bit like Little Rincon at Bells. 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.. Of course, thats where you get all the stuff from Sunset that wraps up the movie. 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. Multiple scenes required surfers to ride waves up to 70 feet . Denny Aaberg continues his life long passion for playing music. "Big Wednesday" started as a novel written by John Milius and Denny Aaberg and was initially published in 1978 by Bantam Books. It was super fun. Townend was just gearing up to embark on the tours second spin around the sun when he received a phone call from John Milius a long time Malibu surfer and Hollywood director inviting him to fly to LA to stunt double on a new film he was working on. The $11 million PG-rated Big Wednesday was the only Hollywood movie of its kind in the '70s. Terry didnt bother with all that, she was already at the beach. There was no one living there and you had to come in by boat, even until today its really uncrowded. There was no one living there and you had to come in by boat, even until today its really uncrowded. . 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. Unlike many Holywood surf flicks, Big Wednesday had real surfers' fingerprints all over it. What a way to make a living, eh? Every morning wed meet at Earl Warren and get on a bus for the ride up, going through the Jalama entrance to Bixby. IAN will be signing his new book from 6:30 to 7:30. "[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. 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. [The Wavelength Drive-In Cinema is back for 2021, bringing you a range of surf cinema, cult classics and family favourites from the clifftops of Cornwall, kicking off with Surfs Up and Big Wednesday on Friday 16th July.