If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. Barbara Hale, mother of William Katt, plays a small role in the film. big wednesday stunt surfers. I said of course, who wouldnt! Nowadays, he lives inland in Connecticut, having traded trimming the waves down the Bu for clay pigeon shooting and smoking cigars in his later years. 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. Here hes getting pulled behind a boat, probably just killing time between takes. [13], The leads were played by Jan Michael Vincent, Gary Busey and William Katt. While Big Wednesday was a "Hollywood production" and featured then popular actors William Katt, Gary . IC: Well, we were in the Northern Ranch, where the breaks Cojo and Governments are. "Big Wednesday" (1978) is a film that was made for baby boomers. 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. They said, Hey, its Warner Brothers, do you want to come to El Salvador?. Write an article and join a growing community of more than 160,500 academics and researchers from 4,573 institutions. Greenough was hired to do water shots and Townend was a surf double for William Katt, one of the stars in the film. Another famous water photographer, Dan Merkel, was hired to shoot this film. Above is George Greenough, Denny Aaberg with the guitar, Peter Townend and Townends girlfriend. Filming for the action sequences began with a two-month stint in El Salvador, with the right point at El Sunzal serving as a nice empty stand-in for Malibu. New York Surf Film Festival. "[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. So, PT told Milius, hey, Ive got a bronzed Aussie buddy who could replace him. 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. He had a lot of innovative ideas that changed surfing, and he created them. Nineteen seventy-six was a big year for innovation. "[23], The review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reports a 67% approval rating, based on 12 reviews, with a weighted average of 6.50/10. But, when Big Wednesday opened in the spring of 79, it tanked. WL: Are there any other memories from that trip that particularly stand out? The friends reunite years later, after Barlow has served in Vietnam, for the "Great Swell of '74". It become one of the most influential surf movies ever made. by Information Press, Behind The Scenes On Big Wednesday: Tales From The Set With Stunt Double Ian Cairns Wavelength Surf Magazine, Alan Nafzger's Los Angeles Surfing Drama - VERITY'S SURFING MOVIE, Kanga The Trials and Triumphs of Ian Cairns, Historic San Augustine is Set for This Weekends Heritage Days, Judge Revives Lunada Bay Lawsuit: Localism Is Illegal and Cities TheInertia.com, From Hawaii to South Africa: Top 10 surfing destinations around the world, Matthew McConaugheys dashing young son collects , Architect Ed Niles Designed This Massive Geometrical Manse on the Malibu Coast. They were depicted as both titanic figures who embody physical perfection and barbarians who refuse to conform to the rules of civilised society. You just get treated like a king, youre part of the crew, hanging out with the actors, writers and directors. When Milius saw them sat next to each other, he couldnt believe the likeness, immediately switching PTs role to that of Kats double instead. 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." P.T. Either way, the cast and crew enjoyed filming at such an amazing location. All of a sudden he realised hey theres a lot of shit going on out there in the water. The first week was fairly fraught, beset by illness, bad waves and a standoff with a gun-toting local militia. Free Delivery on all Orders Over 80. While the studio had high hopes for the success of Big Wednesday, it flopped, and was out of the theaters in a month. Seversons title referenced a popular myth that posited all great surf days fall on Wednesdays. Jean Micheal Vincent and Billy Kat were there but the Masochist wasnt. Shop Now , Home Behind The Scenes On Big Wednesday: Tales & Trivia From The Making Of A Cult Classic, [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. PT leapt at the chance. Photo: Stoner, Unlike many Holywood surf flicks, Big Wednesday had real surfers fingerprints all over it. Finally, a nice shot of Denny Aaberg, co-writer of the film, enjoying the fruits of his labor. Writer/director John Milius was born in 1944 and the material draws on a ten year span of his life from the early 1960's to the early 1970's. . Recently, we called him up at home in Laguna Beach to see what he could remember from his time working on the film. n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)}; 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. With Jan-Michael Vincent, William Katt, Gary Busey, Patti D'Arbanville. Official Sites While Milius has been forgotten by most contemporary viewers and critics, the legacy of Big Wednesday continues to live on. (as Karen Rea Grossman) IC: Yeah, we were all there hanging at Sunset. He didnt really surf, where as Jean Micheal and Billy were reasonable surfers, so they were down there to have fun, hang out and shoot as many scenes as possible. ()100% Can't play on this device. I went there 190lbs and ended up a 170, and in fact one night I lost 10lbs, vomiting and shitting, just incredibly sick. Release Dates Its pretty sweet, Ill tell you that. 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. This largely autobiographical film from director John Milius ("Conan The Barbarian") features truly spectacular surfing scenes. 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. Working on big Wednesday in 77, we earned 50 grand. 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). Most importantly, upon its release, Big Wednesdays premise that passion for surfing had an expiration date was unthinkable. . We were treated like rock stars and I still get a cheque every year from the screen actors guild. Hes riding one of the prop longboards made for the film. 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. (1) George Greenough surrounded by his tools of the trade and (2) with his homemade housing. Terry loves it because it allows her to stay in touch with her old friend, The Ranch. 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. Check system requirements. [27 June 1978] The 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. 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.. "A lot of the characters are me and in another sense none of them are me. In Milius film, the surfers are the last true American pioneers whose courage and heroism are forged by their ability to live at the intersection between nature and culture. "[14], Milius at one stage intended to play the role of the Bear himself. Milius and his friends George Lucas and Steven Spielberg famously agreed to exchange a percentage point of Big Wednesday, Star Wars and Close Encounters of the Third Kind prior to the release of the three films throughout 1977-1978. Above and below are Peter Townend. The film production hired the Hui to clear the water for us. "He was going to do another gun and guts macho fight film but he decided to do this; he decided he needed this in his life. A 17-year-old boy was busted for subway surfing in Queens on Wednesday just two days after another teenager was killed pulling the same stunt on the Williamsburg Bridge.. Ian Cairns, shown above, was the surf double for Gary Busey. "It's so alluring, so easy to get lost in. Here hes getting pulled behind a boat, probably just killing time between takes. 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. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. The films authenticity was enhanced by Milius connection to the surfing world, which enabled him to bring in experienced surf documentary maker Greg MacGillivray. In the background you see all the Hollywood chairs for the actors and such. And Denny should know, he co-wrote the film with the director John Milius! It was a lot of money. Trips planned for this summer include roundtrip runs to SLO from SB and Goleta on June 30th, July 21st and August 18th. The surfers and stunt doubles with director John Milius. Aaberg says there were about 50 extras used for the scenes shot at Cojo. 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. 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. 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. She said it was the last shot on the roll. It doesn't work. !function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s){if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function(){n.callMethod?