Browse the full lineup and get your ticket here. 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. Milius wrote the script with his friend and fellow surfer, journalist Denny Aaberg. WL: I just watched it the other day and its incredible the surfing you guys are doing on those big single fin longboards. 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. George had broken it up into pieces and [stuffed it into] that yellow fibreglass thing. He would then either place the big homemade housing on his shoulder while sitting on a board in the channel or balance it on his surf mat. ABOUT A SHIPWRECK THAT (RAN AGROUND IN "53" NOW A VICTIM OF THE SEA ? n.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0; ), Cairns was renowned for his big wave prowess and radical manoeuvres in smaller waves. 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. Actors - Big Wednesday (1978) Returning Jan-Michael Vincent played troubled surfer Matt Johnson. Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington, Te Herenga WakaVictoria University of Wellington, Between the Lines: Surfers during the Vietnam War. Im actually really stoked on the surfing in that final sequence, they did a really good job stitching it all together . ABC edited 31 minutes from this film for its 1985 network television premiere. It never strayed from that. and the more I understood about Big Wednesday, the more I learned about surfing. !function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s) 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. Jean Micheal Vincent and Billy Kat were there but the Masochist wasnt. It become one of the most influential surf movies ever made. 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. Aaberg says there were about 50 extras used for the scenes shot at Cojo. I said of course, who wouldnt! 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. Press release, August 6, 2008. 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. big wednesday stunt surfers big wednesday stunt surfers. She said it was the last shot on the roll. 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. With the advent of VCRs and DVD players, it is now a full blown cult classic. 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. The lives of some California surfers from the early 1960s to the 1970s. (2) On the surf trip to Mexico, reportedly inspired by true events. Los Angeles Times 21 August 1977: n7. 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. Along the way we see many of the people and locales Bruce visited during the filming of Endless Summer (1966). What a way to make a living, eh? (1) The central trio heading out for the final showdown. Wed surf and then get a filet mignon for lunch. What was amazing was to see how many waves went by without anyone surfing them, recalls Art Brewer. A lot of people never leave it. Together with percussionist Sam Adams, they are the Saltwater Cowboys and play gigs on a regular basis. "John has fallen in love and is getting married and that's opened up this other side of him," said star William Katt in October 1977. Here you will find unforgettable moments, scenes and lines from all your favorite films. Official Sites 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. 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. Looks like that heavy camera setup bumped George in the eye, and hes laughing it off. 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. Warner Brothers rented the Bixby Ranch to film a major motion picture called Big Wednesday, and she had a front row seat. But we simply didnt take into account things like, oh, sharks, civil war and dysentery.. Here it goes, the good, old story of the dog chasing its tail. You just get treated like a king, youre part of the crew, hanging out with the actors, writers and directors. You had to have permission from the director, John Milius [to paddle out]. The surfers and stunt doubles with director John Milius. [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 Surf's Up and Big Wednesday on Friday 16th July. "Surfing was a brand new sport with its own aristocracy. Tell me about your experience at the Ranch? Shop Now, Kanga The Trials and Triumphs of Ian Cairns, 8 OF THE BEST FEMALE SURF RETREATS FOR 2023, Where To Surf In Italy The Wavelength Guide. (as Karen Rea Grossman) 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. Click here to buy a ticket, or subscribe now for free entry. It was written by John Milius and Dennis Aaberg, who met hanging on the beach at Malibu in the late '50s, alongside characters like Miki Dora and Lance Carson. 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. Join us in a beautiful clifftop location overlooking Watergate Bay in West Cornwall on July16th for a drive-in screening of the film. 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. The surfing scenes used in the finale to Big Wednesday were not filmed in California, where the film is set, but at Sunset Beach in Pupukea, Hawaii. Jan-Michael Vincent and Lee Purcell in Big Wednesday. By what name was Big Wednesday (1978) officially released in India in English? He features prominently in two documentaries about surfing: Hollywood Dont Surf and Between the Lines: Surfers during the Vietnam War. He had a lot of innovative ideas that changed surfing, and he created them. Thats not enough. Or, subscribe to Wavelength now to get free entry to a screening of your choice.]. 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. The film presents a vivid portrait of a specific cultural moment both in surfing and the world at large but equally explores themes that transcend time and place, like loss, friendship and the impact of growing up on each individuals surfing path. That completely changed his mind, because here was a day when the surf was barely breaking and he almost dies, and were out there on big days. We were really fortunate to have those big days at Sunset. This is a great shot of Jan Michael Vincent, one of the actors that actually could surf. I said of course, who wouldnt! "I'd lived that life since I was ten. 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). Among these was Kym Herrin, who later gained fame as a Playboy bunny. Following its home video release in the 1980s, the film gradually acquired cult status. Jack's induction notice says he is to serve in the United States Marine Corps. Ian Cairns, shown above, was the surf double for Gary Busey. Click Here to hear the song and see some stills from the film. WL: And then you all jetted off to Hawaii. 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. Did working with them that winter help smooth things over a bit? Great feature on Big Wednesday. To date Milius last major film-making credit is as creator of the acclaimed HBO TV show Rome in 2005. 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. Greenough arrived with his own custom-built water housing and proceeded to take apart the 100 grand film camera provided to him by the production to fit it inside. Billy Hamilton, above, was the double for Jan Michael Vincent. Each plays a talented . All Rights Reserved. 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. All of a sudden he realised hey theres a lot of shit going on out there in the water. Terry Remick is now heavily involved with the marketing of vintage rail trips along the central coast. There was perfect longboard waves coming through, a little groomed south swell at Cojo Point, and while the surfers managed to get out and score a few waves, it was the extras who had to suffer. Published by at June 22, 2022. 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. No Stress.Just Stoke. "I don't want to put it off any further but I don't want to work on it until its ready either. 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. We were paid for basically hanging out on the beach at Cojo all day. WL: Tell me about the filming of the final sequence? https://www.goletasurfing.com/core/cache/breeze-minification/js/breeze_bf25db7bc3f4fb29e74cfd527dd277fa.js, Terry Remick was spending a lot of her time with friends on the beaches of, Lucky for us, Terry was a photographer, and she happened to be friends with George Greenough, who. The third lead, Gary Busey, had to learn to surf for the role and after just a few months, ended up joining his co-stars out in the lineup at 12-foot Sunset for the final scene. director of photography Film Editing by Casting By Karen Rea . 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. [1], Big Wednesday was a box office flop upon its release, and was quickly pulled from theatres after taking in only $4.5 million. We were allowed to be out surfing all the time and Cojo is pretty nice its a bit like Little Rincon at Bells. At 62 and 190 lbs., he was a big, powerful Australian surf star that had won lots of international contests. Some commentators ascribed the early critical and commercial failure of Big Wednesday to its excessive sentimentality. Rent $2.99. And just when they were finally convinced, out of the water comes one of our surfers, Dan Merkel, with his skin suit on and a knife strapped to his leg. As part of the sequence, the director wanted big wipeouts and snapped boards, so he roped in Aussie pro Bruce Raymond, whom he paid $200 a day a months rent on the North Shore back then to repeatedly go over the falls. And with that, Ian Cairns was in. Milius said that while the story was inspired by his own life experiences as a young surfer in Malibu, he was interested in achieving a balance between a realistic depiction of true events and the mythologising of surfers and surfing culture. As he remembers, it was some sort of military vehicle that was there for years and years. 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. 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). WL: Tell me about the filming of the final sequence? We were samurai. Written by Milius and Dennis Aaberg, it is loosely based on their own experiences at Malibu, California. 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 movie is about friendship: surfing is just the background. Its the artful portrayal of these hardy perennials that allows Big Wednesday to still resonate so thoroughly with wave riders over forty years on. 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. 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. You can also see a pretty nice wave rolling throughGreat photo. That completely changed his mind, because here was a day when the surf was barely breaking and he almost dies, and were out there on big days. tui annual report 8, 2022. Big Wednesday is a movie that follows the Hollywood cinema canons, filmed by a well-known director who embodies the surfer's spirit. 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. 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. Of course, thats where you get all the stuff from Sunset that wraps up the movie. Its pretty sweet, Ill tell you that. He has since had a long and illustrious career promoting surfing as a sport. It took an awful long time to write the script. Denny Aaberg continues his life long passion for playing music. Milius cancelled shooting for the day and let everyone surf. ), For starters, it was only decided that the tour was a tour halfway through the year, with a few events from the dozens of surfing comps that had already taken place around the world chosen retrospectively as the opening leg. However, in the 1990s and 2000s his career declined rapidly. [1] William Katt explained in a 1979 interview with Roger Ebert a year after the film's release that he believed the movie's failure was due to the marketing focusing only on the fight scenes and surfing angle. 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 . Multiple scenes required surfers to ride waves up to 70 feet . Shop Now , Home Behind The Scenes On Big Wednesday: Tales From The Set With Stunt Double Ian Cairns, [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. Free Delivery on all Orders Over 80. But to be perfectly candid my interest in competing on the tour dramatically diminished, because I realised there was another world out there. 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. PT leapt at the chance. Other filming locations included El Paso, Texas; Hollister Ranch near Santa Barbara; Surfrider Beach (in Malibu); Ventura, California; and La Libertad, El Salvador. 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. 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. Milius described the film in a 1976 interview: It's a surfing HOW GREEN WAS MY VALLEY: the loss of an aristocracy, the end of an era, the passing of a more innocent time to a more corrupt and complex one-all growing up is the passing of innocence. "I've been working on Big Wednesday a long time," Milius said. We were outlaws, juvenile delinquents, anarchists and rascals. Here hes getting pulled behind a boat, probably just killing time between takes. He was the double for William Katt in the film. It was pretty bizarre. Most famously, hes responsible for creating the character Colonel Kilgore in Apocolypse Now and writing the films most iconic line: Charlies dont surf.. When Milius saw them sat next to each other, he couldnt believe the likeness, immediately switching PTs role to that of Kats double instead. In the 1980s, Milius would go on to make commercially successful films such as Conan the Barbarian and Red Dawn. We know these are freesurfing shots because hes riding a late 70s shortboard. fbq('init', '916699485848838'); 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. BIG WEDNESDAY Wednesday, April 24, 2019 7:30 PM 9:30 PM Pacific City (map) Join us at our gallery space at Pacific City, Huntington Beach this Wednesday, April 24th for a screening of BIG WEDNESDAY and special guest legendary Australian ripper and Big Wednesday stunt double IAN CAIRINS. A few of the extras,including Kym Herrin in the blue dress, working hard for their sixty bones. It was super fun. It was only with the films home video release in the early 80s that it began to acquire a cult following, gaining more credibility and adulation with each year that passed. This is a faux pas of no mean eminence; after all, Miss Hale actually is Mr. Katt's mother. Surfing is a strange thing. Without going to Hawaii it would have fallen flat, but those big wave sequences at the end of the movie are pretty amazing. 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. This film about three Malibu surfers in the 1960s has been branded major statement and it's got Big Ideas about adolescence, friendship and the 1960s. 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. WL: Can you tell me about getting the call up to double for Busey? "[11], However, Milius changed his mind again. 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. I went there 190lbs and ended up a 170, and in fact one night I lost 10lbs, vomiting and shitting, just incredibly sick.