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 jumped on a plane and flew down there to join the crew, who were about a week into the shoot. 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. 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. Tell me about your experience at the Ranch? No Hype.No Sponsors. September 10, 2020. While working on the script, Milius and Aaberg used Samurai stories, the Arthurian saga and Herman Melvilles Moby Dick as sources of inspiration. [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. They formed their own company, The A Team. We pitched up at Sunzal, which happens to be where theyre holding the ISA World Games this week. Or, subscribe to Wavelength now to get free entry to a screening of your choice.]. 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. I jumped on a plane and flew down there to join the crew, who were about a week into the shoot. However, in the 1990s and 2000s his career declined rapidly. It took an awful long time to write the script. He created this waterproof fiberglass housing for a big, bulky 35 mm movie camera. Of the eight hours we were there everyday, we probably averaged about an hour of actually doing something for the movie. 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. While Milius has been forgotten by most contemporary viewers and critics, the legacy of Big Wednesday continues to live on. Ian Cairns, shown above, was the surf double for Gary Busey. Renew Premium Membership Now; My Account; Personal Info & Password; Payment & Settings; Premium Benefits; Site Settings; Help Center; Try Premium Free Now; My Account You had to have permission from the director, John Milius [to paddle out]. Here hes getting pulled behind a boat, probably just killing time between takes. Surf star Gerry Lopez, who would. After the film came out, Bill began shaping under the Bear label depicted in the movie. "I'd lived that life since I was ten. 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. There was no one living there and you had to come in by boat, even until today its really uncrowded. 2022 Goleta Surfing. Browse the full lineup and get your ticket here. Director Bruce Brown Writers Bruce Brown Dana Brown Stars Patrick O'Connell But we simply didnt take into account things like, oh, sharks, civil war and dysentery.. (as Karen Rea Grossman) n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)};if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n; They were sure this guy was a SEAL!. In addition, two-time Pipeline Masters champion Gerry Lopez, who served as one of the six surfing masters in the production of the film, also appears in a cameo as himself during the final surfing section of the film. Although access has since opened up a little, back then it was only residents and boat owning day-trippers who could surf along the stretch. Its pretty sweet, Ill tell you that. New York Surf Film Festival. Big Wednesday, and she had a front row seat. Finally, a nice shot of Denny Aaberg, co-writer of the film, enjoying the fruits of his labor. Initially, Milus and Aaberg set out to write a novel that combined some of Malibus real characters with a grander narrative around surfings mythology. A coming of age story, it chronicles the three characters transition to adulthood with parties, surf trips, marriage and the Vietnam War in the background. 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. Monster waves swept into Cape Town this week, with surfers jumping at the chance to experience the unforgettable huge surf. 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. Warner Brothers rented the Bixby Ranch to film a major motion picture called Big Wednesday, and she had a front row seat. 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. Denny wrote a song about it with Phil Pritchard and it was featured in this film and became quite popular. !function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s){if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function(){n.callMethod? 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. Cameras were stolen and the whole crew got sick, but in the end, it was an encounter with a local militia that really sent them packing. The surfers and stunt doubles with director John Milius. (1) The central trio heading out for the final showdown. if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version='2.0'; The attrition rate among surfers is very high. Milius wrote the script with his friend and fellow surfer, journalist Denny Aaberg. Even luckier was Denny, who got to help choose from hundreds of cute little beach bunnies. It was a lot of money. 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 . fbq('init', '916699485848838'); IC: Well, we were in the Northern Ranch, where the breaks Cojo and Governments are. When the film was released in May 1978, everybody the director, the producer and the prospective viewers had big hopes for it. 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. 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. 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. But then it just reverted back to normal from there on, it wasnt like wed bought a lifetime membership into the Hui. 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. With the advent of VCRs and DVD players, it is now a full blown cult classic. They were getting $20 a day plus a whole lot of sunburn to watch perfect waves go unridden.. 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. 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. document,'script','https://connect.facebook.net/en_US/fbevents.js'); 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. 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." 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. Photo via www.bearsurfboards.eu. Above is a distant view of the set they made, a replica of the Malibu wall, complete with lifeguard tower. 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. Remick says this was typical Greenough attire; barefoot, jeans, sweatshirt and self cut hair. 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. Here hes getting pulled behind a boat, probably just killing time between takes. 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. Free Delivery on all Orders Over 80. We were treated like rock stars and I still get a cheque every year from the screen actors guild. The extras got paid $60 a day, plus a catered lunch and a bus ride up from Santa Barbara everyday. "We very much want it to be authentic. All Rights Reserved. It's based on the lives of three friends ten years ago. Heres Jan Michael Vincent again. [24], Milius later said the film was "sort of a numb spot in my life. Forty years after its release the passion and lyricism of the film are even more compelling. Without going to Hawaii it would have fallen flat, but those big wave sequences at the end of the movie are pretty amazing. Here it goes, the good, old story of the dog chasing its tail. "It was the most personal film I'd done," said Katt. was also an Aussie surf legend and was the first professional world champion. IC: Well, it was pretty horrible in 76. She said it was the last shot on the roll. It was a very personal film and it really tore me up when it was attacked in such a way that no one saw it. This is one of Terrys favorite shots. "I don't want to put it off any further but I don't want to work on it until its ready either. He has since had a long and illustrious career promoting surfing as a sport. 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. Above is George Greenough, Denny Aaberg with the guitar, Peter Townend and Townends girlfriend. Photo from the front cover of his biography: Kanga The Trials and Triumphs of Ian Cairns. Jan-Michael Vincent and Lee Purcell in Big Wednesday. The Novel Before the Movie. IC: For about two months we were on the North Shore, filming mainly at Sunset, but also other places to get pick up shots. Milius Waxes Up 'Big Wednesday' She is the guide for a few of these private rail trips which travel through the Gaviota Coast. "[9], Milius and producer Feitshans had met at American International Pictures, where they worked on Dillinger (1973). "Big Wednesday" started as a novel written by John Milius and Denny Aaberg and was initially published in 1978 by Bantam Books. "A lot of the characters are me and in another sense none of them are me. Denny can be seen above in the green shorts and thats Ian Cairns in the yellow trunks. A 20th Anniversary screening (which included cast and crewmembers) took place at the Newport Film Festival in 1998. 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]. IC: The guys were held at gun point at Sunzal one morning as part of the revolution thing, but that was before I got there. 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. Los Angeles Times 21 August 1977: n7. Youre not allowed to drive into the Ranch, so every day youd just wait for your car to come and pick you up. [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. 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. 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. IC: Yeah, we were all there hanging at Sunset. I worry I might lose sight of the characters. Im actually really stoked on the surfing in that final sequence, they did a really good job stitching it all together . Tell me about your experience at the Ranch? Its pretty sweet, Ill tell you that. Terry knew him through friends at the beach and Denny knew him from surfing. A few of the extras,including Kym Herrin in the blue dress, working hard for their sixty bones. Unlike any other film that has been made about surfing, in this one the characters and not the waves are the most important. 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. | When they were shooting you werent allowed in the water. 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. 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 film production hired the Hui to clear the water for us. When Milius saw them sat next to each other, he couldnt believe the likeness, immediately switching PTs role to that of Kats double instead. Of course, thats where you get all the stuff from Sunset that wraps up the movie. 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. In 1975, Warner Bros expressed a strong interest in Milius idea about a surf film, which in turn prompted him to buy the rights to the title of John Seversons 1961 surf movie Big Wednesday. Either way, the cast and crew enjoyed filming at such an amazing location. A truck followed behind with our surfboards. and the more I understood about Big Wednesday, the more I learned about surfing. Surfing is a strange thing. And thats what the movie is. n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)}; Great feature on Big Wednesday. 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 surfers and stunt doubles with director John Milius. Three 1960s California surfers (Jan-Michael Vincent, William Katt, Gary Busey) fool around, drift apart and reunite years later to ride epic waves. Published by at June 22, 2022. Big Wednesday is a 1978 American coming of age buddy sports comedy-drama film directed by John Milius. ), 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. PT leapt at the chance. Robb Report. That camera looks heavy. All of a sudden he realised hey theres a lot of shit going on out there in the water. The friends reunite years later, after Barlow has served in Vietnam, for the "Great Swell of '74". I was the number one money winner in 76, I earned $8000 prize money. IC: Yeah, we were all there hanging at Sunset. In the last sequence of the film, the three are reunited to face the Great swell of 74, which represents the final moment in this maturation process. And with that, Ian Cairns was in. 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. She said it was the last shot on the roll. According to surf journalist Paul Gross, hard-core surfers found the film too cheesy. When we saw these photos, we contacted surf legend Denny Aaberg to give us some more insight. WL: Tell me about the filming of the final sequence? 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. 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. There goes Greenough to get some water shots, with an assistant, we guess. 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. Terry loves it because it allows her to stay in touch with her old friend, The Ranch. 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. The film engaged with universal themes such as the passage to adulthood and the nostalgic celebration of an irrevocably lost golden age. I have fond memories of being one of the extras. "But I couldn't," he said. 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. In the end, the trip set the production back half a million dollars and yielded just four minutes of useable footage. 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. In the 1980s, Milius would go on to make commercially successful films such as Conan the Barbarian and Red Dawn. "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. No Ads. 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. 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. It's about growing up and relationships and the surf is the exotic background. The Los Angeles Times reported that it was one of the very few to really capture the surfing life., Surf journalist Paul Gross concurred, writing in The Surfers Journal on the films 25th anniversary that even its harshest critics had to acknowledge that Big Wednesday remains true to the sport., While Surfer Magazine went one further in their modern appraisal bestowing what may be the ultimate compliment, declaring simply that Big Wednesday makes you proud to be a surfer.. We pitched up at Sunzal, which happens to be where theyre holding the ISA World Games this week. 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. 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. You always feel you owe it something. They still used a stunt double for a lot of the surfing action, his was Bill Hamilton. Above is Peter Townend, with a classic arch stance. It made only US$4.5 million (half of its original budget) at the box office. 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. His success was shortlived, as Milius sued for patent rights. Now, with their innocence lost to the deeds . Or, subscribe to Wavelength now to get free entry to a screening of your choice.]. Wed surf and then get a filet mignon for lunch. The lives of some California surfers from the early 1960s to the 1970s. [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. was also an Aussie surf legend and was the first professional world champion. 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. When he comes home from Vietnam he is an Army Green Beret. The film tells the story of three young friends whose passion in life is surfing. Business boomed with the late 80s surfwear explosion as Bear expanded its line, replacing fishing as his main source of income. "[22], The staff at Variety wrote, "A rubber stamp wouldn't do for John Milius. 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. Milius created a mythical aura around the protagonists of Big Wednesday. You just get treated like a king, youre part of the crew, hanging out with the actors, writers and directors. 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).