According to surf journalist Paul Gross, hard-core surfers found the film too cheesy. 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. It was a central experience in our lives. [24], Milius later said the film was "sort of a numb spot in my life. 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. 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. Another luminary brought in for this film was none other than Gerry Lopez. Big Wednesday: Directed by John Milius. And thats what the movie is. Theyre riding prop boards, made for the movie, and no wetsuits, since this was supposed to the early sixties Malibu. Jan-Michael Vincent and Lee Purcell in Big Wednesday. We were allowed to be out surfing all the time and Cojo is pretty nice its a bit like Little Rincon at Bells. Check system requirements. Release Dates 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. Remick says this was typical Greenough attire; barefoot, jeans, sweatshirt and self cut hair. "[7], Anthea Sylbert was an executive at Warners at the time. Above is George Greenough, Denny Aaberg with the guitar, Peter Townend and Townends girlfriend. 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. Can't play on this device. The talent behind the lens for the surfing sequences was equally prolific, with George Greenough (fresh off the back of Crystal Voyager), legendary stills photog turned filmmaker Dan Merkel and surf movie pioneer Bud Browne all overseen by Five Summer Stories co-creator Greg MacGillivray. Terry Remick is now heavily involved with the marketing of vintage rail trips along the central coast. Great feature on Big Wednesday. WL: And then you all jetted off to Hawaii. Youre not allowed to drive into the Ranch, so every day youd just wait for your car to come and pick you up. 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. 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. 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. 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. Shown here walking out to the surf with Dan Merkel and one of his legendary lightning bolt boards. Here hes getting pulled behind a boat, probably just killing time between takes. 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. Photo via www.bearsurfboards.eu. Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington, Te Herenga WakaVictoria University of Wellington, Between the Lines: Surfers during the Vietnam War. 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. It took an awful long time to write the script. 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. Here hes getting pulled behind a boat, probably just killing time between takes. With our encyclopedic knowledge of the worlds waves, we decided there were a couple of surf points we could use there, Milius recalls in an interview with Sports Illustrated. Photo from the front cover of his biography: Kanga The Trials and Triumphs of Ian Cairns. n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)}; Terry loves it because it allows her to stay in touch with her old friend, The Ranch. 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. Free Delivery on all Orders Over 80. Big Wednesday, and she had a front row seat. Browse the full lineup and get your ticket here.Or, subscribe to Wavelength now to get free entry to a screening of your choice.] 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. This movie is about friendship: surfing is just the background. ), Cairns was renowned for his big wave prowess and radical manoeuvres in smaller waves. When they were shooting, they would be riding longboards and no wetsuit, or maybe a top only. Filming & Production In the background you see all the Hollywood chairs for the actors and such. Actors - Big Wednesday (1978) Returning Jan-Michael Vincent played troubled surfer Matt Johnson. In the 1980s, Milius would go on to make commercially successful films such as Conan the Barbarian and Red Dawn. However, in the 1990s and 2000s his career declined rapidly. We were samurai. 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 mean, they were all just waiting for the Big Wave. The $11 million PG-rated Big Wednesday was the only Hollywood movie of its kind in the '70s. 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. We pitched up at Sunzal, which happens to be where theyre holding the ISA World Games this week. WL: Are there any other memories from that trip that particularly stand out? 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. 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. While the studio had high hopes for the success of Big Wednesday, it flopped, and was out of the theaters in a month. Billy Hamilton, above, was the double for Jan Michael Vincent. 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. 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. Big Wednesday is a 1978 American coming of age film about California surfers facing life, the Vietnam War, and use of the ever-changing surf as a metaphor for the changes in life.. Except for Big Wednesday, none of the Milius-directed films have a satisfying conclusion. Official Sites Terry was commuting from the Ranch and Goleta to attend SBCC and UCSB. But then it just reverted back to normal from there on, it wasnt like wed bought a lifetime membership into the Hui. ), 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. We all knew it was special, we knew it wouldn't last. 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. Working on big Wednesday in 77, we earned 50 grand. Milius Waxes Up 'Big Wednesday' "We very much want it to be authentic. Also starring Jan-Michael Vincent ("The Winds of War"), real- life mother and son Barbara Hale . Surfing is a strange thing. So's John. 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. It was a lot of money. 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. That's important to me because I'm a real surfer. The production assistant tried to shoo her off when he saw her camera but George told them she was a regular and harmless, so they let her keep shooting. 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. September 10, 2020. 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. 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. Jack's induction notice says he is to serve in the United States Marine Corps. 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. "Big Wednesday" started as a novel written by John Milius and Denny Aaberg and was initially published in 1978 by Bantam Books. And just like the legendary surfing movie Big Wednesday, the massive swell pulled in on a Wednesday (19 January 2022). I dug a Yater spoon out of David Adornettos back yard and used it as my longboard, though we also brought our shortboards. Join us in a beautiful clifftop location overlooking Watergate Bay in West Cornwall on July16th for a drive-in screening of the film. Then in 77, they were getting paid, so we were cordial. Last accessed: December 1, 2009. The film tells the story of three young friends whose passion in life is surfing. But we simply didnt take into account things like, oh, sharks, civil war and dysentery.. | Too bad the movie sucked, the premiere at the Arlington was pretty exciting anyway.. Its pretty sweet, Ill tell you that. 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. Send her a message via her facebook page if youd like to go. P.T. Free Delivery on all Orders Over 80. The heroes are depicted as walking like the kings of an ancient civilisation. They said, Hey, its Warner Brothers, do you want to come to El Salvador?. Multiple scenes required surfers to ride waves up to 70 feet . "[14], Milius at one stage intended to play the role of the Bear himself. So, PT told Milius, hey, Ive got a bronzed Aussie buddy who could replace him. We were treated like rock stars and I still get a cheque every year from the screen actors guild. 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. The Novel Before the Movie. Next day, the cars had new (old) license plates. She later called the film "a classic example of an egomaniacal insane man going over budget and not listening to anyone. 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, a real mans man. A 20th Anniversary screening (which included cast and crewmembers) took place at the Newport Film Festival in 1998. At some point, Lance bailed. IC: Yeah, we were all there hanging at Sunset. When John Milius made Big Wednesday in 1978, he was considered one of the most promising filmmakers in Hollywood. 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. Without going to Hawaii it would have fallen flat, but those big wave sequences at the end of the movie are pretty amazing. ABOUT A SHIPWRECK THAT (RAN AGROUND IN "53" NOW A VICTIM OF THE SEA ? It never strayed from that. Most importantly, upon its release, Big Wednesdays premise that passion for surfing had an expiration date was unthinkable. 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 production team would send him out on partially sawed through boards, to ensure that when he reached the trough of each set wave, the board would duly shatter beneath his feet. 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. Milius and Aaberg based their script on their own stories about Malibu, which in the film would be referred to as The Point. 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. The film production hired the Hui to clear the water for us. You can see the wave all over Instagram today, with all the surf teams there. Browse the full lineup and get your ticket here. One day this El Salvadoran militia comes to visit our beach set, continues Milius. We surfed there and down at La Libertad and it was pretty fun, just hanging out with the crew. "It was the most personal film I'd done," said Katt. 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. IC: One day I was at home in Australia and the phone rang and it was Hollywood calling. Initially, Milus and Aaberg set out to write a novel that combined some of Malibus real characters with a grander narrative around surfings mythology. Company Credits Big Wednesday is a movie that follows the Hollywood cinema canons, filmed by a well-known director who embodies the surfer's spirit. 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. Sure enough, the next morning we arrived to 4-6 perfect Cojo with only P.T., Cairns, Mark Warren, and Gerry Lopez out. Hank Worden for some reason took a small role as a guy that pushed a shopping cart around. That experience working on Big Wednesday was kind of how I hoped pro surfing would be. I said of course, who wouldnt! Either way, the cast and crew enjoyed filming at such an amazing location. 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. 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. 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. 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. Click here to buy a ticket, or subscribe now for free entry. The friends reunite years later, after Barlow has served in Vietnam, for the "Great Swell of '74". Youlll see in the movie Jean and Billy paddling out, pushing under and catching a couple of waves and then youll see the stunt doubles come in. 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. All of a sudden he realised hey theres a lot of shit going on out there in the water. Greenough was hired to do water shots and Townend was a surf double for William Katt, one of the stars in the film. 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. I said of course, who wouldnt! 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. [17][18][19], The film premiered in wide release in the United States on May 26, 1978.[20]. Warner Brothers rented the Bixby Ranch to film a major motion picture called Big Wednesday, and she had a front row seat. Surf is a reoccurring trope in Milius work. 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.