So wed gone from death threats in 76 to having them protect us in the water the following winter. So, PT told Milius, hey, Ive got a bronzed Aussie buddy who could replace him. 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. IC: Yeah, we were all there hanging at Sunset. "We very much want it to be authentic. Great feature on Big Wednesday. IC: Well, it was pretty horrible in 76. 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. "A lot of the characters are me and in another sense none of them are me. This is a great shot of Jan Michael Vincent, one of the actors that actually could surf. fbq('track', 'PageView'); Copyright 2020 Surfing.LA. ), Cairns was renowned for his big wave prowess and radical manoeuvres in smaller waves. It took an awful long time to write the script. It's based on the lives of three friends ten years ago. 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. His success was shortlived, as Milius sued for patent rights. Nature enthusiast Dean Bannatyne captured this epic video footage The $11 million PG-rated Big Wednesday was the only Hollywood movie of its kind in the '70s. 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. to hear the song and see some stills from the film. Then in 77, they were getting paid, so we were cordial. WL: Tell me about the filming of the final sequence? The first week was fairly fraught, beset by illness, bad waves and a standoff with a gun-toting local militia. Alfio Leotta does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment. In the end, the trip set the production back half a million dollars and yielded just four minutes of useable footage. "The 40th-anniversary edition of 'Big . At some point, Lance bailed. "[7], Anthea Sylbert was an executive at Warners at the time. 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. Surf star Gerry Lopez, who would. "[7], "A lot of things [in the film] happened to me," said Milius. When he comes home from Vietnam he is an Army Green Beret. 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. 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. All Rights Reserved. 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. 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]. 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. n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)}; The films success, as demonstrated by its great popularity in countries such as Italy where surfing is not a prevalent sport, was not limited to its depiction of surfing subculture. and nothing that happens after will ever be the same. Which brings us to the extras. I worry I might lose sight of the characters. They still used a stunt double for a lot of the surfing action, his was Bill Hamilton. (2) On the surf trip to Mexico, reportedly inspired by true events. However, in the 1990s and 2000s his career declined rapidly. [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. It never strayed from that. I mean, they were all just waiting for the Big Wave. WL: Of course, that was right in the middle of the whole Bustin Down The Door saga. The picture was screened at various film festivals, including: the Davao City Film Festival, Philippines; the Turin Film Festival, Italy; and others. Above is George Greenough, Denny Aaberg with the guitar, Peter Townend and Townends girlfriend. Give me a break! Privacy Policy / Terms & Conditions. In the background you see all the Hollywood chairs for the actors and such. IC: For about two months we were on the North Shore, filming mainly at Sunset, but also other places to get pick up shots. It's about their friendship, and the value of friendship. Another famous water photographer, Dan Merkel, was hired to shoot this film. 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. We all knew it was special, we knew it wouldn't last. Director Bruce Brown Writers Bruce Brown Dana Brown Stars Patrick O'Connell "The novel is a story about old Malibu, its waves, its local characters, and what it was like to surf there in the 1950s and 1960s," explains Aaberg. "Big Wednesday" follows three young surfers in the LA area (Jan-Michael Vincent, William Katt and Gary Busey). Here it goes, the good, old story of the dog chasing its tail. They were sure this guy was a SEAL!. They still used a stunt double for a lot of the surfing action, his was Bill Hamilton. Made by movie fans, for movie fans.SUBSCRIBE TO OUR MOVIE CHANNELS:MOVIECLIPS: http://bit.ly/1u2yaWdComingSoon: http://bit.ly/1DVpgtRIndie \u0026 Film Festivals: http://bit.ly/1wbkfYgHero Central: http://bit.ly/1AMUZwvExtras: http://bit.ly/1u431frClassic Trailers: http://bit.ly/1u43jDePop-Up Trailers: http://bit.ly/1z7EtZRMovie News: http://bit.ly/1C3Ncd2Movie Games: http://bit.ly/1ygDV13Fandango: http://bit.ly/1Bl79yeFandango FrontRunners: http://bit.ly/1CggQfCHIT US UP:Facebook: http://on.fb.me/1y8M8axTwitter: http://bit.ly/1ghOWmtPinterest: http://bit.ly/14wL9DeTumblr: http://bit.ly/1vUwhH7 WL: Are there any other memories from that trip that particularly stand out? "Surfing was a brand new sport with its own aristocracy. 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. 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). The film production hired the Hui to clear the water for us. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. PT leapt at the chance. The water camera hes holding was one of those ideas. 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. This is one of Terrys favorite shots. And then there was the surfing. Above is a distant view of the set they made, a replica of the Malibu wall, complete with lifeguard tower. 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? And just like the legendary surfing movie Big Wednesday, the massive swell pulled in on a Wednesday (19 January 2022). I have fond memories of being one of the extras. "It was a special time," said Aaberg of the 1960s. By most accounts, the trip was a disaster. Here hes getting pulled behind a boat, probably just killing time between takes. Working on big Wednesday in 77, we earned 50 grand. Milius created a mythical aura around the protagonists of Big Wednesday. n.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0; Each plays a talented . When we saw these photos, we contacted surf legend Denny Aaberg to give us some more insight. Unlike many Holywood surf flicks, Big Wednesday had real surfers' fingerprints all over it. And at the same time our lives were regulated by a strict chivalry code. 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. By what name was Big Wednesday (1978) officially released in India in English? 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. "I don't want to put it off any further but I don't want to work on it until its ready either. Im actually really stoked on the surfing in that final sequence, they did a really good job stitching it all together . Surfing is a strange thing. Ian Cairns, shown above . s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s)}(window,document,'script', 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. 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 wrote the script with his friend and fellow surfer, journalist Denny Aaberg. Youre not allowed to drive into the Ranch, so every day youd just wait for your car to come and pick you up. We were allowed to be out surfing all the time and Cojo is pretty nice its a bit like Little Rincon at Bells. I have fond memories of being one of the extras. Tell me about your experience at the Ranch? Nineteen seventy-six was a big year for innovation. Did working with them that winter help smooth things over a bit? "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. That experience working on Big Wednesday was kind of how I hoped pro surfing would be. We pitched up at Sunzal, which happens to be where theyre holding the ISA World Games this week. Terry was commuting from the Ranch and Goleta to attend SBCC and UCSB. Rating: It was a central experience in our lives. Above he is shooting Billy Hamilton and Ian Cairns in action.