Photograph of Bruce Brown, director of the movie, "The Endless Summer" released in 1966
date: label: date made
content: 1960s
notes: label: Description
content: This black and white photograph is of Bruce Brown shooting a scene from <i>The Endless Summer</i> from the water. Bruce Brown is a California native who began surfing when he was 9. He produced his first film in 1955 while stationed aboard a Navy submarine in Hawaii but it wasn’t for another two years that he really got his start. Dale Velzy, a surfboard shaper and entrepreneur gave Brown a new 16 mm movie camera, paid his way to Hawaii and made <i>Slippery When Wet</i>. This first film had the smooth music and casual and relaxed narration which Brown’s films are known. Two more movies followed in the same vain as the first but in 1961 Brown’s movie, focused on surfer Phil Edwards. <i>Surfing Hollow Days</i> featured the first filmed ride at Pipeline, a famous surfing sport on the North Shore of Hawaii. He put together a compilation film, <i>Waterlogged</i>, for release in 1963 since he was traveling the globe with two actors filming what would become the most iconic surf movie of all time. <i>The Endless Summer</i> movie was written, produced and directed by Bruce Brown. Brown also served as the narrator of this surf ‘diary’ following two young surfers for one summer, around the globe, in search of the “perfect wave.” It was in limited release in 1964 and released worldwide in 1966 grossing $5 million domestically and over $20 million worldwide. Its simplicity was part of it enduring appeal and while naïve and corny to today’s audiences it was an integral part of surf history. It introduced the world to surfing, a nation of bored teens to the idea of travel and created a popularity of surf culture that endures today.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
topic: label: name of sport
content: Surfing
label: level of sport
content: Professional
label: web subject
content: Motion Pictures
label: Subject
content: Movie
label: Subject
content: Entertainment, Film
setName: label: See more items in
content: Culture and the Arts: Sport and Leisure
label: See more items in
content: Popular Entertainment
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content: Snow & Surf
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content: Sports & Leisure
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Gift of R. Paul Allen
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: 2015.3122.08
label: nonaccession number
content: 2015.3122
label: catalog number
content: 2015.3122.08
objectType: label: Object Name
content: photograph, surfing
label: Object Name
content: photograph
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: paper (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 8 in x 10 in; 20.32 cm x 25.4 cm