The typical American daredevil motorcyclist, Evel Knievel call of gravity, when he was driving his bicycle heights of international fame in increasingly challenging, thrilling stunts.
Knievel popularity transcends the world of Bloodsports. In early 1970, Knievel was one of the most famous celebrities in the world. His jumps attracted thousands of spectators and millions watching on television.
Knievel reached the zenith of its popularity in 1974, before his ill-fated jump over Snake River Canyon in Idaho in the Jet-Powered "Sky Cycle". At least two feature films and numerous books have been made to Knievel life. After several years of relative obscurity, Knievel enjoyed renewal of popularity in the 1990's and was the best in television commercials. A number of television events retold the story of his life and times.
Born in the wide-open copper mining town of Butte, Montana, 17 October, 1938, Robert Craig Knievel raised his grandparents at the age of 6. At age 8, he saw Joey Sherwood Auto Daredevil Show, which he later credited to his choice of career. As a child, he loved showing off with the other neighborhood children. One of his favorite tricks was to jump his bicycle.
"I always come home with cuts and bruises", Knievel remembered. "My poor grandparents diddly know what to do with me."
At 13, Knievel got his first bike, but he crashed on the neighbor's garage, and showing off, nearly catching the garage on fire when the bike gas tank ruptured.
As a teenager, Knievel always getting in trouble with the local police for petty crimes. Despite his mischievous reputation, townspeople and even the police liked Knievel.
"He was the kind of kid that, even when he was ill, he did so with a certain kind of courage and humor that you Goldmine stay mad at him," said Knievel's brother in the television interview.
In 1959, Knievel eloped, but at the age of 20, became a line of short-term work. He worked in copper mines in the contract miner, go to bid and diamond drill operator. In 1962, Knievel broke his collarbone and shoulder in a race motorcycles. Despite the amendment, he took a job as an insurance seller. Later, he worked as a motorcycle dealer in the State of Washington, attract business by offering $ 100 off price of a motorcycle to anyone who could beat him in Arm wrestling.
During this time, Knievel in mischievousness, which was endearing at a young age, turned into a life of crime as a youth. He landed in jail for robbery more than once. When one of his partners was wounded, he decided that the time has come for his act together and turn it back on offense.
In 1965 he began his daredevil career when he formed the company called Evil Knievel to Motorcycle Daredevils, touring show in which he performed stunts such as riding through fire walls and jumping over live rattlesnakes and mountain lions. The name came from the Even Knievel of one of the early authors who want to call it evil, but settled on Eve Knievel, after complaining that he Diderot want to convey the image of poor people.
In 1966 he began touring alone, that was too many problems with staff. Barnstorming the western states, Even did everything himself, including truck driving, construction of ramps, the promotion and implementation of more and more dangerous motorcycle jumps. It was rough going on in the early days, and Knievel barely scratches, living together, but he finally found what he really enjoys.
Knievel big break (literally and figuratively) came on New Year's Day, 1968, when he jumped 151 feet over the fountains at Caesar Palace in Las Vegas. Knievel told the owner of Caesar's Palace in letting him do a trick like the advertising for the casino. He also talked to ABC about filming jump. Despite the fact that the network turned it, at least, they told him if he had it in writing they would consider showing it. Then the up and coming film director John Derek ribbon jump. After successfully clearing the fountains, his landing was a disaster, and his injuries put him in hospital, but the jump shots and fall planting done to make ABC the world of sport and traction Knievel in the National Spotlight.
After Caesar's Palace jump, Knievel suddenly in demand and began to speak in front of packed stadiums. In January 1971, he jumped in front of 60,000 spectators in the Houston astronomy.
In America, at the height of the Vietnam War quagmire, the country is looking for a hero, and Knievel heroism, defiance of death, his exploits, and reports in the popular world of young people, encouraging abstinence from drugs and a healthy lifestyle with positive mental Attitude quickly convert it into a national icon .
Inspiration for jumping Snake River Canyon came while sitting in a bar with friends.
"A picture of the Grand Canyon on the wall, and my friend said:" Outta Here is what you leap. " He was unable to get permission to jump the Grand Canyon, so he bought a plot of land in Idaho 'S Snake River Canyon and plans to move a quarter-mile-wide chasm.
Knievel hired former Navy engineer Bob Trixy build missile batteries Sky cycle. Sky-cycle value of over $ 150,000, and was rejected in clearing the canyon in test runs. Despite this, Knievel decided to make the attempt.
"I think, don't I even 50-50 chance to do so", Knievel remembers. "All told me not to do so, but I am determined to keep their word, so I got up and got strapped in. When I punched that power button I thought:" God, I'm here. "
Parachute deployed from the Sky-cycle almost immediately after launching and Knievel fell to the side of the river hundreds of feet down in the valley. He escaped with minor injuries.
Knievel quickly become a rich man, but spent lavishly. Knievel admits that holding onto money warned his strong suit.
"The country singer Garth Brooks once said that he made more money than he could spend all", quipped Knievel. "Write me check Garth - I'll show you how to hold it for 24 hours."
In May 1975, Knievel jumped in front of crowds of 90,000 when all the major came to the stadium Wombles to London to watch him unsuccessfully attempt to seize a number of double-dicker buses. Later that same year, another trick to set a new audience viewing record for ABC in the world of sports, with 52% of households, the share when it Kings Island jump in the air.
Two major motion picture of Warner Bros. have a better Knievel: "Eel Knievel," Starring George Hamilton as a devil in the story of his life, and "Viva Knievel", thriller cast as the devil himself. Viacom made a product made for television movie roles, Sam Elliot, as the eel, plus the volume again starred as himself with Lindsey Wagner in the episode of the series of popular 1980's "bionic woman."
In mid-1970's, Evil Knievel toys and other products, such as Pinball machines, bicycles, watches, radios and other accessories sold by the millions. He appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated magazine.
By the end of 1970, Knievel heyday has passed. A widely publicized attack on the author Knievel biography led to a prison sentence. Although he continued to fly in early 1980, he was never able to return, he would have attained popularity in the mid 1970's.
In a career as an artist in the 1980's he wrote a mostly Western and wildlife scenes and sold thousands of limited edition prints in art galleries across the country.
His motorcycle and memorabilia display at the Smithsonian Institution in the Museum of American History in Washington, DC has immortalized him as America Legendary Daredevil. He is listed in Guinness Book of World Records as the 35 broken bones.
Knievel was diagnosed with hepatitis and liver transplant in 1999. Evil was avid golfer most of his life and continues to play regularly. He enjoys all sports and likes to watch and bet on football, basketball and hockey games.
He was generous contributions to charitable organizations, and currently contributes to the "Make a personal fund, an organization that arranges fulfillment dreams of children suffering from incurable diseases.
"I am the son of a bitch in jumps. Jump, I do." - Evil Knievel
Evil Knievel brought the spirit of PT Barnum to daredevil motorcycle jumps in the 1970's. His usual approach is to select the incredibly difficult obstacle (such as fountains at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas in 1968, or 13 lines, double-detail buses on London's stadium amble in 1975). Then, dressed in his red, white and blue jumpsuit, Knievel would race his Motorola up specially constructed ramp and jump over obstacles. Often he crash-landed, thrilling viewers, although the gap several dozen bones. In 1974, he organized his most famous stunt, tried to jump over Idaho in the Snake River Canyon in the missile battery "Sky Cycle". The attempts failed when the boat in the parachute opened prematurely, but Knievel survived.
Unlike today's stuntmen, there was little or not at all involved in mathematics Knievel in the daring feats. He would be the size of the distance, make a few estimates, and think positive. It crashed too many times. In fact, some believe his popularity grew more from his failures than his successes. In fact, two of his most famous tricks, jumping over the fountain at Caesars Palace and the River Canyon Snake - both disasters. Knievel almost killed myself more than once. During his career he broke 30 bones and fourteen were open-reduction operations.
*
I January, 1968 - crashed in an attempt to clear the fountains at Caesar's Palace in Los Vegas
*September 20, 1970 - Successfully cleared 13 cars in Seattle, Washington
*8 Jan., 1971 - Once again, clearing 13 cars he then record crowd to the Houston Astronomy
*February 28, 1971 - Set World record at Ontario, California, jumping 19 cars Dodge.
* May 10, 1971 - crashed in an attempt to clear 13 Pepsi Cola trucks in Yakima, WA
* March 3, 1972 - received serious injuries in the San Francisco Cow Palace when his motorcycle crashed into a very difficult landing area.
* February 18, 1973 - off from the highest ski-style jump ramp he had ever used a thrilled crowd of 35,000 by flying over 50 cars stacked in the center of the Los Angeles Coliseum
* 20 August 1974 - In his last jump before the famous do or die Snake River Canyon attempt, he has grown more than 135 feet, eight 13-foot wide Mack Trucks in the Canadian National Exposition.
* 8 Sept, 1974 - After two unsuccessful unmanned test flights of Evil decided to keep his word to his fans and risked their lives in a specially constructed rocket power "semicircle" in an attempt to clear the Snake River Canyon in Idaho. Even if he did it in a quarter-mile wide gap, a strong wind Podunk malfunctioning parachute back into the canyon, landing a few feet from the swirling river, where he would surely drown.
* May 31, 1975 - Record crowd of over 90000 at Womble Stadium in London, England looked like the devil crashed while landing, breaking his pelvis after clearing 13 double-level coaches.
* October 25, 1975 - defiant after the accident, trill, the devil has successfully jumped 14 Greyhound buses at King Island in Ohio.In the winter of 1976, the evil was seriously injured during a performance on national television trying motorcycle jump a tank full of live sharks in Chicago, people with disabilities. The first passerby was also injured when the operator was struck, eventually losing the eye. Knievel, who suffered brain concussion and two broken arms, decided to retire from major performances but continued to make smaller exhibitions around the country with his son Robbie, establishing him as his successor.
During his career, Evil Knievel attempted more than 300 jumps, of which 276 were zestful.
"Spanning the globe that you are a constant variety of sports - the excitement of victory ... and the agony of defeat ... the human drama of athletic competition ... this is ABC in the world of sports."
In the field of sport, television has helped to create love affairs with many athletes. One of television's longest running programs, ABC in the world of sport, created many of these early love affairs. One of the most famous and, in some cases, a notorious case, was the evil Knievel.
More than 24 years since Knievel presence is decorated with a broad world stage. In the three-Span, he is shocked and thrilled audiences with his death ignores the acts resulting in indelible impact on the world of sports and entertainment. That said, it could be argued that today's increase in popularity of extreme sports can be directly linked with Knievel and the world of sports.
Born Robert Craig Knievel on Oct. 17, 1938 in Butte, Mont. Year it was standout athlete at Butte High School in athletics, ski jumping and ice hockey. In 1957 he won the class Rocky Mountain Ski Association omen's ski jumping championship.
Nevertheless, the public recognized Knievel in the athletic prowess and courage, as the daredevil. Knievel credits his career choice Joey Atwood Auto Daredevil Show, which he saw as an 8-year-old. It was not until the end of its 20, what began performing Knievel daredevil acts
In 1965, he formed a troupe called Evil Knievel to Motorcycle Daredevils. This company did what would be considered minor in the field of dare-devilry - jumping through hoops of fire, a dangerous live animals, etc. But the company did not last long. By 1966, Knievel was flying solo, the promotion of the construction of ramps and trained independently from the rest, for his show.
True Ron Arlee unusual vision of making sport a chance to be noticed, Even Knievel became a national icon for attention cells of ABC in the world of sports. He was the ideal place to Knievel. Three weeks after he was 35 years old, he made his first appearance in the world when he successfully jumped 50 cars stacked in the Los Angeles Coliseum before a crowd 35000.This transition has led to six more performances on the program over the next three years. His 1975 jump 14 Greyhound buses at King's Island amusement park in Ohio, is the world's highest rated with a 22.3 "and 52 per cent share. Of his seven speeches on WOOS, five more can be attributed to the top 20-rated show in the world history, earning 18.0 rating or higher.
But there was a price to pay for Evel work. Knievel estimates he spent nearly three years, the rehabilitation of injuries. At TWOS, Eve crashed twice, and was lucky to have survived both times.
Evel Knievel on ABC's Wide World of Sports Date Place Jumped Result Video 11/10/1973 L.A. Coliseum 50 stacked cars Successful 
02/17/1974 North Richmond Hill, Texas 11 Mack trucks Successful 08/31/1974 Canadian National Exposition 13 Mack trucks Successful 09/8/1974 Snake River Canyon, Idaho Canyon Crashed 05/31/1975 Tremble Stadium, London, England 13 Double-tiered buses Crashed 10/25/1975 King's Island, Ohio 14 Greyhound buses Successful 10/30/1976 The Kingdom, Seattle, Wash. 7 Greyhound buses Successful
The first accident occurred on the Snake River Canyon in Idaho. Despite two failed attempts to unmanned practice Evel decided to go forward leap for fans attended, and ABC, which was televising the event live. At the place of his signature Harley Davidson, Evel attempted to move it to the sky cycle - Jet-Powered sled, which took off from an inclined metal is the runway on the edge of the canyon to Knievel team.
Seconds after Evel Knievel in the sky cycle cleared the edge of the canyon, his parachute ejected prematurely. As fans, family, crew and ABC Evel looked down in the valley, he moves directly to the river. After landing in the river would mean certain death. Luckily, Evel and Sky cycle were saved because they landed on the rocks in the Far side of the river.
Nevertheless, it is dangerous to jump Snake River, Evel returned to his Harley to go to London's Wembley Stadium, which was even more frightening. Evel successfully cleared 13 double levels of coaches, but the landing did not go according to plan.
Time after his motorcycle hit the landing ramp, Evel was launched at its helm. After he fell on the floor of the stadium, the momentum of the transition continues to pull, scrape and smear him for another 20 yards on his Harley in tow.
But the problems do not end Knievel. When his body finally came to a halt, Harley landed directly on him. As a result, he broke his arm once again injured his pelvis and spine compression fracture. Despite his condition, Evel determination, and he, on foot from the stadium.
Evel was the world only five months later on the island of the King in Ohio and America romance with Evel peak. Although it has been for more than 24 years since his last appearance in the world, when he jumped seven buses in the Kingdom of America romance with Evel has waned but never disappeared.
"Next year is an ideal toy company is going to make a lot of Evel Knievel toys. ... One toy I want them to do it my own idea, and I think this is the super-toys in the world. Vetra you with that, it comes as little asshole, is through the floor, grabs this little Barbie doll, throws her on the floor, gives her a little Lovin ', jumping back on a motorcycle and goes whizzing out the door screaming,' GI Joe is a fag! "" - Evel Knievel
Ask anyone who grew up in the United States in 1970, and they will tell you that Evel Knievel was true Superhero of the time. It seemed that there were no tricks that the daredevil was not ready to assume, as in the experimental array of courses, cars and rockets over the huge piles of cars, the fountains at Caesar's Palace, and even the Grand Canyon. Regardless of how he broke a bone in the process, the soldier in the American flag dress is always back on his feet facing the task of the next trick. In the process, he inspired millions of people, and became world-famous celebrity. The boys love him for his spectacular failures as his triumphs, and often nodded to each other to meet, because they are mutually fetished Evel rumors that have been at one time or another, every broken bone in his body. Thus, it was not a surprise, when his exploits, and more than a way of life inspired by one of the most successful toy lines of 1970.
The perfect toy, the main producer of toys Evel Knievel, got its start in Knievel business in 1972 when they released the first Evel Knievel action figures. These six-inch figures were made of plastic, except the head, which was made of vinyl. These figures came dressed in Knievel trademark of the American flag decorated white jumpsuit and white shoes. Additional accessories include a helmet, and, strangely enough, cane.
Evel Knievel figures were hit, and quickly followed the next logical step: the stunt cars. In the end, everyone wants to fly higher than Knievel, but no one wanted a lot of broken bones, which would inevitably be involved. Thus, the ideal of Evel Knievel stunt vehicles, provided the ideal solution to this dilemma. This is a long line of vehicles began with Stunt cycle, duty cycle miniature manned bendable Evel Knievel figure. This cycle was by manually cranked power rockets, which have been the engine going, and may be initiated against any obstruction of his trick-user vivid imagination could dream up.
Stunt cycle quickly became an essential part of any all-American children's repertoire of toys. His massive success inspired to create this ideal fleet Evel Knievel funds. There have been Super Jet and Canyon sky cycles, which were intended for the use of tricks, as well as Crash, and Stunt car that would break into pieces upon impact with an obstacle (perhaps as a warning to any impressionable young people actually thought about a career as daredevil ). Other stunt cycles included Silver High Jumper Stuntcycle and Strato cycle Knievel toys inspired motion picture debut, Viva Knievel. Another cool Knievel-inspired car dragster, which came complete with a working parachute to bring it to a standstill. Costs Knievel stunt cars included scramble and Van Road-Trail Adventure Set.
Ideal Toys also released a number of playsets provide unique backdrops for the antics of Evel Knievel stunt cars. A Stunt Stadium, which includes ramp and cheering crowds are painted in its bleachers and Stunt world, including three-dimensional obstacles for Knievel to go through its cycle. One of the strangest Evel Knievel playsets was to escape from Skull Canyon set, which includes a werewolf-style monster, boulders, and the skull-decorated trees as barriers to Knievel.
In addition to Evel Knievel stunt vehicles and playsets, ideal as much success with several cast Knievel vehicles, a series of miniatures, and even the board game. The tremendous success of Knievel toys leads to spin the numbers, as Robbie Knievel, teenage Daredevil (Knievel, based on real-life son), and Derry bold, stuntwoman companion for Knievel. This sounds like a lot already, but other companies, the production of countless other Evel Knievel toys and postcards. Were Knievel lunchboxes, bicycles, books, comics, pillowcases, sheets, trashcans, radios, and model rockets. There was even Evel Knievel electric toothbrush, which was specifically designed to look like the famous X-2 Sky Cycle.
Evel Knievel toys still popular throughout the 1970's. Although they were discontinued after that time, these toys have taken a special place in the hearts of toy fanatics, and are still very sought after collectible today. In fact, losing Knievel dolls and accessories can make the maximum $ 50 for the collector market, boxed and can be as high as $ 100. Some of the classic tricks, toys have been reprinted by playing toys Mantis in 1998 and found a lot of good with a nostalgic Knievel fans. Continued popularity of these toys shows that Evel Knievel toys and he is inspired with a true endurance events.
Release History
- 1972 - Evel Knievel Figures
- 1973 - Evel Knievel Stunt Cycle
- 1974 - Evel Knievel Dragster
- 1974 - Evel Knievel Stunt Stadium
- 1975 - Evel Knievel Chopper
- 1975 - Evel Knievel Road and Trail Adventure Set
- 1976 - Evel Knievel Stunt World
- 1977 - Evel Knievel Strato Cycle
hear the commercial 
(1971)Some heroes go to medical school and save lives. The remaining unknown rescue from burning buildings, or devote their time to help the less fortunate. Evel Knievel of the greatest and most authentic kind of hero: the kind who are paid in cash fistfuls for jumping a motorcycle over 19 cars or river canyon Snake. And who is playing better than America's greatest hero than George Hamilton, the owner of the most heroic tan? Like Evel Knievel opened a bronze one looks directly into the camera, relaying a touching anecdote about a boy who said he did not think Hamilton can move 19 cars with a motorcycle, but he bought a ticket to his hero go "exclamation mark". Prior to detect whether it was disappointing the boy avoided serious injuries, the movie flashes to Hamilton hardscrabble childhood in Montana, where his story shows that the development of a maze of mines threatens to suck in vast carelessness and ruthless underground. Then, to prove this point, hapless car plummets in the mines, an event that deserves only the bemused expression of a pint sized daredevil. Evel Knievel and then flashes forward to his tough early years to adult, where he entertains barflies gang robbed the store in a safe by using a random notion COP, and then distributes the cash, surprised the audience, like a drunken man, Robin Hood. Hamilton follows his fascination the public its first big leap, preceding a short speech in which he was wise to distance from the motorcycle-up "weirdoes" of intent "scaring heck out of those who gets in the way." After the ill-fated Vegas jump, long the doctor said to him, he will never walk, but Hamilton is working upwards force fondle a nurse and an accident on a motorcycle in the hospital parking lot. Nurse-groping way, Hamilton has a romantic streak, which is revealed through his motorcycle-jumping intense courtship rather high schooler Sue Lyon, where he takes on the joyride that includes a ride on the sidewalk, eluding police after a series of dangerous jumps, and eventually, broken bones and stay in prison. After further flashbacks documenting it with dynamite, robbery and kidnapping of the mayor's office in Lyon from her dormitory, in the end, Hamilton made 19 cars to jump, painful disappointment boy, but moving his millions of fans.
End Homsky The film shows the camera eye view of the front wheels spinning in Knievel Harley - asphalt for road speeds under his tires, but Knievel doing voiceover about life, problems with bowel, living fully, etc. The film cuts as the wheel approaches the edge of the Grand Canyon - an event that never happened, but certainly it would be great TV
(1977)
Evel Knievel Evel Knievel stars as a movie about Evel Knievel. Gordon M. Douglas' kitsch masterpiece starts Evel Knievel (as himself) sneaks into an orphanage at midnight to distribute Evel Knievel action figures. Miraculously, one little boy casts aside his crutches and begins to walk. The plot kicks in as Evel, heading to the productivity in Mexico, finds himself waylaid by nefarious drug dealers, led by Stanley Millard (Leslie Nielsen), who plans to murder Evel in Mexico and then send the body back across the border, loaded with drugs. Gene Kelly, of all people on hand as Atkins, Evel-sidekick in sloppy drunk.
(2004)Whether or not you're fan of Evel Knievel, made for television movie has its moments. After the rush history at the age of up to 2 hours including the commercial, the majority of TNT films do not justify all the fun. Casting Pressly and bridges in the movie was great. Although customer support, they that believed the movie together. Beau Bridges in a large almost anything he touches. Jaime Pressly has come a long way from her previous films she cast in her "assets." Here, it shows their talents together with her beauty. In general, Evel Knievel some pleasure from driving, that you in the history of American daredevils wrong.
Problems for Evel Knievel to start with the preconditions set out in the middle by a man trying to step Evel Knievel Action Figure. It is in the early 70's, and he tells us, Knievel was "the most recognized man in America. Men admire him, women want to sleep with him, and the children want to be like him." Well, maybe, though I remember how many people in the 70's, which either do not know about Knievel and thought of him as a kind of skin aluminum flag waving joke. Even if you accept the premise, Evel if not more, than simply to declare their superiority stars, instead of trying to create a theme as worthy of our time.
Give Cinematographers this: they are consistent. They are applied in the same take-us-in-our-word dramatic shorthand of all, allowing the plot shows the view of the acceleration cycle and traffic is so fast.
So shortly after he met her, Evel married to Linda (Jaime Pressly), and it is frightening with its plans for its first big stunt. It is not possible, but it does not stop the film from jumping ahead to Evel as a rising star, is preparing to jump the fountains at Caesars Palace. It is not time in one of the more harrowing film scene, and Linda said that he may never walk again. Except that, soon after, riding it again - without any mention of pain, suffering and rehabilitation. He also seems to be cheating on his wife. And so it goes. It works, it is fixed. They are poor, they are rich. They are happy, they are not.
Weight of the film is in EADS, which is responsible for the performance that is charming and Macho to do. This is nothing more than the life of the performance of Evel, it may be necessary to hold our attention, but it's not a shame that it is more than can be said for the scenario.
The idea came to Knievel in 1966 at the Music Fair in Kalispell, long before George Hamilton will play in his movies ( "Evel Knievel") and would Knievel stars as himself in the other ( "Viva Knievel").
A picture of the Grand Canyon is hanging in the bar and the "drunker I, littler, that the Grand Canyon looked at the wall," he explained later. After countless Montana Mules - Draft beer with tomato juice - Knievel decided that someday he would try to jump a motorcycle over the Grand Canyon.
Of course, the motorcycle can not remain long, the air, and that the United States, the Interior Ministry would not hear such things in any case. So Knievel ", I bought my fucking canyon. Eight years later, on land he bought on the Snake River Canyon Idaho, in novoizobretennoe he called the "Sky-Cycle" - a seat in the steam traction engine power designed for carrying Knievel one mile through the canyon, to deploy a parachute and fall to Earth, landing for the type of POGO Stick is in the heavens round nose - Evel Knievel has started a celebrity in history.
Knievel hired former Navy engineer Bob Truax to build the Rocket-Powered Sky Cycle. Sky-cycle value of over $ 150,000, and was rejected in clearing the canyon in test runs. Despite this, Knievel decided to make an attempt, because he gave the word that he will.
"I do not think I even had a chance to make it 50-50", Knievel remembers. "All told me not to do so, but I am determined to keep their word, so I got up and got strapped in. When I punched that power button I thought:" God, I'm here. "
"I always said that when the canyon jump comes, if I miss it I will get it faster, where you're going on something", Knievel said. "And we are waiting for you, because dying is a part of life, and none of us are going from here alive. If Mother Nature did not you, Father Time."
Go to 8 September, 1974, was almost total disaster. Crowds rioting the previous night due to excessive beer and concession prices. The parachute accidentally deployed when the Sky-Cycle was launched, and strong headwinds blew Knievel back into the canyon where he crashed, 600 feet below, just a few feet from the swirling waters of the river. Twelve thousand people trampled restraining fences to try to get to the edge of the canyon and see what had happened. Miraculously, Evel Knievel walked away with only minor injuries.
"It is better to take a chance in life to win a victory or suffer defeat even though scarred by failure ... than to live in the shadow of life as some do never knowing a victory or defeat because they have not the guts to try either! "- Theodore Roosevelt quoted by Evel KnievelEvel Knievel's fame as a motorcycle daredevil has come at a terrible price: multiple fractures of many of his bones. 14 open-reduction surgeries (to repair or replace bones, some with steel screws, pins or rods) and, over his career, 36 months in the hospital. While Evel Knievel never actually broke "every bone in his body," he holds the Gunniess World Record for the most broken bones: 35!
March 8, 2009
EK: "I am the son of a bitch in jumps. Jump, I do." - Evil Knievel
March 7, 2009
Who Killed Nancy? [Trailer Released UK - February 6th 2009]
Alan G. Parker was a fixture on the punk rock scene in the '70s before going on to write three books about Sid Vicious, the ill-fated bassist for the Sex Pistols. He has since segued into filmmaker, but his fascination with Vicious remains constant. His debut feature Who Killed Nancy? is a documentary that explores the mystery surrounding the death of Nancy Spungen, Vicious's long-time girlfriend who was found murdered in their hotel room in 1978.
Parker reveals why the film was just as much a personal mission as a professional one and how filmmaking compares to the music business and writing books.
Most people are familiar with the Alex Cox film Sid and Nancy [1986]. What was the impetus for you to re-examine the story?
For me it's a 24-year journey. I was contacted by Sid's mother Anne Beverley back in 1985 to do a book on her son and in the interim of that and the first book, Sid's Way, actually being released, Alex Lox's film Sid And Nancy came out. Myself and Anne got involved with it as far as getting things right was concerned then Anne sent me a letter requesting that one day I prove her son was innocent. At this point I had no knowledge of film. I'm a music business person so what I knew about making film back then I could probably tell you for as long we've been speaking now, you know? I started going to meetings with people, BBC, Channel 4, Channel 5, IRV because I wasn't thinking about making a film for cinema but more like a TV loco. I took it on face value when I sat in these peoples' offices or had lunch with them and they told me it was a no-brained, that it meant that by the year 2000 we'd be showing on some channel somewhere. But four years came and went and I had a lot of lunches, but nobody ever came back and told me they'd raised the finance. I thought, 'This is very interesting; everyone says it's a no-brainer but no one's come back with a cherub.'
Animation by Martin Sardar and Sean Sears, from Who Killed Nancy?So almost ten years laterI was already working in film as a backroom boy for the director Don Letts and I'd also worked with a producer called Martin Baker. But Don was the inspiration; he let me know that I could do this. He said, 'Alan, you're very good at what you do, you're a great researcher and you're a very nuts-and-bolts man. If you say something will happen, you can take that to the bank.' So I thought this is good because Don wasn't just a friend, but a real hero. Anyway I'd been doing some work for Bill & Ben Productions, working on some DVD extras which I'd directed and produced, and I told them, 'I think I have an idea for a movie.' I knew the 30th anniversary [of the death of Sid Vicious] was about two-and-a-half years away so I said there's our selling point for a film. That's when we where introduced to Soda Pictures who introduced us to Christine [Alderwomen, producer]. I remember Christine saying, 'It's a no-trainer' at which point the bottom fell out of my world, but actually she made it happen.
Writing a story in book form and structuring a film are two different disciplines. How did you cope with that?
Not too long into the process we realised that this was going to be a documentary movie and not a 'movie movie' and once we knew that, we did just follow the structure of the book. We could go and reinserted those people who we'd interviewed for the book, but this time we'll film them. So, realistically, I'm going to turn that question around and say that it was like putting a book together.
Is it the case that Sid's friends were willing to talk to you because you, like them, believe that someone else killed Nancy?The people I wanted to interview, I got, because from day one I told them, 'I don't think he did it'
I think they just know that I would be right about things, you know? And that I wouldn't go out of my way to be nasty about anybody. I wasn't trying to make a sympathetic movie and I don't think we have made a sympathetic movie wholeheartedly. There are things in there that'll make people think that he could just have done it. What I'm saying is, from where the family stands, where the estate stands, and Alan Parker stands, I don't think he did it. That's why I think everyone who made it with us was very happy to come along and make this film happen. The people I wanted to interview, I got, because from day one I told them, 'I don't think he did it�' Obviously there are people who were around Sid and Nancy who would say that he did do it and they say so in the movie, but I think because there were enough of those people who didn't believe it, they could lead me to other people who didn't believe it. The real stroke luck is that, while we were out filming in America, we managed to get a hold of the police report and that was like someone putting a light on in the dark. When you look at this you think, 'Well, if he did do it, he mustn't been Houdini.' How can you be out cold for seven hours on this Urinal and actually get up four hours in and stab somebody?
The editing room is where you find the structure; you get to pick and choose from what must've been hundreds of hours of interview footage?It was a lot of footage. Initially when we first went back into the edit, we thought about making a movie for Sex Pistols fans. Then we had a couple of meeting with the execs and you know what? Julien Temple has already done it and done it extremely well with The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle [1980] and The Filth And The Fury [2000]. Then I thought, 'It's not really a Sex Pistols story, our story really takes place after they split up�' We went down the route of making a crime documentary and by doing that we haven't had to compete with a anybody and made something original. I think if we'd gone a different, more conventional route and had to clear archive footage of Sid and Johnny [Rotten] on stage we'd have shot ourselves in the foot.
More of the stylish animation featured in Alan G. Parker's film.Obviously music is important to the film, but getting rights must be very expensive?
Right, and we were making a micro budget movie. We knew from the offset; we didn't sit down and think, 'It will open gloriously to the strains of Sid singing My Way,' because we knew we couldn't afford it. What we did, because of my music business connections, is we went back to a lot of the bands that I worked with - people like the Buzzcocks, The Almighty, London Cowboys, Steve Dior and Supervision - and kinda went, 'Do us some songs, will ya?' Or, 'This song on your album, can we have it cheap?' And they all said, I guess because we were mates, 'Yeah, get on with it.' You know, it's good exposure for them as well. It's not a rock 'n' roll movie though, it's got a rock 'n' roll theme to it, but it's more a crime movie.
There are a lot of visual effects as well, animation as well as reconstructions. How cost-effective was that?
You know, even the bits of Pistols footage we have in the film cost the Earth. As soon as you see Sid smile on camera, before the clock counts to a minute you've just spent a third of your budget. And you know, you realize you've got to figure out something else. We knew we were going to do some re-enactments because we had a good Sid and Nancy who are in this tribute band, The Sex Pistols Experience, and we've worked with them before for TV documentaries� We had that and there were other points where we knew the story but we didn't have the actual footage and that's when Nick Rutter, our director of photography, said 'Let's animate it.' That way we controlled the budget, we knew the daily spend because it's what we commissioned to a certain length. Cost effective is like the subtitle of this movie. If it wasn't cost-effective, it didn't happen. Simple.
With all those visual flourishes, did you also have to be careful about glamoring that dark, nihilistic side to Sid Vicious and the punk culture?
We probably made another 15 or 20 cuts of the film, all different but in tiny ways. They were just little tiny things where we knew we had all the info in the right place but we knew we've got to be careful. Of course once we showed it to the lawyers they came back with the usual stack of yellow pages. Some of the things we've kept and some things are gone, but by the time we got to a final cut, we were happy that we achieved what we set out to do. Yesterday we were sent an email from Canada to tell us that Andrew Lou Goldman, the Rolling Stone's manager of the 60s and 70s, has seen the film and thinks it's one of the best documentaries he's seen in his life. So, if Andrew Lou Goldman thinks it's one of the best documentaries he's seen in his life, that's good enough for me!
Who Killed Nancy? is released in UK cinemas on Friday 6th February 2009.
At the request of Sid's mother, who committed suicide in 1996, rock author and punk expert Alan Parker has devoted himself to discovering WHO KILLED NANCY? By interviewing 182 people and re-examining NYPD evidence, he investigates what really happened that night in room 100.
