The original poster for the...
The original poster for the classic motorcycle movie, On Any Sunday.
Larry Langley of Saddleman and the folks from Orange County Dualies held a reunion for the cast, crew and fans of Bruce Brown's motorcycle movie masterpiece "On Any Sunday" last night at the Royal theater in Newport Beach. The event was in part a benefit for the Ride For Kids, the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation founded by Mike and Diane Traynor.
Nearly 1200 enthusiasts, racers and industry members—including a who's-who of famous motorcyclists such as Malcolm Smith, Mert Lawwill, Gary Nixon, David Aldana, Don Emde, Edison Dye, Marty Smith, Broc Glover and many others--packed the theater to see the lone remaining celluloid copy of On Any Sunday, which Brown has had packed away in his archives for nearly 35 years. Seeing the epic film just as folks saw it way back in 1971—big sound, scratches, wobbly soundtrack and all—was a huge treat, especially for folks whose lives were changed in a major way after seeing the film for the first time.
A full house awaits the first...
A full house awaits the first big-screen showing of On Any Sunday in decades.
The evening began in a nearby parking lot, where there were displays of vintage machines, bikes from the movie, OAS posters, silent auction memorabilia, period photographs and a Team Honda desert racing display. With all the enthusiasts milling about, the impromptu OAS museum had the look and feel of a Grateful Dead parking lot before a show.
The formal part of the evening started off with some additional on-stage auctioning of signed, impossible-to-get items and some back and forth by emcees Langley and Tom White, co-founder of the aftermarket firm White Brothers. 12-year-old Curtis Hermann, who's been raising money for RFK since his sister died in '01 of a brain tumor by riding laps for monetary pledges, got a well-deserved award from the Dualies and a standing ovation from the crowd.
Emcee Tom White (of White...
Emcee Tom White (of White Bros.), Bruce Brown and his son Dana Brown recall On Any Sunday's heyday. (Photos by Mark Kariya)
Langley then said the magic words "Let's roll film," and the audience was off on a two-hour oddessy on the theater's 80-foot wide screen. Despite one snag five minutes into the film (at the exact moment when Lawwill opens the rear door of his van to reveal his racebike), the never-used copy of the film ran perfectly through the projector and treated fans to what's got to be a hugely memorable evening.
Afterward, some 20-30 cast members, crew and racers who worked on and appeared in the movie joined Brown, Langley and White at the podium for some great storytelling. All in all, it was a truly magical evening. The only question left is whether Langley can make it a yearly event.
Based on the emotion, goosebumps and raw motorcycle history that took place last night, I can't think of a better idea.