MADISON movie
 

I just watched the movie Madison last night, thought it was a genuine feel good type of story where the underdog prevails in the end. I am not sure how close to the truth the story was, but it sure made Bernie Little look like the back side of a clydesdale. Wonder if that was the reason the movie was kept in the can until after his passing? Anyone else have any thoughts on the movie? :rolleyes:

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I really enjoyed the movie too. I thought the footage at the very end that showed the actual race coverage and the real people was a great punctuation point. It was interesting how they changed the names of the other racers and team owners slightly (to protect the guilty!) but for any of us that followed Unlimited racing in that era, who the teams and people were was obvious.

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Is it out in video stores? would like to watch it

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YES. I rented it last week.
My entire family truly enjoyed the movie. It is a great story. I also felt as if they portrayed Bernie Little (Miss Budweiser owner, for those that don`t know) as a real azz. He was such a big part of the sport and I think he very much helped to propel the sport forward.
I also enjoyed the actual footage shown at the end, it was too cool.
And who noticed that John Mellencamp was the narrator?

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Great movie. Tammy and I both enjoyed it.

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We enjoyed the movie as well!
Can you imagine Offshore Races being transmitted live on a major television network! :evilb:


Julie

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I liked the movie also.... I wish someone would make one about the lavin brothers and jesse james boats...... and the legacy of racing guidelines their tradgedy created...

Ernie

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if I am not mistaken (but most of the time I am) Steve David on the board here drive the miss madison now........also relly liked the movie

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good movie, we liked it.

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We saw it too, It's definitley worth watching! J&K

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Funny this thread should come up. I just got back from Blockbuster....Rented it!!

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Hi Scott,

The Movie "Madison" is reality based, with a touch of "dream dust" that pretty accurately describes their 1971 APBA Gold Cup win. The characters referenced in the movie were real, and indeed were real characters in the truest sense. The current Miss Madison races as Oh Boy O Berto, boat # U-6. I've been driving her since the 2001 season. Several of the characters in the movie are still alive and still help out, including Tony Steinhardt and Bob Hughes.

The current Miss Madison (O'berto) was built by Ron Jones in 1988 for Alllison power. She was converted to turbine power and rebuilt in 1991 with the aid of the Budweiser team. She has since raced as Kellogs Frosted Flakes, DeWalt and Jasper Engines. Since 2000 she has been the O'Berto. She was thoroughly rebuilt again between the 2004 and 2005 race season. The 2005 season just ended and the boat ended up #2 in high points while I was fortunate to win the National Drivers Championship. This is the first overall championship the Madison has won in her 45 year racing career.

Thanks for inquiring Scott. Hope life is treating you well. If you find the time, feel free to visit one of our Unlimited races in 2006. I'll have VIP passes waiting for you. Schedule and info can be found at ABRAhydroplanes.com or MissMadison.com.

Take care,

Steve David

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Maybe someday Julie!! We rented it the first day it was released and loved it!! After seeing the previews of Madison before " The Passion of the Christ" we were hooked. I think I made 100 phone calls to the video store waiting for it to be released. We would go to Evansville Ind. and watch them starting about 1975 to I think 1988. It was the "Boy's" weekend out. The Circus Circus Boat was always my favorite back then, although the Atlas Van Line and Ms. Bud seemed to always be the fastest.

Steve, your a great ambassador for the sport,, I hope you guy's can find the funding and Host Cities to keep the sport going!!! I know its been a challenge!!

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Offshore was on ABC in the 80's......... when it had 125+ boats at a race and 25-35 in the Open class....and all races were sanctioned by 1 body, APBA.

It transitioned from there to ESPN to ESPN 2 to Prime to MSG to Speedvision to TNN to OLN...... as the fleet's dwindled and the sanctioning bodies multiplied..........

Look for it on "Wayne's World" when the boat count goes below a dozen.

T2x

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Congratulations Steve....It's a tribute to you and that town for your perserverance in this lifelong effort.

T2x

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Just saw the movie with my son...we loved it. I agree the "real" movies at the end were a nice touch. I appreciate Steve's comments on the authenticity of the story...but I have one question.

Did the Miss Madison team really "barrow" an Engine out of a relic WWII plane on a static display??? I found that incredible and hilarious :drink:

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Thanks a ton and congrats to you and your team, Glad to see a 1st class team make it!! I will for sure have to check out a race this comming summer.. the boats sure have come a long way.. those old school guys had to be NUTS (I guess kinda like the current guys :drink: )

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If memory serves me correctly, Madison was running Allison power back then and a P-51 Mustang sports Merlin power. Someone will correct me if I'm wrong. I believe that was an embellishment by the movie's writers/director.

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You're correct, the P-51 was Merlin powered. 1650 cubic inch V-12. That part of the movie was a bit of artistic freedom used by the Movie's directors. Had it been a P-38, with 1710 cubic inch Allisons, no doubt my guys would have "borrowed" the engines :) The spirit of the folks portrayed in the movie is very much the same spirit of the townspeople to this day. Gritty, hard working, self deprecating, yet racers with a dream to the core. Whether they are 6 years old or 96, they always have had a dream and they've always been the soul of our race program. I cannot imagine a finer team to be associated with.

Thanks to each of you for your kind words and for renting or seeing the movie. The 13,000 residents of Madison IN. thank you for your kindness. May I invite all of you to come to the Madison race in 2006, July 4th. weekend. We'll have VIP passes for each of you. We've a lot to share and I think it just might rekindle what the sport of boat racing was all about.

Take care,

Steve

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i am going to get it tonight can't wait to see it :D

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Scholar??????????????????

Steve?

Steve David?

A scholar?

When did that happen?

T2x :p :p :p

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I was fortunate enough to go to the preview of this movie this spring for members of the Hydroplane and Raceboat museum.
http://www.thunderboats.org/
It was increadible to watch that movie in a sold-out 500+ person theater full of people passionate about the subject, as well as many team members and luminaries from the hey-day of the sport. If anyone ever visits the Seattle area, I can't recommend the museum enough...when is someone going to do the same thing for Offshore?

Also, if you make it up before January '06, you can check out the exhibit BOATS THAT FLY at the Museum of Flight.

I actually ended up seeing the movie twice before it left the Theater around here, it's a little over simplistic, but still a lot of fun. I will be buying it soon...

-EG

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Unfortunately, I saw the movie at a prescreening on the East Side of Manhattan....in an almost empty theater.....

T2x

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I saw the movie too... I loved it... my girfriend loved it.... but it tanked at the theater because it didn't have enough explosions and creepy monsters..... :(

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You have explosions and creepy monsters in the theaters in California.........??

That explains a lot.

T2x :p

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2005 Gold Cup:

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Well said Steve

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Some quick digitals off 35mm prints I took in the pits before the 1993 Gold Cup as Kellog's Tony the Tiger:

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This was driver Mike Hanson working on the boat before qualifying. A few years later, he was driving her as the Jasper Engines when she blew over in the backstretch approaching the Roostertail turn.

I was on the primary rescue boat to respond to the incident and watched closely as our rescue diver helped Mike out of the escape hatch on the bottom of the boat. I have photos of the blowover somewhere I will try to find and post.

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Vintage power:

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Roostertail turn:

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12 years ago:

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1993 Detroit Gold Cup pits. You can see the orange tail on the Miss Madison sticking out in the lineup:

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Just watched it,great movie. Everybody on OSO should see it.Best part was when he hit the nitrous button :p . A few questions on real names.Who was the retired engine guru that came back? Who was the young driver that died in the limited race? Who were the drivers for Atlas and Bud,Muncey and Hauner?I should remember all of this but I'm old :p . But again,a wonderful feel good movie that will bring out the hankerchiefs.

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The Bruce Dern character was Harry Volpi. I never met Harry, but my teams tells me he was as ornery as the film portrayed. The young driver was a fictional character, accident didn't happen in actuality. Atlas was driven by Bill Muncey at that time and I believe Dean Chenoweth was driving the Bud. Chip Hanauer didn't begin in the Unlimiteds until app. 1976. For the movie, the drivers of the vintage boats were Mark Evans, David Williams, Ken Muscatel and other current drivers or the real owners of the current "vintage" Unlimiteds used in the film.

While I drive the current Miss Madison (Oh Boy O Berto) a further tie in is that my first unlimited owner was Jim McCormick in 1988. He partnered with the late Bob Fendler in buying Jim Sedams "Kentuckiana Paving", a Staudacher cabover with Allison power. I stayed with Jim, Bonnie, Mike and their daughter at their home in Owensboro KY when we did our first testing in Evansville IN in May of 88. While the movie showed Madison as their home, they were actually residents of Owensboro, where Jim was a mechanical contractor (a Univ. of Miami graduate).

Magicfloat, we're both old...., and thankful that with the advent of F-16 canopies, air systems, harnesses etc. even us older guys can still win a few :) If you're near a TV on Sunday, 4 PM EST on OLN is our final 05' race from San Diego.

Take care,
Steve

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And survive a blowover at 200 m.p.h. ...

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I just watched the movie, it was great. Defenitly a few artistic aditions but they worked if you ask me and made a good movie of it.
Hydro's have such a rich history on all levels all the way from the mod classes the ss and sst boats the champ boats and the unlimiteds's it was nice to see a small piece of it brought to the public.

And Steve I may take you up on the offer to come up there for the fourth, I have never made it to Madison but have always wanted to. I've been to San Diego more then a few times and Detroit twice and had a blast every time. I used to crew for an SST45 team and until recently we raced with you guys in San Diego until they decided there wasn't eough room for us in the pits :mad:

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Just watched it last night, and liked it very much. I kept trying to figure out why some of you thought they portrayed Bernie little as an azz, it seemed to me they only showed him smirking a lot but little or no dialog. Did I miss something? So what happened to the kid, he is involved in racing.

So does the town own the boat and have the jerky company sponsor it, or does OBoy own it. Steve do you give free Jerky out in the Pits :D

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awesome movie. nice not to hear the f-bomb every other word!!
I attended many hydroraces in detroit as a kid, and still remember when bud and atlas van lines went to the cab forward design. then when they were the only boats with turbines, and dominated the field. then the 4-point hydro circus circus that never really worked well.

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Of course!....... California is like a bowl of granola.... In between the nuts and the fuits... you have the flakes........ :D