Whip Length in Movies

JulianK · Post by **JulianK** » Fri May 25, 2007 11:05 am

I can honestly say I searched this topic but I couldn't find the answer. What was the length (and colour) of Indy's whip in the movies (Raiders in particular)? Thanks.

Ripper · Post by **Ripper** » Fri May 25, 2007 11:25 am

I think the whip vaired in length in Raiders. 10' for most of the coiled shots and 8' for when he was actualy cracking it. Dont quote me on that, I am just guessing. As for color I assume that it was a new whip that they distressed to the color we see on film.

Bufflehead Jones · Post by **Bufflehead Jones** » Fri May 25, 2007 11:32 am

Yeah, I think they varied from about 6 to 16 feet. Ripper is right, from the best info we have, the coiled whip carried on the belt was a 10 footer, and when Harrison cracks the whip, it is an 8 foooter.

VP · Post by VP » Fri May 25, 2007 2:02 pm

AFAIK the Raiders whips were 8 to 10 feet in 12 plait Natural Tan kangaroo hide.

Post by **BullWhipBorton** » Fri May 25, 2007 5:31 pm

You could have found this information here http://www.indygear.com/gear/whip.shtml

Over 30 bullwhips where supplied for the first 3 movies, As stated they where supplied in lengths of 6ft to 16ft. Most of the Raiders whips I’ve seen where either 8ft or 10 ft.

They where all made in natural tan leather, but the naturally tanned leather used darkens over time with exposure to sunlight and use, causing a variety of colors in the whips from very dark brown to light tan. A couple bullwhips used in the last crusade where also apparently dyed black for the young Indiana Jones lion scene.

Dan

michaelb · Post by **michaelb** » Fri May 25, 2007 6:31 pm

Yeah, you can spot the longer 16 footers, (or so), in scenes like from TOD. When he first enters the Thuggee (sp?) underground lair, he wraps his whip around a gargoyle(?)-like statue head and swings across the lava chasm to get the Sankara stones... Whenever I watch that scene, it's pretty obvious, to me, that that ain't no 10 footer... That's a long whip!

I also remember Mr. Spielberg talking about the beauty of these movies, where anything can change or be exaggerated like in the old serials, and he mentioned the whip, I think. And they did always say during production that "The hero's hat can never fall off."? Same kinda situation I always figured.

M

Bufflehead Jones · Post by **Bufflehead Jones** » Fri May 25, 2007 7:25 pm

BullWhipBorton wrote:As stated they where supplied in lengths of 6ft to 16ft.

Dang, I must not have had a senior moment when I typed that.

I know that ya'll don't care, but I'm surprised that I remembered the exact lengths. Woohooo! $\:D/$

Bufflehead Jones · Post by **Bufflehead Jones** » Fri May 25, 2007 7:37 pm

michaelb wrote:Yeah, you can spot the longer 16 footers, (or so), in scenes like from TOD. When he first enters the Thuggee (sp?) underground lair, he wraps his whip around a gargoyle(?)-like statue head and swings across the lava chasm to get the Sankara stones... Whenever I watch that scene, it's pretty obvious, to me, that that ain't no 10 footer... That's a long whip!

M

Are you sure that he wasn't just stretching reeaaaal far and on his tippy toes when he landed?

No, you are correct. That is obviously one of the longer whips in the movie.

JulianK · Post by **JulianK** » Tue May 29, 2007 10:23 am

On a side note. Can anyone comment on the tip of this whip found on e-bay? It seems to have a flat leather piece attached to the tip not the usual tapered tip. Are there any avantages or disadvantages to a whip like this?
....sorry but I am just learning.

(Edited: Link removed by Moderator)

Post by **BullWhipBorton** » Tue May 29, 2007 12:02 pm

Those are sometimes called “Texas style Falls” They are wide and flat so that you could give the livestock a smack and not cut or injure the animal. They are actually a disadvantage to cracking the wide flat fall acts as an air break of sorts, slowing the whip down. And its usually recommended to cut them down to match the whips taper to improve the performance of the whip.

Dan

P.S. As per forum rules, Don’t post links to live e-bay auctions, even ones that no one here would bid on

.

JulianK · Post by **JulianK** » Tue May 29, 2007 12:09 pm

As per forum rules, Don’t post links to live e-bay auctions, even ones that no one here would bid on

I know. I didn't think that this would be a problem though as it was just to point out the picture.

So then you would recommend I stay away from these "Texas style Falls"?

Indiana G · Post by **Indiana G** » Tue May 29, 2007 5:34 pm

Yeah, you can spot the longer 16 footers, (or so), in scenes like from TOD. When he first enters the Thuggee (sp?) underground lair, he wraps his whip around a gargoyle(?)-like statue head and swings across the lava chasm to get the Sankara stones... Whenever I watch that scene, it's pretty obvious, to me, that that ain't no 10 footer... That's a long whip!

when indy swung off the trunk of that stone elephant, it was my understanding that this was a steel cable with braided leather over it and was never a whip perse.

Post by **BullWhipBorton** » Tue May 29, 2007 5:51 pm

It's no big deal. For those curious about the picture it was one of the Wayne Grady bullwhips.

Yeah. I’d recommend sticking with the Australian style falls if you’re interested in doing any serious whip cracking. You can really feel the difference in the way the whip rolls out and handles just with the wider fall. It slows the whip and makes the end of the thong want to glide and float rather then cut though the air. Now, you can still get some decent American style bullwhips that have the wide fall, but as I mentioned most will recommend either replacing them with an Aussie style fall or narrowing the wide Texas fall to match the taper of the whip.

when indy swung off the trunk of that stone elephant, it was my understanding that this was a steel cable with braided leather over it and was never a whip perse.

When Harrison Ford actually threw the whip out, cracked it and wrapped it around the trunk in the TOD that was most likely a real bullwhip, and one of the longer ones at that. When they did the swinging stunt over the pit, they probably switched to the cable for safety reasons.

Dan

JulianK · Post by **JulianK** » Wed May 30, 2007 11:24 am

it was one of the Wayne Grady bullwhips.

Is that a good thing or a bad thing? It seems like a decent whip for the price.

P.S. Sorry if this is going against the e-bay policy!!! I'm still a whip noob and I'm only referring to this item as a reference only. I am in no way whatsoever associated with Wayne Grady or the seller of this item!!!

winrichwhips · Post by **winrichwhips** » Wed May 30, 2007 3:42 pm

I've seen a couple Grady whips in person, and I found them to be dissapointing. If you want a whip only to hang on your belt, then a Grady whip will work allright, but if you want to learn any whip cracking I'd stay away from them.

-Adam
www.winrichwhips.com

Boggstandard · Post by **Boggstandard** » Thu May 31, 2007 11:11 am

I agree with Adam.
You can do much better for not much more money.
Take a little more time and research your options; you'll be glad you did.
-Boggs-

Post by **BullWhipBorton** » Mon Jun 04, 2007 7:01 pm

Julian, There are certain things to looking for in choosing a good whip and to be honest I don’t see them in his whips. Often times some one will think they are making a good product, and in their mind they are and will stand behind their work a 110%, thats cool but in reality they could use a lot of constructive criticism and have a lot of room for improvement. I can't say they are a poorly made "bad" whip, I am sure they crack and i am sure the leather is durable, enough, but they are poorly tapered and are not really suitable for sport whip cracking. In my own opinion, your better off buying a bullwhip like one of Adams IOAB bullwhips for less cost and you’ll be getting a much better bullwhip.

The whole “famous expert bullwhip maker” thing kind of bugs me too

I never heard of before him except though eBay

.

Dan

JulianK · Post by **JulianK** » Wed Jun 06, 2007 9:01 am

Thanks for your input. I can definitely see the quality in the winrich IOAB whip compared to this Grady whip now. However now you ve all got me thinking that I might just hold off and splurge on a kangaroo whip.
...great! My wife's gonna love you guys even more now!!

Post by **BullWhipBorton** » Fri Jun 08, 2007 12:12 am

you ve all got me thinking that I might just hold off and splurge on a kangaroo whip.

Right On :!: