Club Obi Wan

Other than the gear description that this was the whip that Young Indy (River Phoenix) used in LC and having been made by Swayne, Adney & Briggs, what details are known about this whip? I'm talking plait, length, etc... I'm thinking I'd like to add one to my collection since I could use a shorter (it at least looks shorter to me) whip for indoor use. It would also be a cool hand-me-down to any future children I have to get them into whipcracking (and one with a neat history.)

Well There has been several discussions on those particular bullwhips here before and a few of our resident whip makers have done very good jobs reproducing them. We know that there where at least two bullwhips used to film this scene, a 6 ft pictured in the in the LucasFilm Archives book, and an 8ft bullwhip seen hanging on the wall of the train car. Most of us believe that the two bullwhips where actually originally made by David Morgan, and not Swayne, Adney & Briggs. That they where 12 plait kangaroo hide bullwhips dyed black with the handle painted a red or reddish orange and the wrist loop was removed.

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Dan

Although Swane Adney have a long tradition as respected English whip makers.

Thanks BWBorton!

I'm no expert on screen accurate whips -- I'll leave that to others. If you are talking about actually using such a whip indoors, however, unless you have a large space with high ceilings, a 6 foot whip is going to be too long. Even with a 5 foot whip, I have left a number of marks on my ceiling. A 4 foot bullwhip works better. My daughter has been able to use it too, but with your kids you have to make sure they don't do like a lot of novices and do that up and down jerking motion that makes the whip fly up into their faces (my brother is no kid and that is the first thing he did when he picked up one of my whips). All that being said, the young Indy whip would be a nice addition to a collection. I know Bernardo made one last year, but I think he stopped making them because he didn't like having to dye the leather. I don't know if there is anyone making a quality replica now, but you can check with some of the makers around here. Good luck.

I send Benardo a PM, so hopefully I'll hear something back from him.

With using whips indoors, I've been practicing targeting with 6 and 8 foot whips, though I just do the flick, or overhand crack, so that the path of the whip is pretty well contained. I've even used a 10 ft bullwhip in my basement for putting out candles. So, I'd say the length you choose really depends on what cracks you'll be doing indoors.

After I saw this post for the first time, I was looking at this black 8 ft Morgan I have and I thought, "You know, I could take the knots off, take off the wrist loop, paint the handle red, put the knots back on, and I'd have a pretty authentic LC lion tamer whip!" Then I thought that would be totally blasphemous, to alter a Morgan whip like that. It would also be pretty expensive.

-Adam
www.myspace.com/adamwinrich

giovanni celeste had made a copy of the LC lion whip as well as Bernardo. I have not seen any of Gio's work, but I know he is highly respected here at COW. Bernardo's whips are awesome!

Coronado

Just a couple of weeks ago I was down in Orlando. In Downtown Disney there is a memorabilia shop there called Starabilias I believe. Anyway, this is a shop full of all kinds of movie, music and entertainment memorabilia some of which are actual film props. Hanging just inside the door from the ceiling was a large display showing Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade with some publicity photos of River Phoenix and attached to the display, according to the description, was "THE" (or one of "THE") screen used bullwhip used by River Phoenix in LC. I didn't have my wallet on me so it may still be available. It's only 26 thousand dollars.

If anyone happens to get down that way , it would be great if you could get some photos of the LC bullwhip at Starabilias for the site.

Dan

Hmmmm....Thanks for the heads up about this Starabilias place. The next time I'm out at Downtown Disney, I'll be sure to pay a visit and grab some photos....

High Regards,
-Chris

Hello Coronado 3,
thank you all, you're very kind.
Regards
Giò

Gio

You are very welcome! I have been checking out photos of your work for a while now and the quality of your whips is very apparent! It is great to have so many talented craftsmen around here at COW. Have you made any more versions of the Young Indy LC lion-tamers whip?

I'm going to have to start saving up for a 12' Gio Indy!



Ciao,
Coronado

C3,
.....you are 12' welcome!!
for the moment I have make two Young Indy LC.
Ciao
G