Steve McQueen performed all of his own motorcycle stunts in The Great Escape with the exception of his characters final jump over a 6ft barbed wire fence. The final jump was performed by his stunt double, Bud Etkins [1].
Did Steve McQueen ride the motorcycle in The Great Escape?
A live demonstration of one of the world's most iconic and valuable motorcycles - the original Triumph TR6 from the 1962 film 'The Great Escape' as ridden by Steve McQueen and Bud Ekins for the world-renowned jump - was ridden onto centre stage for the exclusive, delighted audience.
Who did the motorcycle stunts in The Great Escape?
And, while the jump ends with character Hilts' recapture and most know the jump was actually undertaken by stunt riding mate Bud Ekins, the fact bikes are so prominent and many of the sequences really are ridden by McQueen (including, famously, one of Hilts' German pursuers), gives the film a credibility few modern ...
Where was the motorcycle scene filmed in The Great Escape?
Sedgewick stealing a bike scene in The Great Escape
Ebersberger Strasse, located in Markt Schwaben, is a bustling street in the Bavarian region of Germany and is home to various establishments, including shops, restaurants, and residential buildings.
James Sherwin “Bud” Ekins was his stunt double for both “The Great Escape” and “Bllitt.” While Steve McQueen apparently did most of his easier stunts, stunt men did the more difficult ones. But Ekins is the most well known of Steve McQueen's stunt doubles.
Steve McQueen - The Great Escape (motorcycle scene)
What role did Steve McQueen turned down?
Turned down the starring roles in Dirty Harry (1971) and The French Connection (1971) because he didn't want to make any more cop movies after Bullitt (1968).
Brad Martin is an American stunt performer. He doubled for Chris O'Donnell during the neon gang fight in Batman Forever. Martin returned to be George Clooney's stuntman in Batman & Robin.
How much did the motorbike from The Great Escape sell for?
The motocross machine fetched $186,500USD. Powered by a 396cc single-cylinder 2-stroke, the Husqvarna 400 Cross was originally purchased in 1971 by McQueen's company Solar Productions. It was then sold in 1984 by the estate of The Great Escape star and has not been ridden since the actor's death in 1980.
John Leyton - John Leyton played the role of Flight Lieutenant William Dickes, a tunnel digger. John Leyton is still alive as of today and is known for his music career as well [3]. Angus Lennie - Angus Lennie portrayed Flying Officer Archibald Ives, a blind prisoner of war.
Although McQueen rode bikes in the film, he was considered too valuable an asset to attempt the fence jump himself, so the production team turned to celebrated American stunt expert, Bud Ekins, who was a close friend of McQueen. “They built a ramp and Bud jumped it time and time again, maybe 50 times.
For McQueen, racing cars and motorcycles was his way of clearing his mind. McQueen owned around 200 motorcycles. Some of these vintage bikes included: 1951 Triumph Thunderbird, 1933 Matchless Silver Hawk, 1912 Harley-Davidson X8E Big Twin, 1970 Husqvarna 400 Cross, 1915 Cyclone Boardtracker and more.
McQueen loved to compete and did so often. He was once in notable races such as Mojave Desert 500 and 12 Hours of Sebring, and even filmed his 1971 classic Le Mans on site of an actual race. "A good race driver won't try something his car can't do," he said.
Based on Paul Brickhill's 1950 non-fiction book of the same name, the film depicts a heavily fictionalized version of the mass escape by British Commonwealth prisoners of war from German POW camp Stalag Luft III during the Second World War.
The cremated remains of the Great Escapers were returned to Stalag Luft III. The newly-appointed camp commandant was appalled by the killings and allowed the prisoners to build a memorial to house the ashes. In 1948, a Royal Air Force search team travelled to the camp to collect the ashes.
Only three escapees made it all the way to freedom. Review 10 celebrated getaways. See POW Ley Kenyon's extraordinary drawings. Learn how the POWs jerry-built their escape passage.
That Husqvarna motorbike - which is mechanically very similar - was also sold by Bonhams at auction four years ago, reaching $230,500. While this examples didn't quite live up to that fee, its $186,000 winning price was well above the $130,000 lower estimate and even exceeded the top pre-sale prediction of $180,000.
How many times did Tom Cruise ride the motorcycle off the cliff?
Speaking about its execution, McQuarrie, 54, explained in the video that it was "by far the most dangerous stunt we've ever done." The clip then ended with Cruise performing the stunt himself, with a crew member saying, "Tom Cruise rode a motorcycle off a cliff six times today."
The bikes used were were 1961 Triumph Trophy TR6 models disguised as German BMW R75 motorcycles. Paying homage to this iconic film Ace Classic's produce replicas of this famous motorcycle. We have extensively researched this bike using archive film footage and photographs and produce a true replica.
Freddie Poole, Sylvester Stallone's Stunt Double, Talks About Working in the Entertainment Industry. Freddie Poole, Sylvester Stallone's stunt double, sat down with Yolonda Williams to chat about working in the entertainment industry — and he also teaches Landon Wexler how to throw a stunt punch.
Freddie Poole, who has worked as Sylvester Stallone's stunt double for over ten years, joined us in studio to give us an inside look at the adrenaline-packed stunt entertainment industry.
“Steve was loving and affectionate with them — that never changed,” said Adams. Closer Weekly shared that after McQueen's affair with actress Ali MacGraw, his co-star in 1972's “The Getaway,” Adams slammed on the brakes and the couple divorced in 1972.
Storyline. It was believed Ali McGraw remained the apple of Steve McQueen's eye even years after their relationship's conclusion, with her remaining his true love until his untimely death.
