Boardom: Bud Brown

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The thrill is in the ride

What's New	Boarding America salutes those individuals who have had a profound influence on the sport and culture of surfing. Meet the men and women who started it all...	Silver Surfers Bud Brown Born July 12, 1912, Browne saw surfing through more than his eyes, he saw the sport through his camera lens. The creator of 15 surfing movies, he was the first filmmaker to commercially show surf movies. A bodysurfer who combined his photographic talent with the sports he loved, Browne entertained the surfing world from the 1950's to the 1980's with his movies on surfing. Film credits include: Hawaiian Surfing Movie (53), Hawaiian Holiday (54), Hawaiian Surf Movie (55), Trek to Makaha (56), The Big Surf (57), Surf Down Under (58), Cat on a Hot Foam Board (59), Surf Happy (60), Spinning Boards (61), Cavalcade of Surf (62), Gun Ho! (63), Locked In (64), You'll Dance in Tahiti (67) and Going Surfin' (73).
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A Venice Beach Lifeguard during the 30's, Bud was a physical education major at USC and the USC swim team captain in 1934. He was nicknamed "Barracuda" during his Navy career because he spent a lot of time in the water and was tall and slender. He started riding waves in 1932 on an old paddle board after watching surfers at Corona Del Mar. In the late 40's Browne joined the Waikiki Surf Club and began taking 16mm color movies. In the 50's he attended the USC Film School to learn more about photography and editing. While teaching in the Los Angeles Unified School District in 1953, a fellow teacher became interested in his films and suggested he show them at a local Junior High. They charged $.65 and plenty of people showed up. Browne quit teaching right after that first film, and for the next 12 years made a film a year. Recently Browne edited 70 minutes of old surf footage, added a sound track released a video called Surfing in the 50's. In his 80's, Bud still bodysurfs and swims several times a week to keep in shape.