Whiplash (1980)
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WHIPLASH Promo on YouTube
"Riders comin’, Pa." With that memorable line (uttered by an 11-year-old Brian Baker making his
initial on-screen appearance) the action began. Cinekyd’s first western and the first lip-sync
feature drew a record-breaking number of student participants in the summer of 1980. At that
point, it was still "kids and film."
Whiplash is a family drama set in the old west. It is loaded with cowboys and horses, the
proverbial saloon with its dancehall girls, the honest sheriff and his inexperienced deputy, and a
collection of bad guys led by the dark figure of El Diablo. At the heart of the drama is the story of a
noble young family trying to survive in an untamed west. The oldest son – the film’s hero – must
choose between avenging his murdered father and the love of the beautiful seamstress.
Using brand-new synchronized sound S8mm cameras, the young filmmakers staged mock
battles in a variety of interior sets as well as across the landscape of eastern Pennsylvania, which
doubled for the old west from the parklands of Willow Grove to the picturesque lakesides of the
Pocono Mountains. Once again, new equipment as well as costumes and props arrived during
production, forcing staff and students into a series of narrow learning curves. Actually, it added to
the excitement.
Places like “Rodeo Ben,” the Holiday Inn of Stroudsburg, and Ghost Town in the Glen are long
gone. Sadly, some of the parents and teachers who supported this unique production are gone,
as well. But the original Whiplash (and its sequel which proves that nobody really dies in a
Cinekyd movie) live on through the wonder of modern technology.
Viewers take note: the picture and audio have been transferred from an original S8mm sound film.
By today’s digital standards, they are somewhat antiquated. You must forgive the soft image, the
shifts in color and the ‘muddy’ sound track. This was Cinekyd’s first sync-sound movie … made
almost thirty years ago.
BEHIND-THE-SCENES:
In addition to a restored version of the 1980 feature, the archive DVD includes the 1982 WPVI-TV
Prime Time segment on Cinekyd, hosted by local broadcast legend, Jim O’Brien, which was
actually filmed during the making of the sequel. This 12-minute documentary shows the final
student epic shot 11 on film. By the end of the summer – Cinekyd had progressed to ¾” color
video equipment, due to a generous grant from the Pew Charitable Trusts.
THE CAST:
Joe Klusman, Brian Baker, Brian Fox, Julie Bechtel, Rodney Bancroft, Scott Randolph, Harvey
Davis, Mike Zumstein, John Petersen, Marty Wilson, Scott Wolfson, David Frick, Robin Degenhardt,
Tim Berkoff, Jill Degenhardt, David Trachtenberg, Mark Salfi, Dan Ochsenreither, Joanna
Goldberg, Ashley Barlow, Matthew Wagar, Steve Keane, Linda Milano, Denise White, Julie Pippel,
Leigh Roberts, Mark Pestcoe, Peter Conrique, Lisa Evans, Susan Matthews, William Hart, Donna
Belnavis, Edward Austin, Peggy Rastiello, Jean Settembrino, Mindy Trachtenberg, Bonnie Loev,
Eric Kurland, Scott Loev, Mike Wilson, Chris Wilson, Rob Conrique, Mark Weaver, Michael May,
George Gakoumis, Steven King, Paul Salfi, Jay Kushwara, Bud Bechtel, Don Stanton.
THE CREW:
Jeff Pippel, Harley Kelly, Renee Pennypacker, Todd Erwin, Gail Shore, Ben Labovitz, Marge King,
Harriet Wilson, Jean Weaver, Arlene Kushwara, Ralph Abbott, Lawrence Harty, Jeff Worthington,
Jeff Stein, Wendy Worthington. Editors Scott Wolfson and Mark Weaver. Writer/Director Robert J.
Clark, Jr.
Be sure to check out the gallery. Thankfully, hundreds of still pictures and color slides were taken
that summer. As we locate and restore those images, they are added to the archive collection.
"Riders comin’, Pa." With that memorable line (uttered by an 11-year-old Brian Baker making his
initial on-screen appearance) the action began. Cinekyd’s first western and the first lip-sync
feature drew a record-breaking number of student participants in the summer of 1980. At that
point, it was still "kids and film."
Whiplash is a family drama set in the old west. It is loaded with cowboys and horses, the
proverbial saloon with its dancehall girls, the honest sheriff and his inexperienced deputy, and a
collection of bad guys led by the dark figure of El Diablo. At the heart of the drama is the story of a
noble young family trying to survive in an untamed west. The oldest son – the film’s hero – must
choose between avenging his murdered father and the love of the beautiful seamstress.
Using brand-new synchronized sound S8mm cameras, the young filmmakers staged mock
battles in a variety of interior sets as well as across the landscape of eastern Pennsylvania, which
doubled for the old west from the parklands of Willow Grove to the picturesque lakesides of the
Pocono Mountains. Once again, new equipment as well as costumes and props arrived during
production, forcing staff and students into a series of narrow learning curves. Actually, it added to
the excitement.
Places like “Rodeo Ben,” the Holiday Inn of Stroudsburg, and Ghost Town in the Glen are long
gone. Sadly, some of the parents and teachers who supported this unique production are gone,
as well. But the original Whiplash (and its sequel which proves that nobody really dies in a
Cinekyd movie) live on through the wonder of modern technology.
Viewers take note: the picture and audio have been transferred from an original S8mm sound film.
By today’s digital standards, they are somewhat antiquated. You must forgive the soft image, the
shifts in color and the ‘muddy’ sound track. This was Cinekyd’s first sync-sound movie … made
almost thirty years ago.
BEHIND-THE-SCENES:
In addition to a restored version of the 1980 feature, the archive DVD includes the 1982 WPVI-TV
Prime Time segment on Cinekyd, hosted by local broadcast legend, Jim O’Brien, which was
actually filmed during the making of the sequel. This 12-minute documentary shows the final
student epic shot 11 on film. By the end of the summer – Cinekyd had progressed to ¾” color
video equipment, due to a generous grant from the Pew Charitable Trusts.
THE CAST:
Joe Klusman, Brian Baker, Brian Fox, Julie Bechtel, Rodney Bancroft, Scott Randolph, Harvey
Davis, Mike Zumstein, John Petersen, Marty Wilson, Scott Wolfson, David Frick, Robin Degenhardt,
Tim Berkoff, Jill Degenhardt, David Trachtenberg, Mark Salfi, Dan Ochsenreither, Joanna
Goldberg, Ashley Barlow, Matthew Wagar, Steve Keane, Linda Milano, Denise White, Julie Pippel,
Leigh Roberts, Mark Pestcoe, Peter Conrique, Lisa Evans, Susan Matthews, William Hart, Donna
Belnavis, Edward Austin, Peggy Rastiello, Jean Settembrino, Mindy Trachtenberg, Bonnie Loev,
Eric Kurland, Scott Loev, Mike Wilson, Chris Wilson, Rob Conrique, Mark Weaver, Michael May,
George Gakoumis, Steven King, Paul Salfi, Jay Kushwara, Bud Bechtel, Don Stanton.
THE CREW:
Jeff Pippel, Harley Kelly, Renee Pennypacker, Todd Erwin, Gail Shore, Ben Labovitz, Marge King,
Harriet Wilson, Jean Weaver, Arlene Kushwara, Ralph Abbott, Lawrence Harty, Jeff Worthington,
Jeff Stein, Wendy Worthington. Editors Scott Wolfson and Mark Weaver. Writer/Director Robert J.
Clark, Jr.
Be sure to check out the gallery. Thankfully, hundreds of still pictures and color slides were taken
that summer. As we locate and restore those images, they are added to the archive collection.