Purpus High School Assembly Film to Screen at RUHS
Mike Purpus with his ‘70s Hot Lips team Turkey 1, Terry Stevens, Danny Purpus, Mike Benevidez, Chris Barella, and Turkey 2. Photo
Friday, September 23, Mike Purpus will narrate his original 1960’s High School Assembly film at the Redondo Union High School Auditorium. Along with Purpus, the film show rare footage of Miki Dora, David Nuuhiwa, Gerry Lopez, Sahun Tomson and other top surfers of the transitional era from longboards to shortboards. The evening is being presented by the Redondo High surf club Ohana O Kekai, Body Glove and Dive N’ Surf. The classic 1970s surf film “Saltwater Wine” will also be screened. Raffle items are being donated by Body Glove, Dive N’ Surf, ET Surfboards and Jan’s Sports. Proceeds will benefit the Jimmy Miller Foundation. Tickets $5. 6 p.m.Vincent Street and Pacific Coast Highway.
More than feet got wet at first screening of film
The first showing of my high school assembly film was in ‘67, a year after my graduation from Mira Costa High School.
My friends and I had talked “Doc” Ackroyd, who was in charge of Northrop Medical Center, into taking us up and down the coast chasing waves. Doc’s hobby was taking movies with his 16 millimeter Bolex, the same camera all the best surf photographers used. We showed Doc’s surf movies at the Windansea Surf Club meetings and then on the local TV surf programs, “Surf’s UP,” “SurfCity” and “Surfing World.”
Mark Levy, a Mira Costa junior who was on my surf team, talked Principal O’Connor and Vice Principal Wilcox into letting me show the film at a school assembly.
The show was a disaster from the start. The splices broke every five minutes and the school’s two track tape recorder wouldn’t play my four-track tape. While I was on stage in front of thousands of screaming kids, the cap came off the Vick’s nasal spray I had tucked in the front pocket of my tight fitting, white pants. The front rows thought I wet myself. I couldn’t understand why they were laughing so hard when I wasn’t saying anything funny. Then I looked down and saw the growing wet spot growing across my crotch.
I quickly pulled the empty nasal spray out of my pocket to show everyone that it was leaking. “I have a cold. Honest, I have a cold,” I screamed, directing the rest of the audience’s attention to my wet spot. I tried to run off stage, but Vice Principal Wilcox blocked my way.
“Where are you going? You have them eating out of your hand,” he said, shoving me back on stage to thunderous applause. Afterwards Wilcox told me I had to take my assembly to the other high schools because it was the only time he had seen the students pay attention all year.
Chuck Becker, the student body president for Redondo High School, booked me for his assembly the following month. Chuck became my manager, booking two or three schools a week, as well as Cub and Girl Scout meetings and a few Women’s Clubs through the rest of the ‘60s and well into the ‘70s. ER