Surf Movie Tonite!: Surf Movie Poster Art, 1957-2005

by Matt Warshaw

Surf movies have always attracted a certain kind of audience: passionate, committed, and, quite often, stoned. The posters that advertised these low-budget movies began as colorful notices stapled onto beachside telephone poles in the early fifties. They were full of promises"See the biggest wave EVER!!," "California pointbreak perfection!!"and surfers pounded in, wanting to see the best surfers on the tastiest waves. A splash hit when it debuted in 1966, The Endless Summer, with its ultra dayglo view of beach life, proved that surf movies had made it big time. Four decades later, surf expert Matt Warshaw brings to wave riders everywhere this singular collection of more than 140 amazing and rare posters, covering everything from the bubbly optimism of Gidget to the psychedelic inventiveness of Pacific Vibrations. Including worn ticket stubs, photos of old-time premieres, and a side-splitting history of the surf movie in all its shaggy glory, Surf Movie Tonite! brilliantly illustrates the intersection of beach and film culture.

144 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

Matt Warshaw is a former professional surfer, former writer and editor at Surfer magazine (1984-1990), and the author of dozens of feature articles and large-format books on surfing culture and history.
Warshaw currently curates the online Encyclopedia of Surfing and History of Surfing, each website based on expanded material from the archives assembled for their print companions. He has 1 child.