Skydiving Video Set to Van Halen's "Jump"?

[Shotgun 1]

I have an old copy of a video set to Van Halen's song "Jump". It looks like it was made in the late 80's(?) It starts out with a guy talking to his girlfriend in a restaurant while singing along with the song. Then him and a few other guys get on the plane as they (and the pilot) are singing "Might as well jump!" which they continue singing in the plane and even while in freefall.

It seems that I was told it was made at Skydive Houston, but I'm really not sure. I'm just curious if anyone knows who the people are in the video or where it was filmed? It's really well done and pretty funny.

[NickDG 23]

I remember when it was "new" but I always thought it was done in Florida. It's a neat vid even by today's standards.

In the years that followed however, after we started using that song for student videos I can hardly stand to listen to it anymore. (Same for TP's "Freefalling.")

NickD BASE 194

[flyingferret 0]

Ha! A video set to Jump? NO! That is like asking about a square canopy

--
All the flaming and trolls of wreck dot with a pretty GUI.

[Clite 0]

I remember that video. It was made at the cafe in Aero Country in Mckinney they had a cafe there they did it in. The jumps were done in Spaceland. I haven't seen that video in a long time. I remember my dad telling me they were trying to get MTV to play it( don't know if it did though). I would like to see that again.

[efs4ever 3]

Pete McKeeman worked for Belo Chan. 8 in Dallas and was responsible for it. He later produced one called "Our Video" which covered one boogie, at OLD OLD Spaceland (League City) and inter spliced it with a mini soap opera. All camera people during a boogie contributed footage. YEA BOY!!

I still have it,and I guess I'll digitize it to DVD as soon as I can.


Video was in its infancy when this was made.

Russell M. Webb D 7014
Attorney at Law
713 385 5676
https://www.tdcparole.com

[Shotgun 1]

Thanks for all the replies. I've always wondered about that video, but it only just occurred to me to ask on here. The VHS copy I have is so old that the last time I watched it (about two years ago) I decided I shouldn't play the tape again unless I can copy it to a digital format because it looked like it was on it's last leg. (And there is some other stuff on that tape that I wouldn't want to lose.)

And maybe this is a stupid question, but how were they able to lip sync while in freefall? It's done so well that it looks like they had to have been hearing the song.

I'd love to see the other video you mentioned too...

[Clite 0]

Is that the one with the lady landing in the cornfield? I would love to see both of those videos again. Dad had all of his videos stolen when his house was robbed.

[usedtajump 1]

Pete McKeemon and Larry Turner were the principals behind this video. Pete can be seen as the cook in the restaurant and Larry is the heartbroken "leading man". I was in some of the skydiving scenes that took place at Aero Country outside McKinney, TX along with Steve Boyd's little brother Tim (), Calvin Reeves, Bruce Head, Mike Brewer, Andy Eschenauer and many others that jumped at Aero Country at the time. All the indoor scenes were shot at the restuarant at Aero Country and most of the skydiving scenes took place either at Aero country or old Spaceland.

Sure would like to have a copy of that video but nobody around here has one anymore. According to Pete, he doesn't have one.

The older I get the less I care who I piss off.

[gemini 0]

Steve Boyd showed me the video when Tim was visiting the new Spaceland. I will ask him if he still has the copy and see if the vid guys can put it on a CD. It was pretty good especially considering the equipment they had to use to dub it in those days.

Blue skies,

Jim

[usedtajump 1]

Seriously, Pete's been ahead of his time on some of his major projects. I was told that "Jump" was offered to Van Halen for the MTV video of that song. Reportedly, Pete refused the bandmembers request to use their faces overlayed over the actual skydiver's faces and the idea was dropped. That's just what I was told by another skydiver so it must be ture.

Gemini, that would be great if I could get a copy, I'd come all the way down from Dallas to Steve's place and pick it up. Maybe old Steve would loan an old buddy a rig to jump for old time sake and even have his little brother Tim there to jump with us, ya' think? Maybe monkeys will fly outta my ass, too.

I'd still drive down for the video, though.

Jerry

The older I get the less I care who I piss off.

[jwilson 0]

I had a copy of this vid that showed up after "From Wings Came Flight" on a dubbed video that Steve Morrell Gave me years ago. But I don't know where it was made or by who. Cool vid though.

Jay

[tim.patterson 1]

I was one of the principals involved in the video which was shot in 1984. I was in the the white Jerry Bird jumpsuit or the tail of the diamond in the freefall lipsyncing scenes. This video was a lot of fun to do and I agree with usedtojump, Pete was way ahead of his time. I only had about 400 jumps at the time, but the reason I was asked to be in the video was because of my CRW skills. The video was shown on national TV on PM Magazine (ABC). The project was a real pleasure be involved in.

[gemini 0]

Jerry, Tim and Steve are both at Spaceland today for the Lew Sanborn Accuracy meet and I asked them if they had a copy. Steve said he has one and Time said he wished he had one. I will talk to Eric about dumping the video to a cd and let you know when it's ready.

Blues,

Blue skies,

Jim

[skycop21 0]

Jim,

I would like to purchase a copy of this DVD or CD from you, once you have it burned.
BS,

Buzz

[likvidskaj 0]

I've seen that video a long, long time ago and it was really great, humorous and with a darn good plot
Is it possible (or legal) to put that video on YouTube or somewhere else for us to enjoy the video again?

Thanks in advance!

[Taylor610 0]

I have not seen that one, however, Oscar Oscowski (sp) from West Point VA, was at the 97 Beach Boogie and shot video of 2 pond swoops gone wrong and set it all to Swan Lake. It was by far the funniest video I think I have ever watched.

Back then, pond swooping was not something people did. I went and swooped the pond at our condo and then someone else (who I will allow to remain nameless) tried to follow my successful swoop. Needless to say, he blew it... twice...Sometimes ya gotta pay to play...

I had a copy, but someone borrowed (stole) it from my DZ in 02 or 03. I wonder if Oscar still has it...

[jumpwally 0]

Both of these vids sound like "must haves " Any updates on copies for sale ? I have a fistfull of cash !!! any takers ?

smile, be nice, enjoy life
FB # - 1083

[Taylor610 0]

I just sent an email to Oscar asking if he has it...

We will see!

The Other Wally...

[jumpwally 0]

Can this really be that difficult ?

smile, be nice, enjoy life
FB # - 1083

[usedtajump 1]

Got a copy of this vid in the mail today, thanks Steve.
What memories this brings back what with the people
I haven't seen in 25 years (god, were we ever that
young ), DZs that no longer exist, aircraft
that have since crashed and folks that have passed on
to the next "adventure". Still, its all good.

The older I get the less I care who I piss off.

[LTPlano 0]

Wow! All this interest almost 25 years later? I'm Larry Turner. I co-produced this video with Pete McKeeman in Dallas in 1984. Pete and I had worked together at WFAA-TV in Dallas. He as a photographer and I was an editor. The video was Pete's brainchild, after he had just heard a new band called Van Halen. They had just hit the #1 spot with their song "Jump". I swear Pete had most of the video completed in his head before the song finished. We bought the latest small video camera and Pete began shooting every jump he made. The idea of having someone sing the song in freefall was a tremendous challenge. I was "lucky" enough to be the lead actor, and I use that term VERY loosely. For editing purposes I had to be able to mouth the words to the song at the same speed as they were recorded, so that we could lay the music track over the video and the "lip-sync" would time out right. Remember there were no iPods then. I had to listen to that damn song every second of every day for 3 weeks. I had to have the timing right after not hearing the song while we climed to altitude. Somehow it worked. The indoor scenes were shot in the cafe at Aero-Country Airport north of Dallas. Generic skydiving scenes were recorded at Spaceland in Houston and a Freak Brothers Convention in Illinois. The video took a week or so in editing before we were happy with it. As we watched it for the first time, we new we had just raised the bar in Skydiving videos. The primary goal was to get the video to Van Halen and let them use it on a new network called MTV. Long story short. We met with David Lee Roth after a Dallas concert and showed him the video. I'm proud to say he was blown away. He gave us the band Manager's phone number for us to contact. We were offered a "substantial" amount of money, but we wanted it to air on MTV also. Negotiations continued for quite sometime, but an agreement was never reached. That left us with a video that we had no music rights to, and left the band with a song they had no video right to. So.....we ended up with a great party video. Word of the video spread fast and suddenly we we were getting requests for the video from litterly around the world. We sold more of the videos than I can legally say. Any audio that happened to be on the tape was strictly coincidence :) Anyway, hope that answer some questions about "Jump" the video.

[LTPlano 0]

Forgot to mention. We did a second video called "The Eleventh Commandment" where Moses, while standing on the mountain, sees a skydiver (me again) named "Jack Flash" (you can see where this music is comming from) land and assumes he is an angel. Great church scenes, with "Jump" being played in the background, on a pipe organ. All but the church segment was shot at Spaceland Houston.
Well, guess that's more info than anybody was looking for about the videos.
Larry
[email protected]

[usedtajump 1]

Larry, great of you to add the info on the "Jump" video
hope things are going well for you. I must say, I had
forgotten what a good actor you are.
Regarding "Eleventh Commandment", as I remember,
all the skydiving scenes were shot at Spaceland over
a three day weekend. Pete and yourself did all the
editing and had a finished, amazing, ready to go
video for sale that same weekend. Been
looking for it, too.

I also remember being at the shooting of "Reverend
Bob's Temple of Talent" at the old Arcadia Theatre.
in Dallas. What a crazy as Hell night that was.


If you see Pete give him my regards.

Jerry Felts

The older I get the less I care who I piss off.

[LTPlano 0]

Jerry,
Great to hear from you. Hope you're doing well. Thanks for the nice words about "Jump" and "The Eleventh Commandment". Being in the "twilight" of my video career, it's one one the projects I will always be proud of. I bet you don't remember, but you actually shot a still of my SCS jump. A picture I still proudly display. You were one of the guys I admired most. A damn good skydiver, but not so cool that you wouldn't jump with us wannabes.
I take it from "Usedtajump" that you're out of the sport. I haven't made a jump in many years, but I still say I'm just between jumps right now. The desire is still as strong as it was on the days Pete and I would go to the DZ and sit through thunderstorms, praying the sun would pop out. I still refuse to say I'm done. Somewhere there's a "Jerry Felts" out there thats not too cool to make a jump with an old guy. Thanks Jerry for a very nice reply, and for letting me jump with you.
Best Wishes and Blue Skies forever!
Larry

[Shotgun 1]

Quote

Well, guess that's more info than anybody was looking for about the videos.

Not at all, Larry! Thanks for the info.
-Keely