Indiana Jones and His Whips

My interest in whip cracking began when I was quite young, around nine or ten, and was, of course, influenced a great deal by movies. Whether it was the old Zorro series, 1930’s western serials, or Indiana Jones, it seemed that bullwhips and adventure just naturally went together.

When my parents ordered a Western Stage Props catalog, there was no going back. I was going to get a bullwhip. And I was going to discover just how much of that Indiana Jones stuff I could actually do.

And I did.

So today, I want to take a look at Indie’s whips, and analyze the choice and style of whips in the movies, along with way in which he wields them. I shall also speculate shamelessly whenever I feel it is appropriate.

Whip Style and Length

Anyone familiar with whips will instantly recognize Indie’s whip as an example of Australian craftsmanship. Which makes perfect sense, as Australians make the best whips in the world. The Australian cowboy tradition relies heavily on the use of the whip, in contrast with the American tradition, which, while certainly including the whip, makes much greater use of the lasso. Not only are Australian whip-makers masters of their craft, but they also possess the perfect material for whip making in abundance. Kangaroo hide is incredible strong, even when it is cut very thin. Thus, many strands can be braided together, and the resulting whip is light, durable, extremely responsive, and accurate. American whips are cowhide, and are usually remarkable inferior. They often featured swivel handles, which is just a terrible idea. Back in the day, some American bullwhips were made out of deer hide, which seems to have been a better material. Still, kangaroo hide is the best natural material for whipmaking. David Morgan is the master who created the whips for the Indiana Jones movies, and you can still buy one made by him if you so desire. When the first movie was in production, it was difficult or impossible to acquire kangaroo hide, so Morgan used calfskin instead. The other movies have all featured ‘roo hide whips.

Whip used in Temple of Doom

Indie’s whip is a 12 plait Australian bullwhip. However, it has a much shorter handle than is typical of Australian whips. They are usually made with a handle between 12 and 16 inches long, which gives the handler much greater control, especially on horseback. The handle on Indie’s whip is more in the realm of six or seven inches. The only real advantage of a whip with a short handle is that it is more compact, and therefore easier to carry about on adventures. Clearly Indie favored the whip for this very reason. Likely, he had the whip custom made for him. Alternately, he might have simply happened upon it on some adventure.

Indiana Jones' whips have, aggravatingly, the amazing quality of always being precisely the right length for whatever he happens to be doing. David Morgan provided upwards of 30 whips for the first movie, in lengths ranging from 6 feet to 15 feet. There are scenes (especially in Temple of Doom) where he is clearly using whips close to the 15 foot mark to swing across bridges or what have you. Alternately, the stunt in Last Crusade where Indiana Jones saves his father from being shredded by a tank-tread by snapping the whip around his foot would be impossible with such a long whip, and a 6 or 8 footer is clearly utilized.

Sigh. If only my whips would magically adjust in length. Such are the advantages of Hollywood.

Whip Stunts

Whips are cattle-driving tools for the working cowboy. Indie uses his as a weapon, a ladder, and a trapeze. In other words, for nothing they were designed to be used for, and lots of things for which they were never intended.

That being said, everything Indiana Jones ever does with his bullwhips is possible. But often, just barely. I’ve heard it said by knowledgeable whip handlers that you can’t wrap a branch and swing from it. That just ain’t so. I’ve done it. Having a clear shot at what you want to wrap and a bullwhip of the right length to actually accomplish the feet? That’s a trick only providence (or Hollywood) can manage. WARNING: USING YOUR BULLWHIP IN THIS FASHION COULD RESULT IN SEVERE INJURY TO PERSON AND PRIDE, MANGLED LIMBS, BROKEN SKULLS, PARALYSIS, OR DEATH. AND WHILE YOU’RE DYING, IT WILL HURT! DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME. THE RIGHTEOUS RENEGADE IS IN NO WAY ENDORSING THE USE OF BULLWHIPS AS CLIMBING APPARATUS. IF YOU HURT YOURSELF, IT’S YOUR OWN FAULT FOR BEING A MORON. Please don’t sue me.

I would trust almost any well-made whip with my weight, especially if I were in a life or death situation. Braided kangaroo hide is, as mentioned previously, remarkably strong stuff. However, if I were Indiana Jones, I would ask a whip-maker to make my whip with these sorts of things in mind, just to be sure my whip would be up for the challenge. An extra-heavy-duty core would be a nice touch, along with an extra-sturdy knot to connect the fall with the rest of the whip.

Another difficulty is in getting your whip down from that branch after you’ve swung from it. The friction produced by a good wrap-around is more than enough to hold one’s weight, but that also means that no amount of pulling will get it loose (it will actually only tighten it). Indie always loosens it with a flick, throwing the slack of the whip back over the branch to loosen the wrap-around, which is exactly the way to do it. But in practice it is much harder than Indie makes it look. It’s always a terrible thing when the Nazis have to wait ten minutes for you to get your whip loose before they can resume trying to kill you.

Taking a gun from someone’s hand presents a different challenge. Metal is smooth, so there’s not a lot for the whip to grip (wrap-arounds rely on friction). It’s not impossible, but it’s a very difficult shot. Better to go for a wrap on the wrist, and pull the gunshot off target, I’d say. The opening of Raiders of the Lost Ark wherein Indie snags a pistol pointed directly at him is, in my estimation, one of the two most difficult shots to make in the movies.

The other is when Indie snags his dad’s foot on the tank in Last Crusade. If Henry Jones were standing up, no problem! But at that angle, and moving? Oy! We’ll chalk it up to pure skill, plus adrenaline, plus sheer luck.

Another thing. Every notice how fast Indie can produce his whip? Quite impressive. On a tank, free-falling, in a split second under fire, makes no difference! If I carry my whip, I have to keep it in a holder (like Indie’s) with a quick release knot (unlike Indie). Getting the whip takes a second - not too long, but I don’t think I could do it in mid-air, or before I got shot, or before someone got shredded by a tank. And if I don’t have that extra tie with the quick release knot, the whip falls out of the holder. All. The. Time.

So, I’ve probably just ruined your childhood. Sorry. On the bright side, now you know the kinds of things that go through my head whenever I see a movie with whips! The knowledge of the whip. It’s a gift . . . and a curse.