CALIFORNIA DREAMIN‘
(1) THE WILD WEST
When God made the American continent, he raised the massive land on one side for a final look at his masterpiece – and all the raisins and the nuggets rolled into California. That’s what American kids learn at school. And that’s wh at people all over the world faithfully believe in.
Goldrush and Kerouac’s „On The Road“, Rodeo Drive and „Pretty Woman“, Silicon Valley, Disneyland and fitness gurus, Haight Ashbury and Beverly HiIIs, Flowerpower and Drive-In-Churches, Yosemite Park and the Mendocino Coast, Napa Valley, Psychotherapy and L.A.‘s silicon beach bums, Death Valley, Redwood Trees and Malibu: No other country has shaped as many modern myths as California, the tamed Wild West of America.
Yet no other country has made more dreams come true. Since the early gold rush people have brought their hopes to the Westcoast – to find instant weanh or spiritual enlightening. Hollywood has become the dream factory of the world, creating the very Californian idea that reality can be made to order.
California, even up to the 1920s, was taken as the most western outpost of civilization. The promised land for both, fortune hunters, adventurers, avantgardists. Even today modern day cowboys put to stage their desire for freedom, and the rush of adrenaline on thundering Harley Davidsons, Surfboards in terrible waves of Half Moon Bay or with Sex & Drugs & Rock‘n‘Roll in the nightlife joints of L.A. and San Francisco.
We are meeting the former have-not Joachim Krauledat, who‘s mother escaped with him from post war East Prussia and the invading Russians. In California Joachim became John – John Kay, frontman and songwriter of the world famous Rock‘n‘Roll icons of Steppenwolf. „Born To Be Wild“, „Magic Carpet Ride“ and the „Easy Rider“ soundtrack „The Pusher“ are some of the era-defining superhits. German John Kay lives in Santa Barbara now. And the band keeps rolling.
But the freedom of California is also defined by its outstanding nature: The black bears of Yosemite National park, the giant sea elephants at the magnificent Big Sur coast, the world‘s most important marine sea life aquarium in Monterey, where Steinbeck wrote his famous novels, the floating sea otters in the cold Pacific waters of Carmel.
We‘re watching the sea elephants having their mating battles, we‘re following the rangers of Yosemite on their bear patrols at night, we‘re riding with the „Harley Owner‘s Group #1“ from L.A. all the way to Death Valley. And we‘re chattin‘ with surf nomad Jon Paskowitz about the philosophy of riding the waves, where you become one with nature.
Goldrush and Kerouac’s „On The Road“, Rodeo Drive and „Pretty Woman“, Silicon Valley, Disneyland and fitness gurus, Haight Ashbury and Beverly HiIIs, Flowerpower and Drive-In-Churches, Yosemite Park and the Mendocino Coast, Napa Valley, Psychotherapy and L.A.‘s silicon beach bums, Death Valley, Redwood Trees and Malibu: No other country has shaped as many modern myths as California, the tamed Wild West of America.
Yet no other country has made more dreams come true. Since the early gold rush people have brought their hopes to the Westcoast – to find instant weanh or spiritual enlightening. Hollywood has become the dream factory of the world, creating the very Californian idea that reality can be made to order.
California, even up to the 1920s, was taken as the most western outpost of civilization. The promised land for both, fortune hunters, adventurers, avantgardists. Even today modern day cowboys put to stage their desire for freedom, and the rush of adrenaline on thundering Harley Davidsons, Surfboards in terrible waves of Half Moon Bay or with Sex & Drugs & Rock‘n‘Roll in the nightlife joints of L.A. and San Francisco.
We are meeting the former have-not Joachim Krauledat, who‘s mother escaped with him from post war East Prussia and the invading Russians. In California Joachim became John – John Kay, frontman and songwriter of the world famous Rock‘n‘Roll icons of Steppenwolf. „Born To Be Wild“, „Magic Carpet Ride“ and the „Easy Rider“ soundtrack „The Pusher“ are some of the era-defining superhits. German John Kay lives in Santa Barbara now. And the band keeps rolling.
But the freedom of California is also defined by its outstanding nature: The black bears of Yosemite National park, the giant sea elephants at the magnificent Big Sur coast, the world‘s most important marine sea life aquarium in Monterey, where Steinbeck wrote his famous novels, the floating sea otters in the cold Pacific waters of Carmel.
We‘re watching the sea elephants having their mating battles, we‘re following the rangers of Yosemite on their bear patrols at night, we‘re riding with the „Harley Owner‘s Group #1“ from L.A. all the way to Death Valley. And we‘re chattin‘ with surf nomad Jon Paskowitz about the philosophy of riding the waves, where you become one with nature.
Facts
The California Dreamin‘ series first aired in May and June 2001, always at 19.30 pm on ZDF.
Ever since then California Dreamin‘ has been the German documentary series with the most re-runs ever. Between 2001 and today the series was broadcast 85 (!) times.
The extensive aerial photography of California Dreamin‘ (by heli cam operator Peter Thompson) served as a blueprint for Germany‘s most successful documentary series and movie „Germany From Above“.
Credits
Written, directed and produced: Petra Höfer, Freddie Röckenhaus
DOP: Thomas Schäfer
Additional Camera: Patrick Brandt, Udo Lachnit
Editing: Jörg Wegner
Editor at ZDF: Peter Arens
