Last Free Ride (A Hip Pirate Movie)

Made in 1974 by independent filmmakers Roy Nolan and Saul Rouda, this film (subtitled "a hip pirate movie") re-creates actual events from the Sausalito houseboat community at Waldo Point. Many of the participants play themselves in these re-enactments. This includes the 'Battle of Richardson Bay' from 1971, during which residents challenged county officials who wanted to develop the waterfront (also known as the "house boat wars"). Includes scenes of: performances and music by Joe Tate and his rock band The Red Legs; narration by Saul Rouda; hippies riding through San Francisco on the back of a truck; counterculture life on the Sausalito docks; building of the 'Richmond' ship; a hearing at Marin County Civic Center; mud wrestling and a wild party on the Charles Van Damme ferryboat. As Rouda puts it at one point: "We had rejected the system and were quite happy to live outside of it's stifling conformity."

Originally shot on 16mm film, a BetaSP videotape master was loaned to the TV Archive by Saul Rouda, to produce this low-res online screener.  Last Free Ride is available to purchase from Saul Rouda (see website below):

http://www.lastfreeride.com/

Any requests to use or license this footage should be directed to Saul Rouda (Email: srouda@aol.com). Please contact the film archivist for further details.