Evel Knievel at Caesar's Palace

While in Las Vegas, Nevada, to watch Dick Tiger fight a middleweight title fight, Knievel first saw the fountains at Caesar's Palace and decided to jump them. To get an audience with the casino's CEO Jay Sarno, Knievel created a fictitious corporation called Evel Knievel Enterprises and three fictitious lawyers to make phone calls to Sarno. Knievel also placed phone calls to Sarno claiming to be from ABC-TV and Sports Illustrated inquiring about the jump. Sarno finally agreed to meet Knievel and the deal was set for Knievel to jump the fountains on December 31, 1967. After the deal was set, Knievel tried to get ABC to air the event live on Wide World of Sports. ABC declined, but said that if Knievel had the jump filmed and it was as spectacular as he said it would be, they would consider using it later.

Knievel used his own money to have actor/director John Derek produce a film of the Caesar's jump. To keep costs low, Derek used his then-wife, Linda Evans, as one of the camera operators. It was Evans who filmed Knievel's famous landing. On the morning of the jump, Knievel stopped in the casino and placed a single $100 dollar bet on the blackjack table, which he lost, stopped by the bar and got a shot of Wild Turkey and then headed outside where he was joined by several members of the Caesar's staff, as well as two scantily clad showgirls. After doing his normal pre-jump show and a few warm up approaches, Knievel began his real approach. When he hit the takeoff ramp, he felt the motorcycle unexpectedly decelerate. The sudden loss of power on the takeoff caused Knievel to come up short and land on the safety ramp which was supported by a van. This caused the handlebars to be ripped out of his hands as he tumbled over them onto the pavement where he skidded into the Dunes parking lot. As a result of the crash, Knievel received a crushed pelvis and femur, fractures to his hip, wrist and both ankles and a concussion that kept him in a coma for 29 days.

Category:

Sports

Tags:

• evel
• knievel
• caesars
• palace
• 1969
• crash
• jump
• evil
• extreme
• xtreme
• sports
• daredevil
• american
• legend

[Phatassify]

SMOOOOOOOOOOOSH!

[Lmaoambush]

Thumbs up if Smosh brought you here.

[ViolentPlayground]

Evel broke his damn skeleton.

[MikeTheTeacher]

Who shot the footage? Linda Evans, the actress. Then married to John Derek, who filmed the takeoff. She filmed the landing.

[mauijim00]

@123flycentro-- think pastrami will have HIS bike and colors in the SMITHSONIAN? See, thats where TRUE ICONS are displayed. Evel was a true original. Of course, youre probably very young , without much perspective..

[Ace97AM]

LINK has bigger balls xD

[F1IsSuperior]

@flycentro123 He's still a fucking legend.

[flycentro123]

@racer500gp actually Im not an anybody kind of guy and i grew up with an Evil Knievel wind up toy, Im simply saying that just because you have the guts to get on a piece of shit bike and try to jump things doesnt make you a legend. If that were the case me and all my friends growing up would fall into that category,, Knievel would be an unknown without the show wide world of sports. It was there on saturday afternoons you could watch him fail time and time again.

[racer500gp]

@flycentro123 Ok, so you're one of those Travis Pastrana guys. Ok, he did a double flip. It all makes sense now. My friend, you are a joke, have no sense of history and do not merit further discussion. Enough said.

[dbmrhi]

The worlds greatest motorcycle jumper but unfortunately for him the worlds worst lander.

[flycentro123]

@racer500gp thats because we dont live in an era of pinball machines and lunch boxes.. it was a different time. Evil was a great marketer and only that, as far as talent on a motorcycle, he will be remembered for his crashes and failed grand canyon attempt. People wont know who Michael Jackson or Walter Payton in a 100 years from now either, but Travis Pastrana has more talent in one finger than any of the Knievel duo combined.

[racer500gp]

@flycentro123 Moron, He did it 45 years ago on ancient technology, A 550lb Harley with almost no suspension travel. If not for him and him alone there would be NO extreme jumping on the light 2 stroke Supercross bikes of today. BTW, how many of these current guys will be remembered 100 years from now? NONE. How many will have toys, lunch boxes and pinball games names after them? NONE. Get a clue and show some respect for the greats that created the genre.