An award-winning short film about the Western Flyer has some serious star power behind it.

David Schmalz here, excited to share an outstanding short film about the Western Flyer, the famed boat John Steinbeck and Ed Ricketts, along with a crew and Steinbeck’s wife, took from Monterey to the Sea of Cortez in 1940 to study marine life. 

The film, a concise history of the boat and its recovery and renovation, stars actor Nick Offerman, of Parks and Recreation fame (among many other things), who both appears in the film and narrates it, and this past Tuesday, Nov. 19, it won a “silver” award in the fourth annual Anthem Awards in the Sustainability, Environment & Climate category. 

I can’t speak to the prestige of the Anthem Awards—it’s the first I’ve heard of it—but the accolades don’t matter to me. 

What does matter is that it spurred me to watch the 10-minute film on YouTube, and I am here to report that it is a delight, and that Offerman, an actor I love dearly, is the perfect narrator. I was truly surprised at how good the film is—it’s funny, smart and didactic in a small amount of time, something I appreciate as a storyteller. 

The film was produced by local nonprofit Western Flyer Foundation whose mission is “To stir curiosity through marine research, education, and a blend of science and art inspired by John Steinbeck, Ed Ricketts, and their journey on the Western Flyer.”

Earlier today I caught up with Western Flyer Foundation Executive Director Sherry Flumerfelt to get the backstory behind the film. Essentially, she says, John Gregg, the foundation’s founder and the man who bankrolled the rescue of the boat, wanted to make a short film explaining its history to broadcast to a larger audience. 

So Flumerfelt and her colleagues brainstormed which celebrities they could perhaps recruit to star and narrate the film, and Offerman’s name came up—apparently, Flumerfelt says, he’s a woodworker and boat builder. 

Flumerfelt had a connection with someone who’d worked with Offerman previously, and when he finally heard the offer to participate in the film, she says he didn’t hesitate. That said, he did do some rewriting of the script, and when and if you watch the film, you can probably guess the spots.

The production value is top notch, with fun animations and beautiful cinematography, and a great historical overview of the most famous boat in Monterey County history. 

Have a lovely weekend.