Bunker Spreckels became famous as a surfer, but he was born into the wealthy Spreckles family, a dynasty built on the sugar trade that gave us the term ‘sugar daddy.’

At five, Bunker’s mother remarried, and he suddenly had a new stepfather, Hollywood icon Clark Gable, who treated him as his own son. When Clark died, Bunker fled to Hawaii, where surfing took over his life.

At 21 years old, Bunker unexpectedly inherited $50 million, leading to his life becoming an ongoing international surfing trip, with a coterie of writers, artists, photographers and filmmakers documenting his every move.

Titus O’Reily and Mick Molloy examine the man who made popular the idea of the surfer as a rock and roll star and look at the family that produced him.

If you’d like more Sports Bizarre, become a member of Bizarre Plus.

As a member, you’ll get:

• A weekly bonus podcast
• Exclusive behind-the-scenes access
• A fortnightly newsletter
• Access to the members-only chatroom
• Ability to vote on future episodes
• Early access to any live show tickets

Click here to join today

Follow Sports Bizarre on:

Instagram

Facebook

Twitter

TikTok

YouTube

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.