The Stunt Man is a 1980 American satirical psychological anti-war action comedy film starring Peter O'Toole, Steve Railsback and Barbara Hershey, and directed by Richard Rush. The film was adapted by Lawrence B. Marcus and Rush from the 1970 novel of the same name by Paul Brodeur. It tells the story of a young fugitive who hides as a stunt double on the set of a World War I movie whose charismatic director will do seemingly anything for the sake of his art. The line between illusion and reality is blurred as scenes from the inner movie cut seamlessly to "real life" and vice versa. There are examples of "movie magic", where a scene of wartime carnage is revealed as just stunt men and props, and where a shot of a crying woman becomes, with scenery, props and soundtrack, a portrait of a grieving widow at a Nazi rally. The protagonist begins to doubt everything he sees and hears, and at the end is faced with real danger when a stunt seems to go wrong.
Christopher Thomas Howell is an American actor. He has starred in the films Soul Man, The Hitcher, Grandview U.S.A., Red Dawn, Secret Admirer, and The Outsiders. He has also appeared in Gettysburg and Gods and Generals as Thomas Chamberlain; E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial; The Amazing Spider-Man; Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox; and Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay.
Dar Allen Robinson was an American stunt performer and actor. Robinson broke 19 world records and set 21 "world's firsts." He invented the decelerator which allowed a cameraman to film a top-down view of the stuntman as he fell without accidentally showing the airbag on the ground. This was displayed in his fall from the hotel in the movie Stick. The original decelerator can still be seen on display in Moab, Utah.
Hooper is a 1978 American action comedy film directed by Hal Needham and starring Burt Reynolds, Sally Field, Jan-Michael Vincent, Brian Keith, Robert Klein, James Best and Adam West. The film serves as a tribute to stuntmen and stuntwomen in what was at one time an underrecognized profession. At the time of filming, Field and Reynolds were in a relationship, having met on the set of Smokey and the Bandit the previous year.
Bruce Bennett was an American film and television actor who prior to his screen career was a highly successful college athlete in football and in both intercollegiate and international track-and-field competitions. In 1928 he won the silver medal for the shot put at the Olympic Games held in Amsterdam. Bennett's acting career spanned more than 40 years. He worked predominantly in films until the mid-1950s, when he began to work increasingly in American television series.
It Happened at Lakewood Manor is a 1977 American made-for-television horror film starring Lynda Day George, Suzanne Somers, Myrna Loy, Brian Dennehy and Bernie Casey. It was directed by Robert Scheerer and premiered December 2, 1977, on ABC.
Million Dollar Mystery is a 1987 American film released with a promotional tie-in for Glad-Lock brand bags. This was the final feature-length film directed by Richard Fleischer and shot by Jack Cardiff.
Charles Bert Hayward was an American motion picture stuntman and actor. He was associated particularly with the films of John Wayne. He doubled for most of the great Western and action stars of the 1950s-1980s.
Buddy Roosevelt was an American film and television actor and stunt performer from Hollywood's early silent film years through the 1950s.
Fires of Rebellion is a 1917 American silent drama film written and directed by Ida May Park, and starring Lon Chaney, William Stowell, and Dorothy Phillips. The film is today considered lost. A still exists showing Lon Chaney in the role of the lecherous photographer Russell Hanlon. The film's main musical theme was Serenade by R. Czerwonky.
The Live Wire is a 1935 American adventure film directed and produced by Harry S. Webb for Reliable Pictures, starring stuntman Richard Talmadge in the lead role.
Blind Alley is a 1939 American film noir crime film directed by Charles Vidor and stars Chester Morris, Ralph Bellamy and Ann Dvorak. The film was adapted from the Broadway play of the same name by James Warwick.
Benny E. Dobbins, aka Ben, Bernie, or Bennie Dobbins was an American stuntman, actor, stunt coordinator, and second unit director.
The Runnin' Kind is a 1989 American comedy film directed by Max Tash and written by Max Tash and Pleasant Gehman. The film stars David Packer, Steven Eckholdt, Larry Cox, Tom Shell, Brie Howard and Richard Manheim. The film was released on September 8, 1989, by United Artists.
The Golden Fleecing is a 1940 American comedy film directed by Leslie Fenton and written by S. J. Perelman, Laura Perelman and Marion Parsonnet. The film stars Lew Ayres, Rita Johnson, Lloyd Nolan, Virginia Grey, Leon Errol and Nat Pendleton. The film was released on August 16, 1940, by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.
Ted Mapes was an American character actor, who was also a prolific stuntman and body double. Born on November 25, 1901, in St. Edward, Nebraska, he moved to Los Angeles in his mid-20s, and entered the film industry in 1929, first as a grip, and then as a stuntman and actor. He doubled for many famous actors, including Jimmy Stewart and Gary Cooper. His film and television career spanned forty years, during which time he appeared in hundreds of films and television shows, either as an actor, stuntman or body double. After his career in front of the camera ended in 1969, Mapes became an advocate for animal safety in films, working as an observer on sets for the American Humane Association.
Ghost Valley Raiders is a 1940 American Western film directed by George Sherman and written by Bennett Cohen. The film stars Don "Red" Barry, Lona Andre, LeRoy Mason, Tom London, Jack Ingram and Ralph Peters. The film was released on March 26, 1940, by Republic Pictures.
The Fighting Legion is a 1930 American pre-Code part-talkie sound film Western film directed by Harry Joe Brown and written by Bennett Cohen and Leslie Mason. While the film has a few talking sequences, the majority of the film featured a synchronized musical score with sound effects. The film stars Ken Maynard, Dorothy Dwan, Harry Todd, Frank Rice, Ernie Adams, and Stanley Blystone. The film was released on April 6, 1930, by Universal Pictures.
Henry Kingi is an American stuntman and actor. As a stuntman he has worked in films like Fast Five (2011). His acting roles include Goody in Car Wash (1976), Shell in Earth Star Voyager (1988), the mean Indian in Far Out Man (1990), Kungai Demon in Parting Gifts, an episode of Angel (1999), and George in From Mexico with Love (2009). As a miscrew he worked in films like The Assault, From Paris with Love, Patriots Day and Colt 45.
Prairie Raiders is a 1947 American Western film directed by Derwin Abrahams and written by Ed Earl Repp. The film stars Charles Starrett, Nancy Saunders, Mark Roberts, Ozie Waters and Smiley Burnette. The film was released on May 29, 1947, by Columbia Pictures.
