Stunts Unlimited

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Stunts Unlimited
Stunts Unlimited (film).jpg
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Written by Laurence Heath
Directed by Hal Needham
Starring Chip Mayer
Music by Barry De Vorzon
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
Production
Producer Lionel E. Siegel
Cinematography Michael Shea
Editor Robert Phillips
Running time90 minutes
Production company Paramount Television
Original release
ReleaseJanuary 4, 1980 (1980-01-04)

Stunts Unlimited is a 1980 American action film about stunt performers directed by Hal Needham.

Contents

Plot

A group of professional stunt performers is hired by a former U.S. Intelligence agent to retrieve a stolen weapon from a dangerous arms dealer.

Cast

Production

The title of the film is an homage to the real company Stunts Unlimited, a stunt group formed by Hal Needham, Glenn Wilder, and Ronnie Rondell in 1970. [1]

Broadcast and reception

The TV movie was broadcast on ABC [2] at 9:30 p.m. Eastern Time on January 4, 1980, [3] as the pilot for a proposed series [2] [1] but the series was not picked up.
Upon the film's broadcast, the staff of People wrote that "the idea is ingenious" and "it ought to be a series". [4]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stunt performer</span> Person who performs stunts

A stunt performer, often called a stuntman or stuntwoman and occasionally stuntperson or stunt-person, is a trained professional who performs daring acts, often as a career. Stunt performers usually appear in films or on television, as opposed to a daredevil, who performs for a live audience. When they take the place of another actor, they are known as stunt doubles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hal Needham</span> American stunt performer and film director (1931–2013)

Hal Brett Needham was an American stuntman, film director, actor, writer, and NASCAR team owner. He is best known for his frequent collaborations with actor Burt Reynolds, usually in films involving fast cars, such as Smokey and the Bandit (1977), Hooper (1978), The Cannonball Run (1981) and Stroker Ace (1983).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard Talmadge</span> German–American actor (1892–1981)

Richard Talmadge also known as Sylvester Metzetti, Ricardo Metzetti, or Sylvester Ricardo Metzetti, was a German-born American actor, stuntman and film director.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jack Ingram (actor)</span> American actor (1902-1969)

John Samuel Ingram was an American film and television actor. He appeared in many serials and Westerns between 1935 and 1966.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chuck Roberson</span> American actor and stuntman (1919–1988)

Charles Hugh Roberson was an American actor and stuntman.

Joe Gray was an American boxer, actor, and stuntman.

James Nelson "J. N." Roberts, is an American former professional off-road and enduro motorcycle racer and a film industry stuntman. In the 1960s and early 1970s, he was a dominant motorcycle competitor in American desert racing centered in the Mojave Desert of Southern California. At one point in his desert racing career, Roberts won 27 consecutive desert races, earning him the unofficial nickname of King of the Desert. Roberts was inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 1999 and, into the Off-road Motorsports Hall of Fame in 2009. He is also a member of the Hollywood Stuntmen's Hall Of Fame.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stan Barrett</span> American racing driver and stuntman

Stan Barrett is a Hollywood stuntman, stunt coordinator actor, and former stock car racing driver. His biggest act was however outside the movie world. On December 17, 1979, he attempted to break the land speed record, and the sound barrier in the Budweiser Rocket rocket-powered three-wheel vehicle. His calculated speed was 739.666 miles per hour,, which would have made Barrett the first man to break the sound barrier in a land vehicle. The attempt was surrounded by controversy and the speed was never officially recorded. Barrett also raced in 19 Winston Cup Series races between 1980 and 1990, posting two top ten finishes.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul Malvern</span> American actor

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert 'Buzz' Henry</span> American actor and stuntman

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Sawaya</span> American actor and stuntman

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Clyde Woodard Houdeshell was an American actor and stuntman. He was known for playing the recurring role of assistant park ranger Hank Whitfield in CBS's television series Lassie. He was also known for his appearances in the American western television series Cheyenne and as a double for actor Clint Walker.

Willard B. Koontz, also known as Bill Foster, was an American actor and stuntman.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert Hinkle (stuntman)</span> American actor, director, producer and stuntman

Robert Hinkle, also known as Texas Bob, is an American actor, director, producer and stuntman.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fred Stromsoe</span> American actor and stuntman

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References

  1. 1 2 Freese, Gene Scott (April 1, 2014). Hollywood Stunt Performers, 1910s-1970s: A Biographical Dictionary, 2d ed. McFarland. ISBN   9780786476435 via Google Books.
  2. 1 2 Terrace, Vincent (January 10, 2014). Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010, 2d ed. McFarland. ISBN   9780786486410 via Google Books.
  3. "TelevisionThisWeek". The New York Times. December 30, 1979 via NYTimes.com.
  4. "Picks and Pans Review: Stunts Unlimited". People.