MEN’S CLUB
The History of Stuntmen
BY HOWARD ARKIN
Photos courtesy
Oof Arnie Rabinowitz n Thursday, March 14,
the North Shore Towers
Men’s Club was treated
to an interesting lecture about
the history of movie stunts, moderated
by Mr. Clyde Young. Young
discussed stunts which occurred
as far back as the silent films of
the 1920’s, as well as stunts performed
in more current movies.
Young had tough competition that
evening, due to the fact the VIP
Room presented a show, highlighting
the career of Billy Crystal.
However, Young rose to the
occasion with his riveting insight
into the world of movie stuntmen
(and stuntwomen as well).
There is no doubt many of you
are familiar with the iconic picture
of silent film actor Harold Lloyd
hanging off the minute hand of
a large clock in the silent movie
“Safety Last!” The scene was filmed
atop a tall building in Los Angeles,
and I’ve always wondered how it
was done. Apparently, a small set
was built on the building’s roof,
about ten feet from its edge. Lloyd
then hung onto one hand of the
clock with his legs dangling and a
frightened expression on his face.
The cameraman took care of the
rest.
Another well-known stunt was
performed in the 1928 silent film
“Steamboat Bill, Jr.” Arguably
Buster Keaton’s most iconic stunt—
the entire façade of a blazing house
falls toward an oblivious Keaton,
who miraculously survives by virtue
of a well-placed window casing—
and considered one of the most
dangerous stunts of the time, it was
crucial Keaton was positioned in
exactly the right spot in front of
the collapsing structure. When the
building fell, there was a lightweight
and easily detachable “stunt” cutout
window situated where he stood.
Both Lloyd and Keaton were well
paid for the time period, but that
was primarily because they wrote,
directed, produced and also starred
in the movies in which they were
stuntmen. The average stuntman in
a silent movie received a flat fee of
$100 per stunt, which was not too
bad for 1925. However, with the
generous fee came the likelihood
of injury or even death.
Yakima Canutt was another
famous stuntman and director who
worked during the era. Originally
a bronco rider in rodeos, he used
his riding skills for many innovative
film scenes involving horses
and wagons. Canutt worked with
John Wayne in the 1939 classic
“Stagecoach.” He doubled for
Clark Gable in “Gone with the
Wind” and trained Charlton Heston
and Stephen Boyd in “Ben-Hur.”
And yes, there are stuntwomen,
too. Perhaps the greatest of all is
Jeannie Epper, who has appeared
in more than 100 films. She also did
television work and is most famous
for her role as Lynda Carter’s double
in the 1970’s show, “Wonder
Woman.” Amazingly, she’s still
active today at 78-years-old.
Steve McQueen’s stunts in the
1960’s films “The Great Escape”
and “Bullitt” were also discussed.
No stunt doubles were needed
as McQueen performed his own
stunts, driving the motorcycle
in the former and the car in the
latter. Young also showed film
clips from ten different James
Bond movies highlighting each’s
stunt scenes.
The 1971 Academy Award
winning movie “The French
Connection” evoked a lively
dispute between two men in the
audience. Both men agreed the
famous car and train chase took
place in Brooklyn at 86th Street
and Stillwell Avenue. However,
one believed it to have taken place
beneath the D train, while the other
was certain it happened under the
F train. I think it was the D train.
What do you think?
The lecture ended about 9 p.m.,
and as my wife Janette and I headed
down the arcade towards Building
#1, a large group of people were exiting
the Billy Crystal presentation.
They all seemed to have enjoyed
the show, but I’m still glad I chose
the Men’s Club event. If I hadn’t,
I wouldn’t have had the cherry
rugelach I was taking home in my
pocket. And yes, it was wrapped in
a napkin! Congratulations to the
officers of the men’s club for putting
on another great show.
Harold Lloyd in “Safety Last!”
Men’s Club Bingo moderator, Irwin Shanus, surrounded by visiting
family
(l. to r.) Bill Quinn, Arnie
Rabinowitz and Asher Pachinsky
30 NORTH SHORE TOWERS COURIER ¢ April 2019