Whilst there are awards aplenty for directors,actors,actresses etc,are there any awards for the unsung heroes of film making - the stunt men and women?
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Marky B
name='Marky B']Whilst there are awards aplenty for directors,actors,actresses etc,are there any awards for the unsung heroes of film making - the stunt men and women?
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Marky B
There sure is ....
Taurus World Stunt Awards honor the finest stuntmen and stuntwomen of the world
Bats.
Must say in my (limited) experience stunt chaps are a jolly friendly breed, with a fund of stories. Over the years I have met a few of the old ITC adventure series stuntmen and without exception they were always happy to natter about their work. Must say that I was particularly saddened at the passing of two of these - Alf Joint and Frank Maher; great chaps, both.
Another happy memory - being called a perv by Dr. WHO stuntman Terry Walsh, for bidding on a Caroline Munro item at a charity auction. He then went on to camp it up outrageously himself, doing the full catwalk bit whilst modelling a Stuntmen's Association of America jacket he was donating...
Smudge
Stuntmen and women are the backbone of the british film industry.They risk their lives ,are underpayed and probably put more effort into film making than anybody.Lets hope their jobs are not at risk through the dreadfull cgi process...
I think stunt men and women are in a similar situation to voice artists insofar as their skills and contributions do not get over publicised or used as a selling point because it tends to spoil the illusion of film, audiences like to believe as much as possible that it is their screen hero up there doing the stunts and maintaining the continuation and believability of the story. I think stunt people recognise that and get on with the job without neccessarily looking for glory or recognition for the stunts they are performing on behalf of the star actor and that makes stunt people a very special kind of person who are known within the industry and possibly not that known at all to the cinema going public. So yes....lets hear it for the stunt crew! And possibly the pinnacle of any stunt work must be to be involved in a Bond film, the late Bob Simmons doubled for Connery and choreographed all the fight scenes, technically he was also the first person to appear on the big screen as Bond, for it is he and not Connery who appears in the opening credit gun barrell sequence of the first three Bond films....and as Michael C would say.....not a lot of people know that!....
Stunt ladies and gentlemen are a wonderful bunch. Working with them and listening to them, has taught me a lot about life and film making.
Let us not forget those who fly aeroplanes, and helicopters at what appears to be the very edge of sanity.
John Llewellyn
Many thanks to your replies and I hope this thread continues in paying tribute to them,but also hopefully it might attract anecdotes from other forum members. However,it is only by chance I have brought this subject up on the day that the world's most famous stuntman,Evel Knievel,has died.
RIP Evel.
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Marky B
name='Marky B']Many thanks to your replies and I hope this thread continues in paying tribute to them,but also hopefully it might attract anecdotes from other forum members. However,it is only by chance I have brought this subject up on the day that the world's most famous stuntman,Evel Knievel,has died.
RIP Evel.
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Marky B
Thats sad news, I believe the BBC made a special documentary recently with Top Gear's Richard Hammond doing the interviewing and presenting, not sure when its on or if it has been already.
Also want to pay tribute to Peter Brayham the stuntman who worked in The Sweeney and loads of other shows/films.
I know he died a while ago now, but R.I.P Peter.
Unless it has been surpassed,the greatest height a stuntman has leaped from a free fall was 335m (1100 ft),by Dar Robinson from a ledge at the summit of the CN Tower,Toronto,Canada,for a scene in the film Highpoint. His parachute opened 91m (300ft) from the ground after six seconds of freefall. The $100,000 (�90,000) fee is a rcord payment. (The Guiness Book Of Records).
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Marky B
He was killed in a motor bike accident in 1986.
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Marky B
name='Marky B']Unless it has been surpassed,the greatest height a stuntman has leaped from a free fall was 335m (1100 ft),by Dar Robinson from a ledge at the summit of the CN Tower,Toronto,Canada,for a scene in the film Highpoint. His parachute opened 91m (300ft) from the ground after six seconds of freefall. The $100,000 (�90,000) fee is a rcord payment. (The Guiness Book Of Records).
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Marky B
thats a not bad film with Richard Harris and Christopher Plummer, Dar Robinson is doubling for Christopher Plummer's villain character who has a tussle with Harris at the top of the tower. I remember seeing a documentary about Dar Robinson on TV years ago , i think when he was still alive, and it showed footage of his fall from the CN tower and him landing safeley by parachute. He also devised a technique of falling from lesser heights with a brake wire attatched to his leg and ankle, this would enable filming from the viewpoint of where he was falling from with the ground in the shot and of course no airbag below! Nowadays stunts like that are fairly easily achievable with the aid of CGI. The other jump that comes to mind with the aid of a parachute is of course the ski jump in the opening sequence of "The Spy Who Loved Me" That was also very impressive!
There's been at least one TV series devoted to a 'fictional' stunt-man', I recall. Lee Majors was 'The Fall Guy' wasn't he? I think I watched one or two episodes back in the day......... A film-show portraying a stunt-man played by a film star portraying a stunt-man, with a stunt-man doing the stunts, no doubt.......... Talk about fleas on fleas.......
There was a thing in the Sixties for actors to want to do their own stunts wasn't there. There are a number of interviews where Patrick McGoohan talks about doing his own moves - not to pretend he did the really hard ones but it was seen by that 'new' generation of the 1960's as showing some 'authenticity' wasn't it? Related to 'The Method' perhaps. Making it real. Richard Bradford used to run around to puff himself out and stuff like that.
I imagine the Elfin Safety men have put a stop to such nonsense.....
Does anyone remember "The Spy Who Laughed at Danger"..A fictional film within a film about stuntmen! Burt Reynolds and Jan Michael Vincent were involved in the "making a James Bond film" hokum. The stunts were good, shame about the rest of the film!
I'v got it on tape somewhere only it was called "HOOPER". Adam West (TV's BATMAN) played the egocentric star that Reynolds and Vincent have to make look good. Some great set pieces.
name='Hackett']I'v got it on tape somewhere only it was called "HOOPER". Adam West (TV's BATMAN) played the egocentric star that Reynolds and Vincent have to make look good. Some great set pieces.
Yes thats the one "Hooper", I had forgotten Adam West was in it, and the fictional film they were making was a Bond spoof "The Spy Who Laughed at Danger"! good title for a Bond film!
name='ddock54']Stuntmen and women are the backbone of the british film industry.They risk their lives ,are underpayed and probably put more effort into film making than anybody.Lets hope their jobs are not at risk through the dreadfull cgi process...
A brand new book to order from your library: 'The Life And Times Of A Fall Guy' by British stunt man Joe Powell. Lots of anecdotes about British films from the 50' to the 80's, including Zulu and A Night To Remember. Didn't realize that some of the location filming of the latter was shot in Glasgow docks.
Thanks for that Rennie. I've discussed this subject - writing a memoir - with a few stuntmen over the years and they were always reticent. Most of them didn't think anybody would find their stories that interesting.
Smudge
name='christoph404']Yes thats the one "Hooper", I had forgotten Adam West was in it, and the fictional film they were making was a Bond spoof "The Spy Who Laughed at Danger"! good title for a Bond film!
I once read that Adam West was ready to become the new Bond if Connery hadn't agreed to star in Diamonds Are Forever?
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Marky B
name='Marky B']I once read that Adam West was ready to become the new Bond if Connery hadn't agreed to star in Diamonds Are Forever?
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Marky B
That's true .... IIRC the three at the top of the 'hit list' were Burt Reynolds, John Gavin and Adam West. Gavin was actually signed for the role but was paid off when Connery changed his mind.
Bats.
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