Western Action, stunt work. 1879 - 1899.
List 1 of 5.
-Stunts, western credits. Stunts crew born before 1900.
Stunts and miscellaneous crew.
Knife thrower, sharpshooter, trick rider, fence master, bullwhip cracker, bucking horse rider, wrangler, trick roper.
-Stunts, western credits. Stunts crew born before 1900.
Stunts and miscellaneous crew.
Knife thrower, sharpshooter, trick rider, fence master, bullwhip cracker, bucking horse rider, wrangler, trick roper.
List activity
808 views
• 0 this weekCreate a new list
List your movie, TV & celebrity picks.
53 people
- Actor
- Stunts
Frank McCarroll was born on 5 September 1892 in Morris, Minnesota, USA. He was an actor, known for The Devil Diamond (1937), Gunman's Code (1946) and Valley of Terror (1937). He was married to Mary Ellen Treadwell and Lorrie. He died on 8 March 1954 in Burbank, California, USA.126 stunts, 1932-1953.
180 westerns, 1932-1953.
Destry Rides Again (1939). 1939, stunts.
Rancher,
Rodeo performer, stockade guard, lumberjack, heavy, brawler, camp cook, bulldogged henchman, Slug Raton.
1892-1954, 61.- Actor
- Stunts
- Additional Crew
Ken Cooper was born on 2 April 1896 in Olaton, Kentucky, USA. He was an actor, known for Guns and Guitars (1936), Comin' 'Round the Mountain (1936) and The Singing Cowboy (1936). He died on 6 March 1989 in Los Angeles, California, USA.48 stunts, 1930-1956.
59 westerns, 30-54.
Home in Wyomin' (1942). 1942, stunts.
Outrider, nester, rodeo bronc buster, rancher, logger, wagon driver, jailbird.
1896-1989, 92.- Actor
- Additional Crew
Dave Kashner was born on 4 March 1896 in Jaffa, Palestine. He was an actor, known for Bonanza (1959), The Sundowners (1950) and The Little Witch (1945). He died on 4 February 1985 in Los Angeles, California, USA.13 westerns. 47-66
9 feature westerns.
Anne of the Indies (1951). 1951. Whip instructor, Jean Peters.
The Man Behind the Gun (1953). 1953. Whips.
Calamity Jane (1953). 1953. Coach.
Roper, whip man, bullwhip cracker, whipper.
1896-1985, 88. Palestine. USA.- Stunts
- Actor
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Starting out as a rodeo cowboy and then becoming a stuntman in silent westerns, Yakima Canutt later doubled for such stars as Clark Gable and John Wayne, among others, in such dangerous activities as jumping off the top of a cliff on horseback, leaping from a stagecoach onto its runaway team, being "shot" off a horse at full gallop and other such potentially life-threatening activities. He became expert at staging massive events involving livestock, such as cattle stampedes and covered-wagon races, as well as Indians-vs.-cavalry battles on a grand scale. Canutt's most noteworthy achievement as a second-unit director came in his staging and direction of the chariot-race sequence in William Wyler 's Ben-Hur (1959)--which, from initial planning to final execution, took two years.253 stunts, 1915-1975.
271 westerns, 15-75.
266 feature westerns, 5 shorts.
Lone Star Raiders (1940). 1940. Stunt coordinator.
1895-1986, 90.- Actor
- Stunts
- Soundtrack
Kermit Maynard was born on 20 September 1897 in Vevay, Indiana, USA. He was an actor, known for The Fighting Texan (1937), Valley of Terror (1937) and Phantom Patrol (1936). He was married to Edith Jessen. He died on 16 January 1971 in North Hollywood, California, USA.158 stunts, 1930-1962.
555 westerns, 27-63.
277 feature westerns.
Wichita (1955). 1955. Stunts, Actor.
1897-1971, 73.
Stage driver, wagon driver, carriage driver, rodeo performer, pony express rider, railroad engineer.- Actor
- Stunts
Born Sigsbee Maine Geary in Salt Lake City, Utah, on February 15, 1898, ace stuntman Bud Geary began appearing in films in 1920, and it wasn't long before the strapping (6'1"), athletic young man was strutting his stuff with such action players as Douglas Fairbanks in Robin Hood (1922) (in which Geary played Will Scarlett) and Buck Jones in The Arizona Romeo (1925). The coming of sound put the brakes on Geary's burgeoning acting career and he wound up playing a succession of henchmen, gangsters, cops and other bit parts until he hit his stride in a string of serials at Republic Pictures in 1939, and stayed there until 1946, as both an actor and stuntman. He doubled most of the studio's top western and action stars, in addition to freelancing at other studios. He gained a reputation as one of the industry's most fearless and inventive stunt men.
Bud Geary was killed in an automobile accident outside San Fernando, California, on Feb. 22, 1946, when his car left the road at a high rate of speed and rolled over.124 stunts, 1933-1966.
92 westerns, 22-47.
Gauchos of El Dorado (1941). 1941. Stunts. Actor.
1898-1946, 48.- Actor
- Additional Crew
- Soundtrack
Ben Corbett was born on 6 February 1892 in Hudson, Illinois, USA. He was an actor, known for Code of the Cactus (1939), 45 Calibre Echo (1932) and Six-Gun Trail (1938). He was married to Edna May Haynes and Helen. He died on 19 May 1961 in Woodland Hills, California, USA.84 stunts, 1919-1952.
323 westerns, 15-56.
Westward Bound (1944), 1944. Stunts double: Hoot Gibson.
Vaquero, bushwacker, rope twirler.
1892-1961, 69.- Actor
- Stunts
Jack Montgomery was born on 14 November 1891 in Omaha, Nebraska, USA. He was an actor, known for The New Frontier (1935), Pursued (1947) and The Outlaw Deputy (1935). He was married to Marian Baxter. He died on 21 January 1962 in Hollywood, California, USA.48 stunts, 1923-1954.
185 westerns, 26-59.
148 feature westerns.
Johnny Guitar (1954). 1954. Stunts. Actor.
1891-1962, 70.- Actor
- Stunts
- Additional Crew
Ted Wells was a second-echelon western hero at Universal in 1920s silents and also made several low-budget westerns for "Poverty Row" producers William M. Pizor and Robert J. Horner. During those silents Wells used his own name as well as "Pawnee Bill, Jr.". When sound arrived, he found himself relegated to bit parts and (slightly larger) supporting roles, as well as doubling and stunt work. Wells re-connected with Horner in the mid-'30s. The collaboration resulted in Wells doing hero duty in a pair of bottom-of-the-barrel sagebrush yarns, The Phantom Cowboy (1935) (from Aywon Pictures) and the lost/missing Defying the Law (1935) (also from Aywon). "Film Daily" announced that Wells had signed to star in eight films for Horner, but only two were actually made. Wells returned to bits and supporting roles in westerns and serials and wound up as the frequent double for William Boyd in Boyd's Hopalong Cassidy films from the late 1930s through 1944.34 stunts, 1929-1944.
66 westerns, 25-45.
West of Carson City (1940). 1940. Stunts, Actor.
1899-1948, 48.- Actor
- Stunts
Jack Stoney was born on 1 October 1897 in Chester, Pennsylvania, USA. He was an actor, known for Lilac Time (1928) and The Woman on Pier 13 (1949). He died on 29 January 1978 in Los Angeles, California, USA.- Actor
- Stunts
- Additional Crew
Cowboy actor Buddy Roosevelt was born Kenneth Stanhope Sanderson in Meeker, Colorado, in 1898. His parents were emigrants from England, and at age 16 Kenneth got a job with the C.B. Irwin WIld West Show. When the show traveled to Southern California in 1914, the young Sanderson learned that stunt work in the burgeoning film industry paid much better, and was quite a bit safer, than busting broncs and the kind of roping, trick riding and other hard and dangerous tasks required of a Wild West show performer, and he soon got a job doing stunts in westerns for pioneering producer Thomas H. Ince at his Inceville studio, and often performed as a stunt double for William S. Hart. When the US entered World War I in 1917 Roosevelt enlisted in the Navy and was aboard the USS Norfolk when it was sunk. As if that wasn't enough, he contracted the Spanish flu during the 1918 influenza pandemic that killed millions worldwide, but he managed to survive both the sinking and the flu and returned to Hollywood at war's end.
Going back to stunt work, he was the stunt double for matinee idol Rudolph Valentino in The Sheik (1921), the picture that made Valentino a star. After more stunt work and small parts in a few films, Sanderson was hired by shoestring producer Lester F. Scott Jr. to star in a series of low-budget westerns. Scott didn't think that "Kenneth Sanderson" was enough of a cowboy name so he changed it to Buddy Roosevelt. The newly renamed cowboy actor made Rough Ridin' (1924) for Scott, the first of 25 that Roosevelt would make for him. Budgets for these pictures were usually less than $25,000--a paltry sum even for the early 1920s--but Scott had the sense to hire veteran supporting characters and efficient directors like a young Richard Thorpe (later to become a mainstay at prestigious MGM) and the pictures proved popular and made money. Unfortunately for Roosevelt, however, Scott signed two more cowboy actors, Jay Wilsey and Hal Taliaferro, which meant that the low budgets on Roosevelt's films got even lower.
In 1928 Roosevelt left Scott for another "B" outfit, Rayart Pictures, but the films he made for that company weren't much of an improvement over his Scott opuses (and in many cases were even worse). After a half-dozen of Rayart's "extravaganzas", Roosevelt managed to get a good role in a big picture for a major studio--The Cisco Kid in In Old Arizona (1928) for Fox. As luck would have it, though, Roosevelt broke his leg shortly before filming was to start. He was replaced by Warner Baxter, who went on to win an Academy Award for the part, which started him on a long and distinguished career. Buddy, on the other hand, went back to making "B" (and even lower-grade) horse operas. He signed with cheapjack producer/director Jack Irwin for a trio of oaters that were barely released. Irwin ran out of money on the third of this trio, "Valley of Bad Men"--which was apparently NEVER released--and Roosevelt was once again out of a job. He did some stunt work and got some small parts in small films, and eventually signed with low-rent specialist Victor Adamson (aka Denver Dixon) for a series of extremely low-budget westerns for Adamson's Superior Talking Pictures outfit. Supposedly shot in only a few days on budgets that were so low that Superior could only afford to pay Roosevelt $250 for each one, these films have gained a reputation for incoherence, ineptness and cheapness that few others have achieved, even to this day.
These pictures finished Buddy Roosevelt's career as a "star", but he still remained active in the business, doing stunt work and appearing in small parts and bit roles until he retired after making his last film, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962), in 1962. He died in his home town of Meeker, Colorado, on October 6, 1973.- Actor
- Stunts
- Director
Wilbert Jay Wilsey was born in Clark County, Missouri, in 1896. He learned to ride a horse at a very young age, and when he got older he began appearing on the rodeo circuit. In 1924 he found himself in Hollywood and, hearing that producers were looking for good horsemen for western movies, went looking for work and wound up under contract to producer Lester F. Scott Jr. and his Action Pictures, a low-budget company that produced mostly westerns. The company gave him the stage name "Buffalo Bill Jr.", although he had no connection whatsoever with the real Buffalo Bill Cody, aka Buffalo Bill. Wilsey worked steadily during the silent era, mostly for Scott. He also appeared in a couple of non-westerns for Universal, the serials A Final Reckoning (1928) and The Pirate of Panama (1929).
When sound came along Wilsey didn't have any trouble making the transition, and along with former colleagues at Action Pictures Buddy Roosevelt and Hal Taliaferro (aka Wally Wales) worked in westerns on a regular basis for a succession of low-budget--VERY low-budget--production companies, such as Big 4, Syndicate, West Coast Pictures and Cosmos Pictures. Wilsey worked for notorious micro-budget producer Victor Adamson (aka Denver Dixon and the father of 1960s schlock director/producer Al Adamson) in a string of ultra-cheap westerns that are considered among the worst pictures--let alone westerns--ever made. Inept and shoddy in every conceivable aspect of filmmaking--the budget on the 1934 Adamson western "Lightning Bill" was so low that its title card was misspelled as Lighting Bill (1934) and Adamson couldn't afford to have the card redone--they nevertheless made money because the budgets were so rock-bottom they didn't have to sell all that many tickets in order to make a profit.
Wilsey stayed mired at the bottom of the Hollywood food chain, churning out not only cheap features but also even cheaper two-reelers for such quickie producers as William M. Pizor of Imperial Pictures. He also ground out several "Z" westerns for infamous fly-by-night schlockmeister Robert J. Horner, whose "epics" made the bottom-of-the-barrel films Wilsey turned out for Adamson look like Gone with the Wind (1939) by comparison. Wilsey was paid a pittance for the independent westerns he made--his colleague Buddy Roosevelt is known to have gotten $250 for each three-day wonder he made for Victor Adamson, so Wilsey's pay was most likely about the same--and as starring roles in the independent "B" westerns dried up he took to accepting supporting parts and stunt work in other cowboy stars' westerns and personal appearances at rodeos and "wild west" shows.
His last film role was in the John Wayne Cold War propaganda piece Big Jim McLain (1952), in which Wayne, as an investigator ferreting out Communist subversives, travels to Hawaii to root out Commies plotting to take over the islands. Wilsey, unbilled, has a one-line role as a Communist labor organizer.
After Wilsey retired, he and his wife, actress Genee Boutell, spent much time on board their 42-foot-long saiboat, the "Ruana", which Wilsey had built himself, and sailed all over the Pacific Ocean, to such places as Mexico, Hawaii and Tahiti.
Jay Wilsey died of lung cancer on October 25, 1961, in Los Angeles.33 stunts, 1932-1944.
93 westerns, 1924-1944.
Five Bad Men (1935). 1935. Stunts. Actor.
1896-1961, 65.- Actor
- Stunts
George Sowards was born on 27 November 1888 in Denver, Missouri, USA. He was an actor, known for Outlawed (1921), Back Fire (1922) and Borrowed Trouble (1948). He was married to Edna E. Zilke. He died on 20 December 1975 in Los Angeles, California, USA.7 stunts, 1931-1953.
373 westerns, 21-66.
198 feature westerns.
Stage to Blue River (1951). 1951. Stunts, Actor.
1888-1975, 87.- Actor
- Stunts
- Additional Crew
Jack Kirk was born on 19 February 1895 in Nickerson, Kansas, USA. He was an actor, known for Zorro's Black Whip (1944), Stormy (1935) and The Topeka Terror (1945). He was married to Ethel Mason. He died on 13 September 1948 in Ketchikan, Alaska, USA.- Actor
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
- Stunts
Chet Brandenburg was born on 15 October 1897 in Peoria, Illinois, USA. He was an actor and assistant director, known for Under Two Jags (1923), Las fantasmas (1930) and Powder and Smoke (1924). He died on 17 July 1974 in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California, USA.- Jimmy Dime was born on 19 December 1897 in Yugoslavia. He was an actor, known for White Woman (1933), Stand and Deliver (1928) and Nada más que una mujer (1934). He died on 11 May 1981 in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California, USA.14 stunts, 1935-1957,
50 westerns, 30-64.
Silver Canyon (1951). 1951. Stunts, Actor.
1897-1981, 83. Yugoslavia. USA. - Actor
- Writer
- Director
Joseph Frank Keaton was born on October 4, 1895 in Piqua, Kansas, to Joe Keaton and Myra Keaton. Joe and Myra were Vaudevillian comedians with a popular, ever-changing variety act, giving Keaton an eclectic and interesting upbringing. In the earliest days on stage, they traveled with a medicine show that included family friend, illusionist Harry Houdini. Keaton himself verified the origin of his nickname "Buster", given to him by Houdini, when at the age of three, fell down a flight of stairs and was picked up and dusted off by Houdini, who said to Keaton's father Joe, also nearby, that the fall was 'a buster'. Savvy showman Joe Keaton liked the nickname, which has stuck for more than 100 years.
At the age of four, Keaton had already begun acting with his parents on the stage. Their act soon gained the reputation as one of the roughest in the country, for their wild, physical antics on stage. It was normal for Joe to throw Buster around the stage, participate in elaborate, dangerous stunts to the reverie of audiences. After several years on the Vaudeville circuit, "The Three Keatons", toured until Keaton had to break up the act due to his father's increasing alcohol dependence, making him a show business veteran by the age of 21.
While in New York looking for work, a chance run-in with the wildly successful film star and director Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle, resulted in Arbuckle inviting him to be in his upcoming short The Butcher Boy (1917), an appearance that launched Keaton's film career, and spawned a friendship that lasted until Arbuckle's sudden death in 1933. By 1920, after making several successful shorts together, Arbuckle moved on to features, and Keaton inherited his studio, allowing him the opportunity to begin producing his own films. By September 1921, tragedy touched Arbuckle's life by way of a scandal, where he was tried three times for the murder of Virginia Rapp. Although he was not guilty of the charges, and never convicted, he was unable to regain his status, and the viewing public would no longer tolerate his presence in film. Keaton stood by his friend and mentor through out the incident, supporting him financially, finding him directorial work, even risking his own budding reputation offering to testify on Arbuckle's behalf.
In 1921, Keaton also married his first wife, Natalie Talmadge under unusual circumstance that have never been fully clarified. Popular conjecture states that he was encouraged by Joseph M. Schenck to marry into the powerful Talmadge dynasty, that he himself was already a part of. The union bore Keaton two sons. Keaton's independent shorts soon became too limiting for the growing star, and after a string of popular films like One Week (1920), The Boat (1921) and Cops (1922), Keaton made the transition into feature films. His first feature, Three Ages (1923), was produced similarly to his short films, and was the dawning of a new era in comedic cinema, where it became apparent to Keaton that he had to put more focus on the story lines and characterization.
At the height of his popularity, he was making two features a year, and followed Ages with Our Hospitality (1923), The Navigator (1924) and The General (1926), the latter two he regarded as his best films. The most renowned of Keaton's comedies is Sherlock Jr. (1924), which used cutting edge special effects that received mixed reviews as critics and audiences alike had never seen anything like it, and did not know what to make of it. Modern day film scholars liken the story and effects to Christopher Nolan Inception (2010), for its high level concept and ground-breaking execution. Keaton's Civil War epic The General (1926) kept up his momentum when he gave audiences the biggest and most expensive sequence ever seen in film at the time. At its climax, a bridge collapses while a train is passing over it, sending the train into a river. This wowed audiences, but did little for its long-term financial success. Audiences did not respond well to the film, disliking the higher level of drama over comedy, and the main character being a Confederate soldier.
After a few more silent features, including College (1927) and Steamboat Bill, Jr. (1928), Keaton was informed that his contract had been sold to MGM, by brother-in-law and producer Joseph M. Schenck. Keaton regarded the incident as the worst professional mistake he ever made, as it sent his career, legacy, and personal life into a vicious downward spiral for many years. His first film with MGM was The Cameraman (1928), which is regarded as one of his best silent comedies, but the release signified the loss of control Keaton would incur, never again regaining his film -making independence. He made one more silent film at MGM entitled Spite Marriage (1929) before the sound era arrived.
His first appearance in a film with sound was with the ensemble piece The Hollywood Revue of 1929 (1929), though despite the popularity of it and his previous MGM silents, MGM never allowed Keaton his own production unit, and increasingly reduced his creative control over his films. By 1932, his marriage to Natalie Talmadge had dissolved when she sued him for divorce, and in an effort to placate her, put up little resistance. This resulted in the loss of the home he had built for his family nicknamed "The Italian Villa", the bulk of his assets, and contact with his children. Natalie changed their last names from Keaton to Talmadge, and they were disallowed from speaking about their father or seeing him. About 10 years later, when they became of age, they rekindled the relationship with Keaton. His hardships in his professional and private life that had been slowly taking their toll, begun to culminate by the early 1930s resulting in his own dependence on alcohol, and sometimes violent and erratic behavior. Depressed, penniless, and out of control, he was fired by MGM by 1933, and became a full-fledged alcoholic.
After spending time in hospitals to attempt and treat his alcoholism, he met second wife Mae Scrivens, a nurse, and married her hastily in Mexico, only to end in divorce by 1935. After his firing, he made several low-budget shorts for Educational Pictures, and spent the next several years of his life fading out of public favor, and finding work where he could. His career was slightly reinvigorated when he produced the short Grand Slam Opera (1936), which many of his fans admire for giving such a good performance during the most difficult and unmanageable years of his life.
In 1940, he met and married his third wife Eleanor Norris, who was deeply devoted to him, and remained his constant companion and partner until Keaton's death. After several more years of hardship working as an uncredited, underpaid gag man for comedians such as the Marx Brothers, he was consulted on how to do a realistic and comedic fall for In the Good Old Summertime (1949) in which an expensive violin is destroyed. Finding no one who could do this better than him, he was given a minor role in the film. His presence reignited interest in his silent films, which lead to interviews, television appearances, film roles, and world tours that kept him busy for the rest of his life.
After several more film, television, and stage appearances through the 1960s, he wrote the autobiography "My Wonderful World of Slapstick", having completed nearly 150 films in the span of his ground-breaking career. His last film appearance was A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (1966) which premiered seven months after Keaton's death from the rapid onset of lung cancer. Since his death, Keaton's legacy is being discovered by new generations of viewers every day, many of his films are available on YouTube, DVD and Blu-ray, where he, like all gold-gilded and beloved entertainers can live forever.5 stunts, 1919-1948.
10 westerns, 18-62.
Little Chief Paleface, The Paleface (1922). 1922.
1895-1966, 70.- Actor
- Director
- Writer
Charles Hutchison was born on 3 December 1879 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. He was an actor and director, known for Lightning Hutch (1926), The Judgement Book (1935) and Bachelor Mother (1932). He was married to Edith Thornton. He died on 30 May 1949 in Hollywood, California, USA.4 stunts, 1939-1944.
9 westerns, 1914-1940.
The Lone Ranger Rides Again (1939). 1939. Stunts, actor.
1879-1949, 69.- Rodman Law was born on 21 January 1885 in Lynn, Massachusetts, USA. He was an actor, known for At the Risk of His Life (1912), The Daredevil Mountaineer (1913) and Saved by Airship (1913). He was married to Florence K. Kimball. He died on 14 October 1919 in Greenville, South Carolina, USA.Credits, 1912-1914.
Aviation, parachute jumper.
1885-1914, 34. - Director
- Producer
- Stunts
Howard Hill was born on 13 November 1899 in Wilsonville, Alabama, USA. He was a director and producer, known for Tembo (1952), The Bandit of Sherwood Forest (1946) and Art of Archery (1951). He was married to Elizabeth Hodges. He died on 4 February 1975 in Birmingham, Alabama, USA.Archery stunts, Drums Along the Mohawk (1939). 1939
Archery expert, Buffalo Bill (1944). 1944.
Stunts, They Died with Their Boots On (1941). 1941.
Maneeto -Grant's Indian friend, The Singing Buckaroo (1937). 1937.
6 westerns, 37-51.
1899 - 1975, 75.- Actor
- Stunts
- Additional Crew
Frank Hagney was born on 20 April 1884 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. He was an actor, known for It's a Wonderful Life (1946), Ride Him, Cowboy (1932) and The Sea Beast (1926). He was married to Edna M. Keating Shephard and Ethel Scott. He died on 25 June 1973 in Los Angeles, California, USA.7 stunts, 1921-1957.
181 westerns, 24-67.
129 feature westerns.
3:10 to Yuma (1957). 1957. Stunts, actor.
1884-1973, 89.- Stunts
- Actor
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
He first came to the USA as a boy member of the famed acrobats, the Mazetti Troupe, that had been engaged by Barnum & Bailey Circus. Richard began in films, supposedly, as a stunt double for Doug Fairbanks, Sr., then graduated to films under his own name.48 stunts, 1914-1962.
19 westerns, 20-64.
Black Eagle (1948). 1948. Stunt coordinator, actor.
1892-1981, 88. Germany. USA.- Actor
- Stunts
- Location Management
Art Acord was born on 17 April 1890 in Stillwater, Oklahoma, USA. He was an actor, known for Set Free (1927), The Set-Up (1926) and Winners of the West (1921). He was married to Edna Nores, Edythe Sterling and Louise Lorraine. He died on 4 January 1931 in Chihuahua, Chihuahua, Mexico.2 stunts, 1910.
98 westerns, 1910-1930.
Pride of the Range (1910). 1910. Stunts, actor.
1890-1931, 40.- Actor
- Stunts
Carl Mathews was born on 19 February 1899 in Oklahoma, USA. He was an actor, known for Custer's Last Stand (1936), The Black Coin (1936) and Rough Riding Ranger (1935). He was married to Irene and Margaret F.. He died on 3 May 1959 in Los Angeles, California, USA.178 stunts, 1934-1957.
240 westerns, 34-58.
201 feature westerns.
Nevada Badmen (1951). 1951. Stunts, Actor.
Indian, fake Indian, Indian Chief, Cherokee, gun repair customer, Indian trapper, heliograph signaler, renegade, posse rider, Corporal, Mexican Captain, payroll robber.
1899-1959, 60.- Actor
- Stunts
- Additional Crew
Post Park was born on 4 November 1899 in Park Grove, Missouri, USA. He was an actor, known for The El Paso Kid (1946), Ridin' Down the Trail (1947) and Powder River (1953). He died on 25 September 1955 in Hollywood, California, USA.35 stunts, 1936-1954.
85 westerns, 35-55.
Pecos River (1951). 1951. Stunts. Stage coach driver.
1899-1955, 55.- Actor
- Additional Crew
Tracy Layne was born on 12 February 1890 in Newport, Nebraska, USA. He was an actor, known for The Vigilantes Are Coming (1936), Winds of the Wasteland (1936) and Sergeant Murphy (1938). He died on 1 November 1981 in Gladstone, Oregon, USA.31 stunts, 1931-1961.
60 westerns, 31-50.
Bar 20 Rides Again (1935), 1935. Actor, wagon driver. Stunts. Horse trainer.
1890-1981, 92.- Actor
- Additional Crew
- Stunts
Cliff Parkinson was born on 3 September 1898 in Formoso, Kansas, USA. He was an actor, known for Sundown Riders (1944), Rough Riding Rhythm (1937) and Whistling Bullets (1937). He was married to Frances. He died on 1 October 1950 in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California, USA.- Actor
- Writer
Bill Patton was born on 2 June 1894 in Amarillo, Texas, USA. He was an actor and writer, known for The Last Chance (1926), Smoking Trails (1924) and Fangs of Fate (1925). He was married to Emily and Birdie. He died on 12 December 1951 in Gardena, California, USA.26 stunts, 1926-1939.
146 westerns, 17-43.
The Winning of Barbara Worth (1926). 1926. Stunts, Actor.
1894-1951, 57.- Robert "Bob" Jasper Reeves was born on January 28, 1892 in Marlin, Texas. He attended Texas A&M University and served in the US Army during World War I. In 1921 he was cast in a series of Western shorts that were called "Cactus Features". He and his leading lady Maryon Aye would make 18 Cactus Features together including Streak Of Yellow and The Claim Jumpers. Bob, who was six foot two inches tall and weighed over 200 pounds, became a popular Western star during the silent era. His success didn't last long and by the 1940s he was playing bit parts. During his long career he appeared in more three hundred movies. He also had roles on the television shows Maverick and Wyatt Earp. Bob was married to Mary Lee Turner. The couple had no children together but Bob was a stepfather to Mary's children from a previous marriage. On April 12, 1960 Bob had a heart attack and died while filling out an unemployment application. He was buried at Valhalla Memorial Park Cemetery in North Hollywood, California.25 stunts, 1931-1954.
296 westerns, 19-60.
Gordon of Ghost City (1933), 1933. Stunts, Actor.
1892-1960, 68. - Harry Froboess was born in 1899 in Berne, Switzerland. He is known for Sehsack (1971) and Na sowas! (1982). He died in 1985.17 stunts, 1920-1965.
4 westerns, 54-65.
River of No Return (1954). 1954. Stunts.
1899-1985, 85. Switzerland. - Actor
- Additional Crew
- Stunts
Steve Clemente was born on 22 November 1882 in Tonichi, Sonora, Mexico. He was an actor, known for King Kong (1933), The Most Dangerous Game (1932) and The Sideshow (1928). He was married to Cuca Arebalo. He died on 7 May 1950 in Los Angeles, California, USA.48 westerns, 17-42.
1917, The Secret Man (1917).
1942, Valley of the Sun (1942).
Knife thrower credits:
1934, Fighting Through (1934).
1932, Tex Takes a Holiday (1932).
Knife thrower.
1885-1950, 64.- Additional Crew
- Actor
- Stunts
Fencing master and graduate of the Military Institute of Physical Education and Fencing (Belgium), he was responsible for bringing style and technique to the duels in Hollywood films. Born of French parents, Cavens had started in a military school at the age of seven and by the time he was 15 had decided to take up the sword. He graduated from the Institute at 18 and was a fencing master at 21. Soon after his marriage, to a danseuse in a Belgian opera company, he emigrated to the US. His son Albert Cavens was his associate in the teaching and performing fencing stunts in Hollywood movies.11 stunts, 1922-1959.
96 westerns, 20-61.
The Sign of Zorro (1958). 1958. Stunts.
1882-1962, 79. Belgium. USA.- Director
- Actor
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
B. Reeves Eason ran a produce business before going into stock and vaudeville. He is known for using 42 cameras to film the spectacular chariot race in the Ramon Novarro, Francis X. Bushman version of Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ (1925). (The chariot race was filmed at what is now the intersection of LaCienega and Venice Boulevards in Los Angeles.) This 1925 version was the most expensive silent film ever made, costing $3.9 million, and in 1921 the sum of $600,000 was paid for the rights to film the classic Lew Wallace novel (the highest price ever paid for rights during the silent era). Eason also directed the "burning of Atlanta" in the classic Gone with the Wind (1939).3 stunts, 1925-1939.
85 westerns, 13-52.
Lasca of the Rio Grande (1931). 1931. Stunts.
Cornered (1932). 1932. Director, producer.
Director of elephant stampede.
Director of archery tournament.
1886-1956, 69.- Actor
- Stunts
- Additional Crew
Jack Padjan was born on 14 December 1887 in Silver Bow County, Montana, USA. He was an actor, known for The Covered Wagon (1923), Crashing Through (1928) and Land of the Lawless (1927). He died on 1 February 1960 in Riverside, California, USA.- Jack Casey is known for Valley of Terror (1937) and The Saddle King (1929).9 stunts, 1935-1953.
26 westerns, 29-53.
Coroner Creek (1948). 1948. Stunts, actor.
1888-1956, 68. Ireland. USA. - Actor
- Additional Crew
- Stunts
Sid Jordan was born on 12 August 1889 in Muskogee, Indian Territory, USA [now Oklahoma, USA]. He was an actor, known for Men in the Raw (1923), The Ridin' Kid from Powder River (1924) and Trooper O'Neill (1922). He died on 30 September 1970 in Hemet, California, USA.12 stunts, 1916-1941.
6 miscellaneous crew.
Horse supervisor, wrangler, stock man, sharpshooter.
The Fighting Gringo (1939). 1939. Stunts, actor. Stage driver.
1889-1970, 81.- Stunts
- Actor
Otto Metzetti was born on 20 May 1890. He was an actor, known for Slow as Lightning (1923), After a Million (1924) and Now or Never (1935). He died on 31 January 1949 in Los Angeles, California, USA.- Actor
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
- Stunts
Whitey Sovern was born on 17 May 1890 in Missouri, USA. He was an actor and assistant director, known for Safety First Ambrose (1916), Cactus Nell (1917) and His Naughty Thought (1917). He died on 25 January 1955 in Los Angeles, California, USA.5 westerns, 20-35.
An Eastern Westerner (1920). 1920.
Cimarron (1931). 1931, stunts,- trick rider.
1890-1952, 62.- Actor
- Stunts
Artie Ortego was born on 9 February 1890 in San Jose, California, USA. He was an actor, known for The Valley of Bravery (1926), The Great Secret (1917) and American Aristocracy (1916). He was married to Billie Mack and Marie Manley. He died on 24 July 1960 in Burbank, California, USA.2 stunts, 1933, 1935.
329 westerns, 1912-1960.
Three Eagles, Hopi Chief.
The Hopi Raiders (1914). 1914.
1890-1960, 70.- Additional Crew
- Actor
- Stunts
Bill Hurley was born on 19 February 1892 in Kansas, USA. He was an actor, known for Omar Khayyam (1957) and A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court (1949). He died on 13 May 1978 in Riverside, California, USA.3 stunts, 1929, 1936, 1946.
10 westerns, 29-61.
Branded (1950). 1950. Livestock supervisor.
Livestock supervisor. Wrangler.
1892-1978, 86.- Stunts
- Actor
Spike Spackman was born on 3 January 1893 in Fullerton, Nebraska, USA. He was an actor, known for The Arizona Raiders (1936). He was married to Dolly. He died on 12 December 1981 in Merced County, California, USA.- Actor
- Stunts
- Additional Crew
Jack Shannon was born on 31 August 1894 in Toledo, Ohio, USA. He was an actor, known for Sundown Riders (1944), The Mystery Rider (1928) and Man from Montana (1941). He was married to Grace Cunard and Ruby May Huff. He died on 27 December 1968 in Los Angeles, California, USA.- Stunts
- Actor
Victor Metzetti was born on 16 September 1895 in Dortmund, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. He was an actor, known for Get That Girl (1932), Stepping Lively (1924) and The Fighting Pilot (1935). He died on 21 August 1949 in Los Angeles, California, USA.19 stunts, 1930-1950.
5 westerns, 27-50.
The Trail of the Lonesome Pine (1936). 1936.
1895-1949, 53. Germany. USA.- Actor
- Stunts
- Additional Crew
Slim Talbot was born on 9 August 1895 in Hamilton, Illinois, USA. He was an actor, known for The Big Country (1958) and Wild Horse Canyon (1925). He died on 25 January 1973 in Boulevard, California, USA.- Actor
- Stunts
- Additional Crew
George Plues was born on 12 June 1895 in Salem, Washington County, Indiana. He was an actor, known for The Call of the Heart (1928), Tenting Tonight on the Old Camp Ground (1943) and Ragtime Cowboy Joe (1940). He was married to Lillian Grotewold. He died on 16 August 1953 in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California, USA.13 stunts, 1930-1945.
99 westerns, 28-54.
Raiders of San Joaquin (1943). 1943. Stunts, actor. Stage driver.
1895-1953, 58.- Actor
- Stunts
Character actor and stuntman Jack Woody had a career that sounded like one of the movies he appeared in. He was born Frank Bryan Woody in Elkhorn, Kansas, a town that he left upon enlisting in the Marines to fight in World War I.
He started his career in film as a stuntman in the early 1930s and one day shocked the world when it was announced that he was marrying movie starlet Helen Twelvetrees. The stormy relationship lasted 5 years, as the two traveled the world together for their respective film careers. They had one child, Jack Bryan Woody Jr., before being divorced in 1936. Their marriage served as the basis for the plot of I'm Still Alive (1940).
In 1937, Woody returned to stunt work where he was frequently found doing the stunts for Humphrey Bogart and doubling for other actors in fight scenes. He had a knack for escaping serious injury and death. Woody was hit in the neck by a ricocheting bullet on the set of Thank You, Mr. Moto (1937). A year later he was shot in the face by a blank charge while doubling J. Carrol Naish wrestling over a gun on Hotel Imperial (1939). Both accidents barely interrupted his work.
During World War II, Woody re-enlisted in the Marines as a veteran sergeant and spent years in combat before returning to stunt work after the war's conclusion.
Like most stuntmen, Woody found steady work for numerous years until suffering an accident significant enough to end his career. Woody was severely injured in the movie Samson and Delilah (1949) when the temple demolition sequence went wrong, and Woody ended up breaking both kneecaps and his legs. It was after this injury that Woody decided it was time for a career change.
In the late 1940s, Woody shifted his focus to his side career as a hunting and fishing guide in the Lone Pine Hills of California's Sierra Nevada. The now-aged Woody grew a beard and looked like an old prospector. While Woody was on one of his regular guide trips, director Andre De Toth recognized Woody and he thought he would be perfect for a role in a Randolph Scott movie that De Toth was scouting for shooting locations. Woody gladly accepted De Toth's offer and he began an acting career that featured roles with some of the biggest stars of the western genre including Randolph Scott and Gary Cooper while also appearing in roles in dramas like House of Wax (1953).13 stunts, 1937-1954.
12 westerns, 1947 -1959.
Riding Shotgun (1954). 1954. Stunts, actor.
1896-1969, 72.- Actor
- Stunts
- Additional Crew
Stubby Kruger was born on 23 September 1897 in Honolulu, Hawaii, USA. He was an actor, known for Mister Roberts (1955), Broadway Big Shot (1942) and Duke of the Navy (1942). He died on 7 October 1965 in Los Angeles, California, USA.14 stunts, 1926-1950.
2 westerns, 1940, 1953.
Northwest Passage (1940). 1940.
1897-1965, 68. Hawaii. USA.- Actor
- Stunts
Frank Cordell was born on 3 February 1898 in Kenton, Oklahoma, USA. He was an actor, known for The Texas Rangers (1936), The Sundowners (1950) and High Lonesome (1950). He died on 25 October 1977 in Riverside County, California, USA.19 stunts, 34-62.
34 westerns, 32-62.
High Lonesome (1950). 1950, stunts coordinator.
Marksman, wagon driver, mule driver, stagecoach driver, bucking horse rider, Bazan's Gaucho.
1898-1977, 79.- Additional Crew
- Actor
Aldo Nadi, one of the menancing bodyguards, was in real life an accomplished fencer master, described by many as the "world's greatest fencer". with an equally famous fencing father and brother. Maestro Aldo Nadi had the rare distinction of having been a professional world champion fencer, and as an Olympic fencer, Maestro Nadi had the disntction of winning gold medals in the 1920 Olympic team foil, epee, and sabre events, and took a silver in individual sabre. An aristocratic and elegant bon vivant, Nadi had been a cavalary officer in WWI. His screen role was the antithesis to what he had been in life. Nadi had immigrated to the US in the 30s, and had fought a series of spectacular matches against Maestro Giorgio Santelli. Lured by the glitter of Hollywood, Aldo Nadi relocated to Los Angeles in the early 40s.Frenchman's Creek (1944). 1944. Fencing double.
The Mississippi Gambler (1953). 1953. Fence coordinator.
Fence Master.
1899-1965, 66. Italy. USA.- Additional Crew
Ralph McCutcheon was born on 2 August 1899 in Colorado, USA. He is known for Flame of Calcutta (1953), Gunfighters of the Northwest (1954) and The Iron Glove (1954). He was married to Mary Kornman. He died on 17 April 1975 in Los Angeles, California, USA.40 westerns, 37-71.
26 miscellaneous credits, 1937-1974.
Arizona (1940), 1940. Horse trainer.
Wrangler, horse trainer, animal trainer, technical advisor, ranch life details.
1899-1975, 75.- Actor
- Stunts
- Additional Crew
Charles Sullivan was born on 24 April 1899 in Monroe, Louisiana, USA. He was an actor, known for The Invisible Monster (1950), Daredevils of the Clouds (1948) and The Man I Love (1929). He died on 25 June 1972 in Los Angeles, California, USA.- Actor
- Stunts
- Additional Crew
Sam Garrett was born on 8 December 1892 in Mulhall, Oklahoma, USA. He was an actor, known for Flying Lariats (1931) and Riders of the Cactus (1931). He died on 4 April 1989 in San Diego, California, USA.13 westerns, 31-46.
Ride 'Em Cowboy (1942). 1942. Rider, roper. Technical advisor : trick roping.
The Vigilantes Are Coming (1936). 1936. Stunts -roping double. Rope tricks.
Roping instructor.- Additional Crew
- Actor
- Stunts
What Yakima Canutt was to classic stunt work in Hollywood for some 60 years, Ralph Faulkner was to sword fight choreography for almost a like number of years. Faulkner came west from Texas in his mid twenties to try his hand in the movies. Some of his first roles were as President Woodrow Wilson in silent bio/drama flag-wavers about American entrance into World War I. Faulkner's athleticism already tagged him for some stunt work, but while working in the silent movie The Man from Glengarry (1922), filming a river sequence on logs, Faulkner slipped on one and severely injured a knee. With his modest movie career in jeopardy and a real chance of becoming an invalid, Faulkner turned to a regime of knee-related exercises as therapy. He settled on a rowing apparatus and the practice of swordplay, fencing (which uses three practice swords of progressively heavier gage and different technique: foil, epee, and sabre).
Fencing became a passion; so much so in fact, that he entered international competition, winning the World Amateur Sabre Championship (1928) and becoming a member of the U.S. Olympic fencing team that year and for the 1932 Games. In the meantime (1923 to 1925 and then 1933) he had already been doing some movie stunt and fencing choreography. But by 1935 the perfect vehicle came along with a seminal opportunity for him to bring his fencing expertise into the movies on a larger scale. This was the first sound version of Dumas's The Three Musketeers (1935). He was hired as the captain of Cardinal Richelieu's guards, Jussac, and at various points in the movie as five other swordplay stunt extras. In each case he ended up on his face dispatched, but more significantly he was hired as the fencing choreographer. Though this version of the classic tale is normally given short shrift, it is enthusiastic all the more rousing for the realistic dueling that Faulkner coordinated. The movie is worth just his great courtyard scene of nearly one hundred musketeers in synchronized fencing exercises one-on-one before the king.
The popularity of producing swashbucklers (usually based on historical novels) that had started with silent movies moved into its watershed years with Hollywood sound. That same year of 1935 Faulkner moved into stunt double duty as well as fencing coordinator for the first sword-wielding blockbuster, Captain Blood (1935). This was the movie that rocketed unknown Australian actor 'Errol Flynn' to romantic stardom. And Faulkner had good material to work with. Veteran Basil Rathbone was a good fencer already, and Flynn, though new to the school of fence, was athletic and a quick learner. Under Faulkner's choreography Rathbone and Flynn made the swordplay look good. For the next two decades Faulkner's movie list as fencing double and choreographer reads as a history of Hollywood's golden years of adventure yarns with the likes of: Anthony Adverse (1936), If I Were King (1938), The Sea Hawk (1940), The Thief of Baghdad (1940), and The Corsican Brothers (1941).
But fencing choreography like stunt work in general was highly competitive (and still is), and various production leads had their favorites. In fact it was not out of the ordinary-and no doubt cheaper--to simply have the senior stuntman act as coordinator, as the case of Fred Cavens (who also worked with Faulkner) for The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938). But you get what you pay for. The background swordplay in that classic is sometimes amateurish. Once again it is the skill of Rathbone and the verve of Flynn that makes their crossing swords look good in the final swordplay free-for-all. No coordinator as such worked in Flynn's last Warner Brothers swashbuckler, the oft uneven epic, Adventures of Don Juan (1948), but somebody decided that using a watered down version of Faulkner's mass musketeer fencing exercise of 1935 would be effective as overseen by Don Juan before the Spanish king and queen in the confines of the courtroom-just not the same. By the way, Flynn's stunt double was Jock Mahoney - Sally Fields dad. Faulkner's only comparable rival was the much younger Belgium fencing expert Jean Heremans whose work is best seen in the 'Gene Kelly' remake of The Three Musketeers (1948) and the two 1952 swashbucklers for `Stewart Granger', the remake of The Prisoner of Zenda (1952) and Scaramouche (1952). Ironically he was given his first credit as fencing coordinator on the classic first version of The Prisoner of Zenda (1937) because Faulkner was so busy doing most of the coordinating and fencing in this movie.
In several movies Faulkner doubled both dueling stars. In Adverse for the early duel at the inn, he took turns for the more expert fencing moves as both Don Luis and Denis Moore. In Zenda, Faulkner worked as fencing double and as a fencing featured extra. Though Ronald Colman did his fair share of saber fencing in Zenda, at one point after an injury, Faulkner had to fence briefly with himself-in the final cut of the movie - as both Colman and his own character, one of Rupert of Henzau's henchmen, to finish their duel in the dungeon. By 1938 Faulkner was usually credited-rather than not always credited previously (a problem for most stuntmen) - as fight choreographer. That title would vary to fencing master, fencing choreographer - at least in one instance as 'director of sword-play'. He was once again dueling with Flynn in Sea Hawk, doubling for 'Henry Daniel'. And in Corsican Brothers he worked again with 'Douglas Fairbanks, Jr.' (from Zenda). Fairbanks was another good fencer. And he and Faulkner did the lion share of the exhausting finale duel - the longest ever shot - and that in unbearable 100+ temperatures.
Although in a duplicate costume, it is easy to pick out when Faulkner took over the fencing. In all his screen swordplay he always kept a straight-backed and classic fencing posture rather than the forward slouch of his star opponents. In working with Cornel Wilde in the forgettable The Bandit of Sherwood Forest (1946), Faulkner was pleased to meet his match. Wilde had been an intercollegiate fencing champion. By the mid 50s the glory days of swashbuckling had run its course, though Faulkner even enjoyed-actually one of his favorites though uncredited--doing the coordinating and doubling for the farcical romp _Court Jester, The (1956)_ with Danny Kaye and an elder Rathbone. Into the 1960s swordplay was out of sync with the movies, though he did the popular sword-and-sandal epic Jason and the Argonauts (1963). The sword was back in the 70s and 80s. But it was always good fencing that Faulkner wanted regardless of the medium. His style graced over 100 films, TV work, and stage plays. He started a theatrical school called Falcon Studios (and this writer remembers a friend in 1978 who decided he should take a few lessons from Faulkner just to say that he had!). Faulkner believed that any staged swordplay should be done right with practice choreography-and the proper period weapons. He always made it look good-and that personal crusade continued up until Ralph Faulkner passed on in 1987.Fencing Master,
Fight Choreographer,
Fencing Double,
Actor, Rodriguez -henchman,
-Zorro's Fighting Legion (1939). 1939.
Fight Choreographer,
-Kiss of Fire (1955). 1955.
Actor, Herr Ziegler, Escape to Tampico (1958). 1958
1891 - 1987, 95.