Books
If you love everything about stunt men and can’t seem to get your hands on “too much” information, you should check out these books that just might give you some hidden gems and make great water cooler conversation.Stunt man: The Autobiography of Yakima Canutt With Oliver Drake (Yakima Canutt, Oliver Drake) covers what some to be the greatest Hollywood stuntman of all time, but this book shows that Yak was a whole lot more including being a bronc-riding rodeo star. The book gives vivid background into the many epics he was part of, including “Stagecoach” “Ivanhoe” “Ben Hur” and “Where Eagles Dare.” He pulls no punches in his descriptions of his relationships with the Hollywood crowd, especially on how difficult John Ford could be if you were perceived to have stood up to him. All in all this is a crackling good yarn, and best of all — it is true.Stunt Man: Life at the Edge (Stephen Rickard) takes readers right to the heart of the action. With detailed, yet simple first person descriptions and superb full color photographs, readers will discover what it’s really like to pull off a death-defying stunt. Experience the painstaking preparation, the layers of protection, the smell of the flammable gel, the heat of the fire, the thrill of the action…These are heart in the mouth, jaw-droppingly exciting, experiences of a lifetime!Hollywood Stunt Performers: A Dictionary and Filmography of Over 600 Men and Women, 1922-1996 (Gene Scott Freese) provides the most comprehensive listing of stunt performers ever gathered in a single volume-over 600 men and women who have appeared in at least 10 major theatrical releases. The entries begin with a brief profile, focusing on where they got their start, professional associations to which they belong, and some of the major stars for whom they have doubled. This is followed by a comprehensive accounting of the films in which they have appeared and any significant television work they have performed.The Amazing Tom Mix: The Most Famous Cowboy of the Movies (Richard D. Jensen) captures with incredible detail (much of it gained from hundreds of original letters, records, documents and eyewitness accounts of Mix’s life), the 100 years of public relations mythology, tall tales and outright lies to bring the true and inspiring story of a man whose Saturday matinee cowboy image would become the standard for all of the movie cowboys who rode the silver screen after him.