Tag Archives: Charles Lewis

1920, 1921, 1922, 1923, 1924, 1925, 1926, 1927, 1928, 1929, Stunts

Best Stunts of the Year List 1920-1929

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Here is the list for the Best Movie Stunts for the Decade 1920-1929 as listed in the book, 100 Years of the Best Movie Stunts!

1920:  The Mark of Zorro

First time on the list for Zorro (not the last), and for Douglas Fairbanks.  The Mark of Zorro represents the first in a line of Adventure films and Douglas Fairbanks was technically the first swashbuckler, an adventure actor that does a lot of the stunts himself.  He was an incredible athlete, by all accounts, and this film showcases that ability very nicely.zorro 2

1921:  Never Weaken

Harvey Parry admitted on his death bed that he doubled Harold Lloyd on some of the stunts in this movie.  This comedy movie would make way for all the dangerous slapstick comedies to come by Harold Lloyd and Buster Keaton.never tumblr_njqmx6K3Gr1rdfgw4o1_500

1922:  Robin Hood

Great example of Douglas Fairbanks at the top of his game, but in this case he’s helped out by his stunt double, Charles Lewis in several stunts.  This is also the first time Robin Hood makes the list (also, not the last) and it’s interesting to me that several movies hit the list multiple times.  You’d expect that with movie series like James Bond, being highly stunt driven, but still seems like a surprise when it’s just different versions of the same movie, like Robin Hood and Zorro.robin-hood

1923:  Safety Last!

The second half of this film, where he is climbing up each floor of a building is sheer brilliance.  It’s nerve-wracking!  The final few moments hanging from the clock is as iconic a film moment as you get.  It’s a single-solitary slice of film that represents everything that being a stunt performer is all about.  This would be the poster boy for the stunt movement.  In fact, this should be the award they give out at the Academy Awards for Stunts, a Golden Statue of Harold Lloyd hanging from a clock tower.safety last

1924:  Sherlock, Jr.

This is the period where Harold Lloyd and Buster Keaton keep out-doing each other every film.  But, I will add, that this particular film is just about my favorite stunt film of all time.  It would definitely be in the top ten for best stunts of all time, it’s that great.  Buster Keaton not only blows your mind with the stunts in this film, but it’s also an incredible film cinematically and some of the techniques he develops with this film are revolutionary.sherlock buster

1925:  The Prince of Pep

This was where Richard Talmadge was trying to be an actor, but he soon found out that his talents lay with Stunt work.  He goes on to be a fantastic Stunt Man and Stunt Coordinator in the years to come. In this one, he has a nifty gag where he jumps from the rooftop of one building through the window of the next building.  He makes it look easy.pep2

1926:  The Devil Horse

Yakima Canutt is generally thought of as the grand-daddy of all stuntmen…not that he actually gave birth to all of them, just that he was a big reason why stunt work has legitimized as much as it is right now. He developed techniques for safety and paved the way for most of the stunt men to work behind the camera as an action director or second unit director and as a stunt coordinator.  In this film he shows his early chops as a rodeo star as he rides the devil horse, Rex.yakima captured

1927:  Wings

This film won the first Academy Award for Best Picture, but thanks to Dick Grace, has some great flying stunts in it as well.  No-one crashed a plane on cue better than he did.

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1928:  Steamboat Bill, Jr.

Another great film from Buster Keaton.  This one is another one of those iconic images that help to propel the whole stunt world forward, an amazing stunt, where Buster just stands in one spot as the whole front of the building falls around him.  Could have easily killed him if he was just a little bit off his mark.  Great stunt.Steamboat bill Jr

1929:  Tarzan the Tiger

Every wonder where Tarzan got his signature yell and signature swing from tree to tree from?  Yep, from this movie.  They used it in every Tarzan movie after that.  Frank Merrill was very athletic and did all his stunts in a skimpy loin-cloth.tarzan07

For more information about these stunt performers and these movies, including a lot of great trivia, please look for their chapters in the new movie stunt book, 100 Years of the Best Movie Stunts!Screen Shot 2015-09-19 at 8.23.28 PM

1922, Stunts

Charles Lewis and Robin Hood

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There seems to be a running theme during these years in that the studios were interested in giving off the impression that their actors did all of their own stunts. It’s only with time that we’ve gotten a full picture of who doubled for whom on what picture. Many of these stunt performers took this knowledge to their graves and never told anyone, but sometimes over the years, the secret has been revealed in many cases.

The Best Movie Stunts for 1921 and 1922 are very interesting in that they are nods given to the other person in the tandem of actor and stunt double. Charles Lewis was the stand-in and stunt performer for Douglas Fairbanks on many of his films but most notably on this one. Douglas Fairbanks was so thankful for Charles Lewis over the years that he left him $10,000 in his will when he died.robin-hood

This was one of the first screen versions for Robin Hood (1922) and was directed by Allan Dwan for Douglas Fairbanks Pictures Corporation, released by United Artists. This movie has the distinction of being the first to have a gala premiere. Theater owner Sid Grauman conceived the idea. The premiere was held at Grauman’s brand-new Egyptian Theater in Hollywood. The most expensive movie at its time. It cost $1.4 million. The castle is reputed to be the largest Hollywood set built for any silent movie. Lloyd Wright, Frank Lloyd Wright’s son, designed at least one set which he later remodeled as a temporary band shell for the Hollywood Bowl.robinhoodcastle

Things to look up (click on item to go to IMDB page):

Glossary of stunt terms as defined by Wikipedia:

Stunt Double – A stunt double is a type of body double, specifically a skilled replacement used for dangerous film or video sequences, in movies and television (such as jumping out of a building, jumping from vehicle to vehicle, or other similar actions), and for other sophisticated stunts (especially fight scenes). Stunt doubles may be used in cases where an actor’s physical condition precludes a great amount of physical activity (such as when the actor is too old to perform extended dubs choreography), or when an actor is contractually prohibited from performing stunts. Stunt doubles are sometimes referred to as “stunties”.

The terms stunt double and body double may be used interchangeably for cases where special skills (sometimes far from dangerous) are needed, such as dancing (dance double), playing the piano, or competitive skiing. Stunt doubles should be distinguished from daredevils, who perform stunts for the sake of the stunt alone, often as a career. It should also be noted that sequences often do not place stunt doubles in the same mortal peril as the characters: for example, harnesses and wires can be digitally edited out of the final film.robinhood1922list

Many stunt doubles have long production careers as part of a star actor’s contractual “support crew” along with the star’s cooks, trainers, dressers, and assistants. Often stunt doubles have to look like their respective actors, in order to keep the character’s appearance. Stunt doubles for Eddie Murphy, John Wayne, Harrison Ford, Steve Martin, Salman Khan and Michael Landon have been associated with their lead actors for decades.

Some actors, for example Kane Hodder, Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, Bruce Lee, Jet Li, Jayan, Donnie Yen, James Garner, Barrett Snow, Burt Reynolds, Johnny Yong Bosch, Tom Cruise, Steve McQueen, Angelina Jolie, Michelle Yeoh,Maggie Q, Christopher Lee, Jean-Paul Belmondo, Patrick Swayze, Thora Birch, Milla Jovovich, Bridgette Wilson, Jason Statham, Dolph Lundgren, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Viggo Mortensen, are known to have performed their own stunts. Jackie Chan is particularly famous for doing most of his own stunts, as well as fellow martial arts star and movie partners Yuen Biao and Sammo Hung. Indian actor, Jayan was well known for performing extremely dangerous stunts by himself and was killed while performing a helicopter stunt. Akshay Kumar is also famous for doing all of his own stunts and has done a lot of dangerous stunts. Thai martial artist and actor Tony Jaa performs his own stunts, likewise.