‘Thrills too expensive’

Press, 22 September 1980, Page 15

‘Thrills too expensive’

NZPA , Los Angeles The producers of the American Broadcasting Corporation series, “That's Incredible”, are ignoring the safety of daredevils to give their audience thrills, the head of a stuntmen’s association contends.

j “If they keep it up. eventually somebodj- will get killed,” said Ron Stein, president of Stunts Unlimited, a group of professional Hollywood stuntmen. The accusation came as a! motor-cycle daredevil, Gary Wells, lay in critical out stable condition in a Las Vegas hospital. Wells tore a heart artery and broke both legs and his pelvis last week, when he hit a wall after leaping 50 metres over fountains outside Caesar’s Palace, Las Vegas. Cameramen from “That’s Incredible” were on hand fori the leap, but did not film it: because of a mix-up. Woody Fraser, producer of the show, which features people performing unusual feats, denied that it exploits the daredevils.

“Nobody’s encouraging anybody to do anything,” Mr Fraser said. “Wells is a thorough professional. He’s

been on ‘C.B.S. Sports Spectacular’ about eight times. His record, I think, is 57 metres. The last jump he made was 49 metres.

i Wells is the third person i injured attempting a stunt for “That’s Incredible.” In Los Angeles in March, Stan Kruml permanently injured his hands in a 49metre dash through,a tunnel of fire wearing a suit that was supposed to have been fire-retardant.

I In July, Steven Lewis attempted to leap over two cars speeding towards him in the Arizona Desert, but his left foot smashed through the first car’s windshield. Wells was hurt when his motor-cycle clipped a landing ramp after the leap. “My feeling is that ‘That’s Incredible’ has been negligent," said Mr Stein. “Nobody is drawing the line on what’s safe and what isn’t”.

“They’re hiring daredevils and not stuntmen, and we resent that they’re calling them Hollywood stuntmen.” “Stuntmen consider themselves professionals who carefully assess risks, and say tha't not all daredevils are as cautious.”