STARS WHO SHIRK PERILS.

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXIII, 30 December 1926, Page 9

STARS WHO SHIRK PERILS.

SCREEN THRILLS PERFORMED BY DOUBLES.

Would you sell your life' for fifty pounds?

One of the “stunt merchants” of the funis, ol tho type described in this article, made a worse bargain than that. He contracted to deputise for-a- “star” bv leaping over a cliff on horseback, for tho sum of thirty dollars—a little more than six pounds (English). Tho horso full on his rider at tho loot ol the cliff, and the stunt merchant was picked up dead. But therS was another man waiting to try the trick again at tho same figure. As a matter of fact, fifty pounds (250 dollars) is a long price for a stunt involving actual risk of life itself. Most of the stunt merchants will sell their chance for far less than that. Lives at a hundred dollars apiece are plentiful in Hollywood.

The screen star leaps from an airplane in mid-air into a motor car speeding along at forty miles an hour. A minute later the car crashes head-on into an express train at a level crossing. 'There is a horrible, sickening vortex of smoke and debris. The audience shuts its eyes. But there is no cause for alarm. The intrepid star emerges from the inferno with a smile like the advertisement for somebody or other’s toothpaste. Beyond a few streaks of grime upon her cheeks, and a torn dress, she appears little the worse for her gamble with death. “Wonderful!” gasps the audience. “What sfiperb nerve! How did she do it?”

Millions of cinema fans, no doubt, have asked tho same question. The answer is quite simple—she didn’t. An unknown girl made that daring leap, and dared the hazards of that frightful crash while tho star looked on and criticised from tiie seat of her luxurious limousine.

It was the unknown girl who staggered from the inferno of wreckage with a bruised shoulder and a cut cheek, blit it was the star who smiled toothil.v when it was all over. Tho unknown lieroino had vanished. Her name was not to share the honours of tho east. She had been brought in to take the risks, and then get out. And the star, who probably had never done anything more exciting in her life than exceed tho speed limit, got the credit. At Hollywood there are at least half-a-dozen young women who make their living putting the thrills intci the “movies.” Celluloid celebrities drawing salaries running into fivo figures scarcely can bo expected to straddle a spirited pony, leap with it across a yawning chasm, and go tumbling head over heels down a precipice. So the professional stunt artists are called an. While tho thousand pounds a week star sits quietly “off” tho dare-devil girl who is “doubling” for her takes tho perils for a mere two hundred dollars. And when, black and blue, She fades out of the limelight slio probably gets no more than a; “Thank you; that was nicely done. In the film “Flowing Gold” Anna Q. Nilsson was supposed to leap from a building into a stream ablaze from oil. It was a thrilling incident. Outlined against the licking flames, the star was shown poised for her daring plunge. Then she shot head first into the heart of the fire and- vanished, but the woman who risked her skin was Loretta Bush, a well-known swimming champion, whoso narno was not shown on the screen when the picture was released. ~, . In order to “shoot” this scene a huge tank was built. Across it was thrown a partition, so that, to the eye of tlio 1 camera, it appeared as the bank of a river. Gasoline was then poured in one side of the partition and 66 Kush, in Anna Q. Nilsson’s clothing, . leapt in s ’ lo ‘ .• through the flames into the depths of tho tank, swam down beneath the partition, and same up on tho °tl ei side, unscathed, extent for a fen sup--61 was nothing,” said Miss Rush afterwards. “My bardest work was in dragging Milton Sll *f on the roof of that house rolling in tho flood. When- it turned over ■ *,S'E ” AmliSkr'Ul'o' >vorW “l™ h h *” K lcd AX i.° r.S3‘ back along the edge of a dizzychasm i with tho ground crumbling„ ! neatli her horse s feet. . ‘ held their breaths wliilo she has dan<ded over bottomless depths, and the strands of tho rope that held her have parted one by one S c has been seen in tram accidents, in l)Ulrl K houses and clambering along tho wings ’of airplanes thousands of feet I *Yot°not'"one of these b-nrdous feats ]r^‘‘B^^ s^ S liif^n^ suming young man, who dovitiled -<> hor for years. Miss Roland has ma o her fortune, and left the screen. But “Bobbv” Bose still haunts the studios looking for a chance to risk ck - Those who saw M 'U-v I lekfoul m “Dorothv Vernon, of Haddon Hall, marvelled at the daring ride along the crumbling wall. It was not iMaiv, however, who was in the, saddle but Marilyn Mills, one of tho best horsewomen in America. In the making of this film, Miss Bickford employed no fewer than three “doubles.” For the leap from the wall and the perilous slide downhill, Ray Slaughter, a. l-ouglirider, was astride. And In several other scenes, demand ing clever horsemanship, the star was impersonated by a Mrs Wing. A short time ago, thousands of sightseers m Long Beach watched a girl poise herself on the sill of a window on the fourth floor of the City Hall. Beneath were a number of firemen holding a net. “Right you are! Camera! ’ yelled the director. The girl peered down gauging the

distance, swayed a little as though overcome with vertigo at the height, then leapt. Down through space she hurtled. fast tho third story, past the second, past the first floor balcony with its crowd of white faces, and into the net.

“Hey!” yelled the director furiously, “What’s the big ideap Wanna make a comedy out of this? Your skirts were over your head. Go back and do it again. So Gladys Johnstone ascended a second time to tho fourth floor, fastened the hem of her skirt to her ankles, and jumped. She landed in a crumpled heap in the net. This time she failed to scramble out, but lay there moaning. Four vertebrae were dislocated. THE THRILL GIRL. But the Best-known and most reckless of all screen “doubles” is Winna Brown, a dark-haired, meek-looking young woman who lias crammed into a short lifetime enough thrills and adventures to satisfy a dozen biggame hunters.

Name all the screen artists who at some time or other have featured in thrilling incidents and there would he few mentioned for whom she has not performed some exploit. Norma Talmadgo, Constance Talmadge, Rola Negri, Gloria Swanson and Priscilla Dean have all been glad to have her risk her neck while they looked on. Time after time she has had bones broken, but she is still at the head of tho list of girls who take risks for someone else. She rode the camel for l’ola Negri in “Bella Donna.” She doubled for Norma. Talmadgo in tho equestrian scenes in “Tho Dangerous Maid,” and even took tlio place of Joseph Schiklkran in several thrilling scones in “Song ofi Lovo.” One of her most hair-raising exploits was to plunge with a horse down 4 cliff face — a feat for which Mildred Harris got tho credit. Another time she took the place of Clara Bow in a wagon a minute before a collision with a motor-car smashed it to atoms.

FOR FIFTEEN DOLLARS. When tlio bull-fighting scenes for the “Siren of Seville” were being “shot” she was engaged to stand m tho arena while tlio bull rushed by her to attack the toreador. She was offered fifteen dollars to take the risk. “But will there not bo any danger, the director told her. “All you liavo to do is to stand stock still and the bull will let you alone.” Tho intrepid little woman did as slio was told, and tlio bull, thundered past her like an express train. “Good! Shoot it again!” ordered the director. ■Vgain the bull charged tho toreador’s red flag, but this time it almost knocked tho girl off her feet. “Hey!” shouted Winna. More money' or the bull’s goin’ to be alone next time 1” She got it.