The Wilmington morning star., 1940-09-07

WILMINGTON MORNING
In Hollywood
NEA Service Staff Correspondent
~HOLLYWOOD-One Of the many
things I like about stunt men is
the way they get fun out Of their
misfortunes. This is not to say they
mock at tragedy. In fact, on the
set of a stunt-man picture, I'm
still Alive" I saw n of the vet.
Grams break down in a scene which
recalled almost the exact circum.
stances Of the death of his best
friend.
But half an hour later they
were all sitting around EARNING
about experiences which, though
they were plenty perilous and
maybe painful at the time, are
funny in retrospect.
Like the time one of them Owed
through the wrong window OF a
moving train, choosing a window
in which the plate glass had not
been replaced by sheet rosin.
And the time Sailor Vincent,
chased to the end of a pier by a
hungry lion, had to dive abut
20 feet into a canoe occupied by
a man and a girl. The boat should
have had a breakaway bottom OF
Just enough lath and canva to
hold water and yet to allow the
sumter to go through it. But a
property man got his orders mixed
and provided ar ordinary canoe
with stout cedar ribs.
Vincent not only went through
it anyway, but kept right on into
soft mud because the water turned
out to be only about a foot deep.
They didn't think there was much
use pulling him out. But they did
and he was all right in a day
or two.
FIFTEEN GOT
MASS THRILL
Fifteen of Hollywood's best
stunt men had one of their. most
thrilling and amusing experiences
all at the same time. It was dur
ing filming Of ''Mutiny o. e
Bounty" and one side of a British
ship had been built on a huge
barge. 1t was an unwieldy mass
of towering falsework, cable guys.
ropes and sails. Besides the stunt
ers, who were to climb around
the rigging Of the artificial shop,
80 college students had been hired
as atmosphere crew and soldiers.
A gusty blow and high waves
came up suddenly. The barge was
overturned and the s%uperstruc-
ture smashed. For a couple OF
minutes" recalled Alan Pomeroy,
I'VE all figured most of US would
be drowned. There were a few
boats around, but they couldn't
get close with the waves so high
and all that smashed rigging. But
only one was lost-an assistant
cameraman. I remember Rube
Schaeffer"
Stunt Man Schaeffer was in ex.
actly the plight that was supposed
to have killed Spencer Tracy in
Captain Courageous; he seemed
hopelessly caught in cables and
debris. Between waves, other men
could see him, but nobody be.
lieved there was any chance tc
help.
FOUR SWEDES
DIDN'T GET FAR
Said Schaeffer himself: Il
thought Of a lot of things in
those minutes, but l especially
remember something that made
me mad. A makeup man was on
a tug nearby, and he kept boiler.
ing, RUDE, hang onto that wig!
Don't lose that new wig, Rube!'
There I was, drowning, and this
guy screaming about a damn S.
dome-doily.
About that time the cables and
spars began to sink, and me with
'em. I thought, well, this is it."
But down below, somewhere, the
whole mass turned over and /
came up and found I was free.
I sure was surprised"
Harry Ravin recalled seeing
four Swede carpenters jump into
a small boat when the excitement
began and start to row like mad.
They didn't get far. Their boat
was still tied to the barge and
was yanked down into the briny.
Another sumter, named Kallem
or something like that, was seen
diving in the midst of the tossing
debris. Any second it seemed that
some heavy timber would bash
his brains out but he made sew
eral attempts before he gave up
and swan, exhausted, to q boat.
Eeryone tried to console him by
saying it was the gamest rescue
try they'd ever witnessed-and
did he know who was trapped
down there?
Nobody" he sputtered. My
false teeth are in that barge"