Hollywood Thrill-Makers

2091. HOLLYWOOD THRILLMAKERS (1953-USA). With james gleason. This divertÂing entertainment serves as an ode to a Hollywood professional whose daredevil exploits are essenÂtial to the action in any action movie. He is the stuntman, a fearless soul who performs life-risking feats in front of the camera all in the name of creating take-your-breath-away entertainment. The scenario tells of Dave Wilson, ex-stuntman who one day relates to his children the story of how he came to perform daredevil acts of courage on screen. Cut to a movie set. Wilson is a gas station attendant who happens to be hanging around behind the camera. A stuntman takes a nasty spill while riding a motorcycle. Wilson volunteers to complete the stunt. “There’s $100 in it for you if you make it,” the director tells him. The stunt involves a daring leap across a ravine, which Wilson promptly completes in spectacular fashion. So begins his career in the movies. He becomes the stuÂdent of retired stuntman Risky Russell (character actor James Gleason, who never once in his career gave a bad performance). There are loads of spills and chills and the film is crammed with wonderÂful clips of stuntmen diving under trains, jumping from moving cars to moving cars, leaping off the tops of cliffs and performing heroics in burning buildings. 59 minutes Drama