 Introducing the Daredevil's of Hollywood. Are you about ready to go in the talking? Yeah, almost, Phil. Now look, here's your scene. You're doubling for the comedian. You're supposed to be up on top of that barn. Mike drives the tractor across the barnyard and drives into the barn and tears it down. See what I mean? Yeah, the barn folds up and I ride down with it. Is that it? Right. But stay out of the way of that tractor. I'll see to that, all right. Well, here we go. Get up there now, Phil. All right, everybody. This is the place. Quiet, everybody. Quiet, please. Take your places. There he goes. From Hollywood, the motion picture capital of the world, we bring you the thrilling true life experiences of those men behind the scenes. Those daring unsung heroes whose breathtaking adventures on the screen of thrilled millions. Whose daily job bring them face to face with death. Those men who comprise the strangest fraternity on earth. The Suicide Squad. The Movie Stuntmen. The Daredevil of Hollywood. Ladies and gentlemen, in bringing you this copyrighted radio feature, again, we are privileged to have as our guest one of the leading stuntmen of Hollywood, Bob Clark. It is through his cooperation that we are able to re-enact some of the highlights of his dangerous profession. Bob Clark is here in the studio right now, and later in the program we will bring him to the microphone. But first, let us show you an average working day in his life. It is in the spring of 1929. Several studio trucks are unloading huge reflectors, lights, cameras, and other movie-making equipment at the Western Avenue Airport in Los Angeles. On the runway stands an airplane. Small, graceful as a dragonfly, it shimmers in the early morning sunlight. The director is explaining the stunt to Bob Clark. All right, Bob, now here's the idea. You're doubling for Tom Mix. He's supposed to be a United States Marshal trying to catch the Mexican rum runners. They're flying contraband over the border, you see? Yeah, I see. Now, Mix has spotted the place where they're going to take off with a load. Your job is to ride Tony, Tom's horse, up alongside the plane as it starts down the runway. Grab onto the wing and crawl into the front cockpit. I get it. A transfer from the horse to the plane, eh? Yes, but that's not all. Now, the plane gets up about 2,000 feet, and according to the story, the heavy tries to dump you out. He does a lot of stunts, I suppose. That's it. He does everything he can think of, and finally turns the ship upside down. There are some ropes in the cockpit for you to hang onto. I see. And then what happens? Well, when he realizes that he can't dump you out, he decides to bail out and leave you stranded in the plane. Some story, eh? Yeah, it's a piece. Now, listen, you see what he's up to. So you climb out and grab him from behind. You're both standing on the wing. He'll be wearing a special harness for you to hold onto. This is getting very interesting. What happens next? Well, you start fighting there on the wing. He's wearing a parachute, but you're not. Finally, both of you fall off into space. The shoot opens, and the fight continues all the way down. Gee, that's great. But what happens to the ship? It crashes out of control, and we hope it'll crash in some nice open space. Well, Mr. Willis, that's all practical and can be done except for one thing. Yes? What's that? An ordinary parachute is not enough protection for two men. The landing on the ground would be equivalent to a jump off a three-story building. Well, Bob, we thought of that, too. There'll be a huge net, stretched between two cliffs at the point where you dropped. It's about 30 feet high and plenty large enough to catch you. That makes it perfect. All we have to do is to hit the net exactly at the same instant. Falling from that height, if one man hit before the other, the rebound would be terrific. It's a big job, Bob, but if it can be done, I know you can do it. Thanks, and I'll certainly try. Thus was planned one of the most dangerous and difficult stunts that was ever filmed. It is now three hours later. The scene is a beautiful valley surrounded by high cliffs. Members of the picture company under a veneer of wisecracking and cynical remarks betray even to each other their anxiety about the coming scene. Every eye is on Bob Clark as he inspects the net, the plane, and the parachute. Every thought centers on the possibility of some mishap, some slight error which could result in death. Finally, comes the sharp command of the director. All right, everybody. I'm ready to go. Are you all set with the camera planes, Bill? All set, Mr. Welles. How about the cameras on the ground? They're ready. Okay, Bob, getting your horse. We'll take it. Now watch that net. Be sure you hit it. Yes, sir. I'll be seeing you, yes. All right, boys. Frank up the ship and get ready to take off. Wait until the plane starts moving, Bob, before you run up to make the change. Okay, here we go. Where's the set? Before the plane took off. That was a neat plan, sir. Yeah, beauty. Getting altitude very rapidly. Look at those cameras, boys. He's beginning to stun it. Look at that, Lou. Sharp turns. Oh, man, this is perfect so far. There goes Bob after that. The plane fell pretty close to the net. Here they come. The shoot's falling fast. Oh, look at that! How about it, men? Did you get all...? Gentlemen, it is our pleasure to present one of the courageous young men who made that scene, whose job it is to do such thrilling scenes for motion pictures. Bob Clark, interviewed by Glenn Hardy. Well, Bob, you really had me going there for a minute. Now, the first thing I want to know is were you scared just before you did that dangerous stunt? You bet I was. I was scared stiff. Don't let even a stuntman tell you that he isn't scared just before he slides. They all are. Well, tell me, how long have you been doing stunts for the movies? Ever since 1919. You're also an actor, aren't you? Oh, I've taken a few small parts, but most of my work is doubling on dangerous stuff. I see. Well, now, Bob, what would you say is the most important factor in doing stunts? The most important thing of all is timing. If things are not timed out to the split second, you stand a good chance of breaking your neck. I remember one incident when a miscalculation almost cost me my life. It was about four years ago. A picture with George O'Brien had a scene that called for a bullfight. I was doubling for a comedian. We were all down to it. Now, just a moment, Bob, or an answer gets to turn right here, but we'll hear all about that bullfight right after a message from our sponsor. Okay, Bob. Now, what about that bullfight? Well, as I was saying, I was supposed to double for a comedian. The idea was to let this bull charge me several times, getting as close as possible without hitting me. We took four shots of it, and everything went off okay, but the director wanted one more angle. George O'Brien said it was too dangerous, but Mr. Tindling, the director, insisted so we were getting ready to do it again. Hey, that old boy really goes after this bright shirt, doesn't he? Well, he does, and it looks good, too. I just want an angle from the fence over there. They're setting up the camera now. Do you want to do the same as before, Mr. Tindling? Yes, the same way. I don't come as close as possible to you. That last time, he just brushed my clothes, and this shirt bulges out so much, it'll be pretty easy for him to hook one of his horns in it. Well, if we can get it as well as the other time, but from this angle, I'll be satisfied. Okay, Mr. Tindling, we're all set. Good. Well, here we go, Bob. All right, everybody, this is on the tank. Quiet, please. Quiet, everybody, it's on the tank. Turn him over. Okay, Bob, step out there and challenge him. Yeah, he walks out into that tent like he owned the place. Yeah, that boy's known something about cattle. He's from Montana, you know. Here comes the bull. Boy, he's plenty mad this time. Look at him, Laurie's there. Yeah, he's getting ready to charge. Here he comes. Hey, he's charging like a stick of lightning. Look at him come. Yeah, he's all set. Watch the cameras. Here's the chat. Look, he's got Bob down. Well, boy, that was a close one. How badly were you hurt, Bob? Well, the bull fell on me, broke three ribs and crushed my chest pretty badly. Well, that was a narrow escape. How long were you laid up? Oh, just a couple of weeks. And then you went back to work again? That's right. Bob, look, how many bones have you had broken since you've been doing stunts for the movie? Well, let's see. There were two arms, their shoulder, collar bone twice, ribs about 10 times in one leg. Was that all? Well, yeah. Well, that is about everything, but of course you were always taken care of by the studios. Oh, sure. I see. Well, Bob, our time's about up, but we've certainly enjoyed your visit. And on behalf of our listeners, I want to sincerely thank you for coming here. I know that everyone joins me in hoping that we may have you on this program again very soon. Goodbye, old boy, and the best of luck.