 Introducing... ...South Hollywood. Right, Mr. Morgan, we're all set at the truck. Good, we'll take it. Where's Roy? Okay, Roy. Roy, go first. Right here. We're ready to go, Roy. Now, this is supposed to be a police barricade scene, you know. The cops have the highway blocked, and you're driving this truck here. Just go down that hill as fast as you can and crash into the barricade. You got it? Sure, it's the same. Fine, we'll shoot it. We'll be right behind you in the camera car. Go ahead, Roy. You're really traveling. Watch it up the camera. From Hollywood, the motion picture capital of the world, we bring you the thrilling, two-life experiences of those men behind the scenes. Those daring unsung heroes whose breathtaking adventures on the screen have thrilled millions. Whose daily jobs bring them face to face with death. Those men who comprise the strangest fraternity on earth. The suicide squad. The movie stuntman. The daredevil of Hollywood. Ladies and gentlemen, in bringing you this copyrighted feature, we are privileged to have as our guest one of the leading stuntmen of Hollywood, Ken Cooper. It is through his cooperation that we are able to reenact some of the highlights of his dangerous profession. The thrilling scenes you are about to hear are his own actual experiences. Ken Cooper is here in the studio right now, and later in the program we'll bring him to the microphone. But first, let us learn something of his job. It is the summer day in 1932. The scene is a lonely road near Calabasas, California. We find an RKO location company shooting scenes for the picture Scarlet River. The time is approaching for the big scene of the picture. A thrilling scene and a very dangerous one. To make that scene, the studio is called in one of Hollywood's ace stuntmen, Ken Cooper. Did you get the OK on script for that shot, Mr. Gordon? Yes, Cooper. We'll do it just like we tried to yesterday, just like it's written. A team of six horses runs away with a wagon. You're doubling the star and you're supposed to transfer to the team from a saddle horse. Yeah, and that's where I have the fight with Fred. That's it, right in between the horses. You'll probably have to stand on the wagon tongue, won't you? Well, during the fight we'll crawl around on top of the horses between them and everywhere else. And then he knocks you off. That's when you're fighting on the front team. Yeah, and the horses and wagon run over me, and I swing up on the rear axle and crawl back to the seat. That's right. And then you're supposed to knock the other guy off the seat and stop the wagon, thereby saving the girl. I figure the entire run will cover about a mile. Maybe a little later. I'm going to have two camera cars on you all the way down. You'll probably have two cameras in each car. I'm not taking any chances on missing any part of that action. Thus it was planned to film an actual fight between Ten Cooper and another stuntman. A fight that was to be real, savage, desperate. But instead of solid ground to stand on, these two daring actors must clamber about on the backs of six horses running at top speed. Every second will expose them to the danger of falling and being crushed to death under the wheels of the heavy wagon. It is now Wednesday morning, seven o'clock. Preparations are being hurriedly made for the big scene. Well, Ken, I think everything's all set, so we'll take it. Now, you've got the horses rigged up as we decided, haven't you? Yeah, they're harnessed far apart. I think I can fall between them without getting stepped on. Okay, then let's shoot it. I'll be in the camera car right alongside of you, Ken, and start the action when I signal it. Okay, I'll ride down the road here a ways and wait for the wagon to come by. Come on, boy. Get up. Have you got a fresh load in the cameras, Pete? Yeah, everything's okay, Mr. Gordon. All right, everybody, signal the team. Let's get the camera car and start moving. Here, let me sit on this side. You all set now? I'm sure we can get this on the first take, Mr. Gordon. Yes, I just hope nothing happens to the boys. This is dangerous business, that is. Well, here's where it starts. Camera! Come ahead, Ken. Keep turning those cameras no matter what happens. A little faster, driver. Hey, those horses are running like they were going someplace. Look at that wagon bouncing along. Here comes Ken. He's going to make the change. Yeah, Fred's ready for him. That's a dangerous place to have a fight on the backs of runaway horses. Yeah, we can blame the writers for that. There, there, he's making the transfer onto the team. And Fred's crawling down from the seat to start the fight. There they go. Watch them slug each other. Man, what a fight! Keep those cameras on them. Look, they're working their way toward the front team. Ken's getting ready to do the fall. I'd hate to fall in front of those horses and let that wagon pass over me. I guess it's all a knowing how. Look at them smash each other in the jaw. A little faster, driver. They're gaining on us. He's going to the fall now. There he goes. Look at that. Watch yourself, Ken. Don't let him step on you. There goes the wagon over him. I think he's going to make it right between the wheels. He did make it. He caught the back axle. He's climbing back up the wagon. Oh, boy, he's not wasting any time. There he is. Watch him fighting again. This is where he knocks Fred off the wagon. That's going to be a tough fall. Those horses are really running. There it is. Fred's falling. Look at him hit the ground. That boy's bound to be hurt. Cut, cut. Ladies and gentlemen, it is our pleasure to present one of the courageous young man who made that scene. Ken Cooper. We shall now learn just what happened for Mr. Cooper is to be interviewed by Glenn Hardy. Well, Ken, I'm sure that everyone is anxious to know what happened to the other stuntman. Was he badly hurt? Oh, it wasn't so bad. When he fell off the wagon, he just broke a shoulder blade. Oh, only a shoulder blade, eh? Yeah. Fred was laid up a few days, but everything was soon okay. I should imagine that you had a pretty close call there yourself. He was pretty close, all right. One of the horses almost stepped on my head, missed by about two inches. Oh, that was plenty close. Say, Ken, I've been noticing that very attractive charm you're wearing. Does it have any particular significance? Yes, it does, Glenn, and I value it very highly. It's what you might call my good luck charm. It was given to me by an extra one day just before I was to make a very dangerous scene, and I've always wondered if it didn't have something to do with my getting through okay. This time, a horse actually stepped on my head. It was while we were making the crusades for Paramount. We were all down at Chatsworth on location and the direct... Pardon me, Ken, we want to hear about that in just a moment, but first, you don't mind if we have just a word from our sponsor. Now then, Ken, tell us all about the horse stepping on your head. Well, it was in a picture where a lot of hand-to-hand fighting took place. You know, soldiers with swords and armor. Some of us were on horseback. I'm doubling the star, and at a certain point in the fight, I'm supposed to rear my horse and fall off backward. Well, some of us were wearing paper mache helmets and some steel helmets. I wanted to wear the light helmet because I could get around easier, but the director was trying to talk me into wearing a steel helmet. In the fall from the horse, a paper mache helmet might get broken or crushed, and that would spoil the scene. Now, this must look real, you know. If you insist, I'll wear the steel helmet, but it's pretty heavy. It makes it hard to move around in the fight. Well, do the best you can. Ken, remember the other fella comes up and you do a little fighting with your sword, and keep your horses in clothes. I'll give you the cue to rear the horse and fall. Okay, I'm ready. All set, everybody. We're going to take it this time. All right. All right. Action. It's good from here. Those boys can handle their swords, all right. Yeah, even the horses look good. They're fighting. Okay, Ken. Talk me into wearing this steel helmet. It saved my life. Well, Ken, it was very lucky for you that you were wearing that steel helmet. You certainly had a narrow escape. I sure did. Maybe it was fate, but, you know, I've always had a hunch that this charm we spoke of had something to do with my good luck. And I'd say the expert who gave it to you should be very proud and happy to know that you feel that way about it. And I hope it always brings you good luck. Now tell me, Ken, in this dangerous stunt business of yours, do you occasionally get banged up? If a stuntman gets hurt too often, he soon loses out. Studios don't like to take chances on men getting hurt. But, of course, we all get a few bones broken now and then. Well, speaking of that, Ken, what bones have you had broken? In the 11 years I've been doing stunts for pictures. My broken bones have included ribs, shoulder blade, foot, ankle, wrist, and vertebrae. Well, is that all? I should say that was enough. Well, Ken, what is your attitude toward the danger of your job? Do you really like it? Frankly, I think there's not so much danger if the stunts are figured out correctly in the beginning. Then you think it's possible to do practically anything without getting seriously hurt? Oh, of course, some things are impossible to do and still live. But you'd be surprised at what we can get away with. There have been stuntmen, however, who were a little too optimistic. Well, what about the optimistic fellows? Well, they're just not with us anymore. I see. Well, Ken, yours is certainly a unique profession. And we've enjoyed your thrilling stories about your experiences. On behalf of our listeners, I want to thank you sincerely for coming here. I know that everyone joins me in hoping that we may have you on this program again very soon in the future. Good luck, old boy, and happy landings.