 Introducing... ...Campbells of Hollywood! Okay, Meg. Get that camera set up while I go over the gig with Jerry here. Now look, Jerry. Yeah, Mr. Elder. You're one of a gang of band-provers. The gang's just kept it in our mud-car. You're supposed to be driving it. We'll have a few dummies to double the other guys. Yeah, I see. Now, all you gotta do is swing off the street there onto the pier. Come tearing down to the end, crash through the railing, and sail off into the ocean. Get it? Sure, it's a cinch. We're all ready, Mr. Elder. Well, well, here we go, Jerry. I'll give you the signal. How fast do you want me to go off the pier, Mr. Aldrich? Open it up wide. Give it all you've got. Okay, I'm ready whenever you are. All right, everybody. Here we go. Fired, please. Fired, everybody. Fired. Okay, Meg. Give him the signal. Okay. Camera up. Any time. Oh, boy. Look at him make that turn. He's on the pier. Here's our shot. Now get this. 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 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 Stuntmen. The Daredevil's of Hollywood. Ladies and gentlemen, in bringing you this copyrighted radio feature, we are privileged to have as our guest one of the top-notch Stuntmen of Hollywood, Slim Talbot. It is through his cooperation that we are able to re-enact some of the highlights of his dangerous profession. The thrilling scenes you are about to hear are his own actual experiences. Slim Talbot is here in the studio right now, and later in the program we will bring him to the microphone. But now? It is exactly 12 o'clock noon, September 16, 1937. The scene is a crowded lunch room on the grounds of United Artists Studios in Hollywood. The congested room presents a weird picture. Actors and extras, oddly dressed, some as Indians, some as convicts, and others in evening clothes sit at their tables casually discussing the topics at hand. At a table, off in a corner, a director and his assistant are discussing... Well, he should be here any minute now. I told him we'd wait lunch. By the way, Mr. Hollingsworth, what's the name of this new picture? The one of the stunt business, I know. Well, Bob, it's one of Sam Goldwyn's best efforts. It's called the Adventures of Marco Polo. Oh, that's the one. There's been a lot of talk about it already. Personally, I think it'll be a knockout. Oh, here comes Slim now. Hi, Slim. Hello, Talbot. Have a seat. Oh, Hollingsworth, how are you, Bob? Both boys looking fine? Well, I understand that you've got some stunt stuff coming up, Mr. Hollingsworth. What's it all about? Anything tough? If I had to do it slim, I'd think it was plenty tough. But you fellows don't seem to take anything seriously, eh? I'd be surprised if you knew how serious we are sometimes. Oh, listen to the man. Why, Slim, you've sent men to have your gags with your eyes closed. No, it's not quite that bad. Here's what we've got lined up for tomorrow, Slim. You know that high cliff out at Chessworth? Well, that's the location. You're supposed to back a horse off there. Do you mean that 150-foot cliff? Yeah, that's the one, Slim. You've been out there a lot of times. Well, that sounds interesting to say the least. How do I keep from getting killed? That's your job, Slim. I'm only the director. So far, don't look at me slim. Yeah, my pal. Well, I guess we can figure out some way to do it when we start shooting. Location trucks are going out tonight. They'll be ready first thing in the morning. Well, I'll be out early and look over the setup, but I know we're going to need a boom and some piano wire. I can see that much already. See that stuff gets in there, Bob. I'll take care of it, Mr. Hollingsworth. We now find the motion picture company on the location set. Scores of men have finished setting up the equipment. It is early morning. The bright September sun has just started on its trip across the sky, bringing a welcome warmth to the chilly mountain air. The country is rough. High jagged peaks, sheer cliffs, rocks, a landscape exposed to centuries of abuse by wind and water. On a small plateau, overlooking a breathtaking canyon whose walls are lined with solid rock, we find Slim Talbot, Mr. Hollingsworth, the director, and his assistant. Mr. Talbot is speaking. What are you looking at, Bob? It seems absorbed and deep thought. You know, I was just thinking, it's a long way down there. Exactly 152 feet. It's been measured several times. From where the cameras are set up, all this depth shows in the picture it'll be a beautiful shot. Well, I'll tell you, Mr. Hollingsworth, the only way the stunt can be done is to run the boom out over the edge of the cliff and have a piano wire attached to me and one on the horse. I see. Then when the horse backs off the cliff, it will keep you both from falling to the bottom, eh? Yeah, that's it. Now you can cut the scene there and we can make the long shot of the fall using the wire as safety. That's a very practical suggestion, Slim. Bob, get the grips on that right away, will you? Sure, Mr. Hollingsworth. Well, Slim, when we get that done, we'll be ready to go. I'm anxious to get this scene in the bag. We're all set, Mr. Hollingsworth. Boom's rigged up with the wire. Good. Well, get up on your horse, Slim, and we'll tie you off to the boom. We'll have this shot before you know it. Okay, tie us off. All right, everybody, we're ready to go. How about cameras? All set, Mr. Hollingsworth. Sound okay? All right, Slim, how about it? I guess we're ready, too. Okay. Now listen to all you men on the horses. You keep backing Slim up towards the edge of the cliff until he goes over and talk it up among yourselves. When I yell, cut, give him plenty of room to jump back. Is that clear? All right, here we go. You wouldn't have even knew what he was backing into. You fellas on the boom, keep up slack on those wires. Here we go. Off the edge. You okay, Slim? See, that was a quick jump you made there, boy. Yeah, it had to be quick. I was lucky to make the bank. Well, I'll say you were. Ladies and gentlemen, it is our pleasure to present in person the courageous young man who made that scene and who so narrowly escaped it. Slim Talbot, interviewed by Glenn Hardy. Well, Slim, that certainly was a close shave. But tell me, what happened to the horse? Well, believe it or not, he didn't even get a scratch. He slid down the steep slope on his back and a little ledge down about 20 feet stopped him. Well, that horse was pretty lucky himself then. He sure was. If he'd turned over in his feet and dropped, he'd have been killed. Well, Slim, about that piano wire, why do you suppose it broke? No one ever found out. The piano wire's funny that way. I suppose they had to take that scene all over again. No, no, they let it go at that. Looks well to the camera's eye. Well, in your experience, Slim, do they have to take many retakes? No, as a matter of fact, in the 10 years that I've been doing stunts, I've only had to do two of them over. Pretty lucky, I guess. Well, that's quite a record. Say, Slim, just how tall are you anyway? Oh, six feet three. You know, you'd make a good double for Slim Somerville. Well, I hope so. I've doubled him a lot of times. You have, eh? Sure. Do you remember him in the picture? They had to get married. Zazu Pitts was in the two. Yes, I remember that very well. Well, did you double for him in that? Yeah, and almost drowned in one gag. I had to jump into a lake wearing a suit of armor. The thing weighed about 100 pounds. It was a universal picture back in 1933. The location was out at Sherwood Lake. We were all... Just a minute, Slim. You don't mind if we interrupt here. You can tell us all about that in a moment. But first, we have a word from our sponsor. Okay, Slim, now, what about that suit of armor? Well, we'd been shooting scenes all day out there at the lake. And when we came to this armor gag, a Mr. Gregg, the director, called his assistant. All right. Read scene 245. Scene 245, exterior, lake set, wide angle, medium shot, double for Slim Somerville is wearing suit of heavy armor. He runs to the bank of the lake and jumps in. Okay. You know what to do now, Talbot. Yes, sir. And say, you lifeguards, if he doesn't come up in about 30 seconds, do your stuff. You guys heard what the boss said. 30 seconds, not 30 minutes. Okay, we'll be there. Well, if you're all set, Slim, we'll take it. Right. I'm ready. Say that metal suit you've got on will pull you down like an anchor. You know what? Maybe I'd better carry a can opener with me, eh? You might need one at that. Oh, I think these boys can handle the situation all right. Okay. Here we go. It's a take. All set, everybody. Okay. Okay, Slim, get set, make your run. All right, roll them. Go ahead, Slim. The one thing about that suit of crab couldn't very easily bite them. There he goes. Ah, that's for swell. Follow shot on that. Get the bubbles. How long is that guy going to stay down there? Well, I don't know what's holding him. Come on up, Slim. Something's gone sour. He ought to be up by this time. Hey, you lifeguards, get in there. Come on, get him out. Well, what's happened to the lifeguards? They're not coming up either. What's the matter here? Come on up. Come on up. Oh, there they come. They got him. Look, I bet he's drowned. Come on. Do something, then. Do something. Get that armor off. Quick, here. Here, give him my official respiration. Call a doctor. Do something. Hold me up with that first aid. Come on. Put it right over here. Oh, it's coming around now. He's all right. Slim. Slim, come out of it. Say something. Slim. Slim. Boy, oh boy. They certainly had to in a spot there, Slim. You're not kidding. Bad state under there. Another 10 seconds out of drown. Well, just what happened? Well, you see, the suit of armor pulled me right down to the mud bottom and held me there. Well, couldn't you do anything for yourself? Nope. I just couldn't do a thing. Even both the lifeguards had a tough job. Well, now, Slim, honestly, how do you like doing stunts for the movies? Well, sometimes the stunts are not so hot, but the dough's always there. Then you're in it for the money. That's the only reason a minute. Tell me, what did you do before you got into that business? Well, I was a rodeo performer, you know, bronc riding and things like that. Well, it's a far cry from bronc riding to stunt work. But tell me, Slim, are you on call at all the studios or do you work mostly for one? Well, I get a lot of calls from outside studios, but most of my work is with Paramount. Well, whatever studio you work for, your business takes a lot of courage and confidence. Slim, you have certainly entertained us and 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. Goodbye, old man, and a lot of luck.