 Introducing the daredevil of Hollywood come on come on times are wasting let's get this shot And then we're all through hey the motorboats are all set mr. Richfield. That's good Tommy Did the drivers know exactly what to do? Yes, sir They're supposed to be coming at full speed and then the big boat crashes into the little one is that right? That's right, and I only hope we get it on the first day. Oh, I say I don't think those boys will mess up the shot You know they're both good stuntmen. Let's go. All right. Quiet everybody quiet Okay start grinding The motion picture capital of them to life experiences of those men behind the scenes Those daring unsung heroes whose breathtaking adventures on the screen have thrilled millions whose daily job bring them face to face with them Those men who comprise the strangest fraternity on earth the suicide squad the movie stuntman the daredevil of Hollywood In bringing you this copyrighted radio feature it is again our privilege to have as our guest the charming stunt girl of the movies Miss I own read we have all enjoyed her visits before and we know that again She has a real thrill in store for it It is through her cooperation that we are able to re-enact some of the highlights of her dangerous profession And the thrilling scenes you are about to hear are her own actual experiences Miss read is here in the studio right now and later in the program We will bring her to the microphone But first let us dramatize for you some of her thrilling experiences. It is a bright hot summer day in 1928 the scene is a southern, California Freak yard the air is filled with faint sounds of locomotives lazily puffing their answer to the switchman's calls Here a motion picture company has set up location Dressing rooms and other equipment large lights cameras and reflectors add a bizarre touch to the otherwise colorless and grimy locale Inside a hastily erected canvas dressing room. We find our own read executing the final touches to her makeup. Her colored maid is assisting I sure be glad when this hair thing is over. I already got the heavey jeez now Don't stop worrying again. Lucy everything's gonna be all right That's just what she said that time that you broke them two ribs, you remember? Oh, but that was different We had an accident that day. Well the way I feel now. I'm gonna have an accident myself Come on Lucy, brace up. Come on. Hand me that costume. You mean just here one. Yeah, that's it Come on. Sleep it over my head. Listen child. How come such a pretty girl like you and just here dangerous business How come you all don't get yourself nice man and get mad, huh? Now look Lucy up to now everything's been running swell Let's don't stop that again. Yes, ma'am. Yes, ma'am. Come on. Yes, how that built in the back. Well, hold still honey. Hold still Yeah, nice little country girl outfit, huh? Yes, I own you looks pretty as a picture. In fact, you always done Well, I guess I'm ready. Hand me my watch, Lucy. Yes, ma'am 11 o'clock. You ought to be ready to shoot this scene any minute now. Well, I'll be seeing you Lucy. No, child I hope so. Come on, you're a big girl now. Snap out of it. Yes, ma'am But anyhow, I'm gonna be praying to the good Lord to take care of you honey, and I don't mean maybe How's this for a little country girl about to run away from home? Oh, hello, I own you look great How much time? Well, we've already very shortly. Now. Let's see. Yeah, what am I supposed to do when I look you're doubling the leading lady You're supposed to run down alongside the railroad track there, and you're just trotting along See, yes, and then what the freight train comes along and overtakes you then a hobo is riding in a box car He reaches out as the train goes by and scoops you up. I understand. He picks me up as a train Now here's the point if he happens to drop you or you slip out of his arm You're going to fall very close to the wheel. That's exactly what we want to avoid. Yeah, that'd be bad Wouldn't it matter the fact the fella doesn't want to do the scene at all? He's afraid he will drop you now. What do you think about it? I own of course I don't want to go around being dropped on the freight trains But it seems to me that he could hold on all right after all it's not much different from being picked up by a man on Horseback I've done that hundreds of times. You know, well, that's the way I see it I believe it can be done pretty easily. Well, how fast will the train be going? Oh about 20 miles an hour Well in that case, I think it's worth a try We'll give it a whirl once and if it's too tough we can make other plans The only thing is I own a train going even at that speed has quite a suction underneath the cars So if you do fall start rolling away from it as soon as you hit the ground, you know what I mean? Yeah, I've been thinking about that. Well, how about it? Are you ready? Sure any time. Okay, let me check I think we're about all ready. Oh say I own I want you to talk with this fellow who's to pick you up Wilson this is miss reed the girl you're going to work with. Oh, yes. I know I own we worked together before Yeah, I remember. Hi, you day. Fine. Thank you Now look I only if something happens to wrong if I drop you don't try to hold on full clear You see yeah, I understand if I have to fall I'll make a clean drop and start rolling Yeah, that's it exactly, but I'll do my best to hold you sure. I know you will I'll go down then get on the train best of luck. I own and be Thanks Jack I will now look I own you walk up the track to the marker there and wait for your cue Then you start trotting along down the track, but when the train comes along give it enough space to pass Well, I hope so. Okay, I'll be seeing you. All right. Well, here we go. I'll watch it everybody Okay, signal the train Especially in that gravel from the camera car, too. There's Wilson leaning out. He's getting ready He's about to grab her courageous young lady who made that scene whose job it is to brush death and making thrilling scenes for motion pictures It's I own read interviewed by hell style Well miss read. I'm still curious. How did you manage to get out of that situation? Well, if the train had been going much faster, I wouldn't have but the suction wasn't quite strong enough to pull me under I finally rolled out of the way But at that one of the trucks brushed my shoulder and was certainly a narrow escape now look something went wrong there Did you have to make that scene over again? Well, we would have but mr. Wilson was afraid to do it again He didn't want to take the responsibility of dropping me under the train. Oh, what finally happened that is How did they get the scene right? Oh, they just changed the story around a little bit and eliminated that scene Instead of being picked up by the man. We did another scene and I just hopped on the train Would you have made the scene over? Suppose I would have but the director didn't want to take the responsibility either Tell me I imagine you get pretty well paid for this dangerous work. I certainly don't do it for any other reason. Oh Can you give us some indication? Well, I used to play leads in Western pictures, you know, but there's more money in what I'm doing now I should give you some idea It does and your stunt work is in Western's quite a bit isn't it? Yeah, a large part of it I remember once on a Paramount picture called under the Toronto rim I was doubling for a verner hilly back in 1933 a wagon was supposed to turn over in a river and throw me out There were a lot of just a moment miss reed. This is the point in our program. Oh, yeah, I remember. Let me do it Ladies and gentlemen, we'll hear about the wagon scene in just a moment, but first a word from our sponsor All right now miss reed about that wagon Well, according to the story this covered wagon is going across the country About 40 head of steers trailing along behind wagon comes to a river and the people decide to risk a crossing Cattle and all river isn't very swift, but it's pretty deep We're all standing there on the bank of the river talking it over the director Henry half the way is anxious to get the scene down Well, we might as well try it. We'll never get it done standing here talking about it. How about it? I own I'm ready. Okay. Now here's the shot Now miss reed you and Tom are in the wagon and the horses pull the wagon out into the middle of the river And there's where the wagon turns over we'll trip it over with piano wire I'll see and then what happened in the meantime all those cattle are swimming alongside the wagon And so when you go into the river you land right in the middle of it now. Is that clear? Yes, sir But now then you're swimming around with all these cattle. See you're trying to reach the bank Well, do I find to reach it? Yeah, and Tom is supposed to save you and pull you out. Okay. Let's try it. All right, everybody This is the shot places everybody Now keep those cattle lined up. Here we go. I'll set Tom. Sure. I'm ready. Well, okay. I own get up there on the seat All right All right, right out there in the middle of arm. Yeah, that's about right Yeah, okay turn the wagon over man. Watch yourself. I own this Tom saver. Where's Tom? Oh miss reed. That's one way to get out of a river. That must have been quite a comical scene Yes, it was but it wasn't so funny at first when that big fella started after me. His horns were about this long That is pretty long. I'd say about a yard or more now. Look miss reed It's rather odd that an attractive girl like yourself would be in this sort of work Don't you plan to quit someday and perhaps get married? I thought we were supposed to talk about the stunt business. I guess that sets me straight But in any event and seriously, I want to thank you for coming here We have all enjoyed your visits more than we can possibly say and on behalf of our listeners I extend to you an invitation to appear on this program again very soon And I know that everyone joins me in hoping that you will thanks again miss reed and the best of luck