Stuntwomen: The Untold Hollywood Story

by Mollie Gregory

Overview

They've traded punches in knockdown brawls, crashed biplanes through barns, and raced to the rescue in fast cars. They add suspense and drama to the story, portraying the swimmer stalked by the menacing shark, the heroine dangling twenty feet below a soaring hot air balloon, or the woman leaping nine feet over a wall to escape a dog attack. Only an expert can make such feats of daring look easy, and stuntwomen with the skills to perform—and survive—great moments of action in movies have been hitting their mark in Hollywood since the beginning of film.

Here, Mollie Gregory presents the first history of stuntwomen in the film industry from the silent era to the twenty-first century. In the early years of motion pictures, women were highly involved in all aspects of film production, but they were marginalized as movies became popular, and more important, profitable. Capable stuntwomen were replaced by men in wigs, and very few worked between the 1930s and 1960s. As late as the 1990s, men wore wigs and women's clothes to double as actresses, and were even "painted down" for some performances, while men and women of color were regularly denied stunt work.

For decades, stuntwomen have faced institutional discrimination, unequal pay, and sexual harassment even as they jumped from speeding trains and raced horse-drawn carriages away from burning buildings. Featuring sixty-five interviews, Stuntwomen showcases the absorbing stories and uncommon courage of women who make their living planning and performing action-packed sequences that keep viewers' hearts racing.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780813166230
Publisher:	University Press of Kentucky
Publication date:	06/29/2021
Series:	Screen Classics
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	444
File size:	6 MB

About the Author

Mollie Gregory is the author of Women Who Run the Show: How a Brilliant and Creative New Generation of Women Stormed Hollywood, 1973–2000.

Table of Contents

Preface ix

Introduction: Opening Shots 1

I The First Stuntwomen: 1910-1960

1 The Rise and Fall of Female Stunt Players in Silent Movies 7

2 Blackface and Wigs: Men Take over Stunts 25

3 Television: More Stunt Work-If You Can Get It 41

II Taking on the System and Fighting for Change: 1960s-1980s

4 Stunt Performers Organize 61

5 Social Turmoil Brings New Opportunities for Women and Minorities 77

6 The Women's Movement and Female Action Heroes 93

7 Disaster Movies and Disastrous Stunts 109

8 Stunt Safety and Gender Discrimination 125

9 Danger, Drugs, and Death 137

10 Breaking the Code of Silence 151

11 Women's New Attitudes and Ambitions 165

12 Julie Johnson's Day in Court 185

III New Professionals in Better Times: 1990s-2000s

13 High Falls 203

14 Stunt Fights 219

15 Car Stunts 233

IV The Digital Age: 1995-2010

16 Computer-Generated Imagery and the Future of Stunt Work 247

17 Controversy and Progress for Stuntwomen 265

Acknowledgments 275

Notes 279

Selected Bibliography 319

Index 321

What People are Saying About This

William M. Drew

"Studded with absorbing descriptions of the hazardous work of these athletic, unsung heroes, Mollie Gregory's excellent account is a richly detailed and long-overdue history of the daring stuntwomen of the screen."

From the Publisher

"A highly original, pioneering volume on the under-appreciated role of women in film. Stuntwomen documents the unique and until now untold story of its title subjects from the 1910s through the present. Mollie Gregory brings to her project the same skill, enerfy and vitality that those stuntwomen displayed, "a come-from-behind, risk-it-all saga," as she describes it. Much as men took over the role of director from the early women filmmakers, so did stuntmen quite deliberately it seems exclude their female counterparts, and it was not until fairly recent times that women once again proved just how capable they were in this field. The stunts are discussed in detail, along with the political, social, union, and, of course, gender issues involved. And did I mention that Stuntwomen is highly readable and pleasantly jargon-free?" — Anthony Slide, author of "It's the Pictures That Got Small": Charles Bracket on Billy Wilder and Hollywood's Golden Age and Silent Players: A Biographical and Autobiographical Study of 100 Silent Film Actors and Actresses

"Studded with absorbing descriptions of the hazardous work of these athletic, unsung heroes, Mollie Gregory's excellent account is a richly detailed and long-overdue history of the daring stuntwomen of the screen." — William M. Drew, author of The Last Silent Picture Show: Silent Films on American Screens in the 1930s

Anthony Slide

"A highly original, pioneering volume on the under-appreciated role of women in film. Stuntwomen documents the unique and until now untold story of its title subjects from the 1910s through the present. Mollie Gregory brings to her project the same skill, enerfy and vitality that those stuntwomen displayed, "a come-from-behind, risk-it-all saga," as she describes it. Much as men took over the role of director from the early women filmmakers, so did stuntmen quite deliberately it seems exclude their female counterparts, and it was not until fairly recent times that women once again proved just how capable they were in this field. The stunts are discussed in detail, along with the political, social, union, and, of course, gender issues involved. And did I mention that Stuntwomen is highly readable and pleasantly jargon-free?"

Editorial Reviews

This is a joyous, intense book: Gregory is bracingly up front about the outright sexism that has dogged professional stuntwomen almost from the beginning…But Gregory, who interviewed dozens of stuntwomen of all ages, focuses on much more than injustices and legal battles. What comes through most strongly is the joy these women take from their work.

The New York Times Book Review - Stephanie Zacharek

This chronicle is long overdue and Gregory seems to have found the right people to help tell the tale.

Leonard Maltin's Movie Crazy - Holiday Book Roundup - Leonard Maltin

An original, thought-provoking history of stuntwomen in the American movie business. Gregory does an excellent job of exploring a plethora of issues that women experienced in the industry, and she complements such explorations wonderfully with excerpts from her interviews and other primary sources. Gregory's book highlights the courage and resilience of stuntwomen, not only in performing physically challenging stunts, but also in facing so many challenges in order to have a job they truly love.

Oral History Review

A highly original, pioneering volume on the under-appreciated role of women in film. Stuntwomen documents the unique and until now untold story of its title subjects from the 1910s through the present. Mollie Gregory brings to her project the same skill, enerfy and vitality that those stuntwomen displayed, 'a come-from-behind, risk-it-all saga,' as she describes it. Much as men took over the role of director from the early women filmmakers, so did stuntmen quite deliberately it seems exclude their female counterparts, and it was not until fairly recent times that women once again proved just how capable they were in this field. The stunts are discussed in detail, along with the political, social, union, and, of course, gender issues involved. And did I mention that Stuntwomen is highly readable and pleasantly jargon-free?

Anthony Slide

While Stuntwomen: The Untold Hollywood Story fits comfortably on the shelf of any film history buff, it also provides essential relevance to those interested in feminism, American social/culture studies, and even contemporary law. Mollie Gregory has done a splendid job.

Mel Neuhaus

Mollie Gregory clearly knows her subject inside out, and writes about it vividly and excitingly.

Kevin Brownlow

Studded with absorbing descriptions of the hazardous work of these athletic, unsung heroes, Mollie Gregory's excellent account is a richly detailed and long-overdue history of the daring stuntwomen of the screen.

William M. Drew

Smart, thorough, and well researched.... Stuntwomen covers the film industry's most daring ladies and their feats from silent era [to present day].

Los Angeles Magazine

This book aims to uncover just how bad the institutionalised sexism of Hollywood studios was for stuntwomen who were often overlooked in favour of men in wigs.

Wow 247

Gregory has peeled the lid off a rich subject. There's no other book like this out there.

Film Comment

Stuntwomen, a history of American stuntwomen from silent films up through the movies of the present, is an exhaustively researched, comprehensive volume. Gregory's book fills a void in film history about this interesting, often overlooked, and vital cog in the film industry.

Sheila Benson

Documentary filmmaker and author Mollie Gregory writes an in-depth account of the stuntwomen who have performed on the big screen and television... to give readers a close view of the exciting and dangerous world these women love to face on a daily basis.

Shelf Awareness

A compelling look at a group still marginalized by Hollywood at large today, and threatened by the increasing reliance on CGI, Stuntwomen is a story of women kicking the shadows away and standing in the spotlight!

Cinema Sentries

In her engaging and enlightening book, Gregory digs into this little known corner of Hollywood history and gives voice to the women who have risked their lives for a few (perilous) moments on the big screen. A fascinating look at a risky profession.

Becky Krystal

This is a joyous, intense book: Gregory is bracingly up front about the outright sexism that has dogged professional stuntwomen almost from the beginning. But Gregory, who interviewed dozens of stuntwomen of all ages, focuses on much more than injustices and legal battles. What comes through most strongly is the joy these women take from their work.

New York Times

"This is a joyous, intense book: Gregory is bracingly up front about the outright sexism that has dogged professional stuntwomen almost from the beginning…But Gregory, who interviewed dozens of stuntwomen of all ages, focuses on much more than injustices and legal battles. What comes through most strongly is the joy these women take from their work." — New York Times

From the Publisher

09/15/2015
Gregory, a documentary filmmaker and former president of Women in Film, sheds light on a previously untold area of women's history: the highlights and dark side of the film industry, with a variety of historical background and 65 interviews of stuntwomen. Interwoven throughout are accounts of those who began working in the 1930s to stories of modern-day workers. Gregory paints a vivid portrait of discrimination, unequal pay, and sexual harassment, beginning with a historical analysis of the early days of the movie business that works its way up to current relations. The bravery of these backstage stars is highlighted through tales of unsafe stunt environments and documentation of what one had to do to earn a place in the business. Relating stories of adventure, excitement, and frustration, Gregory successfully explicates more than gender discrimination and evokes conversations surrounding feminism and race. VERDICT History buffs, gender activists, and film aficionados will enjoy this daring work as well as Gregory's Women Who Run the Show.—Marian Mays, Butte-Silver Bow P.L., MT

Library Journal