There are a number of people involved in the movie making
process who receive little or no recognition. These are the unsung heroes that
make the stars look good. While the Hollywood elite take to the stage to
receive awards for doing their jobs, patting each other on the back and being
fawned over by the press discussing what they’re wearing and how wonderful they
look, there is one group that to this day doesn’t get recognition for their
achievements. Yes an Oscar may go to a seamstress, a person who gets the money
to make a film or a star who looks good on screen. But the behind the scenes
person who makes that star look good in any scene involving danger gets zero
recognition which is sad. They’ve been there since the beginning of film and
deserve better treatment. I’m speaking of the stunt person.
The stunt people have their own awards and perhaps it is
just my particular beef with the Academy for not recognizing them but isn’t it
time? There have been legendary names in the profession, in large part because
of their association with various stars, but the backbone of the stunt persons
world are those that are well known but not give the recognition they deserve.
One such stunt man among them is Gary Kent.
Kent has written about his life as a stunt man in his
autobiography SHADOWS AND LIGHT: JOURNEYS WITH OUTLAWS IN REVOLUTIONARY
HOLLYWOOD. It covers his time as a young man who went to Hollywood, found work
in low budget films as both an actor and stunt man and in the process made
lifelong friends and a living doing what he loved. I’ve recommended the book in
the past and now I have something else concerning Kent I’d like to recommend as
well, a film about his life called DANGER GOD.
The movie takes the elements of a documentary we’ve become
used to and combines them to tell us the story of Kent’s life from the time he
got to Hollywood forward. Starting with his appearing with several friends that
he’s made coming with him at a signing for his book in Austin, we get a glimpse
of the life of someone many of us have seen in film yet might not recall. Some
but not all. As legions of fans begin to look back at those classic B-movies
from the past or as they develop new fans that create a cult following around
certain films, the names involved become icons. Kent is one of those.
The film uses interview footage of Kent today along with
various news and talk show appearances to tell his story. Combining those with
clips of his films that show him on screen and in trailers we get to know the
man as well as we can in the short time allotted. Arriving in 1959 he began
working as a stunt man and learned how to do that the hard way. Why so? As he
says in the film he had no knowledge of wearing padding, digging holes to fall
into or other methods stunt men used. He learned though.
The directors he’s worked with were at the beginning of
their careers then but they remembered him later when they moved on. Richard
Rush, Al Adamson, Monte Hellman, Ray Dennis Steckler, Peter Bogdanovich and
Brian DePalma are just a few. And the movies and series he had a part in are
numerous as well. Shows like THE MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E., GREEN HORNET and DANIEL
BOONE featured Kent doing stunt work. Movies like THE SHOOTING, RIDE THE
WHIRLWIND, HELLS ANGELS ON WHEELS, COLOR OF NIGHT and more had him doing stunts
or supervising the stunt teams. But he was in front of the camera as well as an
actor in movies like SAVAGE SEVEN, SATAN’S SADISTS, DRACULA VS. FRANKENSTEIN
and more.
In the film during an introduction it’s noted that many of
his roles listed at IMDB note performances as ranch hand, thug leader, gas tank
worker and items like that. The thing is they were roles, it was work and paid
the bills. Not only that they allowed him to make friends and become part of a
legendary group that were among the best and toughest stunt men to find their
way on film. Those friends can be seen with him here in this film. Not many can
say they made friendships that lasted that long in Hollywood. And on top of
that this group helped each other, something else that’s rare these days.
The film also covers some of the behind the scenes part of
Kent’s life as well. The loves he made and lost, the children he’s had and the
loss of the love of his life. The all-around tough guy on film on film has a
softer side that most aren’t privy to. It’s on display here but in a way that
shows his courage, his affection and not in a maudlin style. It’s reality in
the true essence of the word and that makes him even more of a man anyone would
be glad to know.
You also learn of brushes with infamy that Kent’s path came
across. One location where movies shot westerns called the Spahn Ranch might
sound familiar. It’s where Charles Manson and his “family” hung out and Kent
met the group. Other tales of some of the odder side of Hollywood are included
here as well. To say that he had an interesting life is an understatement. The
cover for the disc notes that he was the inspiration behind Quentin Tarantino’s
ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD but Kent will be the first to tell you he was
only one of many the movie took inspiration from.
What I walked away from after watching this film was an
increased respect for those in the low budget film making world as well as the
stuntmen involved in all pictures. As I said at the beginning they are the
unsung heroes in the world of film, unrecognized and deserving of a gratitude
they rarely receive. And while the movies Kent has worked on were not the
ultra-budget movies we’ve seen on screen he has provided so many of us with
fond memories of movies that we enjoyed while at drive-ins across the country
of horror host shows we grew up with.
The movie is one night likely to be found at the local
Redbox or at any of the few remaining rental stores out there. That’s sad
because this is a movie that should be seen. Odds are it will be overlooked
when it comes time for award shows as well in the documentary category. Those
awards tend to be fueled with causes and commentary, ignoring movies like this
that provide us that backstage look at film making. So don’t sit around waiting
for those shows to hail this film or for it to suddenly appear out of nowhere.
Seek it out. Rent it on streaming services like amazon Prime. No matter what,
give it a watch and learn about a man you know but might not recall by name. My
guess is you’ll suddenly be saying “Hey, I remember that guy” and enjoying the
film on its own merits.
No comments:
Post a Comment