Hi Chester
Your probably right. Its very forwad but I'd like a personal pen picture similar to the sort of thing the stunt men did for Tim Lilley in the Big Trail and possibly an autographed photograph to go with Rudy Robbins Dean Smith and Neil Summers.
If that is impossible a address that I could write to him.
Regards
Arthur
Hi Bill and Chester,
It would be great to find out what happened to them.
Tap Cannutt, His real name was Edward, got hs nickname on the day of his birth when he was called Tapadero the Spanish name for a stirrup cover and held the name ever after. Just why I don't know but to follow Yak's story and it is very interesting, read Yak's book Stuntman.
I seem to recall their is a female stuntperson possibly a third generation about but can't be sure.
Regards
Arthur
Hi Bill
Your right it was brilliant.
In Heston's book it seems that Yak was aware of the dangers of the stunt and suggested that Joe wear a restraining harness but at the last minute his son didn't opt for it for fear that if anythng went wrong he might get dragged under the wheels of the chariot. I have a piece of newspaper clipping which deails Yaks work in Stagecoach and also in Ben Hur:-
Quote
Cannutt was co-ordinator of the chariot race, but in the stunt I've choosen, it was his son, Joe who was performing. I'ts a prime example of how spontaneous stunts can be. It was never planned for Joe to go over the top of the chariot. The jump was rehearsed, but the adrenalin was up, the horses were running a bit hard, they hit the ramp and Joe was literally fired over the front. Poor Yak must have been distraught: he was photographing this stunt in which it appears that his son has been killed. And then, lo and behold, Joe climbs back in. That's courage: to maintain that level of compousre and to carry on acting even though your face has just been ripped open.
I take the spirit in which the piece was written although I cannot believe that spontinaity came into any gag tha Yakima Canutt planned as he was too meticulous.
I believe that all Joe got from the encounter was a bloody nose. Truly a spectaular piece of work from a spectacular family.
By the way do you know what happened to Joe and his brother Tap. the records are very vague. I had an address of the stuntmans association but when I wrote it came back not known.
My Best Regards
Arthur
Hi
Charlton Heston was a great admirer of Laurence Olivier and had appeared with him on Broadway in a disasterous play called the Tumbler which opened at the Helen Hayes Theatre on February 24th 1960 and closed three days later after just five performances.
Given the chance to play General Gordon opposite Oliviers Mahdi he jumped at the chance. He also apeared with Ralph Richardson who played prime minister Gladstone in the picture. Another knight, Rchardson he had appeared in the original 1930s version of the Four Feathers which also dealt with the same period of history.
The battle scenes were directed by Yakima Canutt assisted by his son Joe. They had both worked with Heston before on Ben Hur and it had been Joe who had stood in for Heston in the chariot race.
An item of interest is that in the film in one scene Heston is sitting in the palace of the Khedive of Egypt watching a belly dancer, he has no dialogue but in his book Heston explains that the point of the scene was to demonstrate the magnificent tunic he was wearing which was covered entirely with gold bullion which apparently added an extra six pounds to the weight.
When it came to making the costume the studio went to a london tailor called Berman's who were the oldest costume and uniform house in the world. When the uniform had been completed Heston complimented an old tailor on the authentic look of the uniform and was told that it was no problem as the firm had made the original uniform for General Gordon and still had the original patterns.
At one point Heston wondered looking at the age of the tailor, if he had made the original but dismissed that idea
Regards
Arthur
