Lucky Devils

A fun romp, Starring William Boyd, (best known as Hopalong Cassidy)about a group of Hollywood stunt men. The story by Bob Rose and Casey Robinson, two of the top stunt men of the era, follows the men through the up and downs of the stunt world in early films. Complete with a rousing song,sung several times in the film, about the trials and tribulations of the Hollywood stunt man, not unlike the "Fall Guy" theme. You get a glimpse of "state of the art" stunts of that time and it ends with William Boyd using all of his "stunt" skills to race from Big Bear back to Hollywood to make the birth of his child. It's fun, and gives a good look at old Hollywood as it plays as the backdrop for the story. Just a look at the size of the palm trees lets you know just how long ago this took place. Enjoy!

The first five minutes of this film will quickly convince you that this is definitely a "Pre-Code" movie--a film so named because it was made just before the Hays Production Code was fully enforced--putting a stop to excessive violence, sexuality and "adult themes". Just a year later, a film as amazingly violent as this one never would have been allowed. That's because this portion of the movie features a bank robbery scene that is at least as violent as the ones in BONNIE AND CLYDE--which was made over three decades later. Blood is flying, customers are being splattered and hundreds of bullets fly. This is not the only extremely violent moment in the film, as later you see a man fall into a burning building and it's very shocking indeed.

The film is not really about bank robberies, though, but is about the rough and dangerous world of the movie stuntman. In the 1920s, some Hollywood producers were pretty cavalier about risking the lives of their stunt men, though how unnecessarily lives are tossed away in this film seems silly--but also very entertaining.

The main character in this film is William Boyd (later known as "Hopalong Cassidy") and once he marries, his new bride is convinced he'll be killed. Judging by the movie so far, this isn't surprising! I could tell you more about the plot but don't want to ruin it. The film is very exciting to watch and the violence is shocking but also intriguing because it was so extreme. A good film but certainly not an intellectual or deep film.

PS--Look carefully at the beginning and you'll see a White guy in black face--something that's shocking when seen today.

Lucky Devils (1933)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

Last month I watched a short called Thrills for Spills, which focused on stunt players in movies and this film here features one intense stunt, which was featured in that short. This RKO film, based on stories by two real-life stuntmen, stars William Boyd as the leader of a group of stuntmen who always tells his men not to fall in love because this will get them killed in their stunts because their minds will be on their wife and not the job. Boys eventually falls for a woman (Dorothy Wilson) who never makes it in Hollywood and his love for her costs a stunt to go horribly wrong. Soon Boyd is without a job and when his wife needs $100 to get into a hospital he must try one of the most dangerous stunts out there for the money. This film is pretty silly but it moves incredibly well in its short 64-minute running time. Boyd is very energetic in his role and the supporting cast is just as impressive. Bruce Cabot and Lon Chaney, Jr. (still using his real name Creighton) plays two of the stuntmen and it's always nice seeing them in these types of roles. Roscoe Ates, the stutterer in Freaks, has a role here as well, which requires him to be humiliated throughout. The stunt scenes are all very well done and it's nice seeing a movie taking a look at these men who never get enough credit.

1933's "Lucky Devils" is an often fascinating look at Hollywood stuntmen and the dangerous feats they perform anonymously for the benefit of cinema-goers around the world. Not long before Hopalong Cassidy, William Boyd toplines as the leader of the close knit group, Skipper Clark, with others portrayed by William Gargan, Bruce Cabot, Creighton Chaney (Lon Jr.), William Bakewell, and real life stuntman Robert Rose, who co-wrote the screen story. A breakneck pace is established right off the bat, with a daring daylight bank robbery that turns out to be a frenetic scene being filmed for a picture titled "Right Living," bullets and bodies flying all over the lot. Skipper's oft repeated phrase to his comrades involves any daredevil who loses his edge by marrying a dame: "a good stuntman makes a bad husband, and a good husband makes a bad stuntman." The picture veers toward predictability when Skipper himself falls for an attempted suicide whose life he'd saved, after which he does indeed lose his nerve on a swinging rope above a burning building, resulting in a near fatal fall for his buddy (William Gargan). All does end happily for husband and wife, a breathless rush back to LA buttressed by several clearly dangerous driving stunts just in case the audience hungers for more! The good outweighs the bad overall, and among the cast is a young Lon Chaney Jr., still using his real name in only his second RKO feature. As stuntman Frankie Wilde, he is always seen with the other group members, introduced right behind William Gargan during the opening scene. It's a decent role providing much screen time, if little dialogue, though he does get a laugh when fellow performer Roscoe Ates stammers through a toast on the upcoming marriage of one of their own with 'long life and prosperity,' Chaney interrupting his stuttering with 'progeny' in place of 'prosperity' (the New York Times reviewer noticed the novice newcomer: "Creighton Chaney figures in a minor role"). I wasn't able to spot Ward Bond among the on screen crewmen, but gorgeous Marion Byron can be seen virtually playing herself, a sexy flapper named Peanuts (her actual nickname).

Movie stuntmen are a tight group. They are skirt-chasers, but marriage is the death of their work. Wives would never let their men be stuntmen and a wedding tends to wreck their daredevil ways. Skipper Clark (William Boyd) and Bob Hughes (William Gargan) grab Fran Whitley (Dorothy Wilson) before she jumps off the balcony to her death. She falls for Skipper and they get married.

This is a pre-Code drama. The story is fine although I'm not really sold on the premise. At least, stunt people are not this way today A love triangle would be a more compelling story. The most compelling parts of this movie are the stunts. They are quite exciting and are great examples of early stunt work. Maybe one can fast forward to those sections.