A friend slipped me a copy of a documentary called “Double Dare,” and if you can get your hands on it, I cannot recommend it highly enough.
Directed by Amanda Micheli, it tells the intersecting stories of two stuntwomen: Jeannie Epper, who comes from a family that’s described as the Flying Wallendas of the stunt world (except, one hopes, without the unfortunate body count), and has a career stretching back to doubling Lynda Carter as “Wonder Woman.” And Zoe Bell, an up and comer who doubled Lucy Lawless as Xena and–in the course of the documentary–auditions for and lands doubling for Uma Thurman in “Kill Bill.” (Several scenes are shown being filmed from “Kill Bill) with Bell as the Bride.) If you can manage to score yourself a copy, by all means do so. (There’s a “Double Dare” listed on Amazon.com, but there’s virtually no description of it and I don’t know for sure if it’s the same one. If anyone reading this does know for sure, chime in.)
Honestly? This shouldn’t stop as a documentary. If a network can make a success of a TV series based on the life of a crime-solving psychic, then a network (or maybe the Oxygen Channel) could do a series loosely based on the lives of Bell and Epper. The older, more experienced stunt woman guiding the career of the younger while also dealing with the needs of her extended family. God knows I’d watch it. Hëll, I’d write for it. This thing’s a natural. Watching the set-ups for the stunts alone would be fascinating, and it’d be a hundred times better than the old Lee Majors “Fall Guy” series, especially if Epper and Bell are in it and doing their own stunts (a la Jackie Chan.)
PAD
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Stuntman was the first job I ever wanted (never went thru the cowboy/police/fireman phase – a stuntman could be all of them). How I never managed to seriously injure myself before deciding it wasn’t gonna happen I’ll never know.
Chris
Does it have Marc summers in it? I only watch Double dare if its hosted by Mark Summers! 🙂 :p
Another cultural blogger (forget who at the moment) just noted that there are no technical Oscars given out for stuntpeople (which I could not believe), and there’s currently a movement growing to rectify that situation. I share your admiration for these folks – even if I think they’re somewhat loony to want to put themselves into dangerous situations, the fact is that they’re certainly filling a need and doing it professionally and well – and am rooting to see them get their due.
Well, I don’t think they’re any more “loony” than policemen and firemen. Not only that, but as opposed to those two noble professions, stuntmen and women are able to examine a stunt six ways from Sunday to minimize the risk.
PAD
Peter, Jackie Chan actually uses stuntmen in his movies. I would imagine that he does some of his own stunts, and that perhaps he did more of them (who knows, maybe all of them) earlier in his career, but there is a common perception that he doesn’t use a stuntman now, which isn’t true. 🙂
Oh, I know he uses stuntmen NOW. He’s said as much in interviews, and I certainly can’t blame the guy. He’s broken…what? Every bone in his body twice or something? But his rep was built in his doing his own stunts in his younger days.
PAD
Thing is, by the time the network people were done with it, the show would be a hundred times WORSE than The Fall Guy.
At least stunt people have this:
http://www.worldstuntawards.com/
And I’ll try and ignore all the digs at “The Fall Guy.”
Chris
(hey…sure it was baloney, but there’s nothing wrong with liking baloney.)
You realize what you did, Mr. D? You just became Syndrome!
You gave away your whole plans to the enemy (the writers who peruse your column) because you were so “geeked out” about the idea you couldn’t stop talking about it. You were monologing!
Now someone will write, pitch and sell a pilot for your stuntwoman show (probably it will look a lot like “Hope and Faith,” God help us all) and you won’t get a dime out of it, and you’ll go broke, and Ariel will have to learn how to make her shoes out of old discarded cardboard held together with old rusty thumbtacks.
Have you ever considered the fact that you’d make more money and would lose less good ideas if you were hostile and uncommunicative with your fans, like, say, Jim Steranko, Todd McFarlane…and Dubya?
Oh, I know he uses stuntmen NOW. He’s said as much in interviews, and I certainly can’t blame the guy. He’s broken…what? Every bone in his body twice or something? But his rep was built in his doing his own stunts in his younger days.
That’s probably not the only reason he’s doing less stunt work now though. He’s more of a star now and the film companies probably can’t get the film bonded without insuring that Jackie won’t get hurt so he can finish the film.
BTW, i beg your figrgiveness on any typos in spelling. I’ve got a head cold and can’t focus my eyes well enough to read the screen that well.
In Hong Kong, the insurance WRT Jackie performing his own stunts was never a problem.
For the longest time, I thought I had “outgrown” movies like the ones described above. And then, I discovered Jackie Chan’s movies and how much fun they were. I even enjoy(ed) the Jackie Chan Adventures with my kids on Kids WB on Saturday mornings.
The “Double Dare” documentary sounds interesting, PAD, and if I could rent it at Blockbuster, I’d definitely do so.
In Hong Kong, the insurance WRT Jackie performing his own stunts was never a problem.
Hong Kong has loser laws and unions than Hollywood. the star gets hurt, you don’t have to keep paying people just to sit by until he gets well.
Boy I would like to see that movie. I have nothing but respect for the woman who venture into the movie stunt world. The first think of course is to get more movies made featuring heroines. And not that Tomb Raider crap please. 🙂
One thing that I always found insulting was how often that Hollywood would use male stuntmen to do the stunt of the female actress. I think the old TV show Sheena (not the Gena Nolan one, the Irish McCalla one) used a male stuntman for her stunts. I think the reason was that they simply couldn’t find a woman with the same glorious, athletic and tall statuesque body shape as the lovely Irish (yeah like a tall hairy guy would do). Not sure though.
Also the old Bob Hope movie “Paleface” (Or was it “Son of Paleface”) used a male stuntman for the few action scenes that Jane Russell had. Didn’t fool me for a second! 😉
Oh yeah and I think an old serial Perils of Nyoka, the few times they let Nyoka get all jungle girly they doubled her with stunt men (mostly David Sharpe).
I mean as a guy you can’t help but notice these things. 🙂
I know there’s more instances that I’m leaving out (anyone got other examples?) but it always annoyed me when they had a man do the stunt. Sexism maybe? So yea Jeannie! yea Zoe! You go girls!
You may get your wish. Word has it that Joss Whenon is being considered to do a Wonder Woman movie. My only regret about it is that it might come off looking like q Buffy movie, but considering how Wonder Woman has been done in the past, That’s a step ion the right direction.
I saw this movie at the Cleveland Film Festival about a year ago. It was a fantastic film!!! I wish it was released onto DVD(I haven’t heard that it had been released). It was really interesting to see the lives of these two women – and Jeannie Epper also played the Preacher’s wife at the Wedding in Kill Bill Vol. II.
Checked on IMDb, and they list the movie (dated 2004 … I note this because there are other movies with the same title), and it comes with a recommendation, but it is apparently not for sale yet. There is no link to Amazon for this particular edition, either on DVD or VHS.
Hope it happens, though; I’m intrigued.
FYI “Double Dare” will have a limited theatrical release this spring, and will come out on DVD the same date it airs on PBS–May 31st, 2005. Keep your eyes peeled for loal listings! The website at http://www.doubledarethemovie.com is currently under construction but will have updates soon!
Just an FYI for people in the midwest:
“Double Dare” is playing at this year’s Wisconsin Film Festival, on Friday April 1.
Festival info is at: http://www.wifilmfest.org
Oh, I know he uses stuntmen NOW. He’s said as much in interviews, and I certainly can’t blame the guy. He’s broken…what? Every bone in his body twice or something? But his rep was built in his doing his own stunts in his younger days.
That’s probably not the only reason he’s doing less stunt work now though. He’s more of a star now and the film companies probably can’t get the film bonded without insuring that Jackie won’t get hurt so he can finish the film.
Well, plus, the guy’s what, in his mid-40’s now? Getting into the early 50’s? C’mon…
If a network can make a success of a TV series based on the life of a crime-solving psychic
Oh, and I just wanted to add, that Medium is one of the best shows currently on television today, IMO.
Hey, I just wanted everyone to know that Double Dare will be getting new theatrical releases next week!
San Francisco APRIL 15, 2005
The Roxie Cinema * http://www.roxie.com
Nightly 7 and 9pm Wed, Sat, Sun matinees 2 and 4:30
Jeannie Epper, Zo