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.
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