![]() And this horse named Pie was his horse in 17 films, right? I don't know that people think of James Stewart as necessarily a Western star, but he did a lot of westerns. So, yes, the answer is some horses actually - they know when they're on camera.ĭAVIES: It's interesting that you mention that pair. And jumping ahead in time, Jimmy Stewart's mountain, 17-westerns Pie was one of those horses who Stewart said he just felt him come alive underneath him the minute the camera started rolling. MITCHUM: I've heard many stories of horses that absolutely came alive when they saw the little red camera light blinking. I've seen the film, and it is pretty frightening.ĭAVIES: As you researched these horses and their trainers and what they were like on movie sets, do you - were horses aware of when the camera was on? Did they behave differently in rehearsal than they did when it was a real take? And Canutt finally just was able to roll over a bank and escape and run away, so he was not completely tame. And Rex just kept coming after him even when the trainer, Swede Lindell, tried to call him off. And Canutt managed to roll away, and he kicked Rex on the nose. And Canutt told the director, you know, I don't think we should press him for another take, but the director wanted another take.Īnd Rex just completely snapped and charged at Canutt with his teeth bared and really went after him, and he bit him, got him on the neck and knocked him to the ground, reared up and was striking at Canutt. And he had done it many, many times and was getting tired as horses do. And in one scene, Rex had to run to Canutt's character during an Indian battle, and that's the kind of liberty work that he excelled at, running from point A to point B completely at liberty, just watching the trainer off-camera give him a cue. Yakima Canutt co-starred with Rex in a movie called "The Devil Horse," in which Rex was playing - guess what? - the devil horse. Canutt warned Rex is getting a little edgy here. They were taking repeated take after take of a particular scene. And, yes, he had to work with Rex, and Rex actually attacked him.ĭAVIES: You tell a story of where they were on the set. He's quite a famous stuntman and horseman. Yakima was more of a stuntman than a trainer. So he really did have a charisma that was very unusual.ĭAVIES: There's a famous trainer named Yakima Canutt - do I have that - the name right? Hank Potts who was a movie horse handler at the time said that he had an unusual and arresting gleam in his eye like the unattainable stare of an eagle. But he was worth it because he was such a box office attraction. Sometimes he would run off, and he was sort of a diva. And he was not that easy to work with on the set. He had a gorgeous conformation, a beautiful arched neck, very, very pretty face, but he just had a wildness about him that never left. There was a wildness to him that, you know, many people who worked with him described, and he just had this incredible presence, really. Was there something about his look, something in his eyes? I mean, what makes. You would see Rex's name on a marquee?ĭAVIES: What made him special? I mean, he could perform well - I mean, seemed to take training well. Let's talk about one of the big stars of the silent era, a horse named Rex. Fascinating stories in here about horses in Hollywood. She said that back in the silent era, some horses were the box office attraction.ĭAVE DAVIES, BYLINE: Petrine Day Mitchum, welcome to FRESH AIR. She spoke to FRESH AIR contributor Dave Davies. Petrine Day Mitchum is a former Hollywood story editor and script analyst who's also worked as a photojournalist and essayist, and she's the daughter of Robert Mitchum. And many, she says, developed an actor's affection for the camera, coming to life when the director said action. ![]() Our guest Petrine Day Mitchum has written a book about horses in movies and television called, "Hollywood Hoofbeats." She says some horses were specially trained stunt horses, others bonded with actors who rode with them for years. John Wayne rode Duke, his devil horse, and, of course, there was Roy Rogers and Trigger billed as the smartest horse in the movies. Champion, wonder horse of the West, was Gene Autry's mount. In the days when westerns were big box office and TV attractions, cowboys and their horses often shared equal billing. ![]()
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