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For the ones who grew up watching movies in the 70s, the idea of making a living as a stunt driver was always one of the great options.  It may not have been as prominent as firefighter or doctor, but it was in that realm.  Any trip to the matinee would only further fuel this idea.  Although there may be some dubious merit to the Burt Reynolds films, at least in classical cinematic terms, their ability to impact the generation who grew up in the dark was deep and impressive.  They may be part of the last generation of great stunt people however.  Computer graphics can do so much more these days, that it’s not as necessary to risk lives on film.

It made sense to learn that Reynolds was roommates at one time with Hal Needham.  Their chemistry was legendary, and it was easy to imagine the two of them arguing for hours over nitto tires and still being nothing less than the closest of friends after.  That spirit was in all of their films, where the close friendships were always marked by a little bit of animosity, and an enormous love.

It’s probably not a coincidence that these are the same things that are part of the make-up of a professional stunt driver.  Being in dangerous situations every day does mean that there is a hardness to the world, but it’s not the same kind of hardness that infuses warrior culture.  There is a generous balance of love, and that comes from the sheer fun that’s at the heart of it.  After all, the whole purpose of a day’s work is to make audiences feel a small thrill.  It is the stunt driver who takes the burden and the pressures of living close to that edge in order to facilitate the experience for others.  In that sense, then, stunt training is part of a calling.

The great drivers of the 70s, however, just might be the last of their kind.  There are certainly others who are charged with putting themselves at risk on the set.  They are the ones whose knowledge of cars is extensive, knowing about how the brakes work at every speed, what niche wheels can do to an otherwise ordinary car, and how to keep their faces out of the shot.  There are more technologies that make it possible to increase the risk, or at least how the risk looks on film, and this does change the game.  It’s not as necessary for stunt people to do so much, because computers can make the effects, and often they are more realistic than filming the thing itself.  It’s a different era, but as long as there are hand to hand fight scenes, there will be a need for the stunt double.