Truck stunt and Stagecoach - NOT!

[pellman]

This my be old hat but since the Raiders trivia page still reads

The elaborate truck chase sequence is modeled on a stunt in John Ford's Stagecoach.
In this film, legendary stuntman Yakima Canutt falls from a riding Stagecoach between the horses, lowers himself between their legs and slides over the ground till he reaches the back of the Stagecoach where he climbs up again.

I thought maybe someone should correct this. The stunt was indeed first performed by Yakima Canutt, but Stagecoach should not get the credit. Canutt is dragged under the stagecoach in that film, true, but more like someone being dragged to his death. He does not climb up the back.

The down-and-under-then-up-the-back of the coach stunt was performed by Canutt in Zorro's Fighting Legion. It can viewed at archive.org. I believe chapter 9 is the one with the stunt. http://www.archive.org/details.php?identifier=zorros_fighting_legion_chapter_9 It isn't as dramatically presented without the flare of Spielberg and co and John William's music, but it is arguably a more impressive stunt from a raw stunt perspective.

 

[Cole]

I agree with what you say and indeed, the trvia has it wrong.

I couldn't find the stunt in your video though.......so here's a youtube video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SRMfFzKt0oI

The first two stunts are from John Ford/John Wayne's 'Stagecoach.' The last stunt I believe is from the Zorro movie you are talking about.

And indeed, they are insane.

The Zorro clip you show is a great example of the inspiration for Indiana Jones though. In the 'Making of Indiana Jones' book that came out last year, there is a picture of Zorro jumping from a white horse onto a truck..............it almost looks verbatum from the shot of Indy jumping from his white horse onto the truck.

 

[Rocket Surgeon]

It was directly inspired by the failed Stagecoach stunt in The Legend of the Lone Ranger, which was a nod to Canutt.

 

[Cole]

Terry Leonard did both stunts. He failed in his attempt for the movie 'The Legend of the Lone Ranger' (1981), getting his foot caught under the wheel of the stagecoach. He was excited at this opportunity in 'Raiders of the Lost Ark.'

 

[Rocket Surgeon]

Terry Leonard suggested the stunt, it wasn't in the script. Raiders,and Spielberg gave him another chance to finally get it done. He had just spent the last three months recovering from the Lone Ranger Stunt.

 

[bigdaddygamer14]

That stunt is my favorite moment in any Indiana Jones movie.

 

[Attila the Professor]

I'd still argue that it's pretty clearly intended as a Stagecoach homage, taking it one step further, with Indy actually living to fight another day. Heck, the last thing we see Young Indy doing in the TV series is climbing under a stagecoach while working on the film set of John Ford, director of the 1939 film. Whatever affection Lucas and Spielberg may have for the old serials, they, like everyone else of their generation, were huge aficionados of <I>The Searchers</I> and other John Ford films. <I>Stagecoach</I> is the gold standard.

 

[Stoo]

I'd still argue that it's pretty clearly intended as a Stagecoach homage, taking it one step further, with Indy actually living to fight another day. Heck, the last thing we see Young Indy doing in the TV series is climbing under a stagecoach while working on the film set of John Ford, director of the 1939 film.

...and what a fitting end for the entire run of the show! A veritable coup-de-grace and it even uses actual Canutt footage. Love it as well as the title of the (fictional) movie, "Six Steps To Hell"!

I see the truck gag as an homage to Canutt in general and Stagecoach is, as you say, the "gold standard", however, pellman is correct in that the stunt going back onto the carriage is from "Zorro's Fighting Legion" so the text should be fixed to reflect that. (I do realize that theraider.net and The Raven are 2 seperate beasts.)

 

[Cole]

I'd still argue that it's pretty clearly intended as a Stagecoach homage, taking it one step further, with Indy actually living to fight another day. Heck, the last thing we see Young Indy doing in the TV series is climbing under a stagecoach while working on the film set of John Ford, director of the 1939 film. Whatever affection Lucas and Spielberg may have for the old serials, they, like everyone else of their generation, were huge aficionados of <I>The Searchers</I> and other John Ford films. <I>Stagecoach</I> is the gold standard.

As a fan of Ford/Wayne, well-said.

Perhaps this is no more apparent than in the first minute of 'Last Crusade.'

 

[Montana Smith]

Watched Stagecoach yesterday.

For an hour and ten minutes not a shot is fired, yet the atmosphere and character building is fantastic.

Then not long after the first arrow is fired the movie explodes into life.

Yakima Canutt as the Indian trying to take control of the lead horses...

Shot at, he drops down and slides between the horses and under the coach...

Then doubling for John Wayne he leaps onto the first horse and runs to the front of the team...

It's jaw dropping stuff!

But not always good news for the horses:

 

[Dr. Gonzo]

I gotta say I was blown away the first time I saw "Stagecoach" That whole stunt/set piece is still up there in my book among the greatest filmed stunts period.

 

[Montana Smith]

I see the truck gag as an homage to Canutt in general and Stagecoach is, as you say, the "gold standard", however, pellman is correct in that the stunt going back onto the carriage is from "Zorro's Fighting Legion" ...

I took a series of screen shots showing the Zorro's Fighting Legion stunt, and put them into the Cliffhangers thread.

 

[Darth Vile]

Yep - great movie. I think the Indy movies are the last set of movies to capture the spirit of that stunt work.