The thrill makers : celebrity, masculinity, and stunt performance / Jacob Smith.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Smith, Jacob, 1970-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Stunt performers--United States--History.

Stunt performers.

Daredevils--United States--History.

Daredevils.

History.

United States.

Physical Description:

x, 270 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

Berkeley : University of California Press, [2012]

Summary:

Well before Evel Knievel or Hollywood stuntmen, reality television or the X Games, North America had a long tradition of stunt performance, of men (and some women) who sought media attention and fame with public feats of daring. Many of: thesel exploits-jumping off bridges, climbing steeples and buildings, swimming incredible distances, or performing with wild animals-had their basis in the manual trades or in older entertainments such as the circus. In The Thrill Makers, Jacob Smith shows how early twentieth-century daredevils first drew crowds to their spectacular displays of death-defying action before becoming a crucial, yet often invisible, component of Hollywood film stardom. Smith explains how these working-class stunt performers helped shape definitions of American manhood and pioneered a form of media celebrity that occupies a prominent place in contemporary popular culture. Book jacket.

Contents:

Introduction

The adventures of the bridge jumper

The adventures of the human fly

The adventures of the lion tamer

The adventures of the aeronaut

Conclusion.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9780520270886

0520270886

9780520270893

0520270894

OCLC:

757476572