Twisting in air : the sensational rise of a Hollywood falling horse / Carol Bradley.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Bradley, Carol, 1957- author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Cocaine (Horse).

Cocaine.

Animals as actors--California--Los Angeles--History--20th century.

Animals as actors.

Horses in motion pictures.

Horses--California--Los Angeles--Biography.

Horses.

Physical Description:

xii, 216 pages : illustrations ; 23 cm

Place of Publication:

Lincoln : University of Nebraska Press, [2024]

Summary:

""Twisting in Air" brings to life the era when an extraordinary group of falling horses made Western movies come alive and chronicles how one of them, a horse named Cocaine, overcame a debilitating injury to become the fastest falling horse"-- Provided by publisher.

"Twisting in Air chronicles the gritty and glittery era when an extraordinary group of horses made Western movies come alive and explores how one of them, Cocaine, overcame a debilitating injury to become the fastest falling horse of all. Falling horses came into being in the 1940s after movie studios agreed to abide by the Hollywood Production Code's ban on cruelty to animals and stop using deadly trip wires, tilt chutes, and covered pits to topple unsuspecting horses. Filmmakers still wanted to depict horses falling in battle, however, so they went looking for a new wave of "acting" horses who could tumble to the ground on command. Cocaine was a thoroughbred-quarter horse mix who doubled many times for John Wayne's horse Dollar and appeared in a number of Westerns directed by John Ford. Coke was one of only a couple dozen horses who mastered the demanding athleticism required to fall safely at will. Twisting in Air offers an absorbing look at the dark early history of stunt horses in movies and the development of falling horses, the stunt riders who owned, trained, and depended on them, and the behind-the-scenes circumstances in which they performed. "-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

A mortifying gaffe

The lure of the West

First came Fritz

Then came Tony

Trip wires and more

Ratcheting up the risks

Making headway against abuse

Learning the ropes

In search of a horse

A debilitating injury

Learning to fall again

Tough riders, tough horses

Doubling for John Wayne

The searchers

Doubling for the stars

Aging and still falling

The return of cruelty

Out to pasture.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references.

ISBN:

9781496239006

1496239008

OCLC:

1408649557