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If I Were Editor
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business. It was about this time that Prince Lichtenstein came to Hollywood with the Austrian riders who were to compete in the Los Angeles Olympics. He asked Von to come with him and take charge of the troops. But it was Erich Von Stroheim who ; was respKjnsible for getting Von started on the job of technical advisor in cavalry pictures. His first was leading the charge in "Charge of the Light Brigade." In that charge there were thirty-eight casualties, and sixty-five horses killed.
"Had any general suffered such a loss there would be nothing left for him to do save drink a bottle of warm champagne and blow his brains out. I determined that never again would I work with untrained troops, no matter how well they could ride."
The only way Von could have trained troops was to pick his men and train them. With all the extra boys in Hollywood and all the cowboys, that seemed like an easy task. It wasn't. The extra boys were doing all right without training and the cowboys laughed at the idea that they could be taught anything about riding. As a last resort, Von visited the imiversity and put his idea up to the young men about to graduate. Out of the hundreds who volunteered. Von picked only forty tall handsome fellows. He rented a field and a horse apiece and started in to drill according to Army rules.
He not only taught them to ride in any territory, to jump, carry guns, spears, flags, but he also taught them how to walk like a soldier, salute, sit down, stand up, enter a room, leave a room, put on a glove, take it off, remove a cap, address a superior, a lady, an underling. In other words, when Von got through, those boys were soldiers for close-ups as well as long shots — for the ballroom as well as the field of battle.
"Our first job, as a troop, was 'Maid of Salem,' and we've never been out of work since," says the proud Von.
\A/HEN Hollywood couples grab a plane ' and hop over the state line to find a minister, did you ever give a thought to the pilot of that plane? You should, because in nine cases out of ten he is Hollywood's own handsome, debonair "Honeymoon Express Pilot" Paul Mantz! Paul is dark and handsome and thirty-six; if he had liked acting as well as he does action he'd have given Gable plenty of headaches.
"I'd rather give 'em thrills and chills," Paul laughs, failing to mention that once in a while he gives 'em a few spills as well. You see, helping cupid tie knots is the least of Paul's work — most of it is done for air pictures. No stunt the gag man can think up is too tough for Paul and his boys.
Paul, who became a pilot at the age of sixteen, headed for Hollywood after he heard about Dick Grace, veteran stunt pilot who used to crash planes for pictures at $1,500 a crash. Paul knew all about crashes — he had experienced plenty of them but never got a dime. He headed west and spent two years banging at studio doors before anyone gave him a tumble.
One of his first stunts was to fly through a hangar and just miss Slim Summerville when he flew out. He explained to Slim about that blind spot on the plane.
"You'll have to use your own judgment about ducking in time because I won't be able to see you."
Military Boot by B. F. Goodrich
NOVEMBER, 1941
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