The Fall Guy: 30 Years as the Duke's Double

Life as John Waynes stuntman. Chuck Roberson fell off horses for thirty years, doubling for some of the biggest names in moves - John Wayne, Gregory Peck, Gable, Mitchum, and Heston. He and his great horse Cocaine devised a running horse fall that was safe but a spectacular improvement on the cantering lie down horse fall used before, and together they galloped their way into the Stuntman's Hall of Fame. When Cocaine finally quit after 27 years before the cameras, Roberson say his "heart wasn't in it any more." Now retired, he recalls the highlights of his career in this humorous book.

Review :
"This is a fun and interesting read. It is frequently humorous, occasionally touching, filled with name-dropping, and full of page-turning stories about stuntmen (and a few women) and their horses." -- Cowboy Way "Chuck Roberson, who stunted for "Duke" John Wayne himself, was one of the best-known and most-respected from the trade's golden age. "The Fall Guy" takes the reader through his life and career, starting with a childhood on a Texas ranch where he witnessed a killing that would haunt him for years to come. He found his way to LA shortly after talkies came in and the "Land" part got cropped off the famous "Hollywood" sign. Quickly enough he got a job as a harness cop and then, on a lark, did some tricks on a horse in a movie." -- Joseph Hirsch "Movie fans admire famous Hollywood stars but who do the celebrity actors and actresses admire and look up to? The stunt-doubles!The Fall Guy is a candid and comical autobiography of 'Bad Chuck' who was a stunt-double for John Wayne (Duke) and other iconic Hollywood leading actors such as Clarke Gable, James Stewart and Robert Mitchum as well as the infamously cantankerous director, John Ford. Particularly enlightening was his close observations of Marilyn Monroe suffering physical and emotional abuse from her manipulative and insecure husband, Arthur Miller of whom 'Bad Chuck' says, Miller is still listed in my Little Black Book of Bastards as one of the all-time greats. His description of the hundreds of incredible stunts he did is truly amazing, especially the horse riding action scenes with his favourite horse named Cocaine. Many broken bones went into getting successful gags captured on film. Tragically some of his closest colleagues died or lost limbs from freak accidents filming on location. But it's also full of interesting stories that will make you smile and laugh..." -- Andy Hickman