The World of Stunt Illusions

“Burt, stop this worrying. You must have heard surely of movie magic. You should be a stuntman… Now listen to me: that door is the looking glass, and inside it is Wonderland…”Peter O’Toole

"I've been training in Jiu-jitsu for about six years and I'm very fortunate to live in that world. All the fighters hang out and have lunch together just about every day and trade stories. And I've always been fascinated how in the world of Jiu-jitsu in L.A. everybody in the fight world - cops, special forces, bouncers, stuntmen - connected across different lines." ~ David Mamet

Graphics by Mike Knight of David Carradine and Jonathan

David Carradine and Jonathan sparring on the set of Death Sport

Magic takes many forms in entertainment, and stage performance is just one of them. With a twirl of a wand, Hollywood makes magic.  I like to refer to what I perform on stage as illusions rather than magic because it's a more authentic term. It better describes what I do. An illusion is a twisting of sensory perceptions through deception by producing a false or misleading impression of reality. For my performance purposes, my intention for the use of deception is for entertainment purposes only. My shows are meant to charm and delight people and not to pretend I'm a real magician.

Illusions don't have to be performed by a magician on stage. If you watch Hollywood movies and TV, you have witnessed cinematic illusions. Camera tricks and other instruments are tools directors use to create filmic deception in Hollywood. One of these instruments uses stunt doubles to perform specialized body movements, which is too risky for an actor without that skill set.

There was a guy I knew in school named Roger Swindle who could run faster than all the other football players, then, when encountered by the opposition, suddenly turn on a dime, avoiding interruption and running faster than a sprinter to reach the goal line. He was an essential asset to the high school’s football team, and with Swindle as an integral player, the team won many football titles.

Roger wasn't your typical football player; he was only about 5’5” tall and very lightweight. He had the physique of a gymnast more than a potential NCAA football player, but that didn't matter because Roger operated on a faster timing meter than most other skilled athletes. He was fine-tuned to his inward clock and intuitively understood which moves to make well before he executed them. That's what made him unique and significant when he played football. Jonathan and I had a second magic career as stunt doubles executing illusions on the silver screen. This is a two-part series because of the wealth of information during those days in the 70s and 80s. Here’s my story.

I don't know what happened to Roger Swindle. I heard he lived in Las Vegas. Randy had known him since they both attended the same class in 7th grade and before Roger entered high school football. Roger exhibited his physical and instinctual intelligence in other situations, like when he was with Randy, visiting their friend Mike, whose father had won a national boxing championship and taught his son how to box. Randy and Roger put on boxing gloves, and the way Randy explains it, Roger was at least one step ahead of him. Before he could think to move, Roger had already moved like a cat. Anyone who picked on Roger quickly retracted, including the biggest bullies in school. Swindle’s sixth sense protected him more than once, like when, as a teen, he took Randy with him late one evening to secretly visit his girlfriend. This wasn't Roger’s first time entering the home unannounced, so he walked through the back door, motioning Randy to follow him through a dark hallway. Suddenly, they were met by a barking little dog. Randy’s instincts told him to turn around and run. But Roger pressed on through the darkness, pulling Randy along to the room of his girlfriend, which turned out to be unoccupied. His girlfriend was staying with another friend. Hearing voices, Roger automatically hid them behind the bed; as they listened to her mother searching the whole way down the hall after being woken by the dog, she opened the door and found no one and then left. After a certain amount of time passed and both felt safe, they left the house. Randy said it felt like he was being motioned by someone in the matrix every minute he was with Roger in his that house. Roger wasn’t just fast and agile, but his mind also worked quickly.  He evaluated circumstances, speedily finding solutions for challenging encounters.  He possessed the perfect qualities to be a Hollywood stuntman.

Intuitives like Roger Swindle are lauded by the Hollywood stunt subculture and regarded as true athletic geniuses as their athleticism takes on a mystical quality emanating from some magical power. They feel their way through their body movements, defying any rational explanation. Their reflexes and instinctual thinking guide them and make them masters of mind-body awareness. Every successful stunt actor possesses this gifted ability to some degree. When I began my magic journey, I also started a short career as a stuntwoman inspired by Jonathan shortly after we were married in 1976.   My stunt life began by watching Jonathan and his best friend, famous stuntman Michael Vendrell, whom Jonathan had known since high school, and who was our best man at our wedding climb buildings, repelling down buildings and jumping from one building to another, falling mountains, and ski through rough, dangerous terrain with the agility of a panther for sport and fun and also practice for their stunt work reminding me of Roger Swindle's extraordinary kinesthetic genius. Jonathan and Michael were great training partners, but they took different paths only to join again a few years later.

One of my favorite photos of Mike Vendrell. Here he is, young and handsome, musing over his next stunt, resting on his skateboard

Michael Vendrell at our wedding at the Episcopal Church in Fullerton. California

Jonathan and Michael connected at the hips when they met at Fullerton Union High School, where they were both stellar athletes in gymnastics, swimming, diving, track and field, fencing, and martial arts. A couple of teens dreamed about magic and stunts, appealing to two young guys thinking of magic shows and being in movies as superheroes. Their passions inspired them to make their dreams a reality. Together, they practiced daily pushing ahead with tenacity, commitment, and drive to live their dreams, even at the often discouragement from the adults around them. One of my favorite things to do when we got together with Michael was listening to Jonathan and Michael talk about their times together in school and how they'd practice for their stunt careers. Some days, they would spar together, practicing martial arts a practice Michael became a world expert. On other days, they would practice sword fighting and diving/swimming s d scuba diving. They were honing the skills needed for their future in Hollywood. My favorite stories were the ones where they would scale the outside of buildings, Where they would either repel down the building or sometimes they would have to jump to the roof of another building as the only way down. It was a risky practice, but it gave them mastery to become authentic Hollywood stunt performers. It was this type of work ethic Jonathan possessed that filtered into our magic. We rehearsed with just as much enthusiasm and focus.

Collage of Jonathan’s stunt skills photographed by stuntman and film director Gregory Barnett in 1977.

After they graduated from high school, they said temporary good byes as they each began forging their futures alone. Jonathan pursued his theatrical education at the University of California Irvine, which offered one of the best theater programs in the nation. Michael, on the other hand, went right to Hollywood, and with his charming good looks and talent, he made friends quickly and was invited by different directors to hang out on TV and movie sets where his education was through the school of observation. Eventually, through persistence, he landed his first stunt work, working with stars like Buddy Ebsen and David Carradine, using his martial arts mastery to win coveted stunt double roles. It was at this point in his early career when Jonathan, fresh out of college and married to me and intrigued by Michael’s work in Hollywood, joined his friend in a stunt career along side our budding magic career. Somehow, because of my athleticism, I came along for the ride, which was a wild ride.

Jonathan practiced karate in his parent's living room in Fullerton, California in the mid 70’s. Jonathan climbing rocks at Red Rick Canyon in Las Vegas in the 80’s.

A successful stunt actor has to be athletic and skilled in many athletic endeavors that apply to stunt work, like horseback riding, motorcycle riding, gymnastics, martial arts, sword fighting, archery, driving cars, skiing, surfing, skateboarding, boxing, etc. A well-rounded athletic experience is helpful but not always necessary if they have some specific, focused skills few others have. An excellent athletic, svelte body type is a plus because you can double many actors. Michael was blessed in this department. At 6’ tall with dark hair and good looks, he could double most leading men, which gave him a considerable advantage; as a result, he enjoyed a fabulous stunt career before his untimely death in 2013. Michael played an integral role, starting Jonathan on his dream of being a Hollywood stuntman. It began one day when Michael invited Jonathan to Buddy Epsen’s house on Balboa Island to spar together, practicing martial arts, Michael’s expertise—the day motivated Jonathan and Michael. Hence, Michael invited Jonathan to work with him and David Carradine at David’s house in Hollywood. David had a trampoline and was interested in learning more physical skills for his martial arts. Jonathan, being a trampoline expert, eagerly agreed to visit David with Michael. This turned into a very auspicious meeting because David took to Jonathan, and in his next movie, Death Sport, he would be sword fighting. Jonathan was an All-American fencer, so he readily accepted Carradine’s offer to teach him to fence and, as a result, won the role of coordinating the sword fight for the action-filled movie starring  Carradine, Claudia Jennings, ( known as The Queen of B Movies) and Richard Lynch.  Jonathan doubled Lynch in the film and later worked with him on other future screen projects. The film was action-filled, from sword fighting and motorcycle riding to horseback riding stunts and karate. So stunt actors were in demand, and as a result, I won a part playing a zombie. Produced by Roger Corman, King of the B movies, the low-budget 1978 film wasn't Academy Award material, but he earned his Screen Actors Guild card.

The Poster of Death Sport

Fencing has its roots in ballet, and like graceful male gazelles, Jonathan, who taught stage movement and stunts at UC Irvine, choreographed the innovative sword scenes between David and Richard Lynch—using swords of crystal. Jonathan, as Richard and David moved, opposing each other in this beautiful but dangerous dance of swords. Their weapons never touched as they intertwined and moved around each other in a beautiful dance of fight and combat, avoiding each other’s swords. Jonathan’s choreography was inspiring and challenging, primarily making David and Richard look good. Jonathan became David’s sword master, and we were friends until he tragically died. (Interesting side note: he was born at the Magic Castle when it was a Victorian hotel. Often, he would visit the Magic Castle to watch our show, have dinner together, and chat between sets. The last time I saw him was at dinner while visiting the Magic Castle with his daughter Calista in the summer of  2008. A year later, he was gone. One of the final times I went out with Jonathan before our tragic end was to attend David’s memorial, followed by a private get-together with close friends and family at Stacey Keach’s home in Malibu.) Jonathan’s work in Death Sport earned him his SAG card, (which I mentioned above) but not without a fight. The production company who promised him his card in exchange for working for a reduced salary reneged on the deal, and were not going to appropriately reward him for his hard work. David Carradine was furious, and using his own Hollywood power and magic, he convinced the producer to allow Jonathan to receive this necessary union card so he could continue his future in film and TV.

David Carradine and Jonathan playing Richard Lynch in the movie Death Sport getting ready fortheir sword fight

I am unsure exactly how I became involved, but the movie needed a lot of actors, and I was around so Jonathan secured a role for me. I ended up playing a zombie in the film, as did Jonathan. Jonathan convinced me to take the role where I wore big plastic white eyes and a funny sack-type tunic, making me resemble a character out of an Ed Wood film. It was filmed at a ranch North past Santa Clarita with plenty of room for all the action. Together, Jonathan and I would wake up in Fullerton at 4:00 to travel the hour-plus drive to the set each morning. We began our stunt careers together, but not together on the set. There, we performed our solo stunts. Just like magic, the stunt industry chose me. I call it my second life in magic because, in my stuntwork, I created characters that were an illusion. My stunt in the film was to be a zombie in a cave-like setting, which was dark and dusty. Carradine and Claudia Jennings, a talented actress who died young from a tragic car accident, ran through the zombies, and it was my stunt to try and latch onto David’s leg as he ran by me. We practiced repeatedly, so during one run, David kicked at me as I grabbed him. Using too much method acting, he kicked my head and continued unaware. I saw a few stars, but I ignored them because, after all, I was doing stunts, and a few bruises were expected. Later, Claudia took time to empathize with me and checked to see if I was ok because she had seen me kicked. I thought her kindness was classy, and I respected her as a person on and off the set. It's devastating her career ended at 29 years of age because of a deadly automobile crash on the Pacific Coast Highway.

Dirt bike stunt riders, along with horseback riders on the set of Death Sport

On the left, a photo of my self playing a zombie the movies make up artist. The phone number to Tori Jonathan and I in our zombie suits without the eyeballs. Jonathan also played a zombie in this movie.

Claudia Jennings and Jonathan

As the sunset on our first film, we went home contemplating careers in stunt work. For Jonathan, who enjoyed an adrenaline rush, stuntwork was made for his agile cat-like body that moved like magic and had the discipline and fearlessness to face each challenging day this work presented, and stuntwork was made for him. On the other hand, I never entertained being a stuntwoman. I walked through an invisible portal door, entering a world I never dreamed existed. I was in a Hollywood movie in a fight scene with David Carradine. Life takes a lot of turns and has many chapters. Each one is a lesson in our life. From this chapter on stunts, I learned about the importance of intuition and how our bodies and minds connect on a deep physical level. It opened up a denser spiritual world for me, understanding man's tremendous strength and ability and how he can overcome incredible challenges in life, and through collaboration with others the sky is the limit.

Remember, “Limits exist only in the souls of those who do not dream” Philippe Petit

Next week, I will continue with Part 2 of this series, discussing Jonathan‘s time with John Belushi and my own with Farrah Fawcett and Morgan Brittany. It may turn into a 3-Part series.

The movie Death Sport can be seen free below by clicking the link.

Death Sport