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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 popular fame with public feats of daring. Many of these feats -- jumping off bridges, climbing steeples and buildings, swimming incredible distances, or doing tricks with wild animals -- had their basis in the manual trades or in older entertainments like the circus. In The Thrill Makers, Jacob Smith shows how turn-of-the-century bridge jumpers, human flies, lion tamers, and stunt pilots 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 modern media celebrity that now occupies an increasingly prominent place in our contemporary popular culture."--Publisher's description.

Table of Contents:

• Machine generated contents note: 1. Adventures of the Bridge Jumper
• 2. Adventures of the Human Fly
• 3. Adventures of the Lion Tamer
• 4. Adventures of the Aeronaut.

Author/Creator:

Smith, Jacob, 1970-

Languages:

English

Language Notes:

Item content: English

Main Work:

The thrill makers: celebrity, masculinity, and stunt performance [by Smith, J.]

Subjects:

Stunt performers — United States — History

Daredevils — United States — History

General Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.
Description based on print version record.

Physical Description:

1 online resource.

Call Numbers:

PN1995.9.S7 S65 2012eb

ISBNs:

9780520952362 (electronic bk.)
0520952367 (electronic bk.)
9780520270886 (cloth, alk. paper) [Invalid]
0520270886 (cloth, alk. paper) [Invalid]
9780520270893 (pbk., alk. paper) [Invalid]
0520270894 (pbk., alk. paper) [Invalid]

OCLC Numbers:

792684983

Other Control Numbers:

EBC896310 (source: MiAaPQ)
[Unknown Type]: ybp7620156