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Jane Novak & Hart in WAGON TRACKS

hers.elf in the formation of United trick riders of the day, doubled for
Artists. For three months Hart seri- him in dangerous horse falls. Lambert
ously considered the proposition. Then Hillyer doubled him in high dives,
Adolph Zukor persuaded him to "water stuff," falls, and vaults. Hart
remain with Paramount. made his own straight rides, mounts
Zukor, in his The Public Is Never and dismounts, and no doubles were
Wrong ( writ.ten in collaboration with used in fight scenes. Hart could hit
Dale Kramer), has a chapter on Hart and take a punch, and he asked no
that is not always accurate. Zukor quarter. If the bumps came his way,
says "Hart occasionally used doubles, it was all part of the scene.
but Tom Mix never did" and goes Hillyer was a crack rifle shot and
on to claim that Mix was the better in picture after picture he and a
cowboy. sharpshooter sprayed real lead at
Doubling is a necessity in filmaking Hart-shooting a glass out of his
since injuries to principal players mean hand or a buckle off his gun belt. And
production delay. Tom Mix carried a the shooting wasn't faked!
complete stock company of cowboys, Zukor's other remarks about Hart
from cook to wrangler, and they al1 are even wider of the mark. He in-
doubled for him. But this was "top fers that Hart was a sort of Beau
secret" and not one of Mix's troupe Brummell. The fact is Hart bought
ever admitted it to a stranger. Hart all of his suits ready-made and wore
was doubled in certain films. "Whitey" them with Stetson hats. When the
and Clarence Sovern, two of the best script of Branding Broadway called