Comedy King Pat Buttram & King of Stunts Yakima Canutt on A WORD ON WESTERNS!
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- Опубліковано 15 жов 2024
- Pat and Yak, their legends live on! Known as the "funniest man alive," Pat Buttram may have passed away in 1994, but his unique brand of outrageous humor continues to enthrall new audiences and be rediscovered by those familiar with his illustrious history in entertainment. Born in Alabama, Pat left home at 17 and ventured to the 1933 Chicago World’s Fair, where his spontaneous "man on the street" ad-libs secured him a role at superstation WLS. Before long, he was headlining the National Barn Dance, where he met Gene Autry. After WWII, Buttram took over from Gene’s original B-western sidekick, Smiley Burnette, co-starring with Autry in numerous features and TV series. A fresh generation encountered Pat’s humor through his scene-stealing role as "Mr. Haney" on GREEN ACRES.
Pat Buttram was the most sought-after toastmaster in Hollywood. In 1983, he founded the Golden Boot Awards, a fundraising event for the Motion Picture Fund and Hospital, which honored B-western stars, actors, actresses, and other western filmmakers.
Dubbed the "Godfather of Stuntmen," Yakima Canutt, a former World Champion Rodeo performer, started his career in silent movies, performing stunts and gradually becoming one of the most popular silent western stars. Yak's films were packed with thrilling daredevil action sequences that captivated audiences. When talkies emerged, Yak's high-pitched voice didn't match the typical hero image, and after a few early talkie leads, he transitioned to character parts, mostly villains. He emerged as an in-demand stunt coordinator before such a profession was even formally recognized. Collaborating with his near-lookalike friend, the young John Wayne, Yak and Duke developed a more sophisticated on-screen method for staging fights. Yak is perhaps best known for directing the large-scale action sequences in the second unit, notably the chariot race in William Wyler’s 1959 epic, BEN-HUR.
In the early 1980s, Buttram served as Master of Ceremonies at a tribute to Yak in Burbank. The room, teeming with a who's who of western stars and stuntmen, erupted with laughter at Buttram’s inside take on Hollywood. Fortunately, I was there to capture Pat's monologue on a handheld home movie camera. This monologue will be followed by a brief interview Pat conducted with Yak, shortly before Yak passed away on May 24, 1986, at the age of 90.
Pat Buttrum was a master of comedy. Thanks Rob for sharing all these wonderful interviews and videos with us.
Great interview and interesting seeing and hearing Yakima Canutt. I appreciate this very much. Thank you 😊
An episode of pure joy for me Rob. Pat Buttram an outstanding host with a wicked sense of fun humor. Naming all those wonderful people kicked in my nostalgia and a couple of tears of happiness. I've admired Yakima more years than I can count. I think his name caught my eye at first and what a great person to admire. Thank you Rob.
Thanks for this wonderful footage.
GREAT 1 , Thanx Mr. Word.
Love all these guys because they were part of our childhood. I am just reading Iron Eyes Cody's book right now. He lived pretty close to us in Hollywood all that time, and I didn't even know it. Wow, such great memories!!
Mr. Word, This might be your best piece of oral history. Thank you very much!
Thank you just doesn't say enough for this one and all the WOW you bring to us. Yes, lucky Rob and grateful us.
Thank you, becky.
What a gem! I love this - Thanks 'Lucky'! 😉
Thank you so much for posting this. Yakima has always been one of my heroes as a stuntman and actor.
You're very welcome, John. Thanks.
Yakima's son,Tap, was my next door neighbor. Terry Leonard's ranch was The Running W. Billy Burton and his brother Hal were locals, as well as Montie Montana. What an honor and blessing to have been a small member in that community
A favorite scene, is the full gallop tackle, and the full gallop rope tackle, And That's Yakima Canutt! Jumping Horse to Horse, and single jump horse to horse, That's Yakima!
The Action of Westerns , That's Yakima!
There's that Indian again sneakin around the town. 1931 film made out in an area not much known of, and a place that is gone now.
Town scene was Apacheland. Long before I was born, near there. The Canoe scene was filmed near the 8th Spring, when there was water there. Even in black and white it is nice to see what the land once looked like.
There was no CGI.
You are lucky. And we are too. Thank you.
Yes we are! Thanks
Amazing stuff Rob . Pat buttrum the Don rickles of the West .
Priceless ❤❤❤❤
I missed this when it came out, funny and interesting, love this stuff
Thanks. Pat can't be topped! Glad you found it.
Wow, what a great memory on film. I’ve never seen an interview with Yakima Canutt. Pat Buttram was always funny.
Really enjoyed that, thank you.
Glad to hear it, russell. Thanks.
Great to hear Pat Buttram telling jokes and Yakima Canutt speaking modestly about his great career. Thanks for the memories Rob.
All legends 👍. Rob, sir.
Thanks Rob Pat was funny great seeing old Yak
It's amazing to hear Yakima Canutt himself speak about those legendary stunts in Stagecoach. I've heard much about it, but hearing from the legend himself is special. Yakima really is the Godfather of Stunts, as you said, Rob. With all the stunts he performed and coordinated, his influence looms large, even to this day. The Action-Adventure genre as a whole was completely changed forever by him. Hearing those stories about Gone With The Wind and Boom Town(underrated Oil film) with Clark Gable was really interesting as well. Yakima was also the one with the idea to craft the lever-loop on the Rifles that John Wayne would use since Stagecoach so he could do the extremely cool one hand reload, which has been copied by so many other action stars since. Apparently, Yakima saw that rifle reload flip in a Buffalo Bill Wild West Show and brought the idea to movies, giving John Wayne the idea for his most iconic weapon in Westerns.
Stagecoach remains one of the greatest Action-Adventure films ever made, even still being copied/homaged nowadays as recently as Mad Max: Fury Road. Yakima's contributions are a huge part of the reason why. Not to mention he coordinated the chariot race in Ben-Hur, the train robbery in Cat Ballou and so many more.
From what I know, Yakima is also one of the only two stuntmen in the history of movies to recieve an Honorary Oscar for his contributions to film with his revolutionary stunt work. The other is Hal Needham, another legendary stuntman who changed the game several decades later, much of it having to do with great car stunts, of course.
Also, it was a great moment when Patt Buttram brought up all of his fellow sidekick actors that have passed since then at that time. Western Sidekicks made the movies as great as the leading men did!
These were some fantastic archives to show us, Rob. Thanks so much for it, this is cinematic history that needs to be remembered.
Thanks, Azo. I'm lucky to keep offering these movie memories to knowledgable fans like you.
Pat Buttram is one of the funniest men I've ever heard. Especially is R-rated stuff.
Yakima Canutt saved SO many movies with his 2nd Unit Direction. ha ha. "Where Eagles Dare" for one...LOL
Thanks Rob
Great job , Rob !!
Canutt was also second unit director of the best ever war film "Where Eagles Dare"
Or as Clint and Richard Burton called it, "Where Doubles Dare". He saved the movie as 2nd Unit Director.
Pat was great - what a funny man
Rob, thanks for sharing the laughs! Mr. Buttram was a great comedian and sidekick. As your title stats Mr. Canutt was King of the stuntmen. I read he was also instrumental on developing John Waynes big loop Winchester. These two were great people, thanks for sharing.
Thanks so much for posting this!
Glad you enjoyed it! Buttram is hysterical and Yak was THE MAN!
Another great episode to which I thoroughly enjoyed ! Thank you Rob & happy father's day.
👍👍👍🐎🐎🐎🐎🐎
Thanks, Joe. RJ’s taking me to Father’s Day brunch, classic car show and a movie. Lucky Rob Day!
@@AWordonWesterns Cool ! I can just see you in a white cadillac with bullhorns on the hood!
Great episode
I love seeing anything about stunt men and yak was the best at his trade
On my way to Corriganville today Rob. Happy Father's Day. Thanks for spotlighting Yakama. He's my favorite outlaw from the B-movie days. 🐎
That Mexican maid joke by Pat makes me laugh every time I hear it.
If there was ever anyone funnier as master of ceremonies it might have been Don Rickles, but just barely. But even the great "Mister Warmth" couldn't beat Pat telling that joke.
If I'da been there filming and hearing it for the first time? The camera wouldna just shook, it woulda fallen outta my hands and the film lost forever to posterity.
Kudos, Rob for hanging on to it.
He will always be one of my heroes!
This post is soooo good. It makes me very happy. Thank You. I could drink a bourbon, smoke a cigar and listen to old cowboys all day.
Rock on!
Thanks again Rob, I always enjoy these discussions.
Well, I remember having seen the master of ceremony monologue on your show. It was funny the first time, and it still funny today.Pat Buttram was a guy who knew how to find or create the funny in any situation. As to the Yakima Canutt interview it was a typical conversation with a cowboy. He just talks about having to do a stunt or create it. When he'd talk about stunts it's like he was going shopping, no big deal you just figured it out and did it. The rodeo cowboy attitude came out when he said "Oh you mean when I got hurt! Oh, I was back doing stunts before I was healed up." As a second unit director he knew how to make the situation more dramatic by placing cameras, so that the actions looked more dangerous than it was in reality. You could also hear the pride in his voice about never hurting a horse.
The best part of Lucky Rob that he was there to record this, save it, and find it so we all could be lucky enough to view and enjoy it.
Thanks, Jim. Your pal, Lucky Rob!
I couldn't make my mind up wether to laugh or get choked up. Great guys all of you 🌟
You are so right Rob. You are very lucky to have met and known so many of our western heroes, villains, stuntmen and people behind the camera. This is one of my favorite WOWs videos. I always admired Yakima Canutt. What would those old westerns be without him. I would just love to see a program of just you talking about your memories of these people we all loved to watch over the years of the 50s and 60s westerns.
Thanks, Daryl. I've been invited to appear on a couple of podcasts recently and I'm going to reverse positions and be in the hot seat!
@@AWordonWesternsAWESOME! I hope you'll let us know when those will be Rob.
@@AWordonWesterns Please let us know when that will be Rob.
Call us Lucky Viewers, Lucky Rob. Thank you for your wonderful Sunday shows.
Yakima Canute was the stunt coordinator for "Ben Hur" one of my favorite movies. Supposedly, Charleton Heston was asking Yakima about some of the stunts and the camerawork; Charleton studied it wanting to be a director. Yakima told Heston: "Don't worry, Chuck, you're going to win the race."
Thanks Rob, that was pure gold!
You are lucky, Rob . So fortunate to meet all those great cowboys.
Btw , your hats 40 years old . I have a pair of cowboy boots 38 yrs old on their 3rd set of souls and heels. ☺️
Sounds like you're just breaking them in. I'll bet they are comfortable.
It’s fascinating to hear yakima kanutt , apparently he took his name from his home town in Washington state? Also his sons joe and Tap followed him in to the business, John Wayne and Yakima pioneered the fight scene and made them look more realistic, amazing stuff really ☘️
I have always admired Yakima as a pioneer of the movie stunt profession he moved the fighting from a wrestling match to a believable fistfight even though one punch was all that was needed to knock a person out. I wondered why none of the horses weren't shot as the bullets were being fired at the escaping cowboy on horseback. Keep up the great work.
Lucky Rob you keep getting better at having great videos! Pat Buttran was a truly gifted comedian and Yakima Canutt is also legend. Thank you again and again!
Thank you, slick. And, thank you again.
What a great thrill to watch these men, speak of their work. Just plain talk, and humble. Man class acts. Thx again Rob! ❤
Wonderful.
Many thanks!
Hey Rob, it was great that you got to video Pat Buttram's monologue...love the camera shaking as you were laughing. Good stuff there!🤠
Wow! Always makes me furious to hear anyone put down cowboys. I grew up around working cowboys and had an uncle in rodeo-bull rider- but I always felt safe. They were hard working, and respectful, real men who loved family and our country. (Sadly There’s always an occasional exception in any group of people). Thank you for your program.
Thanks Rob, great monologue by Pat, was as good as it gets 😊
Yakima is the legend
Enjoyed again Rob
This is a treasure. Thanks again Rob 👍🏼😎
Magnifique Thank you ✌️
To paraphrase James Michener's quote from Tales of the South Pacific
"They will live a long time, these men of the Golden Age western. They had an American quality.
They, like their movies, will be remembered as long as our generation lives. After that,
like the men of the Silent Age, they will become strangers. Longer and longer shadows
will obscure them, until their Stagecoach sounds distant on the ear, like Thundering Hooves and The General."
One book of Micheners I’ve read 3 times. Hawaii. The blend of Hawaiians, Americans, Chinese and Japanese and the economic wars is great reading. 🇺🇸🖖
Wow, great footage and what a treat to hear Canutt in his own words. I love the old stories about Yakima Canutt, I need to locate a copy of his book. I have always wonder how much of the story about Duke, Yakima and the russian assassins was true? Thanks for sharing Rob!
👍👍 10⭐ Countless👏 for continuing these interview shares with us all.
*Well hello LUCKY ROB! You really have had a blessed and lucky life, seeing all my heroes and role models in person. That said, Pat Buttram's nephew, John, was in that last film with Johnny Crawford, Darby Hinton, and Don Collier. One time between scenes, John Buttram was doing his imitation of Mr. Hainey. Being my silly self, I asked him in my own **_Hainey_** voice, "Where'd you learn to talk like thet?" Yes I said **_Thet_** The extras he was showing off to, wanted a competition of the best Hainey. I backed down, pointing at Mr. Buttram, and in the Hainey voice, "Oh now y'all know that there is the real deal."*
John Buttram can sound just like Pat. I'll bet you're good, too. Thanks, OD.
Weh, weh, well I been told I was somewhat ... uh somethings, @@AWordonWesterns 😂😂
Rob 🤠 terrific throwback video , thanks 👍
What a gem this episode is! Thank you, Rob!
I never knew how funny Pat Buttram was. I enjoyed this episode and as usual learned new information regarding that wonderful time in Hollywood when westerns were so popular.
Glad you enjoyed it, Joan. Thanks.
Thank you for this Rob. This was great to get to see. 👍
Great show Rob. Love those interviews.
Fascinating! I got a new perspective on Pat Buttram. Thank you, Rob. As a (very) amateur film historian and Western fan, I really appreciate these videos. ......Carla H.
You bet. Thank YOU very much, Carla
Great, great stuff, Rob!
💕👍 😃
I Dog gone LOVE THIS CHANNEL ❤️
Yak was both the stunt coordinator as well as the director of the spectacular chariot race in Ben Hur.
With no CGI in those days, what you saw in that film was performed in real life by the actors and stuntmen. Thus an action sequence with all the excitement and danger of an actual Roman chariot race, performed with such realism due to Yak's skill and planning that for years it was rumored that one of the stuntmen was actually killed in that scene of bad guy Messala (Stephen Boyd's character) being run over by horse and chariot and left in the film.
Easy enough to believe if you've seen the picture, but it never happened. A true testament to Yak's direction and the exceedingly brave guy who performed that stunt.
ua-cam.com/video/k3QM0b3MqqQ/v-deo.html
Yak certainly was one of a kind, Hiram. Thanks.
FYI Hiram... it was legendary second unit director Andrew Marton who directed the famed chariot race, even though William Wyler gets all the credit and glory.
I knew the camera car operator who helped film the iconic race in a specially built vehicle just for that movie. Every once in a while, TCM shows the making of all that, with Yak carefully choosing and help training the horses with Ralph McCutcheon and Glen Randall Sr. well before shooting started. It was Yak who showed the Italian crew how to grade the track for best effect, and it was Yak who totally supervised the stunt work...
Unfortunately, his son Joe disobeyed his advice on playing it safe, and created the dangerous unscripted scene of nearly getting killed being flung from the chariot.
So many assumed that a real stuntman was killed at the end of the race because of Yak using a well weighted dummy, that was well planned out during some five weeks of shooting the race.
Joe Canutt became Charlton Heston's double and stunt coordinator for every picture after that.
It was the combination of Andrew Marton's second unit direction, Yakima Canutt's stunt work and the photography of Meredith M. Nicolson and Piero Portalupi, plus the editing of Ralph E. Winters that made the second unit's work the star of the picture, out shining even the great first unit's work with Heston and Boyd, one of the most iconic action sequences in film history!
@@grahamhill6340 Thanks for the info, graham. Where action sequences go, it's the very best to my mind. There are certainly none better. And with technology being what it is today with so many such scenes being created, enhanced and added to with CGI n post production, a real deal sequence like that is likely never to be produced again.
@@hiramnoone Thats the very problem in this "New Normal" world today, we're all being CGI-ed out of the picture!
Is there a mailing address I can send something to Mr. Word ?
I have something that amused the hell out of me when I got a stack of free canned goods & it's something canned in Texas & labelled a product of Mexico and the product name immediately made me think of the Duke & I could think of nothing else.
I am a huge John Wayne fan and have around FIFTY of his films on blu ray or on dvd and as I get spare money I buy the blu rays.
I am getting a 4k tv soon so I guess I will have to start buying John Wayne movies on 4k as well.
He is my favorite actor and I miss him a lot.
I watch all of the WOW YT videos and love them too.
Nice collection, George. My mailing address is listed under the description of our channel. Thanks.
i love your work my friend , what great presentations you produce , thanks for sharing , cheers big ears from down under #CASHisKINGnoCBDC
Much appreciated, bill. THANKS!
What a treasure Rob!
Lucky Rob ,i don't think i could have kept as still during that monologue as you struggled to.
I can see why you had trouble holding the camera steady, I'm surprised you didn't drop it😁😁 Pat's a great story teller, ain't he?
Thanks, George. I’m still laughing. Glad you enjoyed it
I had to come back to steal some jokes for my New Act ;) lol
... I ran out of 'original jokes' by Milton Berle! - heehee
- m.
I know it's pronounced b-you-tram or bu-tram but I'm so childish I can't help but laugh when I see it in print.
Thank you Rob for sharing this. I never in my life thought I’d get to hear an actual interview with the amazing Yakima Canutt. He even wrote the book on hand to hand fighting on camera that still stands today!
Very cool video .
Thank you very much, Jerry.
It makes me sad to think of all those sidekicks like fuzzy knight, gabby and others gone.😢
Me, too, tony. Each one of them had a special quality.
Rob, glad you had your BETA around :) - m.
I've still got it, Marv. Thankfully, our video and audio quality has improved through the years.
With a name like Buttram, he better be funny:) But seriously, he was a roast master long before Jeffery Ross. I do remember in the early to mid 80s, he hosted a show on PBS and talked about the old Westerns before showing them. That's how I found out he was a star long before Roustabout and Green Acres.
Mr Haney rocks!!!!?
Rob called it right about PAT BUTTRAM, he was the best toastmaster in HOLLYWOOD, primarily because he was a natural ad-libber and his monologues were very truthful about those he made fun of it. He well knew how to make jokes but never to cross the line, and he was the only man that could make fun of his old boss Gene Autry and get away with it!
Pat and his like are surely missed in these ultra-PC times that have destroyed the art of comedy and parody.
As for YAKIMA CANUTT, well Rob called right again, he was the father, the dean of the HOLLYWOOD stunt profession.
I first met him when I was a teenager when he came to Britain as second unit director on WHERE EAGLES DARE. My uncle was assistant studio manager of MGM Borehamwood where the movie was based out of, and he introduced me to him. It was Yak who helped train young British stuntmen years earlier on MGM productions shot in England like IVANHOE and KNIGHTS OF THE ROUND TABLE. His easy going manner and his stunt knowhow was well respected and appreciated.
Years later I met Yak again at his favorite coffee shop diner in Studio City, Smokey Joes... Rob probably knows how many western actors, stuntmen and crew used to hang out there, just a mile or so away from the old Republic lot. Mr. Canutt was in his 80's, but sharp as ever and never tired of talking about the "good old days" -a wonderful man.
Yak always defended his use of the Running-W in horse falls, and he always stated that if it was done right his way, it was less stress on the horse and rider. Unfortunately, it wasn't done "right" by others and went onto be banned in the US.
Thanks, Graham. I'm sure lucky to have this tribute to these two. Nobody like them.
Thanks for deleting my comment, Rob, I was going to do it myself tonight. Yak was fantastic and I can’t see too many if any stuntman do the stairs under the team of horses.
👍👍👍👍👍
Hi kitty I’m going home now and I’m going back to sleep
7/26/1996
It always amazes me that the guys doing the horses and stage coach stunt don't get stomped to death. It is definitely a dangerous occupation. Fred Kennedy was killed when broke his neck doing a stunt and falling off a horse during the filming of The Horse Soldiers 1959. Horses are not the rocket scientist of the animal world
Some Way I Missed,,,, "Lucky Rob",,,, aka ,,,,, Rob Word The Last Few Weeks.... Now I'm Home Again,,, Home With The Best "Western Site" On The "Internet"...
Thanks, Big. Welcome back to the fold!