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(From Old Corral collection)

One of the great cliffhangers is DAREDEVILS OF THE RED CIRCLE (Republic, 1939).  The heroes of DAREDEVILS are shown in the scene above --- from L-to-R are Dave Sharpe, Herman Brix (Bruce Bennett) and Charles Quigley.  When Sharpe starred in DAREDEVILS, he was forbidden from doing stunt work on that film since an injury would have halted the production - his friend and fellow stuntman Jimmy Fawcett doubled Sharpe while George DeNormand handled the rough and tumble action for Quigley, and Ted Mapes was the stand-in for Brix / Bennett.



(Courtesy of Randy Laing)

Above - Dave Sharpe stunting for Don Barry in the serial, THE ADVENTURES OF RED RYDER (Republic, 1940).



(From Old Corral collection)


Above and left is Dave Sharpe without wings or a parachute in the cliffhanger DICK TRACY VS. CRIME INC. (Republic, 1941).


Left is a flying Dave Sharpe, stunting for star Tom Tyler, in the 1941 CAPTAIN MARVEL serial.


It was during the mid 1930s that Sharpe began doing stunt work in earnest, including stunts and doubling in the Our Gang shorts.  But it was at Republic Pictures that he honed those skills to perfection ... and took on more responsibility.  Sharpe became the boss ('ramrod') of the stunt organization at Republic from about 1939 until mid 1942 when he left for World War II service.  When Sharpe exited, Scottish born Tom Steele assumed his duties at Republic.

In the Acknowledgment/Thanks page on the Old Corral, I do mention and credit Jack Mathis for several books, including his Republic Confidential, Volume 1, The Studio (Jack Mathis Advertising, 1999).  In the section on the stuntmen and women, Jack notes that none of the stunt performers (including Sharpe and Steele) had an 'exclusive' deal where they were tied to Republic Pictures.  That non-exclusive arrangement is the reason that you'll spot Sharpe in Republic films as well as movies from other companies.  Some examples:

• he doubled Tex Fletcher in Tex's only starring western, SIX-GUN RHYTHM (Grand National, 1939).
• Sharpe was the frequent double for Tim Holt in his RKO oaters.
• he handled the stunts for Jim Newill in the Renfrew mounted police adventures.
• he stunted for Bob Steele in the Republic Three Mesquiteers series.

At about 5 feet 8 inches in height, Sharpe was also small enough to wear a dress and wig and double the heroines.

At the conclusion of the 1940-1941 film release season, Tex Ritter left Monogram Pictures and moved to the greener pastures of Columbia to team with Wild Bill Elliott.  Ritter's exit left Monogram Pictures' producer/director and publicity ace Edward Finney scurrying to find a replacement for that series.  Finney tried something new in western film making --- the unlikely grouping of Dave, Victor Daniels (Chief Thunder Cloud) and LeRoy Mason as the trio of nice crooks in SILVER STALLION (Monogram, 1941), and supposedly under consideration as the initial entry in a new trio western group.  It could have been a much better film if Finney hadn't overloaded it with a bunch of wild hoss stock footage.  Any thoughts of continuing that series were quickly forgotten when Buck Jones, Tim McCoy and Ray Hatton signed on as Monogram's Rough Riders.



(Courtesy of Les Adams)

Above is the title lobby card for SILVER STALLION (Monogram, 1941).  Dave Sharpe is billed as 'David Sharpe', along with Chief 'Tonto' Thunder Cloud, LeRoy Mason, 'Thunder the Wonder Horse', and 'Captain Boots, Famous Police Dog'.  The heroine pictured in the lobby card - but not credited - is Janet Waldo (1920 - 2016). She did some film work circa 1940s, but opted to concentrate on a lengthy and prolific radio career - she worked on various Hollywood based broadcast dramas and also had recurring roles on the OZZIE AND HARRIETT SHOW, THE EDDIE BRACKEN SHOW, ONE MAN'S FAMILY, more.  But Waldo is best remembered as the star of MEET CORLISS ARCHER, and she did that role for about ten years, beginning in 1943.  In later years, she did voices of many cartoon characters including the voice of 'Judy Jetson' in the long-running THE JETSONS TVer.


(From Old Corral collection)

Above, Sharpe is chit-chatting with 'Thunder, the Wonder Horse' in SILVER STALLION. There's more about this "horse with the mottled face" in the Trusty Steeds section of the Old Corral.


(From Old Corral collection)

Above - producer Ed Finney's trio of good badguys --- Chief Thunder Cloud (Victor Daniels) restrains Sharpe while veteran baddie LeRoy Mason raises his hands in this photo of a lobby card.


(From Old Corral collection)

Above is a great closeup of Dave Sharpe restraining Thornton Edwards (as "Tronco") in a lobby card from the 1946 re-release of SILVER STALLION (Monogram, 1941).



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