Thrills with Hal Needham, Godfather of Modern Stunts! Bo Hopkins, Gary Combs, Billy Burton remember!

This is awesome… if there is anyone in the picture business I could spend 10 minutes with it would be Hal Needham. He knew what hard work was from childhood and was driven. He did it all! God bless the man! RIP.

awesome love Hal and Burt Billy burton Bo hopkins

Rob, thank you for this Word. It sure was good to see Billy Burton again.

I had no idea the man was so revered*! Of course, I'd heard of him and seen his name on many films, but this is the first time I have ever seen his friends speak of him in such awed reverence. Thanks for sharing, Rob. I'm getting quite an education. *Please note If any of your fans (or you, Rob) know of any books on James Arness and/or Gunsmoke, I would appreciate a recommendation. Thanks.

Totally awesome stories of a legend. Thank you

It's such an honor to hear these stories especially from the stuntman who actually perform them. And about the best stuntman I would say in my opinion in the world. These movies that he did stuntman for I watched every one of them

You can see what effect good men, exercising good, proper leadership can do. Building others up and bringing them along. Damn shame such men are derided in today's day and age...

So much fun to hear about working on the movie set. Stunt men are golden to a films victory in making. Great people and testimonies.

Now I know why Bo Hopkins was so believable playing a wild man - because he is.

I once read that the the car flip stunt in McQ was another case of using too much gunpowder in the cannon. It leads me to wonder if the only difference between letting a stuntman vs. an explosive expert plan the charge is how far into space you want to be launched.

"...if they typified any...trait, it was a lunatic persistence in the face of the obvious" - Peter Hart writing about Gallipoli.
This quote could just as easily apply to Hal Needham and his band of brother stuntmen.

His stunts were fabulous and he wasn't a bad actor either!

Always will remember the time Hal called my home and gave me advice.

Hi have you ever done a video on Tommy Bill Simcox , He was raised in my home town and my gran mother said he was family . I saw him at a restaurant here with his father about25 yrs ago. I knew his brother Albert growing up , dad and I did some house renovation for Al , But we looked for Tommy on every gunsmoke for years and his show about Rescue 51, I think was the name. Your
Videos are tops. Hal was tops , IVE seen everything he did.

Awesome show Rob!!!

Fantastic. One of the best. Who are the 3 assholes who always go thumbs down

I just love your shows. This one was very special because you had a bunch of movie legends telling stories about a super movie legend. Thank you for sharing.

That was a lot a fun to watch! Thanks Mr. Word and co.

Mr. Word, you have the best friends. best job, and most interesting life of anyone I know, and it's great that you shate them with the rest of us. Thank you so much!

😎 Rob , great tribute , great interviews as usual

bo hopkins is a good storyteller, wish he'd write a book

See? This is just one reason I love Rob Word and his AWOW -- if not for this, I would have had no idea about who the heck Hal Needham was or the legacy he left. Thanks, Rob.

Very cool Rob thanks

Great!

Thanks.

Fantastic!! Thank Rob!!

Great interview...as usual...but did I see Jaqueline Scott at one of the tables there!? Thanks for another great video! <3

Rob thank you again for a great show. Extremely interesting guests and great stories

Great!! I wish something like this existed when Yak walked the Earth. Or even his coworkers. I think Roy Rogers did a little interview with him on some TV show, but the in-depth stuff has been left to the historians. Opportunities have a tendency to slip by, but you were able to catch one here. Thanks very much!

Thanks Rob, those are my kind of people! Thanks for sharing!

The non big stars always have such great stories! Rob you have the talent of getting this great entertainment and information to the public! Than You!👍😊👌

Wow! Hal Needam was AMAZING! You have a very lovely wife,, Rob. (Discovered by Hal Needam) Great show, as always. I love the behind the scene stories.

Great show, as usual, Rob. Your wife is a babe.

Thank You so much Rob, Letting the world know that without the stunt people behind the movies, There would be No Great actors. Also I am glad to have seen Bo Hopkins, Always thought he deserved more in Hollywood then he got.

What more can be said then a simply great episode. Not many people can imbue such strong feelings among those who knew them as Hal Needham did. Also few people had as much effect on how movies were and are made as Hal Needham did. Enjoyed watching this.

The opinions a man's associates and peers have about him far outweigh the awards and accolades given by the industry. It's not hard to see, in Hal Needham, the true face of greatness! He is hands down the GOAT of Stuntmen. These men were emotional and couldn't hide how deeply Hal touched their lives. Would have loved to have met him. Thanks again Rob Word, you always bring out the best and most interesting presentations.

THIS WAS GREAT STUFF! THEY'LL NEVER BE ANOTHER HAL N.

I think what sums up HAL NEEDHAM the best is the fact his very close friend and bosom buddy BURT REYNOLDS, said they both believed HAL always wanted to be the star actor and BURT always wanted to be the stunt legend.

HAL was the best all-rounder stunt man ever... I personally knew Loren Janes who had an iconic career but never the notoriety of someone like Hal, very athletic and cool headed, non-drinker, non-cussing or womanizing, and incredible as it seems never had a single injury.

The pioneer of all stuntmen the legendary Yakima Canutt along with Cliff Lyons literally blazed the trail for all those who ever worked on a western... And as for car stunts the legendary Carey Loftin was the man who wrote the book on that.

Just as HAL came into the business with new ideas and a lot of bravado, he quickly overtook the old-timers and wanted to setup a rival union/click that became Stunts Unlimited and opened the door that focused on the young, women, people of color.

The rivalry between them and the Stuntman's Association of the old-timers was legendary and fierce itself, and producers always took advantage of it... Now of course as shown above the original Stunts Unlimited guys are sadly really old-timers, but what great memories, what great stories they have to tell!

These guys worked before CGI and fast editing ruined stunts, and made their brave efforts look like a cartoonish video game.

Its the end of an era for sure, before HOLLYWOOD itself really descended into a forever trending now political correctness that doesn't even respect it's own past.

Good lively non-PC tribute to HAL from Rob, I'm sure he's loving every minute of the attention, it's just sad that BURT didn't have the same down-to-earth carefree fun out of the business as his lifelong friend!

A good way to describe Hal Needham, "bigger than life, just like the movies".
His autobiography is a fun read.

Rob, I have a picture of Needham fighting Bob Fuller on an episode of Laramie that I'd love to send You!!!

Thanks so much Rob
You know I’m a really big fan of Hal

Bob your shows are always superior friend.

Interesting presentation on Hal Needham. I didn’t know much about him or stuntmen. I had only a general idea of what they did and their importance to a movie. Hearing about him and the things he did made the role of the stuntman clearer. He was a great person and stuntman and I am glad I watched this video. Thanks Rob for another lesson on what makes movies work.

I knew Hal Needham was the best stuntman but hearing these men talk about him was wonderful. They all had a lot of love and respect for him and still miss him. I hope your going to show more stuntmen talking about him in the future. I’ll bet his boys can tell some tales also. This was a good one, Rob, I’ll go back and watch it again. There was another great stuntman named Dar Robinson. Was he in a lot of westerns? Have a great day and thank you.

Fabulous to hear what happens behind the firing. Loved it ! Thank you.

Thank you so much for this video. Great to hear about Mr. Needham from the stuntman. They always make the stars of the pictures look great. I would never be as courageous as they are. RIP all of the stuntman and women who made the action sequences look so easy on film.

Excellent show, Rob! I doubt there were many in Hollywood more deserving of being called a legend than Hal Needham. I had watched some interviews of him years ago and was aware of some of the things he did, but this show made me more aware of what an incredible stunt man and person he was. I have a feeling if everyone there had a chance to speak, this tribute could have gone on for days. Thanks Rob for posting this!!!!

There were some tough sons a bitches back then. You roll with them you better put up or shut up!

Good one Rob, one of your best. Would be interesting to do an episode about Cliff Lyons one day.

Man, You are Busy today! :)
I've actually watch several today, but mostly with that lady with the great story about marrying Stanley Kramer. You have a couple of her at least and she was a wealth to understanding how things worked back then.
... and you said you were going to slow things down and work less.... :) right!

Thanks Rob!