Recommended
Reading
"Helen Gibson:
Silent Serial Queen Who Became Hollywood's First Professional
Stunt Woman"
by Larry Telles (Bitteroot Mountain Publishing 2013,
302 pages)
Larry Telles told me a few years ago he wanted to document
the lives of two all but forgotten stars of the silent screen
Helen Holmes and Helen Gibson. Since they both got their
starts as serial stars in "The Hazards of Helen," he
wasn't sure if each should have a separate book to document their
careers or one book that would include both. Larry made the right
choice. Helen Gibson's life as one of the early luminaries of
the silent screen and who made movies her life for about 50 years
deserved a book and what a book it is. Larry's telling of
this star's exploits, daring, professional success, admiration
by her fans and durability will amaze the reader. In the days
when trick photography wasn't an option and stars did their own
stunts, Helen Gibson ranked with the best of the "stunters,"
male or female brushing off injuries as a hazard of the
trade and moving on to the next more daring, more spectacular
feat on the screen. Her days as a rodeo star and subsequent rise
to stardom in "The Hazards of Helen" provide engrossing
reading. Moving on to starring feature roles in the twenties,
she didn't let sound slow her down as she continued doing stunt
work and bit part well into the 1950's. One of the most stunning
parts of this book is the collection of photos Telles was able
to amass - not only photos from the silent years, but photos during
the next three decades with other stars, as well as ads, documents
and more. That being said, he only regret we have about this book
is that it wasn't published in hardback, "coffee-table"
format. Telles does a very thorough job of documenting Helen's
life, too, including interviews with those who knew her and her
husband, Clifton Johnson, in the final years, months and days
of her life. "Helen Gibson: Silent Serial Queen" is
a deserved tribute to one of the silent cinema's most interesting
and brightest stars, and kudos to Larry Telles for bringing us
her story in such an enjoyable and well-researched read. Most
highly recommended!
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