Sam Shepard: You Can Lead a Horse to Water - The Moth

Summary

Summary of "Sam Shepard: You Can Lead a Horse to Water" – The Moth Podcast

Episode Details:

Podcast: The Moth
Host: The Moth
Episode: Sam Shepard: You Can Lead a Horse to Water
Release Date: March 1, 2010

Introduction

In the episode titled "Sam Shepard: You Can Lead a Horse to Water," acclaimed actor and playwright Sam Shepard shares a riveting behind-the-scenes anecdote from his experience working on the film "The Right Stuff." Recorded live at The Moth main stage in 2008, under the theme "Toil and Trouble: Stories of Experiments Gone Wrong," Shepard's narrative delves into the unexpected challenges encountered during a seemingly straightforward stunt scene.

Background and Setup

Sam Shepard begins by setting the scene in the Mojave Desert, California, during the early 1980s. He recounts his enthusiasm for a pivotal chase scene in "The Right Stuff," which involved his character pursuing his wife on horseback across the desert terrain.

"Back in the early 80s, I shot a film which some of you may have seen called the Right Stuff in the Mojave Desert out in California... there was this great chase scene at the beginning on horseback galloping..."
— Sam Shepard [02:31]

Determined to bring authenticity to the scene, Shepard decides to use his own horse, a roan gelding named Roney, claiming a personal connection and rapport with the animal.

The Filming Process

Upon arriving on set, Shepard encounters Corky Randall, the head wrangler, and Choo Choo Chambers, the stuntman responsible for executing the dangerous maneuvers. Skepticism arises when Randall questions the feasibility of using Roney, citing the lack of a matching double horse required for safety during stunts.

"The problem with it is that he's a red roan horse... they don't have a horse that looks like this horse so that when the stunt comes, they can put the stunt man on the horse that looks like my horse..."
— Sam Shepard [04:10]

Despite reservations, Shepard insists on utilizing Roney, leading to initial success during the filming of the galloping sequences. The picturesque desert backdrop complements the action, and early dailies reflect promising footage.

The Stunt Gone Wrong

The narrative shifts to the critical stunt: Shepard's character is to be chased toward a saguaro cactus, culminating in a dramatic collision intended to appear perilous yet controlled. The setup involves modifying the cactus with a balsa wood dowel to simulate a realistic yet safe impact point.

"They put a balsa wood dowel in the arm that's sawed about a quarter of the way through... to the untrained eye, you can't tell that it's not a real cactus."
— Sam Shepard [07:15]

However, unforeseen complications arise when Roney becomes aware of a concealed electric cable near the cactus, possibly mistaking it for a threat. This causes the horse to abruptly halt, resulting in a collision that diverges sharply from the planned choreography.

"And as he's approaching the last few yards to accomplish this stunt, the horse looks down and he sees a big black electric cable... and Ol Roni leaves the ground in mid like all four legs come up away from this cable and consequently smashes directly into the trunk of the cactus..."
— Sam Shepard [09:50]

The stuntman, Choo Choo Chambers, is violently thrown from the saddle, leading to severe injuries including a lost ear, broken ribs, a dislocated hip, and multiple lacerations. The aftermath is harrowing, with Shepard visiting Chambers in the hospital, grappling with guilt over the incident.

"I'll tell you what, that might be a nice team roping horse, but he can't dodge a cactus for shit."
— Choo Choo Chambers [11:00]

Aftermath and Lessons Learned

The accident serves as a profound lesson for Shepard about the unpredictability of live stunts and the risks inherent in using personal livestock for professional film projects. Reflecting on the incident, he acknowledges the complexity of coordinating such actions and the importance of adhering to safety protocols.

"That was virtually the last time I tried to use my own livestock. And it was a lesson well learned..."
— Sam Shepard [11:30]

Shepard emphasizes the resilience of stunt professionals and their acceptance of accidents as part of their métier. Despite the calamity, the incident underscores the delicate balance between creative ambition and practical execution in filmmaking.

Conclusion

Sam Shepard's story encapsulates a moment where ambition met unforeseen adversity, leading to a moment of introspection and professional growth. His candid recounting not only highlights the perils of on-set stunts but also celebrates the dedication of those who risk their well-being to bring cinematic visions to life. Through vivid storytelling and personal reflection, Shepard offers listeners an intimate glimpse into the challenges behind the scenes of Hollywood filmmaking.

Notable Quotes:

Sam Shepard at 02:31: "Back in the early 80s, I shot a film which some of you may have seen called the Right Stuff in the Mojave Desert out in California..."
Sam Shepard at 04:10: "The problem with it is that he's a red roan horse... they don't have a horse that looks like this horse..."
Sam Shepard at 07:15: "They put a balsa wood dowel in the arm that's sawed about a quarter of the way through..."
Sam Shepard at 09:50: "And as he's approaching the last few yards to accomplish this stunt, the horse looks down and he sees a big black electric cable..."
Choo Choo Chambers at 11:00: "I'll tell you what, that might be a nice team roping horse, but he can't dodge a cactus for shit."
Sam Shepard at 11:30: "That was virtually the last time I tried to use my own livestock. And it was a lesson well learned..."

This comprehensive summary encapsulates the essence of Sam Shepard's story, providing listeners with a detailed and engaging account of a significant on-set event that underscores the unpredictability and inherent risks of filmmaking.

Transcript

Dan Kennedy (0:00)

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Sam Shepard (1:08)

Welcome to the Moth Podcast. I'm Dan Kennedy and the Moth features true stories told live without notes. All stories from the podcast are taken from our ongoing storytelling series in New York, Los Angeles and from our tour shows across the country. Visit themoth.org this podcast is brought to you by Audible.com, which is a provider of audiobooks with more than 60,000 downloadable titles across all types of literature, including fiction, nonfiction and periodicals. For listeners of the Moth podcast, Audible is offering a free audiobook to give you a chance to try out their service. One Book to Consider is Fun with Problems Stories by Robert Stone. Publishers Weekly says Stone's evocative prose treads through the murky waters of dead dreams and waning hopes, bringing out the side of people warped by addiction, sex, violence, and time. That's Fun with Problems Stories by Robert Stone to download a free audiobook of your choice, go to audible.comthemost that's audible.comthemost the story you're about to hear by Stage Sam Shepard was recorded live at the Moth main stage in 2008. The theme of the night was Toil and Trouble, stories of experiments gone wrong. The show was a co production with the 2008 World Science Festival.

C (2:31)

Back in the early 80s, I shot a film which some of you may have seen called the Right Stuff in in the Mojave Desert out in California, and when I got the script, in fact, one of the main reasons I did it was that there was this great chase scene at the beginning on horseback galloping, and that the character I was playing was chasing his wife horseback across the desert, you know, figurating through the cactus and stuff. And I thought, wow, that's great. I'll do that. And at the time, I was still trying to make an honest living. I had a couple of rope horses and I was team roping and doing jackpots and stuff like that. And I thought, well, I'll use one of my horses, which, you know, I got along with very well. I had a. A roan gelding called Roney. And I thought, this is a nice horse. You know, I can get along with him. So I went to the director, long story short, and said, could I use my own horse in this sequence? And he said, sure, bring him. Not being a horseman himself. So, first day of shooting, I show up on the set out in the Mojave with my horse trailer and my horse and my truck. And I'm not met by the director. I'm met by the head wrangler and the stuntman, two legendary guys. The stunt guy is called Choo Choo Chambers. You've probably never heard of him, but he's called that because he had a fetish about trains. And the head wrangler was Corky Randall, who descends from about three generations. Anyway, that's a side issue, but they're real guys. Okay? So I step out of the truck, and Corky steps immediately. I understand there's a little attitude thing here, you know. He says, we understand. We want to use your own horse. Is it okay? You know, I mean, I like the horse, you know, I get along with it. The problem with it is that he's a red roan horse. I said, what's the matter? Well, we don't have anything to double you. In other words, they don't have a horse that looks like this horse so that when the stunt comes, they can put the stunt man on the horse that looks like my horse and they'll be all right. And I said, well, shoot, I still like to use this horse because I really, you know, I insisted like an idiot. And so Choo Choo says, well, is it okay if I get up on your horse and see what he's like? I said, sure. So he gets up and goes up and he does figure eights and circles, backs him up a little bit and stops him. And the horse is fine. He's great. You know, he gets off him. He says, it's okay, but I just Want to tell you we have a serious stunt to doing this, and the insurance company is not going to let you do it because, first of all, you can't do it. Which is. Which is true. And anyway, he said, okay, well, we'll see if we can get along with your horse and we'll do it. I said, okay. So next day, I show up and we do the galloping sequence, which is beautiful. Everything works great. Everybody loves the dailies, the footage, you know, it looks good. I'm chasing my wife through the desert, and it's all picturesque. And comes time for the stunt. So this is a pretty hellacious stunt. It involves my character. I mean, in a film, you don't notice that it's not me because they hide behind hats and everything. Choo Choo is chasing my wife. And he heads toward the saguaro cactus, which I don't know if you guys are familiar with it being in. They're gigantic cactus. They're the biggest cactus on earth. You've probably seen them on cover of Arizona highways or something. They look like big green men. You know, they have arms like this. So he's supposed to crash into this cactus and get knocked out of it, flips out of the saddle and gets his leg caught in the stirrup, which is all part of the stunt. And then dragged about 25 yards, and the stirrup breaks away and he's fine. He's safe and everything. But the stunt looks horrendous. And the way they do it is they cut the arm of the cactus off and they shave off all the spines and everything so that the stuntman doesn't get them in his face. And they put a balsa wood dowel in the arm that's sawed about a quarter of the way through. And they stick it back. This is the scientific part here. Try to work all that stuff in. Then they stick the arm back onto the body of the cactus, the main body of the cactus. And to the untrained eye, you can't tell that it's not a real cactus. So anyway, when he hits the arm of this cactus, it snaps off because the dowel is in there and it breaks free. And it looks as though he's actually hit the cactus, where in fact, it's nothing. And then he does his stunt and it's all over. Well, anyway, Choo Choo gets up on Roni and he lopes out there to do the stunt. And I'm really kind of anxious about it and what we call over and under. He takes the split reins and he goes over and under with him and he breaks him out into a wide open gallop. He's headed straight toward the saguaro cactus. And as he's approaching the last few yards to accomplish this stunt, the horse looks down and he sees a big black electric cable about the diameter is about like that, which runs from the generators back to the lights. And he knows that that's not supposed to be in the desert. And he thinks maybe it's a snake. I don't know what he thinks, but Ol Roni leaves the ground in mid like all four legs come up away from this cable and consequently smashes directly into the trunk of the cactus, missing the arm completely. Chuchu flips out of the saddle, but rather than breaking loose from the stirrup, he's dragged maybe 150 yards through really rough terr. I'm of course, completely aghast at this. I'm watching it live and everything. He goes to the hospital. He lost half an ear. To this day, he only has half an ear. But these guys are what they call blood and guts stuntmen, and this is the reason they're called that. He broke three ribs, broken collarbone, dislocated his hip and had serious lacerations. I'm completely, I can't believe it. I go visit him in the hospital and this is part of a stuntman's bread and butter, you know, I mean, they spent a lot of time in the hospital. Anyway, I go, I go in and he's all bandaged up and he's laying there and you know, limbs are this way and that and everything. And I apologize deeply for the horse's behavior. And he said, you know, being a good guy that he is, he says, ah, these things happen, you know, Sam, he says, but you know, I'll tell you what, that might be a nice team roping horse, but he can't dodge a cactus for shit. So that was virtually the last time I tried to use my own livestock. And it was a lesson well learned, you know, but that's pretty much the only accident that I have in the scientific area.