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Daughters of Daring: Hollywood Cowgirl Stunt Women
Before stunt coordinators, contracts, and safety standards, Hollywood relied on fearless women who negotiated danger one stunt at a time.
Daughters of Daring: Hollywood Cowgirl Stunt Women reveals the incredible true stories behind the women who made early Westerns thrilling. In 1938, equestrian stuntwoman Frances Miles helped found Riders and Stunt Girls of the Screen, an organization created to connect studios with the best-trained stuntwomen and to protect those women if injury, sickness, or hard times struck.
As president, Miles compiled a groundbreaking booklet for casting directors, listing each stuntwoman’s specialty, photo, and contact info. Whether a production needed someone crashing through a windowpane or wrestling a mountain lion, that booklet pointed them to the right daredevil and spelled out exactly what each stunt cost.
Stunting was strictly piece work. Ordinary riding paid $11 a day. Wagon crashes started at $50. Transfers from cars or trains could pay up to $230. High dives? Extra pay for every foot above 25.
And the pay gap tells its own story. In 1919, trick rider Vera McGinnis earned just $8 per stunt. By 1938, thrill-seeking equestrian Alice Van Springsteen was among the highest-paid stuntwomen in the business, doubling for Olivia de Havilland in The Adventures of Robin Hood and Dale Evans, earning $45–$60 per stunt.
Want to read more? Enter now to win a copy of Daughters of Daring, releasing February 28.
Because Hollywood’s toughest ceilings were shattered on horseback – at full speed.
