Hal Needham Quotes

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Hal Needham

Profession : Director

Birth : March 6, 1931

The worst was practicing a stunt for John Wayne in 'McQ.' I lost two teeth, broke six ribs, cracked a vertebra and punctured a lung. I spent 12 days in the hospital.

Hal Needham

I loved acting and wanted to be a leading man. But I decided I'd rather be a big fish in the stuntman pond than a little acting fish. I guess I must have made the right decision.

Hal Needham

I've got more money than I know what to do with.

Hal Needham

Guys like O.J. Simpson and Tony Dorsett can take the ball and run through the line, but I defy them to follow me over a 70-foot cliff or let a horse drag them a few hundred feet. Nobody can beat a stunt man for overall athletic ability.

Hal Needham

When people say Evel's a stuntmen I want to throw up. He's nothing but a daredevil idiot. The only reason he's famous is because he wrecks his motorcycle every time he rides.

Hal Needham

Coaching a football player is the same as directing an actor. The guy has to follow orders and be able to perform skillfully.

Hal Needham

I went to an acting class for 3 years. But then I figured out that, since there were already 26,000 actors in SAG (Screen Actors Guild), I could make a better living as a stunt man.

Hal Needham

Can I tell you what I really believe is the reason everybody wants to work with us? I believe they sign on because they're almost assured that it's going to be a very commercial film. A Burt Reynolds film is a guarantee of exposure... And also, we have a lot of fun.

Hal Needham

No, Hal Needham without Burt Reynolds has not done well. 'Megaforce' went right in the toilet.

Hal Needham

I don't even consider directing Burt. I just say, 'Hey, Burt, the camera's here. Read the joke and let's get onto the next shot.'

Hal Needham

Out of a year, a half-dozen stunts are pretty tough. The rest are kinda routine. To go out and slide cars around and lay a motorcycle down hell, you do that without even thinking. But on the tough things, you put an awful lot of planning into it.

Hal Needham

If you read books forever and ever, they will never replace what really counts - that's practical experience.

Hal Needham

All stunt men and women are as competitive as I am. They're just not as talented.

Hal Needham

The night before we began shooting 'Hooper,' I threw a $7,000 bash for the whole crew. I told them, 'Get as drunk as you want tonight, because for the next month and a half you're going to be working your tails off.' And it worked.

Hal Needham

Of course when you toss a stick of dynamite at a cartoon character, he can come back to life again in the next frame. Getting the same effect with actors is going to be a lot tougher.

Hal Needham

My ego would be fed tremendously when I'd go on a set and get in a car and tear it to pieces. I'd get out and everyone on the set would applaud.

Hal Needham

Hell, if I didn't do stunts, I'd have had to be a bartender, or something else that didn't pay well.

Hal Needham

Trying to get it together with me as a director was impossible. No one wanted to work with me.

Hal Needham

I have a country-boy sense of humor. I come from a poor family, and I have no education. But I am Middle America, and what makes me laugh is what makes them laugh.

Hal Needham

Out in Hollywood I'm getting to be regarded as the 'redneck adviser.'

Hal Needham