Hal Needham, a former stuntman turned director, made his feature directorial debut with the 1978 comedy Hooper, starring Burt Reynolds. The film is notable for championing the often-invisible work of stunt performers, a theme informed by Needham’s own experience on over 300 films and 3,000 television episodes.
According to Needham’s autobiography, Hooper pioneered the use of outtakes in its closing credits, showcasing extra stunts that did not make the final cut. This choice made the labour of stunt performers visible, celebrating their work rather than leaving it on the cutting room floor. A song, Nothin’ Like the Life (Of A Hollywood Stuntman), was commissioned for the sequence.
The plot follows Sonny Hooper (Reynolds), a stuntman and alcoholic who coordinates stunts on a fictional James Bond parody, The Spy Who Laughed at Danger. Hooper’s girlfriend Gwen (Sally Field) worries about his dangerous lifestyle, which mirrors that of her father Jocko (Brian Keith), an ageing stuntman. A subplot introduces hotshot stuntman Ski (Jan-Michael Vincent), who specialises in aerial stunts.
Needham’s direction includes a scene in which characters gather to watch a scratchy film reel of Hooper’s stunts, emphasising the quiet appreciation of the profession. The film’s fictional director is a satirical portrait of New Hollywood auteur Peter Bogdanovich, whom Needham found pompous during their earlier collaboration.
