My Rodeo Years

Rodeo legend, actor and stuntman Yakima Canutt blazed a trail as a champion bronco buster and rode to fame as a collaborator with John Wayne, who claimed to borrow his on-screen persona from Canutt’s real one. This memoir, as told to John Crawford, relates Canutt’s years on the rodeo circuit, his roles in silent westerns, and his craftsmanship in movie stunts on such epics as Stagecoach and Ben-Hur, as well as his family life and friendships.

The late Yakima Canutt was an Academy Award winner, and was inducted into the Stuntmen’s Hall of Fame, Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame, and the National Cowboy Hall of Fame.

John Crawford is a writer and actor (who earned his first role from Yakima Canutt). He lives in Newbury Park, California.

Yakima Canutt with John Crawford

Foreword by Joe Canutt
Foreword by Charlton Heston

Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 218
Bibliographic Info: 77 photos, filmography, appendices, index
Copyright Date: 2010
pISBN: 978-0-7864-4389-5
eISBN: 978-0-7864-5819-6
Imprint: McFarland

Foreword by Joe Canutt      1
Foreword by Charlton Heston      3
Preface by John Crawford      5
Introduction      7

The Early Years      9
The Rodeo Circuit      34
Breaking Broncs for War      42
Rodeos with C.B. Irwin      53
The Lion’s Share      59
The World Championship      71
Deep Sea Cowboy      79
Back on the Circuit      89
Tipperary’s Only Defeats      100
My First Trip to Texas      114
Oklahoma      124
St. Louis and Chicago      129
Second Trip to Texas      135
Hollywood      139
The Devil Horse      146
Audrea      153
I Always Called Him Jonathan      157
Off to Australia      167
Melbourne      172
Stagecoach      177
Boom Town      184
The Kids      188

Appendix I: Poems of Yakima Canutt      199
Appendix II: Filmography      205
Index      209