Hi Friends,

I am taking a little scenic drive with my mom. Talk to you when I get back at the end of the month.
Be well!
Namaste,
Laurie

August 15, 2009 3:20 PM
BY HOLLIE VILLANUEVA, SPECIAL TO YUMA SUN

Robert “Whitey” Hughes was a retired Hollywood stuntman who made a
career of jumping off horses and crashing planes for some of the biggest
names in show business.

After almost 50 years of back-breaking, bone-crushing, heart-pounding
Hollywood action, Hughes quietly passed away at his Yuma home just a few
weeks ago.

Hughes leaves behind a film career ranging from old classics like
"Planet of the Apes" to more recent blockbusters like "Men in Black."

Hughes’ extraordinary life reads much like the Hollywood scripts he
portrayed on the silver screen.

“My dad was happiest when he worked. My sister and I called him
'Hollywood Happy,'" said Hughes' daughter, Priscilla.

Walking into the family room of the Hughes home, visitors can feel the
magic of old Hollywood. The room is covered with photographs and
memorabilia from films and classic television.

The actor performed in films starring Hollywood A-Listers such as Gary
Cooper, Marlon Brando, Steve McQueen, Charles Bronson and Tommy Lee Jones.

In 2002, Hughes was honored as a Golden Boot recipient, which is the
Western version of the Oscars or the Emmys.

According to his wife, Dotty, Hughes always wanted to be in the movies -
“ever since he was a little boy sneaking into the picture shows.”

Robert Hughes was born in Oklahoma. He grew up on a farm riding horses.
While he was still in his teens, the Hughes family moved to Los Angeles.

Robert got his big break in Hollywood while driving a taxi. It was 1947
and he drove out to a film set on a ranch.

The leading lady didn’t know how to perform a “crouper,” a daring vault
over the back of a horse and into the saddle. Already an experienced
rider, Robert volunteered to stand in for the actress. The director, who
didn’t know Robert’s name said, “Hey, Whitey! You think you can do it?”

Hughes had a mane of shocking white hair and bright-white teeth, which
is how he later chose his stage name: Whitey.

In lieu of pay for the job, Hughes asked the director to write a letter
on his behalf to the Screen Actors Guild. The director did just that,
and Whitey’s acting career was born.

“Whitey did everything. But he loved the Westerns better than anything,”
Dotty said.

As a stuntman for classic television series such as "Bonanza" and
"Rawhide," Hughes fell from horses, leapt from stagecoaches and
delivered jaw-dropping fight sequences.

He played Johnny Crawford’s double on "The Rifleman."

On the set of the television show "Wild, Wild West," Hughes made a big
impression on star Bob Conrad. Hughes coordinated a fight scene in which
he dove off a wine barrel. Conrad was so impressed that he later asked
Hughes to be the stunt coordinator for the show.

Standing at only 5 feet 7 inches and weighing no more than 130 pounds,
Hughes often doubled for women and children. He doubled for famous
leading ladies such as Rita Hayworth, Lana Turner, Stephanie Powers and
Anne Baxter.

Dotty recalled that while filming the Western classic "Beyond the Great
Divide," Hughes doubled for actress Virginia Mayo.

The star of the film was Kirk Douglas, who spotted Hughes in the female
costume. Not realizing that the actor was really a man, Douglas said,
“Where did you get that rough-looking dame to double as Virginia?”

Hughes also doubled for young Jon Provost in the television series,
"Lassie."

In the television version, the sprightly Lassie saves little Timmy. In
real life, it was Whitey Hughes who saved the young actor from drowning.

During a risky scene, Provost had to swim down a river but got caught in
a dangerous current. Acting on instinct, Hughes dove into the river and
rescued Provost. In his autobiography, Jon Provost credits Whitey with
saving his life.

Whitey and Dotty were wed in 1939 at Lutes' Wedding Chapel in Yuma. They
were married almost 70 years and have two daughters. Whitey retired in
Yuma with his wife, daughter and son-in-law. He raised horses and
continued working in the film industry.

Hughes was not only respected in Hollywood for his back-breaking stunts,
he was also well-liked.

His daughter, Priscilla, remembers once when she saw Sammy Davis Jr. in
public. Whitey had doubled for Davis during an episode of "Wild, Wild West."

When Priscilla introduced herself as Hughes’ daughter, Davis shook her
hand and thanked her. He said, “Your dad made me look good!”

Dotty explained that her husband just had a natural gift. “He always
knew what he was doing. He wasn’t like a kamikaze. He had perfect timing.”

While making the film "Gumball Rally," Hughes performed probably his
most dangerous stunt. He drove a motorcycle off of a ravine into a pine
tree. He then fell 55 feet, hitting a branch on the way down. Although
he seriously injured his back, Hughes continued the film and finished
the project.

“He was the only one who could do everything," Dotty said, "trains,
horse, planes, motorcycles, cars."

Hughes was also a pilot and flew single- and twin-engine planes and
helicopters. Hughes performed a daring stunt that involved crashing a
plane in the 1981 film "The Pursuit of D.B. Cooper," the story of the
famous hijacker who parachuted out of an airplane with $200,000 in cash.

Hughes once jumped between two ships floating side by side in the San
Francisco Harbor.

According to his family, when asked if he was ever scared, Hughes would
always say: “If I was scared I wouldn’t do it. I always prayed to God to
take care of me and keep me safe. And he did.”

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Highlights of the stuntman's colorful career:

Movies:
"The Wild One"
"Sitting Bull"
"Darby O’Gill and the Little People"
"The Singing Nun"
"The Wild Bunch"
"Planet of the Apes"
"Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure"
"Men in Black"

Television:
"Gunsmoke"
"The Roy Rogers Show"
"Little House on the Prairie"
"Fantasy Island"
"The Fall Guy"

By SHARON WAXMAN (Editor, The Wrap): It seems reality shows are finally coming under scrutiny. After TheWraps recent investigative series on suicides and emotional trauma and child endangerment related to reality shows, now comes a convincing piece of reporting in Sundays New York Times that suggests that reality shows are Hollywoods new sweatshop. Long workdays and communication blackouts are largely the rule for contestants on reality shows, writes Ed Wyatt. With no union representation, participants on reality series are not covered by Hollywood workplace rules governing meal breaks, minimum time off between shoots or even minimum wages. Most of them, in fact, receive little to no pay for their work.