In 1915, Helen Gibson found herself in a plane flying over Los Angeles arguing with the pilot.
“He refused to let her jump out of the plane,” author Mallory O’Meara exclusively tells Closer. “Helen said, ‘I’m going to jump out of this plane either way. The only choice that you have is whether or not you’re going to fly over the spot where I want to land.’”
Born Rose Wenger in Cleveland, Ohio, Helen developed an appetite for feats of daring in the rodeo and used those skills to become the silver screen’s first stuntwoman.
“She fell in love with the thrills and with performing for an audience,” O’Meara, author of the new biography Daughter of Daring: The Trick-Riding, Train-Leaping, Road-Racing Life of Helen Gibson, Hollywood’s First Stuntwoman, says. “She also loved being in charge of her own career without a man having to be the go-between.”
In its infancy the film industry provided rare opportunities for women.
“There were not a lot of venues for a woman to become financially independent, but Hollywood offered that,” explains O’Meara.
Helen’s bravery and unique skill set also gave her an advantage.
“When Helen started working, there were no stuntwomen. It was just men who would wear wigs or dresses,” she says.
In 1911, a producer hired the entire cast of the traveling rodeo show where Helen worked to appear in western films. “She fell in love with movies,” says O’Meara. A year later, Helen received her first credited role in Ranch Girls on a Rampage. She was paid $15 a week for the part.
“She rose through the ranks and became one of the big action stars of the 1910s,” says O’Meara.
When Helen Holmes, the star of the film serial The Hazards of Helen became ill, Helen Gibson was asked to step in.
“The two of them looked uncannily alike,” says O’Meara, who explains that after the star recovered, she and Helen Gibson agreed to share the role. “It was the perfect fit because Helen Holmes didn’t like doing stunts,” she says.
When Helen Holmes left the serial, Helen Gibson became its new star.
Helen Gibson’s Twist of Fate
Despite the lack of safety precautions in place, Helen never seriously injured herself. “She jumped out of planes twice — once landing in the water and one landing on a moving train,” says O’Meara. “But she definitely broke a lot of bones and had lots of sprained ankles.”
Her private life suffered too. Helen’s first marriage to fellow rodeo performer, Hoot Gibson, didn’t survive her success.
“He didn’t handle it well,” admits O’Meara.
Fame also proved fleeting. Although Helen continued to work as a stunt double — her final role was in 1962’s The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance — her popularity waned in the 1920s as Hollywood changed.
“It became corporate,” says O’Meara, who notes that women like Helen, who had their own production companies, were forced out. “Helen could have reached even higher heights,” she says, “if women had been allowed to stay in power.”