4. The Cavalry Charge - They Died With Their Boots On
The production of this 1941 Western - based very loosely on the life of General Custer - starring Errol Flynn was riddled with dangerous moments, with the star himself collapsing of exhaustion during filming. Three others weren't as lucky as Flynn, who recovered fully. On three separate occasions, actors or stuntmen riding horses were killed: the first was an extra who fell from his horse and broke his neck., and the second was a stuntman who had a fatal heart attack. The third story is the grimmest and the most tragic: extra Jack Budlong - a polo player - was riding alongside Errol Flynn during the shooting of the cavalry charge when his horse tripped and flung him off. Despite the shock, he had the foresight to throw his sword away from him, to avoid injury, but it landed handle down and stuck fast, impaling the actor and causing fatal injuries. He died in hospital a few days later. According to stuntman and friend of Flynn, Buster Wiles, the actor was devastated and phoned the hospital every day to ask about the tragic extra's progress. A biographer would later muse that Flynn was racked with guilt, wondering why a young athlete should lose his life while he was allowed "to continue his cavorting."
