In the video, the narrator discusses the extreme measures taken in the film industry to achieve realistic performances, particularly during the golden age of cinema. He recounts how actors were subjected to dangerous and unhealthy conditions, such as Buddy Ebsen's aluminum poisoning during "The Wizard of Oz" filming, and the emotional manipulation of child actor Jackie Cooper on the set of "Skippy." The narrator also mentions how these practices led to trauma and sometimes death, as in the case of stuntman José Marco during a shark film shoot. The video highlights the ethical issues and risks actors faced for the sake of entertainment.
Here are the key facts extracted from the text:
1. The film "The Wizard of Oz" was shot in color in the 1930s, when color films were still rare.
2. An actor named Buddy was initially cast to play the role of the Scarecrow, but another actor, Jack, convinced the producers to let him play the role instead.
3. Buddy was then cast as the Tin Man, but he suffered from aluminum poisoning after inhaling aluminum dust used in his makeup.
4. Buddy was hospitalized and unable to work, so the producers found a new actor, Jack, to replace him as the Tin Man.
5. The new actor, Jack, was not told about the problem with the aluminum makeup and also suffered from inhaling it.
6. A young actor, Jackie Cooper, was cast in the film "Skippy" and had trouble crying on cue.
7. The director of the film, Jackie Cooper's uncle, used a technique to make him cry by having another child dressed in the same costume as Jackie's character brought on set.
8. The director told Jackie that the dog in the film was going to be euthanized, which made Jackie cry and allowed the director to film the scene.
9. The dog was not actually euthanized, and the director had used the trick to get the desired reaction from Jackie.
10. Jackie Cooper went on to have a successful acting career and was nominated for an Oscar for his role in "Skippy".
11. The technique used by the director in "Skippy" was later used by other directors to make child actors cry or react in a certain way.
12. A 15-year-old actor, Dennis Green, was cast in the film "Bad Boys 2" and was subjected to a terrifying experience by the director, Michael Bay, and the actors, Will Smith and Martin Lawrence.
13. The stuntman, José Marco, died during the filming of the movie "Sharks" in Mexico.
14. The producers of "Sharks" exploited the stuntman's death for marketing and promotional purposes.
15. The director of "Sharks", Samuel Fuller, was not aware that the producers had included the stuntman's death in the film and asked for his name to be removed.
16. An investigation later revealed that there was no official recording of the incident, and it is unclear what really happened to the stuntman.