Kenny Powers (stuntman): Difference between revisions
migrating Persondata to Wikidata, please help, see challenges for this article |
|||
| (36 intermediate revisions by 26 users not shown) | |||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
{{Short description|American stuntman (1947–2009)}} |
|||
| ⚫ | '''Kenneth Marion Powers''' |
||
{{About|the stuntman|the [[Eastbound & Down]] television character|Kenny Powers (character)}} |
|||
{{Infobox person |
|||
|name = Kenny Powers |
|||
|birth_name = Kenneth Marion Powers |
|||
|birth_date = {{birth date|1947|7|9}} |
|||
|birth_place = [[Landrum, South Carolina]] |
|||
|death_date = {{death date and age|2009|2|28|1947|7|9}} |
|||
|death_place = [[Hampton, Virginia]] |
|||
|occupation = Stuntman |
|||
}} |
|||
| ⚫ | '''Kenneth Marion Powers''' (July 9, 1947 – February 28, 2009) was an American stuntman. Powers was born to Edward Lee and Florence Pauline Powers in [[Landrum, South Carolina]], on July 9, 1947. He grew up in Landrum, and after high school, he joined the [[United States Navy|U.S. Navy]] and served as a barber according to his [[DD Form 214|DD 214]]. He died at the Hampton Veterans Center in [[Hampton, Virginia]] on February 28, 2009. He was married to Beverly Powers at the time of his death.<ref name="obit1"/> |
||
==St. Lawrence River jump== |
==St. Lawrence River jump== |
||
He is best known today for his unsuccessful October 1979 attempt to jump the [[Saint Lawrence River]] in a rocket-powered [[Lincoln |
He is best known today for his unsuccessful October 1979 attempt to jump the [[Saint Lawrence River]] in a rocket-powered [[Lincoln Continental]], where he took the place of stuntman [[Ken Carter (stuntman)|Ken Carter]]. He suffered significant injuries including a broken back, but survived.<ref name="survived">(6 October 1979). [https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=888&dat=19791006&id=uU1SAAAAIBAJ&sjid=cHwDAAAAIBAJ&pg=5784,3593685 "Rocket car explodes in flight over St. Lawrence River"], ''St. Petersburg Times'' (Associated Press)</ref><ref name="obit1">(1 April 2009). [http://www.tryondailybulletin.com/2009/04/01/kenneth-marion-powers/ Obituary], ''Tryon Daily Bulletin''</ref><ref name="powers1">(13 October 1979). [https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1946&dat=19791013&id=wp4xAAAAIBAJ&sjid=bKQFAAAAIBAJ&pg=2231,968006 "Rocket car jump 'the wildest ride of my life': Driver"], ''[[Montreal Gazette]]'' (Associated Press)</ref><ref name="regguy">Smothers, Jimmy (8 August 1986). [https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1891&dat=19860808&id=CrIfAAAAIBAJ&sjid=W9cEAAAAIBAJ&pg=4359,1676706 "Hollywood stuntman just another 'regular guy'"], ''Gadsden Times''</ref> |
||
Carter's years of planning for the "Superjump", and Powers failed attempt were the subject of a 1981 documentary called ''[[The Devil at Your Heels]]'', directed by Robert Fortier and produced by the [[National Film Board of Canada]]. Powers was |
Carter's years of planning for the "Superjump", and Powers's failed attempt were the subject of a 1981 documentary called ''[[The Devil at Your Heels]]'', directed by Robert Fortier and produced by the [[National Film Board of Canada]]. According to some sources{{citation needed|date=October 2018}}, Powers was substituted at the last minute for Carter, without Carter's knowledge, because the jump's backers feared Carter had decided the jump would not work. However, Kenny Powers and Donna Ray Powers have stated that Carter still wanted to do the jump, but the backers were concerned about Carter's health. This is the account in the official documentary of the jump. Ken Carter and Kenny Powers remained friends until his death. |
||
Video of the stunt also appeared on the American television show ''[[That's Incredible!]]'',<ref name="thats">Goens, Mike (22 April 1982). [ |
Video of the stunt also appeared on the American television show ''[[That's Incredible!]]'',<ref name="thats">Goens, Mike (22 April 1982). [https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=XMshAAAAIBAJ&sjid=VZ4FAAAAIBAJ&pg=1467%2C4660566 "Kenny Powers isn't crazy or nuts ... he's just Kenny Powers"], ''[[TimesDaily|Florence Times-Tri-Cities-Daily]]''</ref> as well as the 1981 film ''[[Faces of Death II]]''. A four-minute clip of the stunt taken from ''Faces of Death II'' was uploaded to [[YouTube]] in 2006, causing renewed popularity.<ref name="chang">Chang, Richard S. [http://richardschang.com/Wrong-Man-Right-Time "Kenny Powers: Wrong Man, Right Time"], ''0-60 Magazine'' (2009)</ref> |
||
The stunt has been featured in the [[Heavyweight (podcast)|''Heavyweight'' Podcast]] by [[Jonathan Goldstein (author)|Jonathan Goldstein]] titled "Kenny" and the [[The Dollop|''Dollop'' Podcast]]. In addition, the stunt has inspired a musical film titled ''Aim for the Roses'', scored by Mark Haney. |
|||
==Other work== |
==Other work== |
||
{{POV_section|date=October 2018}} |
|||
Powers worked for and with Carter for many years,<ref name="1972-one">Smothers, Jimmy (8 June 1972). [https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1891&dat=19720608&id=VQMkAAAAIBAJ&sjid=z9cEAAAAIBAJ&pg=4493,1051672 "Accident in the Making"], ''Gadsden Times''</ref> and also claimed to have performed stunts for Hollywood, including in the 1970s films ''[[Smokey and the Bandit]]'', ''[[Vanishing Point (1971 film)|Vanishing Point]]'', and ''[[Hooper (film)|Hooper]]''.<ref name="stunts">(24 October 1986). [https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1346&dat=19861024&id=yLxOAAAAIBAJ&sjid=vfsDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6902,3509410 "Stunt driver Kenny Powers: a man of steel and plastic"], ''[[Lakeland Ledger]]''</ref> However, he is not listed in any movie credits.<ref>[https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1056022/?ref_=nv_sr_2 Kenny Powers credits]</ref> Kenny did stunt work for the Ken Carter team during the time that ''Smokey and the Bandit'' was filmed as the team prepared for the 1979 Super Jump. According to Butch Carter, Ken Carter's brother who also did stunt work for the team, the team was considered for the stunt work in ''Smokey and the Bandit'', but another team was selected. According to Butch Carter and other team members, Kenny worked for the Ken Carter team the whole time of the filming of ''Smokey and the Bandit''. |
|||
Powers |
Stuntman Kenny Powers was a phenomenal stuntman. He was a caring, loving, and benevolent person. However, he struggled with problems due to alcohol and drug abuse his whole adult life. Kenny did in fact publicly make claims to have done stunts in movies. He was delusional about many things, especially in the last years of his life (Information from Beverly Powers). He continued to perform stunts until at least 2005.<ref name="chang"/><ref name="ultimate">Boynton, Eric (30 June 2002). [https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1876&dat=20020630&id=7DcfAAAAIBAJ&sjid=HNAEAAAAIBAJ&pg=1702,5104965 "It's the ultimate high"], ''[[Spartanburg Herald-Journal]]'', p. D1, D6</ref> Kenny did 2 stunts in August 2004. One was in Dothan, Alabama and the other stunt was done in Greenville, Alabama. Kenny did his next to last stunt in Timmonsville, S.C. on August 19, 2006. His last stunt was in Greenville, Alabama on August 26, 2006 (Information from Beverly Powers). |
||
==References== |
==References== |
||
| Line 18: | Line 34: | ||
==External links== |
==External links== |
||
* {{IMDb name|id=1056022}} |
* {{IMDb name|id=1056022}} |
||
*[https://gimletmedia.com/episode/13-kenny/ Heavyweight Podcast Episode #13: Kenny] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171118222620/https://gimletmedia.com/episode/13-kenny/ |date=2017-11-18 }} |
|||
{{DEFAULTSORT:Powers, Kenny}} |
{{DEFAULTSORT:Powers, Kenny}} |
||
| Line 23: | Line 40: | ||
[[Category:2009 deaths]] |
[[Category:2009 deaths]] |
||
[[Category:American stunt performers]] |
[[Category:American stunt performers]] |
||
[[Category:People from Spartanburg County, South Carolina]] |
|||
Latest revision as of 17:57, 5 March 2024
Kenny Powers | |
|---|---|
| Born | Kenneth Marion Powers July 9, 1947 |
| Died | February 28, 2009 (aged 61) |
| Occupation | Stuntman |
Kenneth Marion Powers (July 9, 1947 – February 28, 2009) was an American stuntman. Powers was born to Edward Lee and Florence Pauline Powers in Landrum, South Carolina, on July 9, 1947. He grew up in Landrum, and after high school, he joined the U.S. Navy and served as a barber according to his DD 214. He died at the Hampton Veterans Center in Hampton, Virginia on February 28, 2009. He was married to Beverly Powers at the time of his death.[1]
St. Lawrence River jump
[edit]He is best known today for his unsuccessful October 1979 attempt to jump the Saint Lawrence River in a rocket-powered Lincoln Continental, where he took the place of stuntman Ken Carter. He suffered significant injuries including a broken back, but survived.[2][1][3][4]
Carter's years of planning for the "Superjump", and Powers's failed attempt were the subject of a 1981 documentary called The Devil at Your Heels, directed by Robert Fortier and produced by the National Film Board of Canada. According to some sources[citation needed], Powers was substituted at the last minute for Carter, without Carter's knowledge, because the jump's backers feared Carter had decided the jump would not work. However, Kenny Powers and Donna Ray Powers have stated that Carter still wanted to do the jump, but the backers were concerned about Carter's health. This is the account in the official documentary of the jump. Ken Carter and Kenny Powers remained friends until his death.
Video of the stunt also appeared on the American television show That's Incredible!,[5] as well as the 1981 film Faces of Death II. A four-minute clip of the stunt taken from Faces of Death II was uploaded to YouTube in 2006, causing renewed popularity.[6]
The stunt has been featured in the Heavyweight Podcast by Jonathan Goldstein titled "Kenny" and the Dollop Podcast. In addition, the stunt has inspired a musical film titled Aim for the Roses, scored by Mark Haney.
Other work
[edit] |
Powers worked for and with Carter for many years,[7] and also claimed to have performed stunts for Hollywood, including in the 1970s films Smokey and the Bandit, Vanishing Point, and Hooper.[8] However, he is not listed in any movie credits.[9] Kenny did stunt work for the Ken Carter team during the time that Smokey and the Bandit was filmed as the team prepared for the 1979 Super Jump. According to Butch Carter, Ken Carter's brother who also did stunt work for the team, the team was considered for the stunt work in Smokey and the Bandit, but another team was selected. According to Butch Carter and other team members, Kenny worked for the Ken Carter team the whole time of the filming of Smokey and the Bandit.
Stuntman Kenny Powers was a phenomenal stuntman. He was a caring, loving, and benevolent person. However, he struggled with problems due to alcohol and drug abuse his whole adult life. Kenny did in fact publicly make claims to have done stunts in movies. He was delusional about many things, especially in the last years of his life (Information from Beverly Powers). He continued to perform stunts until at least 2005.[6][10] Kenny did 2 stunts in August 2004. One was in Dothan, Alabama and the other stunt was done in Greenville, Alabama. Kenny did his next to last stunt in Timmonsville, S.C. on August 19, 2006. His last stunt was in Greenville, Alabama on August 26, 2006 (Information from Beverly Powers).
References
[edit]- ^ a b (1 April 2009). Obituary, Tryon Daily Bulletin
- ^ (6 October 1979). "Rocket car explodes in flight over St. Lawrence River", St. Petersburg Times (Associated Press)
- ^ (13 October 1979). "Rocket car jump 'the wildest ride of my life': Driver", Montreal Gazette (Associated Press)
- ^ Smothers, Jimmy (8 August 1986). "Hollywood stuntman just another 'regular guy'", Gadsden Times
- ^ Goens, Mike (22 April 1982). "Kenny Powers isn't crazy or nuts ... he's just Kenny Powers", Florence Times-Tri-Cities-Daily
- ^ a b Chang, Richard S. "Kenny Powers: Wrong Man, Right Time", 0-60 Magazine (2009)
- ^ Smothers, Jimmy (8 June 1972). "Accident in the Making", Gadsden Times
- ^ (24 October 1986). "Stunt driver Kenny Powers: a man of steel and plastic", Lakeland Ledger
- ^ Kenny Powers credits
- ^ Boynton, Eric (30 June 2002). "It's the ultimate high", Spartanburg Herald-Journal, p. D1, D6
External links
[edit]- Kenny Powers at IMDb
- Heavyweight Podcast Episode #13: Kenny Archived 2017-11-18 at the Wayback Machine