Evelyn Finley
Encyclopedia
Evelyn Finley was an American B-movie
actress and stuntwoman
of the 1940s through the 1980s, mostly in western films. Sometimes she is credited as Eve Anderson.
Born in Douglas, Arizona
, Finley, an accomplished equestrian
, started off as a stuntwoman in the 1936 film The Texas Rangers
, playing the stunt double to actress Jean Parker
, then later in the 1939 film The Light That Failed
. She began acting in the early 1940s, on contract with Monogram Pictures
, often starring opposite Tom Keene and Tex Ritter
. Her first acting film role was alongside Ritter, in Arizona Frontier, released in 1940. In 1942 she starred opposite Max Terhune
and Dave Sharpe
in Trail Riders
, and in 1943 she again starred alongside Max Terhune, with Ray "Crash" Corrigan, in Cowboy Commandos.
Through the remainder of the 1940s and well into the 1950s she starred and performed stunts in numerous films, most notably Ghost Guns in 1944 and Sundown Riders in 1948. In Ghost Guns, she starred in the lead role, and also performed her owns stunts, a regular event throughout her early career, and she received high praise for her riding stunts in that movie.
She has often been called one of the greatest horseback riders in film history, joining the company of Nell O'Day
and Betty Miles
. Despite her age, she continued to work in the stunt business, either as an advisor or as an actual stunt performer, into the mid-1980s. Her last film in which she worked as a stunt technical advisor was the 1985 film Silverado, starring Kevin Costner
and Scott Glenn
. She died of heart failure on April 7, 1989, in Big Bear City, California
, at the age of 73.
B-movie
A B movie is a low-budget commercial motion picture that is not definitively an arthouse or pornographic film. In its original usage, during the Golden Age of Hollywood, the term more precisely identified a film intended for distribution as the less-publicized, bottom half of a double feature....
actress and stuntwoman
Stunt performer
A stuntman, or daredevil is someone who performs dangerous stunts, often as a career.These stunts are sometimes rigged so that they look dangerous while still having safety mechanisms, but often they are as dangerous as they appear to be...
of the 1940s through the 1980s, mostly in western films. Sometimes she is credited as Eve Anderson.
Born in Douglas, Arizona
Douglas, Arizona
Douglas is a city in Cochise County, Arizona, United States. Douglas has a border crossing with Mexico and a history of mining.The population was 14,312 at the 2000 census...
, Finley, an accomplished equestrian
Equestrianism
Equestrianism more often known as riding, horseback riding or horse riding refers to the skill of riding, driving, or vaulting with horses...
, started off as a stuntwoman in the 1936 film The Texas Rangers
The Texas Rangers (1936 film)
The Texas Rangers is a 1936 action and Western film directed by King Vidor that starred Fred MacMurray and Jack Oakie. It was nominated for Best Sound at the 1936 Oscars....
, playing the stunt double to actress Jean Parker
Jean Parker
-Career:Born as Lois Mae Green in Deer Lodge, Montana, she appeared in 70 movies from 1932 through 1966. She was discovered by Ida Koverman, secretary to MGM mogul Louis B. Mayer, after she saw a poster featuring Parker portraying Father Time. She attended Pasadena schools and graduated from John...
, then later in the 1939 film The Light That Failed
The Light that Failed
The Light That Failed is a novel by Rudyard Kipling that was first published in 1890 in Lippincott's Monthly Magazine. Most of the novel is set in London, but many important events throughout the story occur in Sudan or India. The Light that Failed follows the life of Dick Heldar, a painter who...
. She began acting in the early 1940s, on contract with Monogram Pictures
Monogram Pictures
Monogram Pictures Corporation is a Hollywood studio that produced and released films, most on low budgets, between 1931 and 1953, when the firm completed a transition to the name Allied Artists Pictures Corporation. Monogram is considered a leader among the smaller studios sometimes referred to...
, often starring opposite Tom Keene and Tex Ritter
Tex Ritter
Woodward Maurice Ritter , better known as Tex Ritter, was an American country music singer and movie actor popular from the mid-1930s into the 1960s, and the patriarch of the Ritter family in acting...
. Her first acting film role was alongside Ritter, in Arizona Frontier, released in 1940. In 1942 she starred opposite Max Terhune
Max Terhune
Max Terhune , was an American film actor. He appeared in nearly 70 films, mostly B-westerns, between 1936 and 1956....
and Dave Sharpe
Dave Sharpe
Dave Sharpe was an American actor and stunt performer.He was called the "Crown Prince of Daredevils" and ranks alongside Yakima Canutt as one of Hollywood's all time greatest stuntmen...
in Trail Riders
Trail Riders
Trail Riders is a 1942 American film directed by Robert Emmett Tansey.The film is also known as Dead Men Don't Ride .- Cast :*John Dusty King as Dusty King*David Sharpe as Davy Sharpe*Max Terhune as Alibi Terhune...
, and in 1943 she again starred alongside Max Terhune, with Ray "Crash" Corrigan, in Cowboy Commandos.
Through the remainder of the 1940s and well into the 1950s she starred and performed stunts in numerous films, most notably Ghost Guns in 1944 and Sundown Riders in 1948. In Ghost Guns, she starred in the lead role, and also performed her owns stunts, a regular event throughout her early career, and she received high praise for her riding stunts in that movie.
She has often been called one of the greatest horseback riders in film history, joining the company of Nell O'Day
Nell O'Day
Nell O'Day was an accomplished equestrian and B-movie actress of the 1930s and 1940s. Born in Prairie Hill, Texas, O'Day was a good looking woman in her youth, and had her first screen roles in the 1920s as a teenager.Her first starring role was in 1932 when she starred in Rackety Rax opposite...
and Betty Miles
Betty Miles
Betty Miles was an American B-movie film actress of the late 1930s and well into the 1940s. Her father, George Henry T...
. Despite her age, she continued to work in the stunt business, either as an advisor or as an actual stunt performer, into the mid-1980s. Her last film in which she worked as a stunt technical advisor was the 1985 film Silverado, starring Kevin Costner
Kevin Costner
Kevin Michael Costner is an American actor, singer, musician, producer, director, and businessman. He has been nominated for three BAFTA Awards, won two Academy Awards, and two Golden Globe Awards. Costner's roles include Lt. John J...
and Scott Glenn
Scott Glenn
Theodore Scott Glenn is an American actor. His roles have included Wes Hightower in Urban Cowboy , astronaut Alan Shepard in The Right Stuff ,Emmett in Silverado , Commander Bart Mancuso in The Hunt for Red October , Jack Crawford in The Silence of the Lambs and The Wise Man in Sucker Punch -Early...
. She died of heart failure on April 7, 1989, in Big Bear City, California
Big Bear City, California
Big Bear City is an unincorporated, census-designated place in San Bernardino County, California immediately east of Big Bear Lake. The population was 12,304 at the 2010 census, up from 5,779 at the 2000 census...
, at the age of 73.