In your June 2015 column, you discussed animals killed in 1925’s Ben-Hur. Wasn’t a man killed during the chariot race in the 1959 version?

In your June 2015 column, you discussed animals killed in 1925’s Ben-Hur. Wasn’t a man killed during the chariot race in the 1959 version?

Paul Hughes
Vacaville, California

A persistent rumor has claimed Stephen Boyd’s stunt double was killed during the chariot race, but that is false. The only injury in the 1959 film took place while stuntman Joe Canutt was doubling for star Charlton Heston. He was flipped off the chariot (you can see it in the film), and he ended up with a small cut on his chin.

Marshall Trimble is Arizona’s official historian. His latest book is Wyatt Earp: Showdown at Tombstone.
If you have a question, write: Ask the Marshall, P.O. Box 8008, Cave Creek, AZ 85327 or e-mail him at marshall.trimble@scottsdalecc.edu