Friedrich Harald August Froboess (23 October 1899 – 12 January 1985) was a German
stunt diver, and
high diver.
Biography
Diving from an early age, his mother taught him to be a "jumping fish" and his father taught him gymnastics. Froboess won many championships. He did stunt doubling for many stars in silent film. In the end he could only compete with himself jumping from higher and higher bridges and towers into water, finally culminating in a jumped 361 feet (110 m) into
Lake Constance
Lake Constance (german: Bodensee, ) refers to three Body of water, bodies of water on the Rhine at the northern foot of the Alps: Upper Lake Constance (''Obersee''), Lower Lake Constance (''Untersee''), and a connecting stretch of the Rhine, ca ...
from the airship
''Graf Zeppelin'' on June 22, 1936. This record still stands in ''
Guinness World Records
''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...
''. Froboess is rumored to have taken part in over 400 movies, though most of his prominent credits were in Hollywood films.
He wrote a book about waterdiving and painted pictures, one displayed at The Gallery of Modern Art in New York. His wife Hertha Froboess was also a high diver.
Stunt filmography
* ''
Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari
''The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari'' (german: Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari) is a 1920 German silent film, silent horror film, directed by Robert Wiene and written by Hans Janowitz and Carl Mayer. Considered the quintessential work of German Expressio ...
'' (1920)
* ''
Christoph Columbus'' (1923)
* ''
Harry Hill, der Herr der Welt'' (1923)
* ''
Harry Hills Jagd auf den Tod. 1. Teil'' (1925)
* ''
Am Rande der Welt (''English: ''At the Edge of the World)'' (1927)
* ''
Skirt Shy'' (1929)
* ''
The Blue Angel'' (1930)
* ''
The Smiling Lieutenant
''The Smiling Lieutenant'' is a 1931 American pre-Code musical comedy film directed by Ernst Lubitsch, starring Maurice Chevalier, Claudette Colbert and Miriam Hopkins, and released by Paramount Pictures.
It was written by Samson Raphaelson and ...
'' (1931)
* ''
Queen Christina'' (1933)
* ''
The Sea Hawk
''The Sea Hawk'' is a 1915 novel by Rafael Sabatini. The story is set over the years 1588–1593 and concerns a retired Cornish seafaring gentleman, Sir Oliver Tressilian, who is villainously betrayed by a jealous half-brother. After being ...
'' (1940)
* ''
The Bride Came C.O.D.
''The Bride Came C.O.D.'' is a 1941 American screwball romantic comedy starring James Cagney as an airplane pilot and Bette Davis as a runaway heiress, and directed by William Keighley. Although the film was publicized as the first screen pairi ...
'' (1941)
* ''
Against All Flags'' (1952)
* ''
The Master of Ballantrae'' (1953)
* ''
River of No Return'' (1954)
* ''
The Man from Laramie
''The Man from Laramie'' is a 1955 American Western film directed by Anthony Mann and starring James Stewart, Arthur Kennedy, Donald Crisp, and Cathy O'Donnell.
Written by Philip Yordan and Frank Burt, the film is about a stranger who defies ...
'' (1955)
* ''
The Alamo
The Battle of the Alamo (February 23 – March 6, 1836) was a pivotal event in the Texas Revolution. Following a 13-day siege, Mexican troops under President General Antonio López de Santa Anna reclaimed the Alamo Mission near San Anto ...
'' (1960)
* ''
The Hallelujah Trail'' (1965)
References
* Froboess, Harry. (1953). ''the Reminiscing Champ: a world famous stuntman tells his story.'' New York, N.Y: Pageant Press.
* Froboess, Harry. (1965). ''Fell's Official Guide to Diving: Plain, High, Fancy, Platform, Comedy.'' New York, N.Y: Fells. .
External links
*
Harry Froboess - stuntman from the early daysArticle (german) with Pictures
1899 births
1985 deaths
German stunt performers
People from Baar, Switzerland
Sportspeople from the canton of Zug
German emigrants to Switzerland
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