Bonnie Gray, the King Tut cowgirl: pioneering stunts and paving the way for women to stunt double in Western film

Abstract

This thesis focuses on the life and career of Verna Smith, better known as Bonnie Gray, during the Golden Age of Rodeo and her career defining contributions that challenged social norms. The period lasted from the early 1920s to the 1930s and Gray's career spanned the majority of the time when women competed in male dominated events in rodeo like bronc busting and bull dogging. I argue Gray's contributions to the development of stunts and stunt doubling in films created a new space for rodeo women in the early twentieth century. Verna Smith, born in 1891 in Iowa, moved with her family to Kettle Falls, Washington early in her childhood. She received a horse as a child and was a gifted rider. She attended college at the University of Idaho and received a degree before returning to Washington. She began teaching music and later married a doctor. After moving several times with her husband, they settled in Burbank, California, and her transformation as Bonnie Gray began. She eventually appeared under her stage name Bonnie Gray and cultivated stunts that would open up other revenue opportunities. Despite the media attention she garnered and relationships she developed, Gray is only referenced briefly in research in comparison to other rodeo stars of the day like Bonnie McCarroll and Mabel Strickland. This project focuses on the development of Gray as a rodeo star, her career, and the contributions she made to rodeo during the golden age of the sport.