Hooper is a 1978 American action comedy film[4][5] directed by Hal Needham and starring Burt Reynolds, Sally Field, Jan-Michael Vincent, Brian Keith, Robert Klein, James Best and Adam West.
Sonny Hooper is the stunt coordinator on the action film The Spy Who Laughed at Danger, directed by Roger Deal and starring Adam West.
Sonny is coerced by a friend into performing at a charity show, where he meets Delmore "Ski" Shidski, a newcomer who makes a spectacular entrance.
After a freefall from a record 224 ft (68 m), Sonny quietly consults with his doctor, who warns him that one more bad fall could render him quadriplegic.
Roger decides to change the film's ending, adding a climactic earthquake complete with many explosions, fires and car crashes.
Max Berns, the movie's producer and a longtime friend of Sonny's, warns Roger that the film is already over budget and they can't afford the $100,000 Hooper wants to perform the rocket car jump.
As Sonny, Ski, Gwen, Cully and Jocko view the bridge lying in the river and the gorge the rocket car had jumped, Roger comes up to them and tries to apologize for all the grief he gave him during filming, but he comes off as trying to justify himself.
However, the project was shelved in 1976 after the Motion Picture Association of America ruled in an arbitration suit filed by director Richard Rush that its title was too similar to his planned film The Stunt Man (1980).
[1] The project was reactivated in 1977 under the title Hollywood Stuntman with Hal Needham as director and with Lawrence Gordon joining later as executive producer.
"[16] Variety wrote that the work of the four lead performers was "a delight" that "boosts an otherwise pedestrian story with lots of crashes and daredevil antics into a touching and likeable piece.
"[18][verification needed] Kevin Thomas of the Los Angeles Times praised the "excellent" script, "inspired " casting, and direction by Needham that "brings such affection and amiability to the film that its people seem real even when what they're doing is patently fake—not in their awesome stunts but rather in their off-hours shenanigans.
"[19][verification needed] David Ansen wrote in Newsweek, "'Hooper' doesn't dig very deep into its Hollywood subject, but it's a good example of decent, no-frills filmmaking that lets a surprising amount of feeling seep through the cracks of its all-action formula.
"[20] Gary Arnold of The Washington Post called it "a rousing and sweet-tempered sentimental comedy" that "should finally secure Reynolds a preeminent position in the affections of contemporary moviegoers.
Most of Jackie Chan's films also feature blooper reel credit rolls, due to his experience in The Cannonball Run.