In 1928, three people died when a movie stunt went fatally wrong. John Wayne was almost one of them

In 1928, a flood stunt for *Noah’s Ark* went disastrously wrong, killing three people and seriously injuring many others. John Wayne, then an uncredited extra, was among the cast caught up in the scene; had he died, his later rise to Hollywood stardom would never have happened.

Director Michael Curtiz planned to release 15,000 tonnes of water over the cast for the film’s climactic flood. Cinematographer Hal Mohr objected and left the set, but the stunt went ahead: one person lost a leg, several suffered broken limbs and dozens were seriously hurt. The deaths and injuries prompted the film industry to introduce major stunt safety regulations.