Stunt Driver

This is the crew for the Day's Chevrolet tht Charlie drove in the movie "Corky". From left to right are Kenneth Mincey (Charlie's son), Jack Diemer (car owner), Billy McConnell (car builder), Charlie, Bob Harris (stunt driver) and Carey Lofton (stunt coordinator).

One of the highlights of Charlie’s driving career was not racing at all but working on a movie called “Corky”, which starred Robert Blake.  Charlie did the racing scenes and a little of the highway driving.

Some of the movie was filmed at the Peach Bowl in Atlanta and at the dirt track in Douglasville.  During the big race scene at Douglasville, Charlie did the driving while Robert Blake did the close up, spinning the car around.  In the film, the main character took the checkered flag as he spun across he finish line.

“Those Hollywood people wanted me to wreck the car into the wall and limp across the line in first,” Charlie said.  “Take that car, that had won so many races, and wreck it for their movie.  No way!”

After filming the movie, he was offered a job stunt driving, but did not want to move west.

Another movie that Charlie worked on was for Jim Mitchum, son of Robert Mitchum, called “Moonrunners”.  In the big finale, three cars were supposed to be chased into a train in the town by the cops.

“As we raced along the road into town, you came to a big curve,” Charlie said.  “These old cars were just junk and real loose.  Mine didn’t make the big curve and ran into the ditch on the side of the road.  They didn’t show that in the movie.”