Spider Matlock

William Earnest "Spider" Matlock (June 30, 1901, St. Joseph, Missouri – January 27, 1936 ) was an American stuntman, stunt pilot, car racing promoter, driver and mechanic.

Stunt flying One day, an airshow was scheduled at the Burdette Air Port and School of Aviation in Los Angeles. When the performers did not show up, Ronald MacDougall, a part-owner of the airport, persuaded Matlock (a student at the aviation school ) and Ken Nichols to help him. After five minutes of instruction (according to Nichols), the pair performed as wing walkers, with MacDougall flying the airplane.

Some of the 13 Black Cats, circa 1925. Matlock is in the front row, kneeling on the far right. The burgeoning field of aviation reached Hollywood, and stunt pilots were needed. In 1924, MacDougall, Nichols and Matlock, formed a group called the Black Cats, later renamed the 13 Black Cats, to set standards and rates for aerial stunts for movies. Each of the Black Cats was supposed to have a name that was 13 letters long, which is how Matlock acquired the nickname "Spider", MacDougall got "Bon" and Nichols "Fronty". Among other things, they charged $1500 to blow up an airplane in mid-air. Matlock was once asked to do just that at by a newsreel company. Something went wrong; explosives had been rigged on the wings with a switch with a 30-second delay, but went off prematurely before Matlock could parachute to safety. They also teamed together for the 1931 and 1932 races, but crashed both times while leading, in the 162nd and 59th laps, respectively.