Tragedies That Changed Hollywood
Death on the Road
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“Pleasantville” (1998) To many, the idea of working on film sets, meeting famous actors, and contributing to movie productions might sound glamorous. But anyone behind the camera will tell you it’s anything but. One of the most grueling parts about the process is the long, uninterrupted hours. While driving home from a 19 hour workday on the set of ”Pleasantville,” camera operator Brent Hershman fell asleep at the wheel. As a result, he crashed his car and died, leading to a wrongful death suit against the production company. His fellow crew members also launched a petition to limit workdays to 14 hours, but proved unsuccessful. Still, this incident highlighted a real issue that unions are fighting to solve to this day.
Caught in the Crossfire
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“Cops” (1989-) The allure of documentary programming is that it’s genuine, which also means it can be treacherous for those filming. “Cops” is a TV show following America’s police officers, showing what they encounter on the job. It’s a dangerous profession, and in 2014 things took a turn for the worse. During a shootout with a man trying to rob a Wendys, audio technician Bryce Dion got hit in the crossfire. He became one of the first crew members to be fatally injured since the show started filming in 1989. It resulted in a lawsuit against the City of Omaha, which was later dismissed, but raised awareness of how dangerous working on these shows can be.
Michael J. Fox Stunt Accident
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“Back to the Future Part III” (1990) Yes, the idea is to make the action look as accurate as possible, but this is ridiculous. During the filming of “Back to the Future Part III,” Michael J. Fox’s character, Marty, gets tied up by Buford, who attempts to hang him. There are plenty of safety precautions in place that prevent someone from being hurt in scenes like these, but here, they failed. The actor lost consciousness for a few seconds before the crew realized and swooped in to save him. While the actor was okay, situations like these have made Hollywood take even more safety precautions. The simplest mistake can have disastrous consequences. That’s why the likes of Marvel Studios have started enforcing rules preventing their actors from performing dangerous stunts. The fear of grave injury is just too high.
Horse Massacre
“The Charge of the Light Brigade” (1936) In 1936, the film industry was still relatively new, so legislation surrounding it had yet to be introduced. This allowed some questionable actions to be gotten away with under the guise of “realism.” The “Battle of Balaclava” was the climax of the “The Charge of the Light Brigade,” featuring cavalrymen charging into cannon fire, many of whom would fall. In order to portray the horses falling to cannon fire, tripwire was laid across the battlefield. This resulted in 125 horses being tripped, with 25 dying in the process. This blatant animal cruelty outraged many, causing U.S. Congress to ensure the safety of animals in future motion pictures. When a horse was sent down a cliff while filming “Jesse James” a few years later, the American Humane Association opened a Hollywood Office to monitor the treatment of animals in film. (xref)
Radiation Poisoning
“The Conqueror” (1956) Not only is this film labeled one of the worst of all time, but it made many of its crew gravely ill. “The Conqueror '' was a 1956 War Epic starring prolific actor John Wayne as Genghis Khan. Most of the exterior scenes were shot in the desert near St. George, Utah. Unfortunately, the filmmakers chose to ignore that they were downwind from a Nevada nuclear testing ground, as the government stated there was nothing to worry about! What’s worse is that production also shipped 60 tons of dirt from the location back to Hollywood for studio reshoots! The film’s producer, Howard Hughes, felt so guilty about his decisions that he did his best to keep the movie out of circulation. This incident helped highlight the dangers of radiation exposure, which in turn led to the “The Radiation Exposure Compensation Act” years down the line.
Train Track Tragedy
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“Midnight Rider” (Cancelled) When working in film, you’re often skirting the line between what you can and cannot do. Sadly, things can go very wrong. “Midnight Rider” was a biographical drama about singer Gregg Allman that was filmed in Wayne County, Georgia. The higher-ups decided to shoot on an active railroad trestle bridge where they did not have permission to film, nor was it safe to do so. Because of this criminal negligence, second assistant camerawoman Sarah Jones was struck and killed by a passing freight train. Investigations and criminal trials were soon set in motion, resulting in several responsible for production being charged. This led to the “Safety for Sarah” movement, which amounted to more serious attention being placed on the safety of film crews.
Prop Gun Mishap
“The Crow" (1994) Gun safety is very serious, as one mistake can end someone’s life. Unfortunately, that’s what happened to actor Brandon Lee on the set of 1994’s “The Crow.” During one scene in particular, Lee’s character, Eric, gets shot by co-star Michael Massee’s character, Funboy. An active revolver with dummy rounds was created by the crew for the scene. What they didn’t realize, however, is that they forgot to remove the live primer from the stripped cartridges. The revolver discharged with them, causing a squib load. This now meant that there was still something to be fired from the barrel despite later loading blank rounds into the gun. This was a devastating event that shocked the entire film industry, and while it did bring attention to the danger of firearms on set, accidents like this continue to happen to this day.
Helicopter Explosion
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“Twilight Zone: The Movie” (1983) “The Twilight Zone” movie had four separate stories, but only one would change Hollywood forever. During director John Landis’ segment, the script called for Vic Morrow’s character, Bill Connor, to be transported back to the Vietnam War and flee an attack helicopter carrying two children. The first big problem was the director hiring the child actors “under the table,” not only violating labor laws, but lying to their families about what would be involved during filming. The helicopter, which hovered 25 feet off the ground, was damaged by a nearby pyrotechnic explosion, causing it to fall and kill the three actors and injure six crew members. While there were no criminal convictions, the accident did lead to the introduction of new procedures and safety standards in the film industry.