MovieChat Forums > Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983) Discussion > How was the Vic Morrow story originally ...

How was the Vic Morrow story originally going to end?

posted 15 years ago by tmitch-1
23 replies | jump to latest

Although I've never officially heard this, it seems pretty obvious that - before the helicopter accident that killed Morrow and two children - the first segment with Vic Morrow as a bigot was originally supposed to have a different ending.

First of all, the ending is very abrupt. And out of the two most disappointing segments - the other being Spielberg's 'Kick the Can' - there was nothing really wrong with this one; it just seemed, well, weak and unfinished. Some sort of redemption for the character, etc, would have been more powerful. Instead, he's just carted off to a concentration camp.

Second, the scene in which the tragic deaths occured reportedly was of the Morrow character braving napalm and sniper fire to carry two VIETNAMESE children to safety. Seems hard to believe that this would be the same bigot we saw at the beginning - unless there was some sort of change-of-heart character development we never saw in the final print.

So, does anyone know - how did the original story end?

[–] DoctorWeeTodd 15 years ago

Read about it here:

http://www.twilightzonemuseum.com/media/movie/index.php

[–] DeuxLumieres 15 years ago

That was really interesting! I always thought the Vic Morrow portion of the movie was a take on "A Quality of Mercy" TZ episode where the blood thirsty lieutenant wants to kill all the wounded Japanese hiding in a cave on the last day of the war, then the tables turn and he becomes the Japanese officer who wants to spare the Americans.

Guess not, since that ep wasn't mentioned.

"Abortions for some, miniature American flags for others."

[–] wallacesawyer 15 years ago

sure it would've been nice

For DEMONIC TOYS and updates on Full Moon Films:
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[–] bps3013 15 years ago

Link is busted! Can someone post the pertinent info in here? I'd love to know how that segment was originally scripted as well!

[–] Can_a_bitch_get_a_donut 15 years ago

The link works fine.

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\o/ STEVE HOLT!

[–] Father_Anthonis 15 years ago

Bill and Ted save him.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6TzcANOHiDo

[–] MagAmbersons 15 years ago

I suspect that the script rewrite (to soften Bill's character and give him redemption) came after the majority of the footage had already been shot. Certainly the final shot of Bill being loaded into the box car and the camera craning upward was planned (at some point) to conclude the segment. What we have in the finished film appears to be the way Landis originally conceived of the episode before the rewrite. Subsequently, the ending scene was probably reshot and the new scene in Vietnam was added to give Bill's character the redemption the Warner execs requested. After the accident, and the decision to remove the children and helicopter from the story, the studio reverted back to the way the episode was originally put together. In other words, the challenge was not so much trying to re-edit the sequence to something it never was, but to return it to the way it existed prior to the additional rewrite footage being shot.

[–] jaredpresley 14 years ago

I was wondering something. Seeing as this is talking about the script....The night before the accident, there was some scenes filmed between Morrow and the Children (upon finding them in a hut)

Does anyone know if these extra scenes exist? I would like to see them if they do, but I have a feeling they are either destroyed or locked up in a vault somewhere.

[–] SilverCreedWolf 14 years ago

Does anyone know if these extra scenes exist? I would like to see them if they do, but I have a feeling they are either destroyed or locked up in a vault somewhere.

I would say that it's still in the court records from the trial, since the jury had to watch those scenes plus the scene from different angles. You might have to go through the LA County Courts (is that the correct county, someone?)and see if they will let you see them.

JOE TYRIA
http://www.youtube.com/user/SilverCreedWolf

[–] rorshoc 14 years ago

I saw the footage on an HBO series called Shock TV many years ago.

[–] 14 years ago

[deleted]

[–] anni_boo 13 years ago

i'd like to see the scenes with the kids that didn't involve the accident. unfortunately the grisly footage is all i can find.

[–] corinnacarpenter 12 years ago

I now have a thing for Vic Morrow and there's no way I could watch that footage a second time. I don't know that the hell compelled me to watch it the first time. :(

I wasn't looking to see him and the one child get decapitated and the other child get crushed to death.

I'm not a sicko but for some bizarre reason I found myself watching part of the video on YouTube. I fell apart when I saw it.

I'm a new Vic Morrow fan :)

[–] death_jamm_productions 13 years ago

The entire explosion footage, the film footage with the kids, the alternate angles...meant only for the jurors and courtroom and somehow out now is here

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Qxsfg8yrTk

http://www.mickey-rourke.com/

[–] super-staff 12 years ago

Interesting.

[–] Littlebitsofgaming 12 years ago

I don't think it had a different ending at all, not by how it was filmed.
Seems to me the segment ends how it originally was meant to.

I believe the chopper stunt was requested by the studio last min (hence the bad planning). Landis had finished this segment but was requested by the studio to add a scene in which made Vic's character seem to have a softer side as if leading to some kind of redemption.

So it originally ended as shown in the film.

"And so, God came forth and proclaimed widescreen is the best"
Sony 16:9

[–] pablo-taylor 12 years ago

No, the segment originally ended with Morrow's character being transported back to the present day (from the train) and being hit by a car. The "softening up" was done in pre-production and the entire segment was shot as per the final shooting script. It isn't just a case of the fatal scene being excised, the whole segment was restructured and it's meaning changed simply through editing, the helicopter sequence was the very last to be shot and other material featuring the children and references to them was already in the can but not used (in the car accident for instance, Morrow is holding a doll given to him by the little girl), there was to have been a lot more jumping about in time with first the KKK and then the Nazi's pursuing him and the children he has rescued.

Obviously the tragedy was immense and no film is worth dying for but it's tempting to think what might have been had the accident not occurred - with the Landis story presented as planned and had the original second segment actually been made (instead of the lacklustre Spielberg effort)The Twilight Zone could really have been a good movie.

[–] Ite 12 years ago

Agreed, although I still think the movie was good it could have been great IMO.

[–] bladou20 12 years ago

I have heard people mention that the original theatrical cut had segments from the helicopter sequence in it. Is that the case?

[–] jaredpresley 11 years ago

It's still missing key segments that were filmed, such as his conversations with the children, and him being transported back. I wonder if the film of these still exists.

[–] kaydie-fee 11 years ago

I heard the fatal helicopter scene was the last to be filmed (the scene with the kids in the hut was shot the night before) I'd bet the other missing scenes are in the warner brothers vault - I'd love to see them. Some of the rehearsal scenes from earlier on that night were shown in court at the trial but I'm not sure if the kids were in that footage or not, there used to be a Facebook page with a bunch of old news reports from the accident in 82 and the trial in 86, I've got a feeling those scenes were mentioned (the crashing helicopter was definitely shown on the reports - from different angles too) but I can't be sure.

[–] 12 years ago

[deleted]

[–] CabbyG3 11 years ago

Funny enough, it was going to end with him being crushed by a helicopter and then he jumps back into the body of the nazi camp victim...

Well, they almost got it right. lol