1968 dodge charger used in DMCL: What do we know about it?

[TruckDriver]

I never thought she was that hot myself. But to eaches own.

[Ghoste]

Not hot, "approachable".

[Khyron]

Not hot, "approachable".

Bingo, kinda like Helan Hunt... Not hot, but you would tap it as a girl next door thing 

[69charger2002]

yeah those incredible teeth are nasty to me. i couldn't look at that every morning. on a side note, am i the only one who didn't realize vic morrow(franklin) was beheaded by helicopter blades while filming a spileberg movie in 1982?? i was looking up to see who all was still alive fromthe cast tonight, and that kind of blew me away

[TUFCAT]

Trav, I'm with you buddy, I look at my wife (who's hot for 40) and I agree....I wouldn't bang that either. Now, fast forward to 57 years old....., and you know, she might be looking pretty damn good! - - and those scragly-ass teeth can always be fixed. 

[Mike DC]

Yep.  Vic Morrow got killed in the Twilight Zone accident in '82.

That whole incident was a mess.  A Helicopter crashed out of the air during a Vietnam scene.  Vic Morrow & a couple of illegally-working immigrant kids were below it.  The blades killed all three of them instantly, and apparently took Vic's head clean off. 


The closest person to being responsible was probably John Landis.  He was a great director in that era, but he was an asshole to work with and he was totally reckless with other people's safety on the sets all the time. 

Earlier in the TZ shoot, Landis had actually ordered the crew to fire real live shotgun rounds pointed just a couple feet away from Vic Morrow.  Reason?  Landis didn't wanna wait the 15-20 minutes it would have taken to set up some phony squib rounds. 


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Trivia:


--  It has been suggested that "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom" might have been so negative partly because of this incident.  The crimial investigation was looming over Speilberg all through the time that IJ-TOD was being developed & filmed.  (And notice there's a significant "save the poor little brown kids" aspect of that movie.) 

But Speilberg was ultimately cleared of all direct blame.  He might have been vaguely aware that Landis was probably ducking some laws with his shoot, but SS didn't know or do anything concrete that was related to the incident.



--  The Twilight Zone accident site was in the old Indian Dunes off-roading park just north of L.A.  It happened on right about the same spot of the General Lee's famous river jump in 1979.  (The jump was shown during the TV show's starting sequence for many years.  The GL was flying from right-to-left, and a big cloud of dust was trailing off the underside.)

The site was in a lot of old action TV shows & movies.  It had the river area, and some woods trails, and the high cliff that a lot of exploding cars were thrown off.  They permanently closed the site not long after the TZ accident. 

[Ghoste]

And Vic Morrows daughter starred in another film with a 68 Charger.  Jennifer Jason Leigh and the movie was "Rush".  So see, we're almost back on the topic of 68 Chargers and DMCL.

[TruckDriver]

I knew about the Vic Morrow death. I still remember hearing it on the news. I saw that movie too. Wasn't really that great for a Speilberg movie.

[Mike DC]

Spielberg just co-produced it and directed a segment of it.  It wasn't all his show.



I actually saw a nice green '68 Charger in the wild about 3-4 years ago.  I was looking it over when I muttered something to the owner like, "Reminds me of the car from Rush." 

Then he looked at me funny for a long moment, and said "Man, you don't know how right you are about that."  He said it was one of the 3 cars that the 'Rush' film crew had actually used.  Not a primary car, just a backup one.  He had a few papers & pics about it in the glovebox.   

 

[Ghoste]

No kidding?  Now there's a movie Charger we rarely discuss.  Of course it didn't get nearly the face time that the Charger did in DMCL.

[Dave22443]

I'm not familier with this Rush movie or its Charger.  Anyone got a picture of it?

[tan top]

Same person posted this...

"...back in 1975, I owned one of the 8 yellow/pale green 69 Chargers used in the movie. I worked on the film crew for the tv show "THE STREETS OF SAN FRANCISCO" and had access to used movie cars. The charger that was available was the "Beauty Car" meaning the one they did the closeups in. It was the same one that was picked up at Dutton Flats, the oneat EL Charro ( went there with the car AND parked in back where they did.) YOU SHOULD HAVE SEEN THE LOOKS WE GOT GOING THOUGH TOWN !!! that was back in 1975 and the movie was still fresh in peoples minds, i went with my girlfriend soon to be wife and ex wife, and my best friend on this trip this was the same car that was used in the helicopter chase scenes also.To get this car i sold my 1973 Mustang MACH 1 in a hurry (i wish i had that car now) Here is the fun part. the movie was still playing at the drive in and was now the second feature, i would park in the back near the snack bar where there was good lighting and everyone had to pass by, and i'm telling you when movie was playing, and someone would turn their head and notice the car on the screen sitting right next to them people would come unglued !!!! that was the fun part.always had a huge crowd standing around the car after that.Some thought is was a replica car but as soon as they stood behind it and saw the license plate i had people wanting to sit in it that i wouldn't do !but i really loved that car, and my ex wife was coming to pick me up from work in S.F. and this twit brought her little 12 year old sister and they were goofing off and not paying attention to driving and totalled the car !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! at least i still have a couple of pictures of it somewhere from way back when, i sure would love to get another 69 and make me a replica, since i know exactly what it should look like."

just been reading up on DMCL stuff again ....  any more thoughts /info on 8 chargers being used for the film  & not the 3 possibly 4 we have discussed in the past ?

[Cooperman]

I knew about the Vic Morrow death. I still remember hearing it on the news. I saw that movie too. Wasn't really that great for a Speilberg movie.

(Sorry to perpetuate the hijack...)

I can't believe they still released the movie after something like that. I didn't know Vic Morrow had died that way either to be honest, even more surprised to find the actual footage of his death out there in internetland...   

[Ghoste]

So how about it Bert, any more info on the other Chargers used in the film or what happened to those cars?