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Tuesday, December 5, 2023

Classic Movie Flashback 'Twilight Zone: The Movie' 1983

TWILIGHT ZONE: THE MOVIE from WARNER BROS. (1983). The production budget climbed to $10 million. It grossed $42 million at the world wide box office. (Movie ticket price $3.15). Steven Spielberg and John Landis both produced the film. It's based on the popular 1959 Black & White TV series.

There are four stories that were helmed by current 1980's directors.

  1. "Time Out" Directed by John Landis.
  2. "Kick The Can" Directed by Steven Spielberg.
  3. "It's A Good Life" Directed by Joe Dante.
  4. "Nightmare At 20,000 Feet" Directed by George Miller.
CBS Television executives green-lit "The Twilight Zone" for the Fall of 1985. It ran for 3 TV seasons.

During filming of the first segment "Time Out" that was written and directed by John Landis. An on-set helicopter crash killed actor Vic Morrow and two undocumented child performers. The film's casting director didn't know about the kids who were paid under-the-table. California's child labor laws prohibited children from working at night. The film shoot was at 2 a.m.

Criminal and Civil lawsuits were filed against John Landis (Director), John Folsey Jr. (Associate Producer), Dan Allingham (Production Manager), Dorcey Wingo (Helicopter Pilot) and Paul Stewart (Explosives Expert). They were all acquitted in 1986 after heavy news coverage of the accident.

The tragic deaths garnered interest among film-goers and fans of the classic TV-series. Plus, its' famous director Steven Spielberg. When "Twilight" was released. It received mixed reviews. (My favorite segment is "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet" with John Lithgow).

1983 Movie Poster.

1983 original movie Lobby Cards.


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