Vic Morrow was a renowned American actor whose career spanned more than three decades, making his mark in both film and television. Born on February 14, 1929 in the Bronx, New York, under the name Victor Morozoffwas the son of Russian Jewish immigrants. From a very young age, he showed an interest in art, but his path to acting was not the conventional one.
At age 17, he dropped out of high school to join the United States Navy, which later allowed him to access the GI Bill educational program. After completing his service, he enrolled at Florida Southern College with the intention of study law, But it was a participation in a university play that awakened his true passion: acting.
According to All InterestingDetermined to follow this new path, Morrow moved to New York, where he worked as a taxi driver while attending the Paul Mann acting school. In 1955, he got his big break with Blackboard Junglewhere he played Artie West, a troubled young man. This role gave him notoriety and pigeonholed him into tough-guy characters, such as criminals, gangsters, and soldiers. He participated in films like King Creole next to Elvis Presley and in Portrait of a Mobsterwhere he played the gangster Dutch Schultz.
As his career progressed, Morrow moved into television, where he found more fertile ground. His most notable role was that of sargento “Chip” Saunders in the hit series Combat!, which aired between 1962 and 1967. This portrayal of a morally complex military leader during World War II established him as one of the most iconic figures on television in the ’60s.
However, Morrow’s personal life was marked by ups and downs. He married the actress and screenwriter Barbara Turnerwith whom he had two daughters, including the future actress Jennifer Jason Leigh. He marriage It ended in divorce in 1964, which deeply affected the relationship between him and his daughter, from whom he became estranged. After a second union with Gale Lester In 1975, he continued his professional career, although he never again achieved the same notoriety of his early years.
In 1982, Morrow was chosen to participate in Twilight Zone: The Movie, a film adaptation of the famous television series created by Rod Serling. He would play Bill Connor, a racist man transported to different historical eras where he would experience firsthand the injustices that he himself had inflicted.
One of the key scenes in the segment was a reenactment of the Vietnam War, in which Morrow had to carry two Vietnamese children as they fled from an air raid. This scene, which was filmed on an outdoor set in Indian Dunes, California, would become the tragedy most terrible in the history of cinema.
As detailed The New York Timesfilming began during the night of July 23 of that year, in an atmosphere full of tension and dangerous conditions. The script called for Morrow and the children, Myca Dinh Leseven years old, and Renee Shin-Yi Chenof six, ran across a river under a simulated air attack.
The scene was designed to create extreme dramawith a military helicopter chasing the actors while large explosions shook the stage. The helicopter, piloted by Dorcey Wingo, a Vietnam veteran with no prior film experience, flew just 24 feet high. The explosions, simulating an air raid, would be unleashed right above them.
Despite initial concerns about safety, filming continued without adequate measures being taken to protect the actors and crew. The children had been hired illegally without the necessary permits and without complying with the safety regulations that protected minors on the set, according to instructions The New York Times.
During rehearsals, pilot Wingo expressed concern about the proximity of the explosions, which seemed more intense than expected. Despite his reservations, he felt pressured to follow the instructions of the director, who, according to witnesses, dismissed the risks and was very authoritarian. Even when a team member suggested that the explosions were stronger than anticipated, Landis responded: “If you think that was big, you haven’t seen anything yet.” This thoughtless attitude and the lack of coordination between the special effects, the helicopter pilot and the director turned out to be decisive factors in the tragedy that unfolded that night.
When it came time to film the scene, everything went terribly wrong. The planned explosion affected the rotor of the helicopter, which lost control and fell directly on top of the actors. The impact was devastating: It fell on Morrow and Myca Dinh Le, instantly decapitating them with the blades of the aircraft.
Renee Shin-Yi Chen, who was closest to the landing gear, was crushed by the weight of the aircraft. The scene, which was to be A fictitious drama became a real tragedy. with the crew members in absolute shock as they witnessed the violent death of three people, including a renowned actor and two innocent children.
The magnitude of the tragedy left everyone present in a state of paralysis. Witnesses to the incident described absolute silence after the impact, which was only interrupted by the desperate screams of Renee’s mother, who found her deceased daughter’s body. The paradox of life meant that Morrow never uttered his final line. “I’ll keep you guys safe. “I promise that nothing will happen to you.” The actor was another victim of a set that had ignored all the warning signs.
In it judgment Subsequently, the evidence of negligence was clear, but the result surprised many: all of the defendants, including John Landis, were acquitted of charges of involuntary manslaughter, even though the evidence of their responsibility was overwhelming.
