Vic Morrow: His Life and Death

About Vic Morrow's Death

Two books chronicle the "Twilight Zone" disaster that took the life of Vic Morrow and two child actors. Both books examine the events prior to the tragedy and end with the manslaughter trial of director John Landis. Though out of print, used copies are usually available online at Amazon.com and Alibris.com. Other sources are local used book stores and flea markets.

Outrageous Conduct : Art, Ego, and the Twilight Zone Case
   Authors:   Stephen Farber and Marc Green
   Publisher: Arbor House / Morrow
   Copyright: 1988, Out of Print
   ISBN (hardcover):   0-877-95948-X
   ISBN (paperback):   0-804-10478-6
   Hardcover issue price $18.95

Outrageous Conduct, written by two film critics, looks not just at the
details of the tragedy, but at how it fits within the Hollywood establish-
ment. According to the fly-leaf, "it exposes the excesses and hubris of the world's most glamourous and seductive profession." Very accessible, informative, and entertaining reading.

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Special Effects : Disaster at Twilight Zone
   Author:    Ron LaBrecque
   Publisher: Charles Scribner's and Sons
   Copyright: 1988
   ISBN:      0-684-18943-7
   Hardcover, issue price $19.94

Written by crime reporter Ron LaBrecque, _Special Effects_ is the drier of the "Twilight Zone" accounts. But the book offers much more data and first-hand interviews. It documents in pitiless detail the inside view of the filming and the trial, making readers "aware of Hollywood's flawed value system that conspired to produce this fatal event."

Books about Vic Morrow's Life

Robert Altman : Jumping off the Cliff
   Publisher: Saint Martin's Press
   Date: 1991
   ISBN: 0-312-05505-6 (hardcover)
   ISBN: 0-312-30467-6 (paperback)

This biography of TV and movie director Robert Altman contains some information of interest to Combat! fans.  Altman was involved with COMBAT! during its first season, directing 10 episodes and also acting as producer for a while.  In addition to Chapter 16, which is devoted to the show, there are tidbits scattered throughout the book regarding Altman's relationship with the cast and crew of the show (in particular Vic Morrow, Dick Peabody, and Morrow's estranged wife, Barbara Turner).

Take what you read in this book with a grain of salt -- there are several blatant errors regarding COMBAT! -- the author claims that Altman directed 20 episodes, yet his name only appears in the credits for 10 of them.  Also, the author claims that Robert Redford appeared in an episode (hey, if anybody can find these "Lost Episodes", we'd love to watch them!  ;-) Anyway, when these sorts mistakes are found in information that is easily verified, one has to wonder how accurate some of the other information is. Overall, though, this book is a must-read for COMBAT! fans.

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  (new paperback)  (used hardcover - out of print)