I actually don't have a "grudge" at Vince over Owen, if anything I am very accepting of it being a bad accident and I made that pretty clear, however... it is out there from enough people's testimony that Owen felt he HAD to do it rather than wanted to, that Vince was keeping him when he wanted to leave and that ultimately the whole situation could have been avoided by different calls being made. Owen was put in a "take it or leave it" situation at a time where he was vulnerable and had something to lose.
You don't think that WcW would've hired him? That;s what I don't buy. There was nothing Vince could really do if he just said 'no'. There's no grounds for a lawsuit and WCW was offering bigger paychecks. Out of curiosity, where did you hear that he wanted to retire and be a fireman?
What "got Landis off" if you want to call it that was he was able to show doubt that the copter wasn't faulty and that caused it rather than the explosions. A technicality for sure but enough that criminal proceedings ended and it went to civil cases, which were settled BIG in favor of the families.
Huh? You should read the book on this subject, although admittedly I don't remember what it was called. The problem was that the explosions guy was paying attention to Vic and the kids, not the helicopter.
I am sure Vic Morrow would not have know much about the safety implications... he was viewing this as a "big comeback" by all accounts in a controversial but redemptive role... so he would be keen for the scene to go as scripted, for his performance to be good (which it was...very good) and that he had to trust Landis when it came to the stunt work as he was never an action actor in that way. Landis had pedigree from the Blues Brothers and Werewolf doing big set pieces in cities with car crashes etc, but helicopters were not part of anything he had done to that point... he had done some explosions in Blues Brothers but nothing on this scale...
In the book I mention, they dedicate a whole chapter to Vic Morrow, his fear of helicopters and early obsession with safety. There's no evidence that he expressed his concerns to Landis. He did make a jest where he said something like 'How did I let them talk me into this? I should have asked for a stunt double'. So he knew it was dangerous.
In reality his vision probably got too big and being the "enfant terrible" director of the day with successes under his belt could bend the rules to his will rather than fit them and use the "you'll never work in this town again" line on anyone who did question him on dubious decisions... translate that to Owen and Vince... remember guaranteed contracts were new in the WWF... Owen was on his first and probably only one... 2 years prior he could have walked, now he couldn't...
Unfortunately Landis has always been reckless and you can even see where stunts could've easily gone terrible in "Blues Brothers". Now you are correct in that Landis had a very strong personality and dominated people into his will. The book REALLY enforces this. I'm sure Vince has it in him too, but once again, what was the worst he can do? Either you're suggesting Owen was weak willed, or he was dedicated enough to go through with it. Being concerned doesn't mean he opposed the stunt. Owen was also well liked enough that if Vince attempted to do anything, the back-room would've gone ape-shit and Vince wouldnt want that heat after the Bret Hart fiasco.
As I said first post, I feel differently now then when I first heard because I did look into it further... I hated the guy on first hearing about it, now I pity him having that on his conscience... same for Vince... it's a heavy thing that they played held the power in a decision making process that people died from... I am sure he was safety concious to the point where it messed with his movie... if he was the safety nut you mention, kids would not be on the set round explosions at night... simple as... somewhere the line was drawn between his vision and safety... same for Vince and the Blazer.
The parents put their kids at risk for sure, but they were also likely put in a "take it or leave it" situation and reassured. Landis could have made different creative choices to avoid it, just as Vince could have told Owen...we'll do it a different way. Neither did so and people died...
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Not sure if I said this, but in the case of Landis, unfortunately recklessness was part of a lifestyle amongst his generation. Landis was a fool, but I don't believe he thought there was any real danger- which was part of the reason the jury voted 'not guilty'. I said Vic Morrow was the safety nut, not Landis. The only good thing about Landis on set- ignoring the quality of his films- was that he was against drugs. The parents' kids weren't actors and I think they were only chosen because they were friends of some of the filmmakers. They had nothing to lose by pulling their children out, as both families seemed pretty successful, but apparently liked the idea of fame. Yes, both could've done something else. But why would they? They had yet to experience anything like this before.
The fact of the matter is, no one really knows what went down behind the scenes. Vince could've blackmailed Owen or he could've simply suggested the stunt and Owen could've eagerly accepted- even if it terrified him. Saying Vince is vindictive and Owen was in a bad place is merely putting your own interpretation into the mix. I don't know, you don't know, but I'm not pretending I know what really occurred behind-the-scenes. All we know is that Owen said yes, even though he did not need to.
