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Fly By Night: The Secret Story of Steven Spielberg, Warner Bros, and the Twilight Zone Deaths
FLY BY NIGHT is about the helicopter crash on the set of "Twilight The Movie" – the Warner Bros. film co-produced by Steven Spielberg and John Landis – that killed actor Vic Morrow, and two children who had been hired illegally.
Confidential sources in the studios and in the private worlds of Spielberg and Landis – and in the DA's office, the sheriff's office, Interpol and the FBI – and newly uncovered internal Warner Bros. documents – let the author show the cover-up that ensued, a $5-million-dollar scheme to keep Landis out of jail and Spielberg out of the headlines, resulting in an unbelievable acquittal by a jury that had fallen under the spell of Hollywood. From John Huston, Jackie Cooper, Ralph Bellamy and Don Ameche to Chevy Chase, George Lucas, Dan Aykroyd and Carrie Fisher, both old and new Hollywood found themselves party to this unprecedented event.
Confidential sources in the studios and in the private worlds of Spielberg and Landis – and in the DA's office, the sheriff's office, Interpol and the FBI – and newly uncovered internal Warner Bros. documents – let the author show the cover-up that ensued, a $5-million-dollar scheme to keep Landis out of jail and Spielberg out of the headlines, resulting in an unbelievable acquittal by a jury that had fallen under the spell of Hollywood. From John Huston, Jackie Cooper, Ralph Bellamy and Don Ameche to Chevy Chase, George Lucas, Dan Aykroyd and Carrie Fisher, both old and new Hollywood found themselves party to this unprecedented event.
469 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 14, 2022
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
July 6, 2024
An extremely detailed and technical book on the fatal "Twilight Zone" deaths of 1982. Around the beginning, the author references Akira Kurosawa's famous film "Rashomon" (1950). The film has clearly served as an inspiration on how the book is constructed: the accident is presented from several different viewpoints, over and over again. When you factor in that there were dozens of people on set the night the deaths occurred, the book is at times simply tedious to read, and overpopulated with names and backstories for everyone from Steven Spielberg to the guy who made the coffee on set. If you're looking for a literary equivalent of the TV show "Air Crash Investigation" (though one that's even more technical), you've found your fix; if you're looking for a general presentation of what happened that night, I would strongly recommend a documentary or a Wikipedia article. For die hard dark history fans only.
August 7, 2024
Fascinating story of the TZ tragedy. Unfortunately the author needed a better editor to help tighten it up and not repeat himself unnecessarily. I also wish he had citations. He mentions information not brought out during trial but then doesn’t explain how he came to have it. The kindle version is missing several exhibits. They aren’t necessary to reading the story but should still be there. Overall, as someone who loved the movie as a child, I’m glad the author hasn’t let the memory of the victims fade.
December 15, 2025
This book took me a while to get through, not because it is badly written-it's actually compelling. But the subject matter and the three deaths that occurred to the absolute thoughtlessness, carelessness, and ego on this set was infuriating.
I gave this book three stars because there is absolutely no notes section with sources for whom the author spoke to or got his information from.
For instance, he claims the judge in the case was ready to hand a 2-year jail sentence to John Landis and was surprised by the jury's decision to find Landis not guilty. Did he speak to the judge? Was the prosecution team told this? We don't know because there is NO SOURCES listed.
What happened to Vic, My-ca, and Renee was horrifying. It was also galling how the families were treated afterwards. Specifically, Morrow's daughters were told to basically never speak of their father or the accident for the rest of their lives. Also, Renee's family was paid less than My-ca's because by the time the settlement came around (5 YEARS LATER) Renee's parents had another child. What the heck was that?
I have read the other two books about this accident and case (Outrageous Conduct and Special Effects) and sadly they are out of print but if you are interested, you should see if you can locate them.
WARNING: This book does contain graphic pictures at the end. I have a print copy which does have a warning. Not sure if things have changed, but I heard the Kindle copies do not contain such a warning.
I gave this book three stars because there is absolutely no notes section with sources for whom the author spoke to or got his information from.
For instance, he claims the judge in the case was ready to hand a 2-year jail sentence to John Landis and was surprised by the jury's decision to find Landis not guilty. Did he speak to the judge? Was the prosecution team told this? We don't know because there is NO SOURCES listed.
What happened to Vic, My-ca, and Renee was horrifying. It was also galling how the families were treated afterwards. Specifically, Morrow's daughters were told to basically never speak of their father or the accident for the rest of their lives. Also, Renee's family was paid less than My-ca's because by the time the settlement came around (5 YEARS LATER) Renee's parents had another child. What the heck was that?
I have read the other two books about this accident and case (Outrageous Conduct and Special Effects) and sadly they are out of print but if you are interested, you should see if you can locate them.
WARNING: This book does contain graphic pictures at the end. I have a print copy which does have a warning. Not sure if things have changed, but I heard the Kindle copies do not contain such a warning.
September 3, 2022
A lengthy, thorough, excoriating examination of the Twilight Zone helicopter negligence and its aftermath. Chain spends a great deal of time recreating the moments of the accident itself - what led up to it, the actions of the individuals involved, the traumas inflicted - through to the immediate aftermath and trial. The focus on individuals, their intentions, their likely actions etc leaves you with the impression of a thousand hands contributing to a tremendous failure to keep two children and a veteran actor alive.
The narrative isn't served by its sometimes choppy nature, flitting backward and forward, breaking the flow. The shift from film-making to legal battle is handled well but the legal case is examined in vast depth which can sometimes be isolating (read: boring). Chain admirably keeps the victims of this centred and clearly has access to multiple off-record sources (including for the supply of otherwise unseen sketches of the set).
The narrative isn't served by its sometimes choppy nature, flitting backward and forward, breaking the flow. The shift from film-making to legal battle is handled well but the legal case is examined in vast depth which can sometimes be isolating (read: boring). Chain admirably keeps the victims of this centred and clearly has access to multiple off-record sources (including for the supply of otherwise unseen sketches of the set).
July 7, 2023
Before this, the only book on this subject was out of print so I was excited to see this new one. This tragedy is still the worst in movie history and I’ve always wanted to read about it. I’m of two minds here. On the one hand, this is incredibly well researched and comprehensive and I feel I know everything. On the other, the sheer volume here was occasionally overwhelming and I wondered how a Mark Harris or Karina Longworth could keep this moving. On balance, this is an important record of a senseless and brutal tragedy and worth a look if you can stomach it.
April 1, 2026
As the ‘70s became the ‘80s, John Landis made a trio of beloved movies, all which showed the filmmaker’s infatuation with stunts. There’s the parade finale of “Animal House” (1978), the Piccadilly Circus panic from “An American Werewolf in London" (1981), and—the prizewinning example—“The Blues Brothers” (1980), a movie made from a “Saturday Night Live” skit that Landis endowed with so many stunts and explosions it’s, frankly, rather baffling.
This pattern wouldn’t necessarily jump out (or it would just be attributed to Landis’s stated goal of one-upping his friend Steven Spielberg), had it not been for the so-called Twilight Zone deaths. In making one of the segments for “Twilight Zone: The Movie,” Landis cast Vic Morrow as the lead, a fading-star name hoping for a comeback. He also oversaw the off-the-books hiring of two Asian children who had never been on a movie set. Anyone reading this knows how it ended: Morrow and the children were killed during an especially daring helicopter stunt.
Longtime journalist and publisher Steve Chain revives this mostly forgotten (?) event with “Fly By Night: The Secret Story of Steven Spielberg, Warner Bros, and the Twilight Zone Deaths.” In short, Chain documents the events leading up to the accident, the accident itself, and the fallout/trial. He has the receipts, as the kids say, and gives an insanely detailed account that includes such twists as the Hollywood cocaine culture of the time, and the unlikelihood of getting a non-star-struck jury in Hollywood.
The person who comes off looking the worst in the saga is Landis himself, a petty tyrant whose prime directive—apart from self-promotion—was to cover his ass. Despite the subtitle, though, Spielberg really isn’t a part of the story, too many degrees removed from the tragedy to be a factor (of course, Spielberg’s trusted assistant, Frank Marshall, was on the set that night, then fled the U.S. for Europe, despite being wanted for questioning. For whatever reason, he was never questioned and, strangely, seems to have gotten away with his absconding).
“Fly By Night” is independently published—something I oft consider a red flag re: a book’s quality—but it’s also well-written and extensively researched… maybe to a fault. The book’s biggest strength: its thoroughness, can also be a drawback. Indeed, this one isn’t for short attention spans. But for the rest of us, it’s worth the read.
This pattern wouldn’t necessarily jump out (or it would just be attributed to Landis’s stated goal of one-upping his friend Steven Spielberg), had it not been for the so-called Twilight Zone deaths. In making one of the segments for “Twilight Zone: The Movie,” Landis cast Vic Morrow as the lead, a fading-star name hoping for a comeback. He also oversaw the off-the-books hiring of two Asian children who had never been on a movie set. Anyone reading this knows how it ended: Morrow and the children were killed during an especially daring helicopter stunt.
Longtime journalist and publisher Steve Chain revives this mostly forgotten (?) event with “Fly By Night: The Secret Story of Steven Spielberg, Warner Bros, and the Twilight Zone Deaths.” In short, Chain documents the events leading up to the accident, the accident itself, and the fallout/trial. He has the receipts, as the kids say, and gives an insanely detailed account that includes such twists as the Hollywood cocaine culture of the time, and the unlikelihood of getting a non-star-struck jury in Hollywood.
The person who comes off looking the worst in the saga is Landis himself, a petty tyrant whose prime directive—apart from self-promotion—was to cover his ass. Despite the subtitle, though, Spielberg really isn’t a part of the story, too many degrees removed from the tragedy to be a factor (of course, Spielberg’s trusted assistant, Frank Marshall, was on the set that night, then fled the U.S. for Europe, despite being wanted for questioning. For whatever reason, he was never questioned and, strangely, seems to have gotten away with his absconding).
“Fly By Night” is independently published—something I oft consider a red flag re: a book’s quality—but it’s also well-written and extensively researched… maybe to a fault. The book’s biggest strength: its thoroughness, can also be a drawback. Indeed, this one isn’t for short attention spans. But for the rest of us, it’s worth the read.
January 12, 2025
Full of damning information, but drowned out by technical writing, making for a dense, slow read. John Landis is painted as a thoroughly repugnant character, a man absolutely consumed by his own ego. For those interested in this particular case, this is an essential book, but be warned that included are extremely gruesome black-and-white photographs of the aftermath of the accident and once they've been seen, can never be unseen. Whether or not it was justified to include them is a matter of open ethical debate.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews