On October 21st, 2021, a “prop” gun went off on the set of Rust, killing Halyna Hutchins. Alec Baldwin fired the gun while shooting a scene and a bullet—suspected to be sabotage—hit the crew member. Safety in Hollywood has been an ongoing issue, but very few incidents have been fatal. The question is: what can be done to ensure the safety of the cast and crew?
The Incidents of Oz
The Wizard of Oz, although appearing to be a magical movie, harmed actors like none other. From flying monkeys being dropped from the ceiling to the Wicked Witch catching on fire, it was clear that safety wasn’t a priority. Betty Danko, who was the stunt double for Margret Hamilton, suffered severe injuries after an incident involving an explosive broomstick and was fired. Even makeup harmed cast members. The original Tin Man, Buddy Ebsen, was poisoned by the tin makeup and was replaced by Jack Haley, who received an infection from the paint but went on with filming since he wasn’t hospitalized. In addition to her stunt double, Margret Hamilton caught on fire during a scene. Clearly, safety could have drastically improved in “the wonderful land of Oz.”
The Photo-Flo
Friday the 13th was a movie unlike any other when it came out: it was gory, creepy, and made people fear reality. Because there had been no movie like it, there was plenty of trial and error in the movie’s production. The blood seen in the movie was made of a mixture of Karo corn syrup, coloring, and Kodak Photo-Flo, which is toxic if ingested. A particular scene required Bill, played by Harry Crosby, to have blood flow from his eye. A pump was set up with a patch on his eye, and the blood would flow through his eye. There was nothing protecting his eyeball except for his eyelid. When the fake blood got into his eye, he suffered terrible eye irritation and lost his eyesight for about 6 months.
Ghostland Glasgow
Ghostland gave Taylor Hickson her first big movie role. In a particular scene, she was told to bang on a fake glass door. She was worried she would shatter the door, so she asked multiple people if it was safe to bang on the door. Everyone gave her the green light to bang hard. Just one problem: the door was made out of real glass. Upon shattering, the door slit her face, giving Hickson a Glasgow smile appearance. She required facial reconstruction, and because of her disfiguration from this injury, her career was severely damaged.
Twilight Zone Deaths
The Twilight Zone is one of the most popular and enduring television shows of its time. A particular episode of the show was filming a helicopter scene that involved Vic Morrow and Renee Shin-Yi Chen and Myca Dinh Le. Renee and Myca were only six and seven years old when they were filming this episode, and they were hired without the child labor law permits needed for them to be working on the show. Vic, Renee, and Myca went into the helicopter as it took off for the scene. The helicopter’s rotor became detached, and it became clear that the helicopter would crash. Vic Morrow tried to save the children by dropping them into the water below, but he could only drop Renee. The helicopter went down, and Vic Morrow and Myca Dinh Le were decapitated by its blades while Renee Shin-Yi was crushed to death.
What does this mean for Hollywood safety laws?
Since the shooting on the set of Rust on October 21st, details have been unfolding day by day. The gun that was handed to Alec Baldwin was loaded, even though it was a prop. The bullet that came from the gun struck both Halyna Hutchins and hit the Director, Joel Souza. The incident is suspected to be a result of foul play among a crew member as the prop gun, which should never be loaded unless it was intentionally loaded by a cast or crew member, was loaded.
There are many ways that all of these incidents could have been avoided. There could have been more law enforcement and paramedics on set, stricter background checks on employees, or more careful checks on the props. Enforcing these solutions could potentially save lives. Unfortunately, we cannot go back in time to prevent all the burns, poisonings, blindings, cuts, and numerous deaths that have occurred on sets, but we can take action and try to keep history from repeating itself in the film industry.
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