Short Walk to Daylight (1972)

Eight people are trapped in a New York subway after an earthquake, and try to find their way out.

Director:

Barry Shear

Writers:

Philip H. Reisman Jr. (teleplay), Gerald Di Pego (teleplay),

Stars:

James Brolin, Don Mitchell, James McEachin

Nominated for 1 Primetime Emmy. Another 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview:
James Brolin	...	Tom Phelan
Don Mitchell	...	Alvin
James McEachin	...	Ed
Abbey Lincoln	...	Dorella
Brooke Bundy	...	Joanne
Lázaro Pérez	...	Jax (as Lazaro Perez)
Suzanne Charney	...	Sylvia (as Suzanne Charny)
Laurette Spang	...	Sandy
Franklin Cover	...	Conductor

Storyline

Eight people are trapped in a New York subway after an earthquake, and try to find their way out.

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Plot Keywords:

subway | disaster | gas leak | railway | new york city | 

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Taglines:

A subway ride. A sudden earthquake. And now, disaster and death stand between seven strangers and a ... 'Short Walk To Daylight'

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

24 October 1972 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Night the Earth Shook

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal TV

Technical Specs

Runtime:

73 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Connections

Referenced in Daylight (1996)

User Reviews

Two different versions of this film!

I remember the first time I saw this film on the Movie of the Week...it was a very well-done movie IIRC. The idea of an earthquake hitting New York seemed kinda far-fetched, but you overlooked that due to the cast and the great direction.

Something odd happened to 'Short Walk to Daylight' when it went into syndication and was playing on the 'late night' slots: I seemed to remember that new footage was added creating a sub-plot of young radicals that had planted a bomb in NYC that caused the devastation to the subway system. Does anyone remember this version? I believe Univseral Studios was BIG on doing this to other movies of theirs, like 'Airport '75' when it came to TV. Their modus Operandi was to add deleted or film new scenes to movies to make them more 'sellable' to TV audiences. In the case of 'Short Walk to Daylight' the subplot of terrorists might have been a way to make the disaster more plausible since an earthquake of the magnitude indicated in the movie hitting New York is rather slim to none.