Futureworld (1976)

Upon uncovering the dirty secret of futuristic theme-park Futureworld, an ex-employee is killed after he tips off two other reporters who decide to do an undercover investigation.

Director:

Richard T. Heffron

Writers:

Mayo Simon, George Schenck

Stars:

Peter Fonda, Blythe Danner, Arthur Hill

1 win & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Peter Fonda	...	Chuck Browning
Blythe Danner	...	Tracy Ballard
Arthur Hill	...	Duffy
Yul Brynner	...	The Gunslinger
John P. Ryan	...	Dr. Schneider (as John Ryan)
Stuart Margolin	...	Harry
Allen Ludden	...	Game Show Host
Robert Cornthwaite	...	Mr. Reed
Angela Greene	...	Mrs. Reed
Darrell Larson	...	Eric
Nancy Bell	...	Erica
Burt Conroy	...	Mr. Karnovski
Dorothy Konrad	...	Mrs. Karnovski
John Fujioka	...	Mr. Takaguchi
Dana Lee	...	Mr. Takaguchi's Aide

Storyline

Two reporters, Tracy and Chuck, get a message from a third one who discovered something about "Futureworld" and was killed before he could tell anyone about it. They visit Futureworld to find out what he knew.

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Plot Keywords:

conspiracy | robot | sequel | theme park | laboratory | 

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Taglines:

Where the only way to survive is to kill yourself

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Genres:

Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

13 August 1976 (USA)

Also Known As:

Futureworld - Das Land von Übermorgen

Filming Locations:

16410 Larkfield Drive, Clear Lake, Texas, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$2,500,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

American International Pictures (AIP), The Aubrey Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

108 min (original)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The stock footage of the passenger jet flying against the sunset (eleven minutes in) was also used in The Gambler (1974) at 1:01:48.

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Goofs

Delos, the home of Futureworld and then then-shuttered Westworld, is located near the city of Houston. Westworld is shown to be a western town set inside of a large arid desert and mountainous region.

Unfortunately for the writers and the director of the film, there are no deserts within 300 miles of the Houston metropolitan area, which itself is a marshy coastal salt plain. Additionally, the closest mountains" to the Houston area are the Ouachitas which are heavily forested and which have a rather wet climate in Arkansas and Oklahoma.

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Quotes

Arthur Holcombe: While you are a glamorous, and highly paid television personality, you are still an employee. In fact, you're my employee. So, unless you'd like to spend the next 3 years doing weather and fashion in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, you will now shut up and do as you're told.
Tracy Ballard: Oh, yes? Yes, Arthur? we'll see about that!

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Alternate Versions

For its initial television broadcast, an alternate version of the scene towards the end where Chuck Browning extends his middle finger to Dr. Schneider was shot. Instead of extending his middle finger, Browning performs a sanitized "Italian elbow gesture", where the right hand is placed in the elbow crook of the left arm, then the left arm is raised (fist clenched) in a smooth and continuous motion.

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Connections

Followed by Beyond Westworld (1980)

User Reviews

Following to ¨Michael Chricton's Westworld¨ with intrigue , tension , suspense and fun

An inferior sequel to ¨Michael Chricton's Westworld¨ sci-fi starred by Richard Benjamin and James Brolin , here two reporters (Peter Fonda and Blythe Danner) enter to the new ¨Futureworld¨ theme park (like a futuristic Disneyland) for adult vacation , a pleasure palace resort called ¨Delos¨ which offers the opportunity to live in several fantasy worlds . It's run by powerful people (Arthur Hill and John P.Ryan) and serviced by lifelike robots that are turning against their creators and planning to take over the world .

The film gets stimulating in parts , action , chilling twists , thriller , suspense and results to be quite entertaining . It's made big scale and lavish budget but in a serial style of the thirties or forties . Climatic pursuit throughout the corridors of Delos is chillingly mounted and the starring is suddenly confronted samurais and robots , including footage shot at a spacial plant where is displayed dazzling and impressive scenarios . Peter Fonda is perfect as an intelligent and dashing journalist who does jokes with his partner Blythe Danner . Special cameo by Yul Brynner in his final film , he is frightening as the cold android gunfighter who inexorably pursues to Blythe Danner although in dreams but he was killed in the previous film . Director Richard T. Heffron has made an entirely believable scenario which creates the whole images seem admirably exciting , being first live-action movie to use computer-generated 3D imagery . A television series followed in 1980 titled ¨Beyond Westworld¨. Rating : 6 . Acceptable and passable .