Short Walk to Daylight

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.

I read one of the comments submitted and wanted to say I also saw this movie when I was about 10 years old. I only saw it once on TV but vividly remember the people trapped in the subway tunnel. I would love to watch this one again! I cannot believe that others remember and share the same memories. I have been on the NYC subways all of my life and this movie, I remember was very true in terms of reality. If anyone sees this upcomming in a TV listing please pass it along. I only wonder if it will ever get released on VHS or DVD. This is a cult classic. I simply refuse to spend money on the garbage movies being released on an assembly line today. Not to mention the pool of lousy actors that are practically trillionaires! Lets all keep our eyes open and hope this one gets released sometime soon. kj944

The original (excellent) film was certainly the talk of high school the day after it premiered (we all took the NYC subway to school). I was utterly shocked when I saw it again, perhaps a decade or more later, in syndication (as other posters haven commented), with added footage (perhaps to fill it out to a 2 hour running time). While "blockbuster" films during the 70s and early 80s did have extra footage added to them -- usually for special network TV showing-- in the case of "Short Walk," the addition completely subverted the tension and drama of the original! I wonder about the current state of this lost minor classic...

Various people are traveling the subway. Then an earthquake hits totally uprooting the subway car. Some of the passengers survive and, with hard-boiled James Brolin leading the way, they try to find a way out.

Caught this on TV when I was 10 and never forgot it. The earthquake scene was great and the acting was pretty good (for TV). Also they all have to face numerous obstacles to get out so I was never really bored. Haven't seen it since its premiere and I don't think I want to. Chances are what I liked when I was 10 will not hold up now when I'm in my 40s! Still it's worth catching if it ever pops up again. I give it a 6.

I recently got a copy of this movie through e-bay as these '70's TV movies are almost all forgotten and rarely run on late night TV anymore. I'm hoping somebody has a Nostaglic '70/'80's movie station coming soon because "Short Walk to Daylight" should be at the top of the list. The movie, given the time era it was made (1972) is actually very good and I felt the actors gave a good performance. Brooke Bundy may have gone a little over the top with her crying but she wasn't bad. The characters are all strangers waiting for a subway on an early Sunday morning and by the end of the movie have bonded together in a time of crisis.An earthquake strikes New York City leading to the disaster of the subway crashing and coming off the tracks. It seems realistic as this movie was made at a time when we didn't have computers to enhance the disaster. The walls come crumbling down, the earthquake has after-shocks and it makes for all the suspense these TV movies tried to generate. Some survive, some don't, typical of a disaster movie.There's some good elements of suspense along the way. Just when you think they're going to get out of the tunnel, they run into another obstacle. James Brolin was pretty popular at the time doing "Marcus Welby" and plays a hard-edged, NYC cop. I wouldn't want to spoil the ending but this movie is worth a look and given the length (90 minutes)it will keep you on the edge of your seat.