Short Walk to Daylight

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.

Like a few other comments here, I too saw this as a ten year old when it first aired as a TV movie of the week. I think it was right after the Poseidon Adventure came out and I was on my disaster movie kick. But I really loved this one. I remember being riveted to the TV, the hot, steamy subway at night and the dark, moody sets and effects. From what I remember there was an earthquake in Manhattan, and the implication was there wasn't much for them to escape to once they got out.

That's why I hated the longer version that was released a few years later. They explained it all away as a terrorist explosion or something. It was all padding, probably to fill a 2 hour slot (just like that awful Debra Lee Scott padding they added to Earthquake for its TV airing.)

I would also love to see this again. Or maybe not... maybe it would ruin the memories.

FYI: another fun TV movie from this era was Terror At 30,000 Feet, with William Shatner as 747 pilot and his demonic cargo.

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...

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

I saw this movie on TV when it first came out. I was 7 years old. I saw it again in 1974. Since then, I have not seen it. Now the review... This was such an excellent film, that I can still vividly remember it. Why? The New York City Subway System in the 1970's. You could not ask for a better piece of footage, if the former New York City Mayor John Lindsay were alive to have filmed it himself!! James Brolin was marginal in his acting, but the storyline was excellent. In fact, it was much better than DAYLIGHT, which just came out recently with Sylvester Stallone. If anyone can help me in getting a copy of this movie I would appreciate it tremendously!!!!