The State : Bid to Block Trial Fails

The state supreme court refused to block the trials of director John Landis and four others on manslaughter charges stemming from a helicloopertr crash in the filming of the movie “Twilight Zone.” Actor Vic Morrow and two child actors were killed in the July 1982, crash at a Valencia location. Chief Justice Rose Elizabeth Bird and Justices Malcolm Lucas and Stanley Mosk voted to grant a hearing to Landis and the other defendants, who wanted involuntary manslaughter charges dismissed before trial. Four votes were needed for a hearing by the seven-member court. Landis’co-defendants are Paul Stewart, a special effects coordinator; Dorcey Wingo, the helicopter pilot; Dan Allingham, the unit production manager, and George Folcey Jr., and associate producer.