It can now be revealed: that was the train that Stranger on a Train was the stranger on!
Fazsha:
It can now be revealed; I was the one who jumped down the dam. While in college, I was visiting the set at the invitation of one of the crew, and when it came time to film the jump, the stuntman backed out. While they were discussing what to do, I asked how much they were paying for the jump and they said $32,000. I quickly volunteered, and they set up the shot. When I got to the edge I almost backed out myself, but there was a lot of pressure on me to follow through. The key is to take a deep breath and keep your legs together when entering the water, because you could be underwater 20-30 seconds. After I successfully made the jump everyone was freaking out and congratulating me, except the stunt man who chickened out. I partied with the cast the rest of the shoot, and near the end, Sela Ward said she was strangely attracted to me. I wasn’t about to get involved in a relationship with an actress just because she was interested in me superficially as a man who did not know fear and not about me as a person, so we left it there. Good memories. I wouldn’t do it again, though - I didn’t bring a change of clothes, and the jump ripped my shirt.
‘The Fugitive’: 25 Things You (Probably) Didn’t Know About the Harrison Ford Movie
Six dummies, at a cost of $12,000 each, took that impossible plunge from the dam.
I like his story better, though.
Clearly that site is wrong. It was one dummy, at a cost of $32K.
LSLGuy
December 15, 2017, 1:37pm
25
Is there a clip of that jump online somewhere for those of us who’ve never seen the movie?
I see no reason to believe that a middle-aged out-of-training physician couldn’t have survived that dive in fine shape.
The best thing about that movie for me was Harrison Ford trying to outrun the derailing locomotive…the stuff of nightmares.
don’t watch the clip: watch the entire movie! it’s a great one.
LSLGuy
December 15, 2017, 2:10pm
29
Thanks. Yowza. Not much doubt in my mind that was a plastic dummy, not the flesh and blood dummy up-thread.
Colibri
December 15, 2017, 3:37pm
30
I agree. That’s quite obviously a dummy from the way the legs move.
I’ll get right on with designing that.
We’ll call it, “The Blender”.
Colibri
December 15, 2017, 4:21pm
32
Fazsha:
It can now be revealed; I was the one who jumped down the dam. While in college, I was visiting the set at the invitation of one of the crew, and when it came time to film the jump, the stuntman backed out. While they were discussing what to do, I asked how much they were paying for the jump and they said $32,000. I quickly volunteered, and they set up the shot. When I got to the edge I almost backed out myself, but there was a lot of pressure on me to follow through. The key is to take a deep breath and keep your legs together when entering the water, because you could be underwater 20-30 seconds. After I successfully made the jump everyone was freaking out and congratulating me, except the stunt man who chickened out. I partied with the cast the rest of the shoot, and near the end, Sela Ward said she was strangely attracted to me. I wasn’t about to get involved in a relationship with an actress just because she was interested in me superficially as a man who did not know fear and not about me as a person, so we left it there. Good memories. I wouldn’t do it again, though - I didn’t bring a change of clothes, and the jump ripped my shirt.
Moderator Note
Fazsha , General Questions is for posting factual answers to questions. Posting obviously fabricated answers is trolling and grounds for immediate banning. No warning issued, because you may have intended this as a joke, but do not do this again.
Colibri
Given the question was correctly answered a decade ago, I’m going to close this.