ments on May 19, 1987, the jury delib-
erated for nine days and returned not
guilty verdicts for all defendants. The
acquittal was based on the prosecution’s
failure to prove that the accident was
foreseeable. When the film was released
in 1983, it included the work of Vic
Morrow.
Impact TheTwilight Zoneaccident in-
spired increased oversight on film sets.
Studios and production companies be-
came both more careful and more care-
fully regulated in their use of children;
their efforts to achieve bigger, more
dramatic mechanical and physical ef-
fects; and their safety precautions to
protect actors and stunt doubles. The
tragedy also marked the end of the era
of silence and secrecy regarding poten-
tially dangerous film scenes; workers in
the industry felt freer to express safety
concerns without fear of losing their
jobs.
Further Reading
Farber, Stephen, and Marc Green.Out-
rageous Conduct: Art, Ego, and the “Twi-
light Zone” Case.New York: Arbor
House, 1988.
Labrecque, Ron.Special Effects: Disaster
at “Twilight Zone”—The Tragedy and
the Trial.New York: Scribner, 1988.
McBride, Joseph.Steven Spielberg: A Biography.New
York: Simon & Schuster, 1997.
Cecilia Donohue
See also Action films; Epic films; Film in the United
States; Horror films; Science-fiction films; Special ef-
fects; Spielberg, Steven.
Tylenol murders
The Event Tylenol capsules are poisoned with
cyanide, resulting in seven deaths
Date September, 1982
Place Chicago, Illinois
The Tylenol murders pressured Congress and the Food
and Drug Administration to enact federal laws regulat-
ing over-the-counter medications and requiring tamper-
resistant packaging.On September 29, 1982, four people in Chicago
were hospitalized for similar symptoms that ulti-
mately led to their deaths. Analysis of blood samples
indicated that all four deaths were the result of cya-
nide poisoning. Investigation determined that all
four deaths also resulted from the use of Extra
Strength Tylenol capsules. Further lab analysis re-
vealed that the capsules contained approximately
sixty-five milligrams of cyanide poison, more than
ten thousand times the amount needed kill a single
individual.
In an attempt to save the reputation of Tylenol, as
well as their own, the companies that produced the
product, McNeil Consumer Products and Johnson
& Johnson, issued a recall. Questions remained,
however, concerning whether the poison was addedThe Eighties in America Tylenol murders 993
Chicago City Health Department employees test Extra Strength Tylenol capsules
for cyanide in October, 1982, in the wake of the September murders in the city.
(AP/Wide World Photos)