Silver Streak (1976)
1 stupidity
Directed by: Arthur Hiller
Starring: Gene Wilder, Patrick McGoohan, Richard Pryor, Jill Clayburgh
Plot hole: In the runaway train scene, Gene Wilder uncouples the train from the forward car, and has to make a dramatic leap to get back to the uncoupled car. Is there any reason he couldn't have uncoupled the train from the back car and just stayed put? It seems an unnecessary bit of drama.
Grover Muldoon: How come you whities got such a tight ass, man?
Trivia: The train crash at the end of the movie was filmed at Toronto's Union Station. While the layout of Union Station is irrelevant, it's interesting that the train's final position would have required it to cross the tracks at a 90° angle (more or less) and drop down onto the ramp that connects the Great Hall to the passenger departure area.
Question: While a number of cigarettes show up in the silver streak, none appear to be lit. Am I wrong or was this subtle comedy, or production preference?
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Answer: Most likely it was a production decision. Having multiple extra actors continually smoking during multiple takes and over hours of filming would make for a smokey set, affect breathing and burn peoples' eyes, be a fire hazard, and create consistency problems with cigarettes being in various stages of use (freshly lit or almost down to a stub).
raywest ★