Avalanche Express became a production crisis when director-producer Mark Robson collapsed after 65 exhausting days of location filming across West Germany and Italy. The shoot had been physically demanding, complicated by heightened security concerns surrounding terrorism in Europe, and Robson's health had visibly deteriorated. With roughly ten shooting days still remaining, he was flown to a London hospital, where he died of a heart attack on June 20, 1978, at the age of 64. Lee Marvin reportedly summed up Robson's determination grimly by saying, "He sure went with his boots on." Mike Connors later recalled that the cast and crew could see the director declining from day to day, while the strain of working on a complicated European production made communication and coordination even more difficult. Lorimar president Peter Bart brought in Monte Hellman to complete the direction and hired Gene Corman, brother of Roger Corman, to take over Robson's producing responsibilities. Stunt coordinator Alan Gibbs helped stage the remaining action, while cinematographer Jack Cardiff departed and his assistants Alec Mills and Federico Del Zoppo took over. Hellman ultimately directed about ten percent of the principal photography, all of the special-effects work, and the miniature avalanche sequences designed by John Dykstra. He and Corman were left uncredited, receiving only a final-credit note thanking them for their post-production services, contributing to the film's famously disjointed and troubled reputation.
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AI concept artworkArchive Record · 1970s
The Director Who Died with Ten Days Left on Avalanche Express
Avalanche Express / Mark Robson / 1970s
Avalanche Express became a production crisis when director-producer Mark Robson collapsed after 65 exhausting days of location filming across West Germany and Italy. The shoot had been physically demanding, complicated by heightened security concerns surrounding terrorism in Europe, and Robson's health had visibly deteriorated. With roughly ten shooting days still remaining, he was flown to a London hospital, where he died of a heart attack on June 20, 1978, at the age of 64. Lee Marvin reportedly summed up Robson's determination grimly by saying, "He sure went with his boots on." Mike Connors later recalled that the cast and crew could see the director declining from day to day, while the strain of working on a complicated European production made communication and coordination even more difficult. Lorimar president Peter Bart brought in Monte Hellman to complete the direction and hired Gene Corman, brother of Roger Corman, to take over Robson's producing responsibilities. Stunt coordinator Alan Gibbs helped stage the remaining action, while cinematographer Jack Cardiff departed and his assistants Alec Mills and Federico Del Zoppo took over. Hellman ultimately directed about ten percent of the principal photography, all of the special-effects work, and the miniature avalanche sequences designed by John Dykstra. He and Corman were left uncredited, receiving only a final-credit note thanking them for their post-production services, contributing to the film's famously disjointed and troubled reputation.
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