On the night of August 20, 1920, it was the last night of filming for the film Skyway Man in Los Angelos, California. They were filming a stunt scene that involved the illusion of a biplane crashing. The stunt was to be done by Omar Locklear and Milton "Skeets" Elliot. Both were professional pilots. They were a part of the Locklear Flying Circus and had done similar stunts previously. They had flares on the wings to give the illusion of them crashing.
Things didn't go to plan this night though. The crew was supposed to turn off the lights when Omar and Skeets were close to the ground. The lights weren't turned off and this may have blinded the two and they didn't realize how close to the ground they were. The plane crashed and the two were killed immediately.
The plane crash, their deaths, and Omar's girlfriend Viola Dana's reaction were all caught on camera. The studio decided to place all of this inside the movie. They probably thought people would want to see it for the fact it had an actual death in it. They released the movie on September 5, 1920, and this makes it one of the first films with real-life deaths in it. You cannot watch the scene as the movie has been lost to time.
The plane crash, their deaths, and Omar's girlfriend Viola Dana's reaction were all caught on camera. The studio decided to place all of this inside the movie. They probably thought people would want to see it for the fact it had an actual death in it. They released the movie on September 5, 1920, and this makes it one of the first films with real-life deaths in it. You cannot watch the scene as the movie has been lost to time.
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