Vic Morrow, playing 'Franklin', insisted on a $1 million life insurance policy before he would film any scenes involving the helicopter, and said that if he wouldn't be insured, he would walk off the picture. His wish was granted, and he very reluctantly agreed to fly in the chopper. When asked why he wanted the policy, Morrow replied "I have always had a premonition that I'll be killed in a helicopter crash!" Of course, on July 23, 1982, Morrow was indeed killed, along with two children, when a helicopter was brought down by special effects explosions, right on top of them while they were filming La Quatrième Dimension (1983). Morrow was decapitated by the helicopter's main rotor, as was one of the children. The other child was crushed to death. Incidentally, famed stunt coordinator Gary McLarty, who was one of the passengers inside the helicopter that killed Morrow, also appears in this movie as a State Trooper.
The second getaway car featured in the film is a 1969 Dodge Charger R/T with a 440 cubic inch V-8 engine. For muscle car buffs, the color of the Charger is a Chrysler Corporation factory color called "Citron Yella" (1971 paint code GY3), which is a fluorescent greenish-yellow. The black stripe on the side of the car is not a factory-offered Dodge racing stripe, but rather one painted on by the crew. The wheels are 15-inch "Ansen" brand wheels.
The unique greenish-yellow color of the car can appear as "more green" or "more yellow," depending on the color settings of the viewer's individual television, leading to a decades-old debate among film fans about the true color of the car.
The unique greenish-yellow color of the car can appear as "more green" or "more yellow," depending on the color settings of the viewer's individual television, leading to a decades-old debate among film fans about the true color of the car.
Six 1972 Dodge Polara 440 V-8 police cars were purchased from the California Highway Patrol for use in the film. All were destroyed during various jumps, rollovers, and crashes.
Filming started in the fall of 1973, during the time that USA highway markings changed from white to yellow. While most of the roads in California had changed by then, there are several examples of shots where the old system shows in some frames and the new system in others. One chase in particular goes down a road with no markings, yet the new yellow markings are seen from the car back window.
A clip of the chase scene in which Mary says, "I think someone's knocking on the door," is played in the 1997 Quentin Tarantino film, Jackie Brown (1997), in which Robert De Niro and Bridget Fonda are watching. Bridget Fonda is the daughter of Dirty Mary Crazy Larry star Peter Fonda.