Coma - Trivia, Questions and Fun Facts

[discussimdb]

Fan of Coma or just want to share your movie knowledge? This topic is dedicated to all trivia and questions related to Coma

[wallace]

The film was memorable for its striking image of a coma clinic where numerous men and women were suspended by wires attached to, and passing through, their wrists and ankles. Such images were used for the film's movie posters.

[richard]

When reporting to Dr. Harris, the psychiatrist Dr. Morelind reveals too much about Dr. Wheeler, including her romantic attachment to Dr. Bellows. This breech of doctor / patient confidentiality adds to the theme that something is not quite right at the hospital.

[gabriel]

Michael Douglas later starred in an adaptation of Michael Crichton's novel, Disclosure (1994).

[carla]

Surgery patient Sean Murphy, also seen later in the Jefferson Institute, was actor Tom Selleck. Selleck would later work with this film's director Michael Crichton on Runaway (1984).

[addison]

Publicity for this picture stated that this marked Richard Widmark's 30th anniversary as a movie actor.

[francisco]

Approximately twelve years later, actor-producer Michael Douglas produced a film in the same mixed genre as Coma (1978). This was Joel Schumacher's sci-fi horror medical thriller Flatliners (1990).

[alyssa]

Director Michael Crichton attended medical school while author Robin Cook is a doctor (surgeon and ophthalmologist).

[terry]

Background artists played the coma patients being suspended by wires in the coma clinic. They underwent such great a physical strain that they could only be filmed in six minute bursts. Because of this, these extras were paid more. Director Michael Crichton said that "It was technically very complicated because the people could only hang for six minutes...You see, the suspension was actually only from the hips and neck. But because you had to act like you were suspended by wires everywhere, a great strain was put on the back...We had special tables built that were on jacks, like car jacks, and people would sit on these tables in between shots. And then they would be hung, and the tables would be rolled down and moved out...I think we used sixteen real people and fifteen dummies...But most of what the camera sees is real people."

[fred]

The building used for the exteriors of the evil medical facility is actually the former Xerox headquarters and sales office in Lexington, Massachusetts, located about 10 minutes from downtown Boston, near the intersection of routes 2 and 128. It is now the headquarters of Stride Rite footwear. The building has been altered since 1978 but is largely unchanged. The interiors of the medical facility were filmed at the MGM studio on one of the four sound stages used for this picture. These scenes needed special filming and lighting requirements.

[steve]

The word coma is derived from the Greek word "koma", which translates as "deep sleep".

[charlie]

Farrah Fawcett missed out on the role of Dr. Susan Wheeler because of her commitment with Charlie's Angels (1976).

[bernice]

The name of the experimental clinic is The Jefferson Institute, whilst the name of the hospital is the Boston Memorial Hospital. The latter closely resembles the real life Massachusetts General Hospital, though the location used for it was the Boston City Hospital.

[kim]

Julie Christie was the first choice to play Dr. Susan Wheeler.