The Lost Footage That Changed Logan’s Run Forever

[EndtheMadnessNow]

Logan’s Run (1976) is missing between 10 and 20 minutes of footage – and those deleted scenes quietly broke the story. In this Golden Flicker video essay, we dig into the lost version of this 70s sci-fi classic and show how studio cuts warped the film we know today.

If you’ve ever felt that Logan’s Run is rushed, confusing, or full of strange continuity errors, you’re not imagining it. To secure a PG rating and a wider audience, MGM removed entire scenes: violent moments, character beats, and connective tissue that originally made the plot and relationships much clearer. The result is a compromised theatrical cut that jumps, stalls, and sometimes barely makes sense.

In this in‑depth movie analysis, we walk through what was filmed versus what survived into release. From the darker original opening hunt to the missing details of the Ice Cave and Box, we reconstruct the lost version of the story and explain how those edits changed the tone, themes, and emotional impact of Logan’s journey.

[Ninurta]

I may be having a Mandela Effect moment, because I recall seeing the full 130 minute version. I recall the opening with Francis chasing the runner, shooting him, and the crowd cheering, and I recall seeing Jenny Agutter buck naked in the Ice Cave,

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[gortex]

I may be having a Mandela Effect moment, because I recall seeing the full 130 minute version. I recall the opening with Francis chasing the runner, shooting him, and the crowd cheering, and I recall seeing Jenny Agutter buck naked in the Ice Cave,

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Me too.

I have fond memories of Logan's Run mostly involving Jenny Agutter , interesting video mostly for Jenny Agutter in wet clothes.

[Minstrel]

I may be having a Mandela Effect moment, because I recall seeing the full 130 minute version. I recall the opening with Francis chasing the runner, shooting him, and the crowd cheering, and I recall seeing Jenny Agutter buck naked in the Ice Cave,

.

Woo Hoo! Me Too!

[Michigan Swamp Buck]

I saw it when it came out in the theater as a kid. I remember that opening chase scene, and when they had Francis's funeral. I'm not sure about that scene with Box, I don't specifically remember the ice sculpture of those two, but seeing it in the video sure seems right. I don't think they lost much with the outtakes, but it makes more sense to me now.

Also, I loved the movie then, and even now, after I watched it again, for different reasons, of course. I even read the book after I saw the movie as a kid, but it was way different than the movie, and I didn't really like the book much. I felt the same about "The Omega Man" movie with Heston from that era, although I liked the book, as different as it was. "Last Man on Earth" with Vincent Price was almost exactly like the book.

I find the movie Logan's Run to be dated, quaint even. I think it is a good example of 70s science fiction films and a great classic. It was a great time for live action Sci-Fi movies and hand-drawn, adult orientated, animated sci-fi as well. Lots of creative cinema during that era with limited tech available, beautiful work really.

[Ninurta]

I saw it when it came out in the theater as a kid. I remember that opening chase scene, and when they had Francis's funeral. I'm not sure about that scene with Box, I don't specifically remember the ice sculpture of those two, but seeing it in the video sure seems right. I don't think they lost much with the outtakes, but it makes more sense to me now.

Also, I loved the movie then, and even now, after I watched it again, for different reasons, of course. I even read the book after I saw the movie as a kid, but it was way different than the movie, and I didn't really like the book much. I felt the same about "The Omega Man" movie with Heston from that era, although I liked the book, as different as it was. "Last Man on Earth" with Vincent Price was almost exactly like the book.

I find the movie Logan's Run to be dated, quaint even. I think it is a good example of 70s science fiction films and a great classic. It was a great time for live action Sci-Fi movies and hand-drawn, adult orientated, animated sci-fi as well. Lots of creative cinema during that era with limited tech available, beautiful work really.

I liked "The Omega Man" with Heston, too. I liked it so much that I got the book, and saw how different it was. Then I researched it, and found there were like 4 or 5 different movie treatments of the book, so, over time, I collected all of them into my movie archive. The most recent one, "I Am Legend" with Will Smith, is probably the farthest away from the book - about the only real commonality is the title.

Another movie I liked in that time frame was "Damnation Alley" with Jan Michael Vincent as Hell Tanner. I got that book, too, by Roger Zelazny. With all the remakes they've been doing to past few years, I don't understand why they passed the chance up to remake Damnation Alley.

I think I need to go through my movie archives and see whether or not I have a copy of "Logan's Run"in the full version. I know I've seen it somewhere, and it may be hidden away in my archives...

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[BIAD]

Just chipping in with an AI Overview after asking 'Has Logan's Run Been Altered?'

Edits to the Original Film

During the post-production phase, the film was previewed for test audiences,
and several sequences were edited or shortened:

A longer sequence in the ice cave with the robot Box was cut due to extensive
nudity to secure a PG rating.

A "knock-down, drag-out fight" scene between Jessica and another character
was trimmed.

Some of these edited scenes are available as extras on later DVD releases.

[EndtheMadnessNow]

Ninurta; BIAD - I think I've only ever seen the TV version. Now I'm gonna have to look for an original theater release.

BTW, there is a very young coming of age Jenny Agutter in Walkabout, buck naked in the Australian outback. I think she was 16 or 17 during filming.

[Ninurta]

Ninurta; BIAD - I think I've only ever seen the TV version. Now I'm gonna have to look for an original theater release.

BTW, there is a very young coming of age Jenny Agutter in Walkabout, buck naked in the Australian outback. I think she was 16 or 17 during filming.

Jenny Agutter was 17 at the filming of "Walkabout". With Walkabout, I read the book first, and between the text of the book and he images from the movie in the middle of it, I was intrigued enough to seek out the film, which I also have archived.

She was born 20 December 1952. Filming of the movie started in August, 1969 when she was still 16, but a British film review board determined that she had turned 17 by the time the nude scenes were filmed, not that it mattered overmuch - British law at the time allowed for nude scenes and photos of people 16 years old and over. It's only recently that they raised the age to 18. Back in the day, Samantha Fox was also a "Page 3 Girl" at 16, which they would not be able to get away with now.

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[EndtheMadnessNow]

Ninurta; BIAD - I think I've only ever seen the TV version. Now I'm gonna have to look for an original theater release.

BTW, there is a very young coming of age Jenny Agutter in Walkabout, buck naked in the Australian outback. I think she was 16 or 17 during filming.

Jenny Agutter was 17 at the filming of "Walkabout". With Walkabout, I read the book first, and between the text of the book and he images from the movie in the middle of it, I was intrigued enough to seek out the film, which I also have archived.

She was born 20 December 1952. Filming of the movie started in August, 1969 when she was still 16, but a British film review board determined that she had turned 17 by the time the nude scenes were filmed, not that it mattered overmuch - British law at the time allowed for nude scenes and photos of people 16 years old and over. It's only recently that they raised the age to 18. Back in the day, Samantha Fox was also a "Page 3 Girl" at 16, which they would not be able to get away with now.

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Thanks for the info & clarification.