When Peter Graves Broke His Jaw - And Gave Up Smoking!

One late evening in March 1984 Peter Graves went for a walk near his Lake Tahoe home. He slipped, fell on his face, and broke his jaw in five places. Ouch. Somehow, in freezing weather, he crawled a mile home, instead of freezing to death. The 'Peter Graves Quit Smoking' article (below) tells the tale in the most detail, including his recovery, when he gave up smoking. He recalls it with wonderful understatement, 'For five weeks I sat in bed wired shut, with horrible claustrophobia, wearing a pair of wirecutters around my neck so I'd be able to cut myself free if I vomited. This wasn't pleasant.'

Sometimes I try to work out if there's any discernible before and after difference. He 'wasn't expected to require plastic surgery.' The photo on the left, below, is him attending the Emmy Awards in LA, in September 1985. The photo on the right, below, is a publicity shot from Airplane, in 1980. Sometimes I think there's a slight change in his jaw or a slight alteration in his lips, which were partially ripped from his face, but it's so hard to tell, with the effects of age. I may have photos from dates closer to the before and after of his accident, but it's sometimes hard to date them, and searching through all my photos is an exhausting task! (Plus, I get distracted by all the prettiness.) It does seem notable, though, that there are no acting roles entered for him on IMDB for 1985. I can't help but wonder if the three things he was in in 1984 were filmed in 1983, or before March 1984, and nothing was filmed for the rest of 84 to be shown in 85.

That's enough from me. It's hurting my hands to type anyway (damn joints.) So I leave you with those two photos, and a handful of newspaper articles.