The Towering Inferno (1974)

Directors:

John Guillermin
Irwin Allen

Writers:

Richard Martin Stern (novel)
Thomas N. Scortia (novel) ...

Release Date:

14 December 1974 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Thriller | Drama

Tagline:

One Tiny Spark Becomes A Night Of Blazing Suspense.

Plot:

At the opening party of a collosal, but poorly constructed, office building, a massive fire breaks out that threatens to destroy the tower and everyone in it.

Plot Keywords:

Fire | Party | Trapped | Architect | Skyscraper

Awards:

Won 3 Oscars. Another 8 wins & 12 nominations

Cast

Steve McQueen	...	Fire Chief Michael O'Hallorhan
Paul Newman	...	Doug Roberts
William Holden	...	Jim Duncan
Faye Dunaway	...	Susan
Fred Astaire	...	Harlee Claiborne
Susan Blakely	...	Patty Duncan Simmons
Richard Chamberlain	...	Roger Simmons
Jennifer Jones	...	Lisolette Muller
O.J. Simpson	...	Harry Jernigan
Robert Vaughn	...	Senator Gary Parker
Robert Wagner	...	Dan Bigelow
Susan Flannery	...	Lorrie
Sheila Allen	...	Paula Ramsay (as Sheila Mathews)
Norman Burton	...	Will Giddings (as Normann Burton)
Jack Collins	...	Mayor Robert Ramsay

Runtime:

165 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo (35 mm magnetic prints) | Mono (35 mm optical prints) | 70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

France:U | Hungary:16 | Australia:PG | Finland:K-16 | Netherlands:12 | Norway:15 | Norway:16 (1975) | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:PG | West Germany:16 (w) | Portugal:M/16 | Singapore:PG | UK:A

Filming Locations:

20th Century Fox Ranch, Malibu Creek State Park - 1925 Las Virgenes Road, Calabasas, California, USA

Company:

Irwin Allen Productions

Trivia:

The fancy "blinkenlights" computer which runs the Glass Tower is, in fact, composed of parts leftover from an obsolete Air Force system which, in the 1960s and '70s, protected the US from Soviet bomber attack. The computer was named AN/FSQ-7, and about a dozen of them were installed around the US. Based on vacuum tube technology, the 'Q-7 in action took up the whole first floor of a "bomb-proof" concrete blockhouse, and generated as much raw heat as five single-family houses. The whole system became obsolete when missiles replaced manned bombers as the main threat. In the film, only the main control and maintenance consoles are used. As an ironic afterthought, the only reliable source today of vacuum tubes is the former Soviet Union.

Goofs:

Factual errors: In the closing scenes of the movie, after the fire is out and everybody is back on the ground, a fireman walks by wearing his Scott Airpack upside down. The proper wearing of the air pack is a life saving piece of training for any Fireman.

Quotes:

Chief O'Hallorhan: [picking up a security phone] This is O'Hallorhan, who am I speaking to?
Flaker: Chief Flaker, sir. US Navy Air Rescue.
Chief O'Hallorhan: It's about time, we can use your rescue choppers.
Flaker: I've ordered them right away. I'd like to set up communications next to the forward command center.
Chief O'Hallorhan: No no, too dangerous, stay out of those elevators.
Flaker: Well then, sir, we'll just trot right up the stairs.
Chief O'Hallorhan: Yeah, you'll just trot right up to 79, huh?
Flaker: [chastened] Standing by in the lobby, sir.
Chief O'Hallorhan: Thank you.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Retarded Animal Babies (2003) (V)

Soundtrack:

The More I See You

The Best Of The Disaster Flicks?

"Disaster Movies" were a big hit in this era, with airplane crashes, earthquakes, fires, etc. This one made huge fires and firemen fashionable for awhile. It certainly had people talking, and it may have been the best of those "disaster" flicks.

The movie certainly had an all-star cast: Paul Newman, Steve McQueen, William Holden, Faye Dunaway, Fred Astaire, Susan Blakely, Richard Chamberlain, Robert Vaughn, Robert Wagner and (gulp) O.J. Simpson. Even Jennifer Jones came out of a long retirement to return to films. It was really nice to see her again.

What really surprised me about this film when I watched it earlier this year was that the special effects were still good, and the film is almost 40 years old. It was also good to see Steve McQueen being the good guy again. He was the best character in the film. The worst was William Holden, who turned out to play a lot profane-spewing nasty people as soon as the Hays' code was totally abolished in 1967. Same thing for Paul Newman. McQueen, meanwhile, kept his class as did Jones, of course, and Astaire.

The film is almost three hours long but, a few soap opera scenes aside, it's a solid adventure story that holds up well and it served a good purpose, making hotel owners more aware of potential fire hazards.