IMDb > The Towering Inferno (1974)
The Towering Inferno
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The Towering Inferno (1974) More at IMDbPro »

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The Towering Inferno (1974) -- 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.
The Towering Inferno (1974) -- Trailerfan.com - Trailer (Flash)

Overview

User Rating:
6.8/10   13,178 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 7% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Writers:
Contact:
View company contact information for The Towering Inferno on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
14 December 1974 (USA) more
Genre:
Tagline:
One Tiny Spark Becomes A Night Of Blazing Suspense. more
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. full summary | full synopsis
Plot Keywords:
Awards:
Won 3 Oscars. Another 8 wins & 12 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(52 articles)
Christmas TV movies have lost their special glitter | Jason Solomons
 (From The Guardian - TV News. 5 December 2009, 4:09 PM, PST)

Son of Birthday Suits
 (From FilmExperience. 24 November 2009, 4:27 AM, PST)

User Comments:
The Best Of The Disaster Flicks? more (151 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

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
more
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Additional Details

Runtime:
165 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Aspect Ratio:
2.20 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
4-Track Stereo (35 mm magnetic prints) | Mono (35 mm optical prints) | 70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) (Westrex Recording System)

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Steve McQueen did most of his stunts for the film, including having 7,000 gallons of water dumped on him in the climactic final attempt to put out the fire. more
Goofs:
Factual errors: A helicopter lowers O'Hallorhan onto the damaged scenic elevator. In order to set him directly and vertically onto the elevator car (he did not swing to it), the helicopter blades would have to be no more than a foot wide to get that close to the building - or the cable would have to reach to the top of the building to accommodate the width of the helicopter blades, which would be impossible. more
Quotes:
Roger Simmons: [tears breeches buoy ticket] The women are gone, we are next.
James Duncan: [punches him] You've all got numbers, and you're going to take them. And if it's any consolation, I'm going to be the last one out of here, along with my son-in-law.
more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in The Kentucky Fried Movie (1977) more
Soundtrack:
The More I See You more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
30 out of 39 people found the following comment useful.
The Best Of The Disaster Flicks?, 3 April 2006
8/10
Author: ccthemovieman-1 from Lockport, NY, United States

"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.

Was the above comment useful to you?
more (151 total)

Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for The Towering Inferno (1974)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
High Time for a remake!! thecottonfamily
Huge mistake- fire on the 65th floor??? flashbackweekend
Why didnt the building collapse mattep74
most shocking death in a film (spoilers) thames-5
Jennifer Jones kathmaxwell828586
Scenic elevator rescue = impossible Rhapthorne
more

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