Diksia.com - The Towering Inferno is a 1974 American disaster film directed by John Guillermin and produced by Irwin Allen, featuring an ensemble cast led by Paul Newman and Steve McQueen. It was adapted from the novels The Tower by Richard Martin Stern and The Glass Inferno by Thomas N.
Scortia and Frank M. Robinson. The film tells the story of a massive fire that breaks out in a skyscraper during its opening party, and the efforts of the firefighters and the building’s architect to save the trapped guests and residents.
The Plot
The film begins with architect Doug Roberts (Newman) returning to San Francisco for the dedication of The Glass Tower, a mixed-use skyscraper that he designed for developer James Duncan (William Holden). The tower, 1,688 feet (515 m) tall and 138 stories, is the world’s tallest building.
Roberts discovers that the wiring specifications have not been followed and that the building is prone to short circuits. He suspects that Roger Simmons (Richard Chamberlain), the electrical subcontractor and Duncan’s son-in-law, cut corners to save money.
During the dedication ceremony, chief of public relations Dan Bigelow (Robert Wagner) turns on all the tower’s lights, but Roberts orders them shut off to reduce the load on the electrical system. Smoke is seen on the 81st floor, and the San Francisco Fire Department is summoned.
Roberts and engineer Will Giddings (Norman Burton) go to that floor, where Giddings is fatally burned pushing a guard away from the fire. Roberts reports the fire to Duncan, who is courting Senator Gary Parker (Robert Vaughn) for an urban renewal contract and refuses to order an evacuation.
Meanwhile, the fire spreads to other floors, trapping many guests and residents, including Duncan’s daughter Patty (Susan Blakely), her fiancé Harlee Claiborne (Fred Astaire), a con artist who has fallen in love with her, Lisolette Mueller (Jennifer Jones), a widow who lives with her cat, and Jernigan (O.J. Simpson), the tower’s security chief.
Fire Chief Michael O’Hallorhan (McQueen) arrives and coordinates the rescue efforts with Roberts. They decide to use a breeches buoy to transfer a group of people from the Promenade Room on the 135th floor to the adjacent Peerless Building. However, the operation is interrupted when a panicked guest falls onto the line, causing it to snap and sending several people plunging to their deaths.
O’Hallorhan then orders the tower’s water tanks to be blown up to create a firebreak and stop the fire from reaching the upper floors. He and Roberts plant explosives on the 110th floor, while Simmons tries to escape with a group of survivors through a stairwell.
Simmons is killed by a falling elevator, and the others are rescued by O’Hallorhan and Roberts. The explosives are detonated, creating a massive explosion that extinguishes the fire. The survivors are then evacuated by helicopters, while O’Hallorhan and Roberts share a mutual respect.
The Cast
The Towering Inferno features a star-studded cast of Hollywood legends, including:
- Paul Newman as Doug Roberts, the architect of The Glass Tower
- Steve McQueen as Michael O’Hallorhan, the fire chief
- William Holden as James Duncan, the developer of The Glass Tower
- Faye Dunaway as Susan Franklin, a magazine editor and Roberts’ girlfriend
- Fred Astaire as Harlee Claiborne, a con artist and Patty’s fiancé
- Susan Blakely as Patty Duncan, Duncan’s daughter
- Richard Chamberlain as Roger Simmons, the electrical subcontractor and Duncan’s son-in-law
- Jennifer Jones as Lisolette Mueller, a widow who lives in the tower
- O.J. Simpson as Harry Jernigan, the security chief of the tower
- Robert Vaughn as Senator Gary Parker, a politician who is interested in Duncan’s urban renewal project
- Robert Wagner as Dan Bigelow, the chief of public relations of the tower
- Susan Flannery as Lorrie, Bigelow’s assistant and lover
- Sheila Allen as Paula Ramsay, Duncan’s secretary and Simmons’ mistress
- Gregory Sierra as Carlos, a bartender in the Promenade Room
- Dabney Coleman as Deputy Chief #1
The Production
The Towering Inferno was a joint production of 20th Century Fox and Warner Bros., who both owned the rights to the novels The Tower and The Glass Inferno, respectively. The two studios decided to collaborate rather than compete, and hired Irwin Allen, the producer of The Poseidon Adventure (1972), another successful disaster film, to oversee the project. Allen also directed the action sequences, while John Guillermin directed the dramatic scenes.
The film was shot on various locations in San Francisco and Los Angeles, as well as on sound stages at 20th Century Fox Studios. The Glass Tower was a combination of miniatures, matte paintings, and a 70-foot (21 m) model that was used for the exterior shots.
The fire effects were created by using propane gas and rubber cement, and were supervised by special effects coordinator A.D. Flowers. The film also employed hundreds of stunt performers and extras, some of whom were injured during the production.
The film’s score was composed by John Williams, who later became famous for his music for Star Wars (1977) and other blockbuster films. The film’s theme song, “We May Never Love Like This Again”, was written by Al Kasha and Joel Hirschhorn, and performed by Maureen McGovern.
The song won the Academy Award for Best Original Song, one of the three Oscars that the film received. The other two were for Best Cinematography and Best Film Editing.
The Reception
The Towering Inferno was released on December 16, 1974, and became a huge box office hit, grossing over $203 million worldwide, making it the highest-grossing film of 1974. It also received critical acclaim, with many reviewers praising the film’s suspense, action, and performances.
The film was nominated for eight Academy Awards, including Best Picture, but lost to The Godfather Part II (1974). The film also won three Golden Globe Awards, including Best Motion Picture – Drama.
The film is widely regarded as one of the best and most influential disaster films of all time, and has been cited as an inspiration for films such as Die Hard (1988), Independence Day (1996), and The Dark Knight (2008). The film also sparked a public interest in fire safety and building codes, and led to the creation of the Society of Fire Protection Engineers.
The Towering Inferno is a classic 1974 disaster film that showcases the talents of some of Hollywood’s biggest stars, and delivers a thrilling and spectacular spectacle of fire and heroism. It is a film that deserves to be seen and appreciated by fans of cinema and history.
