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)
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Overview

User Rating:
6.8/10   13,116 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 28% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Writers:
Richard Martin Stern (novel)
Thomas N. Scortia (novel) ...
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Contact:
View company contact information for The Towering Inferno on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
14 joulukuu 1974 (USA) more
Genre:
Action | Thriller | Drama more
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 | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
more
Awards:
Won 3 Oscars. Another 8 wins & 12 nominations more
User Comments:
Classic star-studded disaster film.... 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
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Additional Details

Parents Guide:
Add content advisory for parents
Runtime:
165 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Color:
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)
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 more
Company:
Irwin Allen Productions more

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
The First Interstate Tower in downtown Los Angeles was completed the same year this film was released (1974). 14 years later, in May of 1988, the FI Tower experienced a real-life fire which burned out 4 1/2 floors , ruined many floors above with smoke and floors below with water, and closed the building for almost five months. The fire happened late at night, when only a few dozen people were in the building, and no crowds, traffic or other demands on water hampered firefighters. Only one death occurred, when someone used an over-ride key to force an elevator to the floor where the fire had started, and perished much as was shown happening to elevator riders in the film. The Los Angeles Herald ran side-by-side photos of the actual fire and the fire from The Towering Inferno on its front page the following day. The story of the real fire was told in the TV film Fire: Trapped on the 37th Floor (1991) (TV). more
Goofs:
Continuity: When the helicopter is bringing the scenic elevator down, in one shot you can see the top of skyscrapers, then within seconds, it is only 20 or so feet off the ground. more
Quotes:
[about breeches buoy lottery]
Doug Roberts: We'll send the kids out first, and then the women. Number this up to, I don't know - a hundred or so.
Susan: High-rise roulette.
Doug Roberts: High-rise roulette. That's right.
more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in Inside 'The Swarm' (1978) (TV) more
Soundtrack:
The More I See You more

FAQ

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User Comments

   (Comment on this title)
7 out of 7 people found the following comment useful.
Classic star-studded disaster film...., 20 heinäkuu 2003
Author: templer_doom (templer_doom@yahoo.co.uk)

With the likes of INDEPENDENCE DAY and DIE HARD, which were both influenced by THE TOWERING INFERNO, a new awareness of the potential of the disaster film emerged, culminating in the likes of DEEP IMPACT, ARMAGEDDON and the more recent THE CORE.

The definition of 'all-star cast' and 'star-studded' has changed substantially in the last few years and in fact, the true star of THE TOWERING INFERNO wasn't any actor or star, but the late Irwin Allen, whose career in this type of film ended with the poorly-received WHEN TIME RAN OUT.

The film, which was adapted from two source novels, THE GLASS INFERNO and THE TOWER (both of which were bought by rival studios Fox and Warner to compete at the box-office - and then decided at the last minute to pool their resources into creating a single script) is impressive in scope and design.

For the uninitiated, one of the books deals with a disgrunted ex-employee who decides to cause an accident which starts a fire and in some ways that would have made a more intriguing storyline, but the plot of the actual film which involves cost-cutting to electrical circuits which causes the fire int the first place works as it is.

At a running time of 158 minutes some may think the film too long. In this day and age there would have possibly been test screenings and some cutting of the film, but since the success of TITANIC at the box-office longer films have become the norm. Indeed, the more recent HARRY POTTER and LORD OF THE RINGS movies are in this bracket (although the upcoming KILL BILL story that the three-hour film will be split in two may pave the way for shorter lengths!!) Mind you, THE GREAT ESCAPE is of similar length and that film moves at a cracking pace.

Steve McQueen is on screen less than some of the other stars in the film, but his performance is the best and complements others on show.



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Message Boards

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Recent Posts (updated daily)User
High Time for a remake!! thecottonfamily
Jennifer Jones kathmaxwell828586
most shocking death in a film (spoilers) thames-5
Scenic elevator rescue = impossible Rhapthorne
Robert Vaughn's death dazfiddy
The two firefighters tblount76
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