Irwin Allen was a top TV producer who produced the likes of VOYAGE TO THE BOTTOM OF THE SEA and LOST IN SPACE and made his mark on the big-screen in the 1970s with a series of disaster movies, beginning with THE POSEIDON ADVENTURE (1972), a hugely popular and critically-acclaimed adaptation of Paul Gallico’s novel of the same name in which an ageing cruise liner is overturned by a tidal wave in the Mediterranean and a group of small survivors led by a Reverend Scott (Gene Hackman, THE FRENCH CONNECTION, SUPERMAN) had to make their way to the upturned base of the ship to escape.
Two years after the blockbusting release of the film, Allen produced another winner in the form of THE TOWERING INFERNO, which was a co-production between Twentieth Century Fox and Warner Brothers, who owned the rights to two like-minded novels, THE TOWER by Richard Martin Stern and THE GLASS INFERNO, by Thomas N. Scortia and Frank M. Robinson.
A brand-new building, The Tower, has become the tallest ever built courtesy of businessman builder James Duncan (William Holden) who wants Chief Architect Doug Roberts (Paul Newman) to build more after, despite Roberts’ insistence that he is leaving this behind to go into the mountains.
However, faulty wiring and a seemingly insignificant fire in a store room sets off a spark which grows and grows on the night the tower is officially opened for business and special guests, including US Senator Gary Parker (Robert Vaughn). However, Duncan’s son-in-law, Roger Simmons (Richard Chamberlain) admits negligence due to cutting costs, making the building a fire hazard all round.
Before long, the engines are on their way, led by Chief Michael O’Hallorhan (Steve McQueen) and all manner of additional risks occur, coupled with a reluctance by the guests to leave….
OK, so anybody who has taken fire courses in their time as part of their work experience and training will know that fire does not have a script and indeed, the biggest flaw of THE TOWERING INFERNO is the lack of action and urgency that any of the characters have to save themselves, even though there is a fire, a point brought up effectively by McQueen, who saves this film when he appears on screen.
That said, if true logic was applied, there wouldn’t be a spectacular disaster movie – and for that, this is one of the best and most impressive, with some very dangerous fire action sequences throughout which are choreographed with intent and essence by Irwin Allen, who is credited on the film thus ‘Action Sequences Directed by Irwin Allen’, although the film is directed by John Guillermin, who directed the 1976 remake of KING KONG starring Jeff Bridges and Jessica Lange)
So, sit back, be glad you aren’t in the building and revel in the spectacle of THE TOWERING INFERNO, a towering disaster movie nearly fifty years on from its’ original release and one of the biggest hits of its’ release year. John Williams provides the score.