Following the smashing success of "The Poseidon Adventure", veteran producer Irwin Allen jumped back on the band wagon of producing tense, star-filled dramas of humanity in jeopardy for one reason or another. Following the big boat came this big skyscraper, and of course, this lead to his big disaster with an exploding volcano. Other copy-cat producers created movies about exploding blimps (three of them including a historical look back at "The Hindenberg" and two involving blimps hovering over crowded sporting events), rollercoasters flying off of their hinges, and of course, airplanes falling from the sky. All of them featured the most popular leading stars of the day and some surprising veterans making amusing comebacks.
"The Towering Inferno" is a scary thought in a world still remembering the impact of 9/11, and when this movie first came out, the World Trade Centers had only been open for a short time. Like "The Poseidon Adventure", an all-star cast gets together to celebrate a huge event, only to find their lives in jeopardy when disaster strikes. What it lacks in comparison to "The Poseidon Adventure" was that film's big heart, even though one of the plot lines attempted to keep that detail here. But this is a film about corporate greed and ego, and it is building owner William Holden's desire to own the world's tallest building, so perhaps it was intended for more of a message picture than one of holiday sentiment surrounded by tragedy.
1950's rival tough guys (Paul Newman and Steve McQueen) fight over who will be the hero here, with Newman as Holden's partner and McQueen as fire chief. Newman is engaged to magazine editor Faye Dunaway which doesn't mean much because the storyline surrounding their relationship is never really developed and Dunaway, very busy in films in 1974, really has little to do. The most interesting storyline surrounds conman Fred Astaire (in an Oscar Nominated role) and his younger lady love (veteran actress Jennifer Jones) and their attempts to get out of the burning building. Susan Flannery, then at the top of her popularity on daytime's "Days of Our Lives", got a great deal of attention as one of the fire's victims.
The set-up to the cause of the fire and how it spreads takes up much of the film's three hour running time, and moves into the attempts to rescue those trapped inside. Special effects are amazing, and overall, the film is extremely entertaining. However, an attempt to create another hit song like "The Morning After" (from "The Poseidon Adventure") is missed with "We May Never Love Like This Again" which did go on to win an Oscar but is certainly not as well remembered as Maureen McGovern's previous hit. She actually gets to appear on screen here, singing a bit of the song, unlike in "Poseidon".
Fans of Astaire will be surprised to learn that this was his only trip to the Oscars as a nominee, never having been nominated for any of his classic musical films. He basically plays a non-singing, barely dancing version of all his other characters, the charming, dashing older man who just happens to be an ex-con. Jones is still gorgeous thirty years after receiving her Oscar. Other stars try to make an impression in the film, but sadly, Richard Chamberlain, Robert Wagner, Robert Vaughan and then football hero O.J. Simpson end up sidetracked when compared to the impact of the other stars. While this is far from being a miss, it is certainly not worthy of the hype it had at the time, especially its inclusion as an Oscar Nominee for Best Picture.
"The Towering Inferno" is a scary thought in a world still remembering the impact of 9/11, and when this movie first came out, the World Trade Centers had only been open for a short time. Like "The Poseidon Adventure", an all-star cast gets together to celebrate a huge event, only to find their lives in jeopardy when disaster strikes. What it lacks in comparison to "The Poseidon Adventure" was that film's big heart, even though one of the plot lines attempted to keep that detail here. But this is a film about corporate greed and ego, and it is building owner William Holden's desire to own the world's tallest building, so perhaps it was intended for more of a message picture than one of holiday sentiment surrounded by tragedy.
1950's rival tough guys (Paul Newman and Steve McQueen) fight over who will be the hero here, with Newman as Holden's partner and McQueen as fire chief. Newman is engaged to magazine editor Faye Dunaway which doesn't mean much because the storyline surrounding their relationship is never really developed and Dunaway, very busy in films in 1974, really has little to do. The most interesting storyline surrounds conman Fred Astaire (in an Oscar Nominated role) and his younger lady love (veteran actress Jennifer Jones) and their attempts to get out of the burning building. Susan Flannery, then at the top of her popularity on daytime's "Days of Our Lives", got a great deal of attention as one of the fire's victims.
The set-up to the cause of the fire and how it spreads takes up much of the film's three hour running time, and moves into the attempts to rescue those trapped inside. Special effects are amazing, and overall, the film is extremely entertaining. However, an attempt to create another hit song like "The Morning After" (from "The Poseidon Adventure") is missed with "We May Never Love Like This Again" which did go on to win an Oscar but is certainly not as well remembered as Maureen McGovern's previous hit. She actually gets to appear on screen here, singing a bit of the song, unlike in "Poseidon".
Fans of Astaire will be surprised to learn that this was his only trip to the Oscars as a nominee, never having been nominated for any of his classic musical films. He basically plays a non-singing, barely dancing version of all his other characters, the charming, dashing older man who just happens to be an ex-con. Jones is still gorgeous thirty years after receiving her Oscar. Other stars try to make an impression in the film, but sadly, Richard Chamberlain, Robert Wagner, Robert Vaughan and then football hero O.J. Simpson end up sidetracked when compared to the impact of the other stars. While this is far from being a miss, it is certainly not worthy of the hype it had at the time, especially its inclusion as an Oscar Nominee for Best Picture.