The Towering Inferno (film)

The Towering Inferno is a 1974 disaster movie adapted by Stirling Silliphant from the novels The Tower by Richard Martin Stern and The Glass Inferno by Thomas N. Scortia and Frank M. Robinson.

History

After the success of The Poseidon Adventure, Warner Brothers bought the rights to film The Tower for $390,000. Eight weeks later, Irwin Allen discovered The Glass Inferno and bought the rights for $400,000 for 20th Century Fox. In order to avoid having two similar films produced at the same time, the productions were combined, with a budget of $14 million (staggering for the time). Each studio paid half of the production costs. In return, Fox was given the United States box office receipts, and Warner Brothers got the profits from the rest of the world. The movie's 57 sets and four complete camera crews established records for a single film on the Twentieth Century Fox lot. In addition, songstress Maureen McGovern was hired to sing the love theme for both films (both of which won Academy Awards).

Related Topics:
The Poseidon Adventure - Warner Brothers - 20th Century Fox - United States - Maureen McGovern - Academy Awards

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The movie was released a year after the two World Trade Center skyscrapers—at that time, the newest, tallest buildings in the world—were opened in New York City. Both novels upon which this movie was based were inspired by the construction of the World Trade Center towers and concerns over what would happen if a fire broke out in a large tower. Although the two disasters were not alike (in particular, the fictional Glass Tower did not collapse), following the events of September 11, 2001 attacks, the film was often referred to by the media. (Coincidentally, principal photography on The Towering Inferno was completed on September 11, 1974.)

Related Topics:
World Trade Center - Tallest buildings in the world - New York City - September 11, 2001 attacks - September 11 - 1974

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The atrium of San Francisco's Hyatt Regency Hotel (at 5 Embarcadero Center) was used as the lobby for the fictional Glass Tower. This hotel actually features three glass-walled elevators, identical to the glass-walled "Scenic Elevator" of the fictional Glass Tower. This lobby area and the elevators were prominently featured in Mel Brooks' comedy High Anxiety. Matching the Hyatt Regency, The Glass Tower does have three elevator tracks; in a deleted scene it is explained that cables for only one elevator had been installed at the time of the building's dedication.

Related Topics:
Hyatt Regency Hotel - Embarcadero Center - Mel Brooks - High Anxiety

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The Bank of America building at 555 California Street in San Francisco was used to double for the outside facade and plaza of the Glass Tower. Utility areas of the immense Century City complex in Los Angeles (adjacent to the Twentieth Century Fox studios) stood in for the Glass Tower's security control room and water tank area. The Glass Tower itself was a matte painting in the opening shot, and an 80-foot tall "miniature" fitted with propane gas jets for exterior fire scenes.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The script of the film never names the city in which The Glass Tower stands, though clearly the exterior shots are of San Francisco, and at the Tower party Harlee Claiborne says to Lisolette Mueller, "I decided to come back to the reality of San Francisco."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

There are many small parts in the movie played by actors who appeared in The Poseidon Adventure, which Irwin Allen also produced.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

This was Jennifer Jones's last film; her role was originally offered to Olivia de Havilland, who turned it down. She gets "killed off" when the scenic elevator becomes stranded; she falls out of it when it's a few floors from the top of the building.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

This is the third and final film in which both Steve McQueen (Chief Michael O'Hallorhan) and Robert Vaughn (Senator Gary Parker) appear. The other two are The Magnificent Seven and Bullitt.

Related Topics:
Steve McQueen - Robert Vaughn - The Magnificent Seven - Bullitt

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

McQueen, Newman, and Holden all tried to obtain top billing; Holden was refused out of hand. However, to provide "dual" top billing and mollify McQueen, the credits were arranged diagonally, with McQueen at the lower left and Newman at the upper right. Thus, each actor appeared to have "top billing" depending on whether the poster was read from left to right or from top to bottom http://www.art.com/asp/sp-asp/_/pd--10134441/The_Towering_Inferno_Style_A.htm, though technically McQueen has "top billing."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Robert Vaughn was extremely upset over his rather low billing. In the shooting script, the part was much larger, but it was cut. Vaughn became upset, and stated that he wanted the character "killed off." Irwin Allen obliged, and Vaughn vowed never to do another movie with Allen.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~