The Towering Inferno - "Explosion On 81!"

[OneSunRed]

is it possible to upload the entire movie in one piece

[DC322]

Everyone should have taken the stairs instead of the elevators during a fire.

[calalilygirl]

It IS true there would be TONS of smoke of which we saw very little of in this film, Still love every minute of this movie though.

[leafyutube]

Dinner will not be delayed.

[leafyutube]

I wanna be a fireman.

[lmrs2]

Otra de mis muchas peliculas favoritas....

Reparto maravilloso....., cómo se añoran estas grandes maravillas de cine.

[MeTaLdUdE02]

this movie was an inspiration for the book "Nothing Lasts Forever", which was the basis of the movie "Die Hard" with Bruce Willis.

[bowler8]

how did the elevator stop on just the floor of the fire, then know to go up to the Promenade Room??

[MrPixarGuy]

@bowler8 Maybe the elevator continued to the lobby, and then the people in the lobby saw the flamming people and sent it back up to propanade room so a fire wouldn't start in the lobby.

[SamBuddwing]

@bowler8 It stopped on the floor of the fire because of the heat-sensitive call buttons. With that type of button, you touch it, and the warmth of your skin activates it. The problem is, when there's a fire, the buttons are activated by the heat of the flames, and the elevator ends up going to the floor where the fire is. As for why the elevator car went back to the Promenade Room - people up there were repeatedly pressing the buttons, waiting for a car to show up.

[Felamine]

@bowler8 it was probably an express elevator that just went between 81 and the promenade room.

Also, watch the part at 3:18... Duncan presses the button on the elevator to try and get the car to return. I don't know if elevators from the 1970s are built like the ones now, but this elevator probably has a memory circuit, so it "knows" to send the car back to the promenade room because the button was pressed there. At least that's my theory.

[Cavillier1970]

@Felamine Youre right about the elevators back then. This movie freaked me out at a kid and during the early 80's there was a special on NBC I think about how to survive disasters and they featured a high rise fire that took place in Rio or Brazil, where a lot of folks died. This special + the disasters in the news + NBC airing the Tow. Inferno & When Time Ran Out, maybe the reason I watch all the survival shows I can & my car trunk looks like an Army Surplus Store. LOL

[Mr17051963]

@Cavillier1970 It was at Sao Paulo, Brazil, the city where I belong and live. I was scared as a kid, too. It was in 1974 (The Joelma Building) and the film came soon after that. It was impossible for us in the city not to relate the two things.

[Cavillier1970]

@Mr17051963 Thanks. There was no way I could remember the name or the city. From what I do remember it was a nightmare. I remember folks in the building going to the roof and the upper floors waiting for any kind of rescue. I cant remember if anyone died. Did they ever learn a cause of the fire?

[Mr17051963]

@Cavillier1970 Yes, almost 200 people died and other 500 were injured. It was caused by an electric problem in the air conditioned system. It was almost noon when it started and there was lots of people working in that business building. After that it was completely renovated, but few people wanted to return to that place again. And still is this way, almost 40 years later. A tragedy that we all want to forget. Thanks for writing and sorry for my english (we speak portuguese here).

[Cavillier1970]

@Mr17051963 Thanks for the info. I can understand why people wouldnt want to return to the building. I can only imagine the safety improvments they made in the past 30 + years. I dont think a society can get over something like this, just as my country will never get over 9/11 or Pearl Harbor. And don't worry your English is fine. It's better some folks up here.

[ranger1100ky]

Yeah... the fire wasn't super realistic... but you gotta remember... for the 1970s... the special effects were REALLY, out of this world, considering what they had to work with, technology-wise.

The movie was a really good one on the whole. McQueen pulled off the Chief's role very well. (No surprise, he had real world fire experience, dating back to an incident where he wound up helping firefighters pull hose for a studio fire.)

[ranger1100ky]

Yeah... the fire wasn't super realistic... but you gotta remember... for the 1970s... the special effects were REALLY, out of this world, considering what they had to work with, technology-wise.

The movie was a really good one on the whole. McQueen pulled off the Chief's role very well. (No surprise, he had real world fire experience, dating back to an incident where he wound up helping firefighters pull hose for a studio fire.)

[pointreyes6]

And we'll be serving cocktails and champagne in our Continental Room.

[roquefortfiles]

I love this film to pieces i really do. But looking at it now the fire effects seem kind of... Laughable. Every floor they are fighting the fire looks like a clean gas jet fire. No smoke and haze.. not really any chaos. Any firemen out there your opinions?? It looks so clean and sanitized. Not chaotic and messy and dripping water and sparks and charred walls.

[tjf4375]

@roquefortfiles absolutely agree with you, particularly the lack of smoke - in reality the exterior shots of the building would show mostly huge billowing smoke plumes, rather than flames. And the interior shots of the fire would be nothing but smoke and falling debris. I guess convincing smoke was much more difficult to replicate on a scale model in those days! I too love the film to bits despite this tho, it's an absolute classic :)

[roquefortfiles]

@tjf4375 From what i have seen of actual video of a real "Towering Inferno". (the Bank of America fire in LA). Which was something on the order of 70 story building with major fire on multiple floors. The fire from the exterior looked like viewing a toaster oven. Not really licking outside too much but more the entire space glowing yellow red hot and the ceiling just wavering in intense heat.  It actually looked really scary. TI could have done more of this kind of thing.

[roquefortfiles]

I think this building was rigged with explosives personally.

[rw5791]

pretty boy richard chamberlain ain't even in the same league with bill holden.

[whydoesmypussysmell]

@rw5791 Agreed. William Holden was one of a kind, a natural actor. Towering Inferno, Omen II, Ashanti, he was superb in all of them.

[EmpireLS56KW]

The LFE.1 I don’t see the point of that all there doing is enhancing the explosions which, looks like taking the main sound and filtering it and fattening it up with wider low end. It’s a bit of con if you, ask me. There is 4 channel discrete version which is Dolby digital and it sounds exactly the same when comparing one scene with high attention to listening over and over.

[EmpireLS56KW]

I’m not too crazy about the use of dtsHDMA I’m a Dolby fan listener! I was somewhat disappointed in the bluray as it stated on the back of the box Dolby TrueHD 5.1. Well the film never had 5.1! It was straight forward 6track mag! Left, left-centre, centre, right-centre, right and mono surround. Thou I’m pleased to report all the dialogue panning is intact on the disc, minus the left-centre, right-centre. It as mono surround that comes in as and when called for!

[EmpireLS56KW]

This is a sheer action classic that burned on high octane on every high rise floor level.

I remember the intermission on the film when the gas pipe exploded the inner stairwell, “get back its ruptured gas pipe!” BOOOOOMMMM! Intermission!

A few minutes into Intermission I heard another disaster film above! It was Earthquake in screen1 playing in Sensurround I saw that a few days after The Towering Inferno, for what was then 79p to watch BIG FILMS with BIG SOUND!

[UFOSPACE1999]

@azzarbprime UR RIGHT..but this is hollywood..AND IRWIN ALLEN SAID IF YOU HAD A TON OF SMOKE>>>HOW WOULD U SEE THE STARS? GOOD POINT.

I would not flock to a movie house to see just SMOKE!!!

[heddalee]

whats happens to the people on the elevator?

[BVictor21]

@heddalee

Death

[SamBuddwing]

@heddalee If memory serves, the elevator car they're in returns to the top floor. The doors open, and all these screaming people, on fire, come spilling out.

[heddalee]

@SamBuddwing thank you! i couldnt find the clip. that sounds pretty cool...

[EmpireLS56KW]

The Towering Inferno played in screen 2 ABC Bournemouth and I think a few months later it was moved to the Gumount or Odeon I think in screen1 or was it called screen 2 for upstairs. I never saw it there only at the ABC once. Too bad the ABC didn’t get a 70mm print or screen1 as 6track magnetic would be WOW! WOW! WOW!

Saw Earthquake in senurround at least 3 to 4 times which resulted in mild tinnitus as it was so fucking LOUD at 120db!

[heddalee]

@SamBuddwing thank you... ive never been able to find it on youtube

[good03boy]

@SamBuddwing One man came out of the elevator. He was on fire and collapsed on the rug. Fred Astaire's character took off his jacket and put out the fire.

[victoriaman1961]

my favorite movie 

[thenamesbanana]

I watched this movie as a kid and I was traumatized for nights on end.

Extremely frightening at the time.

[forexrobots212]

It seems that in this movie people break ever commonly known rule about dealing with fire, from not opening a door that you see smoke coming out of to not taking the elevator during a fire. Plus there never would have been a fire if there had not been a fuel source (oily rags) next to a spark source.

[wetdreamgirls]

phimseto...I agree - Steve McQueen's "Oh, shit" is one of the best (and most under-rated) two-word lines in cinema history! I love your phrase "shit sandwhich".

I also love it when, talking to Newman to tell him about the plans to blow up the water tanks, and Newman asks McQueen "How they gonna get the explosives up here?", McQueen sarcastically replies "They'll find some dumb son-of-a-bitch to bring it up".

That may have been the funniest (and second best) line of the movie!

[MeBenHalpin]

Love what William Holden says to Richard Chamberlain here.

[calalilygirl]

@MeBenHalpin I also love what Chamberlain says to Holden!

[MeBenHalpin]

@calalilygirl Yep that was funny too, great tension between the two characters from start to finish.

[UFOSPACE1999]

@azzarbprime I got you..this is hollywood.. LET me quote Irwin Allen to you..The Producer and Director of The Towering Inferno....IF YOU had a ton of smoke..U would NOT BE ABLE TO SEE THE STARS!!!! OK..go home kiddies...

[leafyutube]

My favorite quote in this movie is Holden saying:

"In the meantime, get into your dinner jacket and come up and join the party!"

Also love McQueen's "Oh shit" line.

[phimseto]

@leafyutube I just watched the movie this weekend. McQueen's "Oh shit" delivery was classic. Double-bonus to whoever wisely cast Dabney Coleman as the guy who feeds McQueen the shit sandwich.

[Quex01]

@phimseto Yeah, that was the best moment :D

[leafyutube]

I love this movie. McQueen and Newman are awesome. I also really like William Holden in this one.

[SNOHORIO]

Best fire film in history next to Backdraft as far a video production and on-screen execution! Steve Mqueen says it best........"I am gonna keep brining out bodies and eatin' smoke until someone asks us how to build'em". all star cast with Oscars!

[MeBenHalpin]

@SNOHORIO That line from Steve Mcqueen at the end was priceless, did he and Paul Newman recieve Oscars for their performances.

[BVictor21]

@MeBenHalpin

None of the actors were nominates for Oscars. The movie did however win several Oscars; including 1 for best song.

[MeBenHalpin]

@BVictor21 Defintly thought those two should been up for nominees, but its good the movie its self was its true classic, defintly one of the best 70's films.

[packerlandmike]

@BVictor21 Fred Astaire was nominated for Best Supporting Actor. It was the only nomination of his lifetime.

[UFOSPACE1999]

@azzarbprime The reason there is NOT much smoke in Irwin Allen's The Towering Inferno..is because Irwin said...IF u have a lot of smoke..HOW can you see the Actors? End of Story...Move on...

[michaeljehn]

I love this sequence. The only obvious problem is that the large model, during the explosion, clearly shows where it has already been burned by previous ignition (i.e., where fires will appear later in the film). Also, FYI, that explosion happening on the exterior of the large model is positioned closer to floor 65 than 81. 65 is close to the bottom of the triangular setback at left. I still love this movie, though!

[Ro34100]

This film is one of the greatest ever made (about the genre!): good cast/sound, visual effects...And the tears? Yes, in the end (Jennifer "Lisolette Muller" Jones´ death - with that cat); until now!

[Dava1000]

The effects still work for this film..the exterior shots are obviously a building model but they film it carefully enough and no long edits to be careful.

[EmpireLS56KW]

If this was ever remade I’d set fire to my shoes and then eat them afterwards!

[EmpireLS56KW]

The image looks a bit faint on grain possible DNR SIGH. Still its higher brightness and sharpness and yes slight colour manipulation. Why can’t they just let the film be duplicated without fudging around with colour and contrast and leave out the DNR and EE it ruins film based 35/70m to no end!

[cartoonsish]

woh!

[UFOSPACE1999]

TO answer ur question about smoke. Irwin said at the beginning when someone on the set, a camera person or star, can't remember, Irwin pulled them aside if you make this movie with a ton of smoke, U CANNOT SEE THE STARS!!!! That was the answer then!!!

[roquefortfiles]

This was big stuff for 1974 but its really quite laughable now. There is no smoke in the fire at all and the fire is so obviously being sprayed from gas jets. It never moves. Also the fire on the exterior never has any smoke with it. Its still a classic though.