Though my mother took me to movies frequently as a kid, it was very rare that my father took the family to a movie. The first time that happened - as far as I recall - was for The Towering Inferno. My memories are very limited (I was 7 years old). We had gone to Fashion Island in Newport Beach and the line wrapped around the building. My father had gone scouting toward the ticket booth while my mother waited in the line with my brother and me. It was already dark and felt very late. In retrospect, I suppose my parents were unable to get a babysitter and decided to bring us along. As for the movie, the only thing I remembered was Robert Wagner putting wet towels on his head and running into the fire. In the years since, I don't remember ever seeing the movie again. I decided it was time.
The movie opens with a helicopter flying over the Golden Gate Bridge and landing on an immense tower. Doug Roberts (Paul Newman) climbs out of the helicopter and is greeted by Jim Duncan (William Holden). Roberts is the architect while Duncan is the builder. The next half hour is spent meeting the various employees of the tower and the guests to the ribbon cutting and party. There is Susan (Faye Dunaway), a reporter and love interest of Roberts, Simmons (Richard Chamberlain) the son-in-law of Duncan and the man who cut corners to save money on tower construction, Dan Bigelow (Robert Wagner) the PR guy who is having an affair with his secretary, Harlee Claiborne (Fred Astaire) the conman with a heart of gold, Jernigan (OJ Simpson) from tower security, US Senator Parker (Robert Vaughn) who may be offering some juicy building contracts to Duncan in the wake of this magnificent tower, and many others. Unbeknownst to most of these people, a wire shorted in a storage closet on the 81st floor and the fire is expanding. Though urged to begin an evacuation, Duncan refused. The fire department responds and Chief O'Halloran (Steve McQueen) takes charge. It is now too late to evacuate the top floor and desperate measures begin.
Once the fire gets out of control, it becomes clear that the building is a death trap. Stairways have gas leaks that detonate, blowing away several floors worth of stairs. The sprinkler system does not work, the electrical wiring is overheating from the load, the elevators stop working, and an emergency door is blocked by spilled concrete.
The acting is generally very good. Newman and McQueen dominate, Newman for the first half and McQueen for the second half. The various mini-stories resolve themselves as the movie unfolds, whether that be the tragic fate of Dan Bigelow and his secretary, the rocky marriage of Simmons and his wife, the love affair of Roberts and Susan, etc. These little side stories reminded me of the Love Boat or Fantasy Island.
The special effects are clearly dated but the movie is still entertaining. Good popcorn fun.
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