THE TOWERING INFERNO 1974 (FOX)

An Irwin Allen disaster movie.

I liked this film a lot even if I think it runs a tad too long. The story is a very simple one. A huge but very poorly constructed skyscraper is the site for a party and when a fire breaks out it threatens to kill everyone inside the complex.

The early 70's was a prime time for disaster films and Irwin Allen was a perfect fit for that sub-genre. Paul Newman is Doug Roberts, the man who had the building built for his company. He is not a heartless man and he risks his life during the course of the film to nake sure everyone gets out of the building alive.

The rest of the cast looks like a who's who and includes Steve McQueen as Chief O' Hallorhan, a fire chief who tries to keep everything together during the course of the long night fighting the fire, William Holden, Faye Dunaway, Fred Astaire, Susan Blakely, Jennifer Jones, Richard Chamberlain, Robert Vaughn, Robert Wagner, O. J. Simpson and Norman Burton.

There are too many more to mention, but the film moves along at a good pace even though, as I mentioned above, it's a bit too long. There is also a song in the film entitled "We May Never Love Like This Again" sung by Maureen McGovern in the beginning party scene that was nominated for an Oscar and I have to admit I liked the song and was surprised to see Maureen herself singing it at the party..

I can easily recommend this film as a great look at the sub-genre of disaster films, and hey, Steve McQueen is the epitome of cool and I loved the mans work.