The Towering Inferno - Death Of Bigelow And Lorrie

After finishing their time together, Bigelow and Lorrie are going to join the party in the promenade room. But instead, they find themselves surrounded by the quickly spreading blaze of flames, and it's up to Bigelow to get them saved. But the fire becomes their doom.

[@garywallace5602]

One of the most brutal scene's in cinematic history. No CGI. Stuntmen, certainly earned their bucks in '74!👏

[@TheHulk2008]

The stuntman was on fire for quite a while . He must have got a record for that fire burn.

[@paulhunter6742]

They could done better job with Flannery's stun double. You could clearly see was a guy in flame retardant suit.

[@Biscuit1973]

Back in 1974, there was no CGI in this scene here, which features a character gone by the name of Bigelo who was trying to escape this inferno knowing that he’s going to burn to death in that fire there, and leaving the woman trapped in this one room, only to jump to her death from the building itself because I’ve watched this movie nearly 40 years ago when the network NBC once aired this movie won Sunday night during the time when this net work use the air nighttime movies every Sunday night but this one had two parts to it since the movie was over two hours long that day back in the 80s.

[@CraigMcfly1985]

Most definitely Gary and stuntwomen too.

[@garywallace5602]

@@CraigMcfly1985 True, stuntmen is a generic comment.

[@jjrj8568]

One of the cruelest scenes in movie history; usually, in any other movie, one of them would have survived (the woman, usually), but here they both die horrific, impotent deaths. We are witnessing their last moments, thinking they might pull it off. Nihilistic.

[@julierobinson3633]

They are being 'punished' for their illicit affair. It is a bit like in horror films, where the 'final girl' is always the good, virginal girl while all the ones who creep off to have illicit sex get got by the boogie man. The point here is even pressed home by the fact that they are completely doomed by the fact he switched the phones off so they wouldn't be disturbed....

[@stereohype1]

At least she got some D before she died

[@DavidDragonetti]

Americans like a happy and usually unrealistic ending....Well here that's not the case. ...Its one of the best scenes in the film

[@thesweeples3266]

Thats what they get….

[@stxa2594]

I remember seeing that as a kid aged 8 more than forty years ago - that scene with the lady falling from the height, through the shattered glass in her burning shirt was like a picture straight from hell for me as a kid. I was (and still am) disturbed by it. Great effect by the filmmakers (image, editing, sound effects and John Williams's score).

[@gina7288]

It was the same as me as a child watching it with my family and it wasn't just her shirt on fire but her pantyhose /tights were burning as she dived out I remember my mum saying OMG her tights were on fire and we were wearing similar I must admit I would of done the same and dived out rather than let the flames get me, I never forget that scene.

[@marthiuxag8745]

Escena impactante, que años después se vería en los atentados del 2001, personas arrojándose al vacío

[@gina7288]

​@@marthiuxag8745If I was in that situation I would rather jump into the void rather than being roasted in the flames.

[@jeromewagschal9485]

I felt the exact same way when I watched it in a movie theater with my father when it came out... Isn't that interesting that our parents took us to watch a movie where people die in the most horrible ways ? I mean, we were still kids for God's sake 😄😄😄

[@matthewcaughey8898]

At that height? They’d be collecting you with a sponge

[@james5460]

Susan Flannery won a Golden Globe for that, the top award of her entire career. It's amazing how she and Wagner had their own little story completely separate from everyone else and made it so memorable.

[@kdohertygizbur]

Well, it was for Best Newcomer, not Actress, so let's not act like she won anything major for this silly film

[@AsYourCruiseDirector]

For “The Bold and the Beautiful” fans, she will always be Stephanie Forrester. She’s fabulous!

[@adm7890]

@@kdohertygizbur that was a big deal back in the day, troll

[@gregingram4996]

@@AsYourCruiseDirectorBefore that, she was Dr Laura Horton on "Days Of Our Lives", which she quit to do this movie!

[@neilborden772]

@@kdohertygizbur someone posts something complimentary and nice…and you shut it right down with your negative opinion. You must be a joy to hang out with in person!

[@100Singers]

The stuntman in this scene was Mike Johnson, who also was the burning man coming out of the elevator.

[@TheHulk2008]

He must have set a record with this one. He worked on Transformers as well which is recent.

[@simongrimshaw4057]

Certainly a brave man

[@wns808]

Is he also the same stuntman when Will Giddings caught on fire earlier in the film?

[@MasterJediDude]

That moment when he bumps a table and he just lights up - just goes to show you how hot it was. Truly horrific. Big shoutout to the stuntmen in this movie. Just looking at the fire 🔥 reaching to the ceiling makes me cringe.

[@stevedemarest276]

Or that the costume was soaked in something besides water.

[@MasterJediDude]

@@stevedemarest276 totally true - good point. 👍

[@JediPhoenix1976]

That last look Bigelow gives before heading out into the room...I think he knew it was going to be a one-way trip for him, but he was at least hopeful that he would get help for Lorrie first. Which makes the actual result more tragic. The way the scene is shot, along with Maestro Williams's music...it's visually stunning and nightmarish all at once.

I always think that real acting is beyond saying things that were written... here both of them playing with their gestures, mimic, look. Definitely worth to any award, and worth to remember these wonderful actors!

[@nassauguy48]

I always felt so sorry for these two. :(

[@paulhunter6742]

That was gruesome way to die, Yet, weren't they having secret affair. Wagner as Head of Public Relations for builder was married.

[@404ServerError]

That doesn't mean they have to die for it in such a way, there's no way they could have known this was going to happen given the fact that they thought the building was safe from this since Roger was supposed to have prevented this from happening with the wiring, but he of course cut corners.

[@alexisdiva9]

@@paulhunter6742 "The Glass Inferno" book did have Bigelow (named in it John instead of Dan) as married - but the film gave no indication of Dan's marital status. But yes, he did turn the phones off so they could have their making love without being interrupted. These days we have cell phones where someone could call for help - but whether they would have worked while the fire was going on is another question - sadly, the fire was of such severity that the outcome might not have been different assuming one of them had a cell phone that was working.

[@wns808]

@@404ServerError Duncan also cut corners too, and Roberts called him out for it to his face when Roberts made it to the Promenade Room

[@thesweeples3266]

Thats what they get….

[@tristanlaferriere5194]

This is still such a disturbing scene, can't imagine how much it bothered people nearly 50 years ago. Seeing Robert Wagner's character just burning alive, slowing down, and finally falling to his death was bad enough, but Susan Flannery's character's death is even more gruesome. Films with fire rarely show just how much it paralyzes people. The way she is gasping for air before she breaks the window is all too real, and then the way she screams just as the fire engulfs her...she commits suicide by jumping out the window rather than burning to her death. Seeing that little speck of flame falling all the way down and knowing it's her is so gruesome, and on top of that, the distant sounds of the fire engines is chilling. No one even knew they were trapped in there. That is just so fucking disturbing.

[@christopherslappey1681]

Stephanie Forrester On THE TOWERING INFERNO.

[@duncancurtis1758]

We had to skip the whole grisly scene that was cut out of Sunday afternoon screenings on C5 in case kids watched this brutal horror.

[@wns808]

That, and too reminiscent of what it must’ve been like for people inside the WTC Twin Towers on 9/11

[@Darkstranger9232]

Also their tragic love story.... on par with Romeo and Juliet or... Tristan and Isolde.... I love your name. Tristan is my middle name.

[@smakfu1375]

Just so you know, it takes a long time to lose consciousness when burning to death; the whole time you're in absolutely agonizing pain, inside and out. Pretty much the worst death imaginable.

[@charlesferdinand422]

I love how the guy tried to be hero and didn't even last 10 fucking seconds.

[@vxy357]

+Nurse Grace That's what fireman call "a flashover" in whichEVERYTHING in the room catches fire.

[@Craigevansagain]

Flashovers and backdrafts are a firefighter's worst nightmare.

[@booth2710]

I think that was his way or getting it over with

[@DaguAndHerStuff]

Reality ensues!

[@ericjones7300]

And certainly didn't make it 100 yards.

[@nealwhaley63]

“Nobody’s going to die.” (Audience checks watches, starts counting).

[@BytomGirl]

This scene was to me the most horrifying in the entire movie. I was always terrified of fires after a small fire in the kitchen when I was a child

[@jesseburleson432]

This film is a masterpiece. Four star stuff. This scene right here is just flat out epic. Powerful!

[@VillaBoys123]

Yeah, it's hilarious.

[@lorddrayvon1426]

I love this film but four stars isn't a "masterpiece." Four stars is very above average with 4.5 or outright five stars being "The Lobster" of action movies. However, I will agree this is one of the best action movies out there. And this went through production hell akin to MMPR The Movie or other such productions. This film sent through two directors and studios and went over budget three times, taking 2 years to finish. Why? Most of the fire was a very early predecessor to what we now know as CGI. They also had to licence the external shots of the Glass Tower (the real life building being the Bank of America in Sacramento but with fire digitally added to the exterior) not to mention the two books this uses as source material. Then there's the big name actors like Steve McQueen and Paul Newman. Despite what mainly claim, the Joelma Fire from February didn't exactly inspire the film and was merely a coincidence. The Tower came out in 1973 and the fire happened on February 1st 1974. It is possible that the film was barely inspired by the real life event but nothing is confirmed.

[@justinstojanoski-pearson6184]

Scares the hell out me this scean

[@johnsax1445]

For its Genre, it along with The Poseidon Adventure were both Tops.

[@slenderfoxx3797]

@@johnsax1445 yeah that's another great one!

[@stephanienewbern769]

This was the most heartbreaking and most painful to watch.

[@kdohertygizbur]

Well, they were adulterers, so they had to go Umm remember poor Jennifer Jones dying by falling out of the elevator and fucking bouncing off the building After her interaction with con artist Fred Astaire

[@Biscuit1973]

I Agree because this segment was then difficult to watch because I remember watching in horror as Bigolo was then running through that flaming room only to die within seconds catching fire then collapsing to the floor with his wife later jumping from a broken window to avoid getting burned herself but it was a real Esther Shocker back then .

[@larrycoker8093]

My Mom's best friend took her two daughters and myself to see this in 1974 when it came out and I remember this part more than any other part of the movie! Near the end when the flames had overtaken him and he was walking blindly through the living room is the part that creeped me out the most!

[@rodolforudygarcia3513]

I saw this movie 1975 theater, was 10 years old, this scene is so dramatic and brutal, even today. Great movie

[@goodal01]

It's only a movie

[@Chatelaine1928]

I was a kid when this on TV a lot in the late 70s early 80s. This is hands down the most horrifying scene in the film, NO CGI. This is the SHIT. AMAZING stuntwork - I hope whoever did it got serious recognition. Also when the cat lady fell from the outdoor elevator, that scared the crap out of me too. Hell I hate sitting next to the emergency exit window on planes, gives me the creeps

[@julierobinson3633]

I'm a similar age (born '68). Tis film - and the forest fire in Bambi - is probably why I have TWO fire extinguishers in the house and one in the car. And ALWAYS know where my exits etc are...

[@MsRT76]

I''ve been reading the books that this movie was based on (The Tower and The Glass Inferno) and Bigelow's fate was actually worse in The Glass Inferno. Yes, he burned there too, but in a more horrific way. But I think the movie makes this a far more poignant scene, which is an example of why the movie easily stands up alongside the books for a change.

[@tristanlaferriere5194]

Yes, their deaths in the book were very gruesome. Bigelow gets stuck in melted plastic and burns to death there and then the Lorrie character tries to use a mattress to land on when she breaks the window and jumps, but she lands on the sculpture in the building plaza.

[@senorblues76]

@@tristanlaferriere5194 What a dreadful way to go.

[@Martin9476]

This scene really makes me think about the victims of 9/11 and the Grenfell Tower fire in London. People had to jump to their deaths to escape the fire. RIP to the victims of those tragedies 😥

[@lorddrayvon1426]

Weirdly appropriate since The Glass Inferno and The Tower were created because of the WTC being built and they were hypothetical ideas of what could happen. I don't know whether to say this movie aged like milk on a scorching hot day or a fine wine.

[@geoffvalencia6531]

I grew up in grenfell tower in the 80s and I remember watching this film as a kid. I had a fire next door to me. But it never spread in those days. The cladding put an end to those protections.

[@Sandra64Dias]

O filme foi baseado numa tragédia brasileira: o incêndio do Edifício Joelma em 1974, ano de lançamento do filme.

[@marthiuxag8745]

Si nos recuerda esa tragedia

[@wns808]

@@lorddrayvon1426 and an actual fire did break out in the North Tower of the WTC shortly after this film was released

[@BVictor21]

One reason why this scene is so intense is because of the music composed to go along with is. It's serene to suspenseful to action/drama. John Williams is a master.

[@wkehl2011]

He totally is!

[@lorddrayvon1426]

You know something else? This film was originally envisioned as a ripoff of Earthquake by Universal Studios that came out a month before hand. Why? Fox and Warner Bros who made this film wanted to get a slice of that action movie pie which was a big trend at the time due to the development of non-practical special effects (a predecessor to CGI that hasn't been given its own name).

[@UKBornin1971]

Exactly

[@christianloepfe179]

@@lorddrayvon1426 Nonsense Both Films were produced at same time. Work on both Films startet in late '72 with story development. The Desaster Area startet with The Poseidon Adventure, so Earthquake AND Towering Inferno tried (sucessfully) to cash in.

[@musiker9872]

(2:30) When Bigelow caught on fire, the music just tears our heart......

[@robertlavallee591]

I always thought their deaths were the saddest part of the movie.

[@julieet52]

Me too. I wish they had jumped together. That was really a terrifying scene.

[@georgie1246]

@@julieet52 Me and my wife said the same and we would of jumped together before the flames got us

[@georgie1246]

@@julieet52 Another scene which terrified us was the fireman going head first down the lift shaft and on fire it made me cringe I think I would of been making a lot of noise on the way down.

[@julieet52]

@@georgie1246 Very scary stuff. I think death by fire would be just the worst. What a great movie this is and real special effects not just computer generated. That took a lot of skill from the filmmakers 👏

[@georgie1246]

@@julieet52 They could not make anything like this these days yes death by fire would be horrible I would not have left my wife and let her see me burn she agreed hold hands and jump I did make her feel better when she said I would have to put up with her screaming on the way down I said i would be screaming just as much, much better than the flames getting you.

[@perceblue3976]

I was 22 when I first went to see this movie and of course at that time nothing as spectacular had ever been made before. The 1970s was the era of disaster movies. This scene with the demise of Bigelow And Lorrie I found the most gripping of all, I remember shaking when Lorrie fell out the building on fire. These days movie wise, I can`t say there is anything that really inspires me, especially now with all the computer graphics and lack of film stars that were legions back in those times. All the best movies have already been made.

[@gollisonwoo530]

It's still spectacular more than 40 years later. All the actors and actresses were so expressive in their emotions, every scene was so gripping, there's not a single scene that I could find fault with. I have been telling my much younger friends, you want a movie that can move you to tears together with thrill and excitement, this movie is my answer. Certainly the top 3 English movies of my choice. From the scene when the fire started, I was so glued to my seat that I controlled my bladder for 2 hours before finally rushing to the toilet immediately after the movie ended.

[@CarlosGonzalez-nm6rv]

Like Earthquake 1974 The Poseidon Adventure the era films in the 1970s

[@gretchennelson7056]

You can say that again

[@CarlosGonzalez-nm6rv]

@@gretchennelson7056 like Earthquake 1972 The Poseidon Adventure are the best Diaster films and are compose by John Williams

[@berit5272]

I love that he keeps running while on fire, at least he tried

[@delilahhart4398]

I was going to watch this, but the moment I saw the smoke billowing in from under the door, I had to stop the video. It reminds me of when I was in an apartment fire several years ago. I first knew something was wrong when I saw smoke coming in. It was past 11 that night. I was normally in bed sleeping, but I had fun out of sleeping pills, so I was still wide awake, thank goodness.

[@MrParkFan]

I felt very sorry for Dan and Lorrie. This scene has taught me a lesson when you’re in a burning high rise building always keep the keep phone lines and any communication on at all times.

[@aatb7]

She spelled her name Lorrie. I know. He shouldn’t have switched off the phones. If you don’t want to be disturbed, unplug the phone. Then if there’s an emergency, you can plug it back in!

[@Videos888]

Ummm ok we have cell phones now?

[@hlywdplayer]

Steve McQueen , Paul Newman, William Holden, Faye Dunaway, Fred Astaire, Jennifer Jones, Susan Blakely , Richard Chamberlin, Robert Wagner and so on , WHEW !! what a cast , Seen this movie so many times and this scene still (for me ) packs a wallop , along with the glass elevator death of the beloved Jennifer Jones character who hands the child over to Faye's character just before she plummets to her death , very hard to watch, it's no wonder that two BIG studios collaborated for this epic movie , so well done , I believe it was the only "Disaster" type film to be nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards, deservedly .

[@morgan8757]

hlywdplayer you forgot Robert Vaughn

[@AsYourCruiseDirector]

+Manu77 O.J. was so likeable back then, as an athlete and actor. He was considered a true role model for kids. He was one of the good guys in Towering Inferno -- he was the security officer who hands Jennifer Jones's rescued cat to Fred Astaire after she plummets to her death. It's so strange to know now that he is a cold-blooded murderer.

[@AsYourCruiseDirector]

+Sam73157910 I know. As I replied to another comment, he was the character who gives Jennifer Jones's rescued cat to Fred Astaire after she falls to her death. Back in 1974 he was a true hero, especially for kids. Bizarre.

[@HollywoodFan21]

Hlywdplayer, all well known Hollywood actors and actresses deserves the admiration and respect for their acting role at : " The Towering Inferno " movie. :D

[@maninthewilderness5795]

Did you see the Stunt Lady holding her hand over her face during her perfectly choreographed jump out the window?

[@dunkirchen1940]

This was probably the freakiest part for me to watch as a kid. The guy walking through that building in slow motion was just spooky!

[@larrycoker8093]

Yep. That's exactly how I felt back then! The whole sequence just creeped me out!

[@markunger1098]

This scene, through its acting through to Lorrie’s burning body falling from the building, takes this film from a disaster flick to a horror movie. The looks on their faces when they realise that they’re living their last few minutes….

[@gina7288]

It was good acting seeing their looks on their faces and Lorrie new that she was doomed gasping for air I would of smashed the window and dived out a bit sooner before the flames got near me.

[@Chatelaine1928]

That's Susan Flannery, Laura Horton on Days of Our Lives before this and she was on the Bold and The Beautiful (soap operas)

[@Zephaniah3verse17]

Still so realistic and compelling after all this time. My then girlfriend and I held hands so tight during this scene we had finger marks on our hands afterwards. And oh that music!!

[@Bondek1996]

that piece of music, as mentioned, is so good and marries to the scene well. The best bit (of the music) when Wagner runs out, slow motion, on fire and the music just builds. Almost a different sound to later Williams scores.

[@michaelschramm1064]

This scene has stayed with me for 50 years. To a then 15 year old seeing the film on initial release, it was the most horrific moment in the movie.

[@paulam408]

Same for me. I was 13 in 1974.

[@georgie1246]

​​@@paulam408I was 9 in 1974 but I didn't get to see it until I was 13 this scene always stuck with me and the horrors of it and watching it now I don't get how he wasn't screaming being engulfed in flames I am positive I would of screamed my head off if I was on fire.

[@gilliancampbell6759]

I wasn’t born in 1974 and didn’t see this movie until many years later. It’s one of my favourites.

[@georgie1246]

@@gilliancampbell6759 Another good one from the 70s is the Poseidon adventure and of course Jaws but The Towering inferno is the best with it's all star cast and Richard Chamberlain playing the baddie.

[@gilliancampbell6759]

@@georgie1246 , yes I love those movies too.

[@atlantic-yq2wr]

Chilling comparison to the fate of so many people in the Twin Towers on 9-11.

[@wonjubhoy]

Grenfell too.

[@kherrick90]

the look on his face as he's about to go out into the flames...he knows he's going to die. so emotional. also, i dont think he falls out a window. that glass is just part of the architecture surrounding the upper level of that office. you can see it earlier in the film.

[@booth2710]

no he doesn't fall out of a window - it is a raised podium with a glass surrounding ... after this scene the fire fighters clear the room of fire and find his watch among the ashes

[@kelleyannethomas5372]

Yes! He knew he was going to die when he turned around & smiled at her, bc he still wanted to give her hope. That smile of his just broke my heart. 😢

[@amazinmets8439]

The lesson here: Always keep a fire extinguisher in EVERY room, kids!

[@aatb7]

+Earth Ruler I don't think a fire extinguisher can put out a fire that size. But it's still good to have one in case the fire's small enough to put it out with one.

[@rodolfogarcia1294]

Good point. Could be a hope to scape

[@zackcross7190]

The other lesson is to always have the phone lines connected

[@paulhunter6742]

At this point. I don't think even if couple found fire extinguisher would been much help. Maybe delayed their deaths by only few minutes.

[@MarcoNegrisEye]

​@@paulhunter6742 a few minutes is long enough for a last smoke...😏

[@mercyfulvickv2810]

I saw this movie when I was around 7.I was at my uncle's house It was on tv that day and they didn't realize I was watching it. It still scares me to this day and I developed a fear

[@paulnelson7525]

Life before cell phones.

[@cobolsaurus]

I saw this movie when I was 7 in a Cinemascope screen... this scene literally paralyzed me...

[@btdg7282]

Me too. I was 9 when I saw it.

[@lorddrayvon1426]

I saw this at age six. The worst scene for me was the two firefighters in the stairway when it was destroyed by an explosion. I dunno why but that really fucked me up.

[@michaelbanaszak7775]

I was 4...but for some reason, this scene stuck with me...

[@lorddrayvon1426]

@@michaelbanaszak7775 the reason likely being that it's horrific in a way.

[@TrainHunter94YT]

I never heard of this until a year and a half ago before my dad died.. i am 15. However, the beginning Death of Backdraft, THAT FUCKED ME UP!

[@speeta]

The most spectacular fire walk stunt ever staged for cinema.

[@TheHulk2008]

Mike Johnson only specializes in fire burns

[@flybeep1661]

If it comes to the end, I too would rather end it by jumping than to be burned alive. I think most people would take that option if presented with only those two. Also, RIP for the jumpers of 9/11 who had to do this.

[@leonciohernandez]

yes you are correct i prefer jumping to nthe death instead of being burned.

[@georgie1246]

I would definitely jumped and screamed.

[@messengerguardiansparanorm8606]

Unfortunately, she suffered through both (jumping and burning to death). I couldn't watch this film for years after 9/11. What was so ironic is that I ordered this online, just a week before 9/11. Also, the principal photography for this film ended on 9/11/74. Ain't that some shit?

[@gretchennelson9965]

I would definetely jump. Get it over with quickly.

[@gina7288]

@@gretchennelson9965 I would of jumped also but hopefully not with my tights on fire like hers were.

[@bricharloe4337]

JOHN WILLIAMS. WOW His masterful music here - at 2:03, still gives me chills, each, and every time.

[@UKBornin1971]

Such a dramatic artistic scene, the music, the fire, the slow motion, everything complements the other.👏🏾👏🏾

[@juhauusitupa8236]

Susan Flannery is very convincing at this role especially in the end crawling on the floor.

[@ChrisGS1982]

When I was a kid I used to think it was one big fire but its not its different fires in the same building happening because of the faulty wiring.

[@wns808]

As Roberts was telling Duncan about Giddings’ accident and of the fire, he even warned Duncan that the “fluky wiring” can cause fires to break out everywhere in the building. Unfortunately, Duncan brushed him off until it was O’Hallorhan that set Duncan straight

[@albertcook1960]

What a scene. Today’s movies don’t have the capacity to achieve such perfection of drama, agony and effects. Bravo to the actors and the team who produces this film.

[@davidpar2]

The “window panels” are sugar glass so Susan could break one with the chair, which is why you see carbonization spots from the fire on the left one at 4:19

[@lorddrayvon1426]

Another minor element was how Robert Wagner seems to put on 200 pounds when he runs out into the flames due to the fireproof suit.

[@junesondrab3833]

This scene is the most harrowing of the entire movie. Good work Master of Disaster.

[@SirReal1958]

"Don't worry. I used to run the hundred in 10 flat." Did he ever run the hundred through a burning high rise building ?

[@GerardFreeman]

Running and fanning the flames on his body 😁

[@johncswheatley]

Ah, hubris.

[@lorddrayvon1426]

And on the 65th floor?

[@homersimpson3077]

The fact that he got engulfed in fire immediately is hilarious.

[@zackcross7190]

Homer Simpson Tell me how well you do when you can’t see because of all the smoke and heat.

[@11monkeynuts]

When you look at the making of this scene - it's incredible to think that no one actually got hurt! I'm of course, talking about the stunt actors who were doused in flames. The actors themselves were subject to high temperatures with the flames. Incredibly technical for its time and it is one of the stand out disaster movies ever!

[@lorddrayvon1426]

Supposedly they had a local crew of firefighters on hand and industrial fire suits for the actors. These are the same fire suits that they use when the fire service sets the rookie firefighters on fire during the last week of training. If you are wondering why they do that, it's for two reasons. To make sure that they know how to extinguish themselves should this happenn and to test thier heat resistance. Always a ambulance just a shout away when they do that. Also, if you look closely at Bigelow when he leaves into the fire, he has suddenly put on like 250 pounds despite Robert Wagner being very thin. That is the heavily padded fire proof suit. Hard to see due to the fire and lack of lighting but still visible if you look hard enough.

[@Meela234]

I was a kid and remember being traumatized at seeing this. It really let me know how horrible death by fire is.

[@angelgayasegura2290]

It happened to me exactly the same when I was little, it left me traumatized and now I love seeing it, it's weird

[@freedomfighter271]

This was probably the hardest part to watch for me.

[@booth2710]

I think that bit of the movie had the biggest impact on most people ... when it screens on TV the scene with Susan Flannery going through this is usually cut out ...

[@nassauguy48]

@@booth2710 So why even do that? Granted, it is a terrible scene, but it also added so much to the movie.

[@alexisdiva9]

Correct - for years when this was run on TV they tended to have the scene cut to commercial right after Lorrie screams "DAN?!" - and back from commercial you see the firefighters on some floor which may or may not have been their floor (if it was, it would be sadly ironic). Instead, they inserted earlier a scene where Dan & Lorrie were working on getting the special scissors to be used to cut the dedication ribbon and to acquire a rare case of Romanee Contee '29 for Senator Parker - it also established her as a bona fide executive secretary and not just his lover. The TV version also included a longer version of Maureen Mc Govern (in a cameo as the party singer) singing "We May Never Love Like This Again" and a quick clip of the firefighters seeing on a security camera the reception area of Dan & Lorrie's floor being on fire and one firefighter calling for an additional alarm to be send out for more firefighters, right before you see them starting to redress after their tryst. After 9/11, am thinking they thought people wouldn't be as shocked by the longer death scene that the theatrical version had so they eliminated the other scenes, using this longer scene instead.

[@wns808]

Probably it reminded (and to some, still does) many people of those trapped above the impact floors of the Twin Towers on 9/11 and were faced with either burning or jumping to death

[@MitchGrooms]

This seen here scares me to this day, it was powerful and sad and it did the trick..WOW, so hard to watch this because some people have died like this, what a terrible death/

[@Hendo56]

A very intense, and graphic, scene. Especially for Irwin Allen. I would wager almost everyone who saw this movie remembers this scene. Susan Flannery appeared in a couple of other Irwin Allen productions. She's still alive as of this writing, at 84 years old.

[@julieet52]

The saddest scene in the movie. Still affects me deeply now. very distressing 😭

[@ShoryoTombo]

I love Susan Flannery when she played as Stephanie on The Bold and The Beautiful.

[@Bondek1996]

remember first seeing this as a kid, looking at my parents and saying, they can't kill him he's Robert Wagner and being told being a big name doesn't matter. John Williams' music just seals the deal completely.

[@atlantic-kk9ee]

Because he survived the Titanic! (1953)

[@Felamine]

That's Irwin Allen's style, you start watching the movie not knowing who will live and who dies. Something I wish Hollywood would still do in movies like this.

[@BoraBoraSharkBoy]

+Felamine Actually it was always very obvious: If you were an adulterer, nubile in any way, alcoholic, weak manager, dependent womans husband or too old to reproduce, you died. Kids, teens, mothers, religious characters and physically challenged always survived.

[@Hal09i]

Just ask Stella Stevens in "The Poseidon Adventure"

[@musiker9872]

I watched this film 20 years ago. Yesterday I rewatched it and just found out John Williams composed the soundtrack. That's why this masterpiece is so intense.

[@bfor42]

Where's Steve McQueen when you need him?

[@JillC2]

Arguing with Paul Newman

[@ArchTeryx00]

"I used to run the hundred in 10 flat." The trouble is, you can't outrun: 1) Hot/poisonous gasses. 2) Extreme ambient temperatures, which can reach upwards of 1500F in a large room filled with fire. (Even much smaller scale house fires will burn at 1100F). 3) Thermal transfer. Ambient heat at that level will set anything flammable on fire instantaneously. A wet coat was about the same amount of protection against that inferno as a washcloth. He caught fire almost instantly, and at that point it was all over. They were doomed the moment the fire reached the outer room. Death by infidelity. (The only reason the two, recall, were in the Glass Tower at that time in the first place). Jumping was pretty much the only option. At least that would have been a relatively quick death instead of the slow, prolonged, *agonizing* death by fire Bigelow suffered.

[@maxwellheadroom8335]

Knowledge is power. Thanks for that. 👊🏾

[@aatb7]

You’re really smart. But remember, he used a few standard size wet towels, not a wet coat. Firefighters wear protective equipment for a reason! If they didn’t need it, they wouldn’t wear it! He pushed Joanne Woodward over the edge of a building in the original A Kiss Before Dying. She must have gotten a kick watching him burn to a crisp here! Plus her husband Paul Newman didn’t die in this, an additional plus.

[@ArchTeryx00]

@@aatb7 I know something about the physics of fire. Firefighters in the family. Firefighters wear heavy protective equipment, breathing apparatus and they do NOT go charging into rooms getting ready to flash over, they cool the hell out of them with water and/or ventilation first.

[@PhilAndersonOutside]

I think you pretty much nailed it. People ask "why didn't he get far?" or, "why did he catch fire when he hit the table?" Granted, it's a movie, but that room must have been several hundred degrees, easily. Hotter when he got deeper into it. As soon as he touched anything, as soon as fire touched him, he would have lit up just like he did. Just like how everything else in that room was burning up so quickly. He also would not have been able to take a single breath once he left their room the heat and toxic air would have scorched his lungs, throat. He had zero chance, none, and the movie portrayed how awful such a situation would actually be, how ghastly it would be to die like this, very accurately.

[@ArchTeryx00]

@@PhilAndersonOutsideIt's why in real life high rise fires, such as 9/11, the Grenfell tower fire, or the truly hideous Jolema fire, you get a lot of jumpers. As horrible as that is to contemplate, it's a faster and less painful way to go than burning to death. Nowadays we have truly massive aerial firefighting apparatus such as the Bronto Skylift (230 foot height), powered standpipes and other safety features, but as we found out, if a fire gets bad enough in a high rise environment, you may be faced with a terrible choice: How to die. I work in a smaller high rise on the 14th floor. I know where the stairs are and I take fire alarms deadly serious. But there's always that chance...

[@patrickmccarron5059]

I guess his plan to return with the whole fire department did not quite work out.

[@youtubR72]

fuck no !

[@forrestgumball]

Patrick McCarron he was close lol

[@ceeham1983]

Patrick McCarron neither did running a hundred in 10 flat

[@jess4metoo]

Shamar Cunningham I’m sure he broke his own record time on his way down.

[@ricarleite]

He IMMEDIATELY fucked up.

[@ig_foobar]

I love how this movie is full of explosions, even though that's not how electrical fires work.

[@lorddrayvon1426]

It is if they meet something explosive like a pressurised water valve (something we know the building has since we see them attaching hoses to pipelines in the stairways early in the film) or explosive materials which we can confirm are in the building since you can see explosive barrels in the room where the fire starts at 34;45.

[@BABBASTICKY]

That’s what you took from this scene… ok.

[@ig_foobar]

@@BABBASTICKY Of course. These people are boring and it was fun to watch them explode.

[@wns808]

⁠@@lorddrayvon1426 and in the scene when the central core blows, you can see various storage rooms on fire also containing flammable barrels get blown up

[@ivetterosario4015]

To answer the critics of this scene. I think the reason Bigelow ran through the fire was because when Lorrie said "At least they'll never find out about us.", he decided to show her how much he really loved her by making this heroic, yet futile effort. The look he gives her before he plunges into certain death is significant. He's giving her a "don't worry, even if we do die, I'll be waiting for you on the other side, because I love you deeply" look. Reassuring, loving and comforting with his last look at the woman he loves. This is one of my favorite scenes, yet so tragic - they kill Robert Wagner, major hottie, for God's sake! :'(

[@ricarleite]

FUTILE alright. He IMMEDIATELY catches fire.

[@SAVETHEKIDS-bn5zo]

He had to do something it was there only hope of surviving....... Burning to death or running for help but he couldn't get down by elevator and I guess the stairs would have been in flames so there really was no escape............

[@lorddrayvon1426]

@@ricarleite yeah. And from a godamn potted plant.

[@carmenvitale855]

Not to worry he turned up in Heart to Heart 4 years latter

[@andycross9840]

@@carmenvitale855 ......which ain't easy, cos when they met...it was 'Moi-der'!!!!

[@garywallace5602]

Get burnt alive or get splattered? She couldn't make her mind up...she chose both!

[@KENACT1]

Mad Magazine did an excellent satire of this scene. The movie contained a mix of A list movie stars and C list TV stars, and Mad pointed out that the A-list actors survive while the TV actors all get horrible deaths.

[@GoGreen1977]

Jennifer Jones wasn't a "C list" TV actor. She was a big film star in her day. I think she came out of retirement to do this.

[@aatb7]

Yes I remember that. It had “we’re trapped here in the fire” to the tune of “they call the wind Maria”

[@KENACT1]

@@aatb7 Close. The song you mention is from the musical Oklahoma. The song they used in the Mad satire was "Maria" from West Side Story. "...while us lesser-paid stars fry like Crisco. Inferno. We're trapped in this Towering Infern-oooooo!"

[@aatb7]

@@KENACT1 I looked it up - it’s from Paint Your Wagon (They Call The Wind Maria and Maria is pronounced like Mariah whose last name is Carey). I’m positive that song was in the satire but they could have also used Maria from West Side Story.

[@KENACT1]

@@aatb7 You're right, it is Paint Your Wagon, and the song probably was in the Mad satire. I still remember the Godfather satire using "Matchmaker" from Fiddler on the Roof. "Godfather, Godfather you we obey. From you we've learned. Crime sure does pay." But for the Bigelow and Lorrie scene, it was "Maria" from West Side Story.

[@lbputzer]

Despite many commenters drawing parallels, the reality of the WTC was much different than the artistic license depicted in this film. It's totally unrealistic that these two could still be breathing with a fire of that magnitude on the other side of the bedroom door. Fires on that scale consume such voluminous oxygen, they would've died from asphyxiation long before the flames were that close. Showing these characters engulfed in flames was added as carnage theater. Being burned alive makes for better "entertainment gore" than choking to death. The vast majority of WTC victims perished because they couldn't breathe or the collapse, not because they were consumed with flames. The jumpers at the WTC were those clinging to the frames of the broken windows who still had access to some oxygen. Everyone else on the interior of the floors perished long before from smoke inhalation.

[@PungiFungi]

When Lorrie tossed the chair out the window, you can see it bounced back into view as it landed on the airbag. And when the stunt person jumped , you can see he or she landed on the bag from the odd way one of the stunt person’s foot twisted.

[@kevphillips02]

rip greenfell

[@jesseburleson432]

The two actors in the sequence are both alive to this day so it's all good. As they say, it's only a movie.

[@TheConorsmithusa]

Yay 😀😀😂😁😂😂😃😃😀😁

[@flybeep1661]

This is only a movie indeed, but 27 years from when this movie was shown it happened for real and to a much worse degree.

[@amandamarcelle2572]

Sometimes in situations like this we hope to be ok and make it out 😢when my grandma showed me this movie for the first time i cried so much

[@TileGuyJesse]

Incredible stunt by Mike Johnson doubling for Wagner here. So underrated!

[@michaeltrower741]

That scene traumatized me as a kid.

[@freedomatlast8756]

I was burnt in a fire in 1976 and it's a pain that I'd never wish on another human being. Sheer agony that no words can describe.

[@Truckguy1970]

I work at a glass manufacturing facility and I know what you mean, I been burned myself. It isn't any fun

[@kennethporter2910]

FEBRUARY 13,1975 wtc north tower.

[@jc9716]

So sorry

[@sharkbaitproductions6380]

For 1979 this is some amazing quality by far one of my favorites!!

[@strikerdelta]

1974, actually.

[@pjamajones8304]

When watching as a kid and Being told she was just acting and probably jumping into a swimming pool (holding her nose) was a slight relief...

[@DomKin]

One of the best fire stunts I ever saw!

[@dfa3366]

I watched this movie when I was 6 or 7. Earthquake also came out pretty much the same time. It was scary for a kid. It was rated PG. people called that summer with these movies the Shake and Bake summer. Shake and Bake was a product tv commercial.

[@aatb7]

That’s clever! And I always thought Shake & Bake tasted so good, thought my mom rarely served it.

[@paulnelson7525]

The best disaster movie of the 70's. Every Friday night my friends and I would go to the movies. This was by far the best of the genre but the best blockbuster that scared everyone was Jaws. Those were the days.

[@CraigMcfly1985]

This I can't forget.

[@richardevans9003]

There were some messed up deaths in this movie. These two and then the fall from the glass elevator later in the film

[@gina7288]

Lisolettes fall from the elevator and hitting the side of the building was horrible especially after being so nice and surviving the stairs. It's a horrible thought to fall that far.

[@wns808]

Don’t forget Will Giddings’ burns earlier in the film in which he later succumbed to

[@shaunmac6851]

I just saw this on Film4, they cut this entire scene. They used to show it uncut on BBC and ITV all through the 80s and 90s.

[@booth2710]

+shaun mac I noticed that. The film has been repeated again and again on many channels over the last 15 years and often screened on an early afternoon. But I too have noticed than this scene has been edited out - since 9/11 it seems ...

[@Craigevansagain]

It was '98 when they first started censoring Towering Inferno scenes, at least in the UK.

[@lorddrayvon1426]

@@booth2710 the main reason is actually very simple apparently. It's due to two events. The Oklahoma City Bombing (which didn't involve fire but was very distopoc) and the World Trade Centre bombing around 3 years before censorship began.

[@markmerzweiler909]

Big actors in a small role...they made it work!

[@rebelruth9582]

This scene was cut when the film went from video to CD. Was too close a call to 9/11

[@generalzod2497]

I really liked these 2 characters. It burns me up that they died!

[@horrorfanandy4647]

Very poor choice of words.

[@WAL_DC-6B]

Oh! .... I get it!

[@jam1301]

bravo Susan Flannery ( AKA Stephanie Forrester B&B)

[@wkehl2011]

Susan Flannery played Stephanie Forrester in the American soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful.

[@BoraBoraSharkBoy]

I'm sure this is Brooke Logan's favorite film. 😁

[@jam1301]

@@BoraBoraSharkBoy funny--i miss them together so very much

[@2abbaking]

At least her fire was extinguished by the fall. Always be optimistic

[@lewissparrow7417]

I used to watch this film as a child (probably NOT the best film to watch at that age because it disturbed me so much!) and I watched it again last weekend and it still disturbs me! Don't get me wrong it's a brilliant film and this scene sticks in my mind because Robert and Susan are so brilliant in it. I felt so bad for their characters.

[@rayasay2769]

For those of you mentioning cellphones that would not have made any difference in this movie as in the September 11 World Trade Center. This is 9/11 at night and a sad reminder of that horrific day! In this movie the fire department was already in the building and unable to control the flames! Even if Wager could get a call out the firefighters wouldn't have been able to reach them in time. In real life the WTC had numerous calls from people trapped but there was no way to get to them.

[@FuckFeminists]

Did the entire skyscraper collapse in 10 seconds in this movie? Havent seen the whole thing,

[@fito65]

I watched tis movie in 1975, and was 11 years old then. The secene is amazing and brutal. I still feel sad to see Robert and Susan dying in that horrible way.

[@vxy357]

+fito65 I can watch people die in various ways movies . But next to all the torture porn movies, the one of the things I can't watch is watching someone burn to death. Even when it's the villian /bad guy burning to death. Even though i know it's fake, I still can't watch it or bear to hear them scream in agony. it just bothers me too much.

[@jackhollandcsxnsandawvrfan3800]

Same

[@eduardofagundes4793]

The CGI generation will never experience the shivering of watching this on the big screen

[@paolociarpaglini1396]

One of the pearls scene of that great, unforgettable movie. I saw it at eleven years old and around therdy times later..

[@angmhalp]

I used to run the 100 yard in 10 flat... Nobodies going to die. Tell me lies, tell me sweet little lies.

[@robertvillarreal3038]

love the way she covers her mouth and nose as she jumps out the window

[@AsYourCruiseDirector]

So you can't see the stuntwoman's face. :)

[@fito65]

***** She covered her mouth due to intoxication smoke.

[@fito65]

***** She died, I mean, the character died.

[@aatb7]

+Robert Villarreal A stuntman did the fall. I think he had to cover his face or you could really tell it wasn't Susan. He had to wear pantyhose and get set on fire.

[@drumroll420]

GERONIMO!

[@romeonarcizo]

this is one of the best tragic scenes i ever see!

[@Sandra64Dias]

O filme foi baseado numa tragédia brasileira que ocorreu no dia 1 de fevereiro de 1974: o incêndio do Edifício Joelma que matou 198 pessoas. O filme foi lançado em dezembro do mesmo ano. Depois dessa tragédia, muita coisa mudou em relação à prevenção de incêndios em muitos países.

[@chrispacmanjones2765]

I always felt sorry for her because of the shitty situation Robert Wagner’s character put her in. By themselves in an office with the phone lines disconnected. Then having a pretend conversation with the fire department and then telling her the firefighters are on their way.

[@aatb7]

There never really were any firemen, were there?

[@aatb7]

Well he didn’t want her to worry until she absolutely had to.

[@wns808]

There’s a deleted scene of Bigelow and Duncan debating on what to do with the party after the meeting with the faulty wiring. Duncan actually thinks about canceling the party but Bigelow goads Duncan to host the party due to the bad press Duncan would get if he cancelled. Thus, Bigelow actually turned out to be almost as much of a slimeball as Simmons

[@booth2710]

I read somewhere once that some scenes hit the cutting room floor because the producers felt that those scenes might have been too graphic for cinema audience goers (of the 70's) ... or was that just an urban myth ?

[@wns808]

I heard this scene was cut out after 9/11 as it became too real for what people on the upper floors of the Twin Towers were faced with on 9/11, burn or jump to death

[@rodolfogarcia1294]

Poseidon Adventure, Earthquake snd Towering Infierno, 3 masterpieces of disaster movies ever. These 3 movies give me nice recalls when I was a kid. Towering Infierno Is my favorite.

[@alexisdiva9]

@BVictor21 Bigelow's marital status was unknown in the film; however, in "The Glass Inferno" he was married (name was John instead of Dan). Lorrie was cleaned up considerably in the book; her counterpart was named Deidre Elmon who instead of being his secretary was an aspiring model/actress but was mostly a kept woman.

[@rickhuck64]

This is a Hollywood fire, the smoke gets you first, not the fire. The room would have been gone in minutes.

[@jameswanantony]

Robert Wagner had the best death in this movie! so epic!!

[@TheConorsmithusa]

agreed! so memorable

[@wkehl2011]

Yeah, a very Hollywood-like death :-|

[@lorddrayvon1426]

@@wkehl2011 that makes sense since this is a joint Fox and Warner Bros films. Oddly, this is one of only three live-action movies that Warner have directly made (by which I mean they did more than just fund).

[@MrCraigblaze]

Wow Susan when was so thin...GREAT scene...Thanks for the upload..!!..XD

[@samdevallance1527]

I love watching this movie I can’t remember how times I’ve watched it but it’s still good.