Other mistake: During the scenic elevator rescue scene, a helicopter lowers the Fire Chief down to connect a cable to the top of the elevator. The cable is seen to be hanging no more than three feet from the side of the building. If this were the case, the helicopter's rotors would be hitting the building. (02:04:10 - 02:06:10)
The Towering Inferno (1974)
1 other mistake
Directed by: John Guillermin
Starring: Paul Newman, Faye Dunaway, Steve McQueen, William Holden, Fred Astaire, Richard Chamberlain, O.J. Simpson
Continuity mistake: When O.J. Simpson (Security Guard) attempts to rescue the mother and 2 children from their apartment, he kicks the door in. If you look closely, the door is actually open and he's holding it shut so he "can" kick it in! (01:06:45)
Dan Bigelow: I'll be back, with the whole fire department.
Trivia: Stars Paul Newman and Steve McQueen apparently argued intensely over who should get top billing. In the end the producers settled for a compromise: reading the film poster (which is reproduced as the DVD cover) top to bottom, Paul Newman is first, i.e. higher, or "top" billing. But reading left to right, Steve McQueen is first. The same applies to their photographs either side of the main artwork, McQueen on the left but Newman (marginally) higher up. Ironically, this billing format was an issue when McQueen was considered for a role in "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid."
Question: In the end after all the tower is extinguished, I wonder how the remaining people on the promenade room got back to the ground floor since the stairs have blown out, the external elevator got broken and there is no electricity for use the other elevators? Maybe they used helicopters?
Answer: Exactly, the same helicopter that took Steve McQueen to the roof was most likely the one that picked everyone up.
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Answer: Where the stairs were blown out they could have crossed over to the adjacent stairwell and back.