James Duncan quotes from The Towering Inferno (1974)

So, how was it?

Doug Roberts

Good.

You're gonna go ahead, huh?

Doug Roberts

Full steam.

Anything I can do to change your mind?

Doug Roberts

Nope, no way.

You know there's an old saying that, uh, 'No matter how hot it gets up there during the day, there's -'

Doug Roberts

'-not a damn thing to do in the night', right?

That's right. Now just what the hell are you gonna do at night in the middle of nowhere?

Doug Roberts

Sleep like a winner.

Doug, you're a city boy with a low threshold for boredom. You'll be back in two weeks. (The elevator arrives on the 65th floor) Can you come in the office for a minute?

Doug Roberts

I got people waiting upstairs.

Well what I wanted to tell you is that Senator Parker's flying in for the dedication tonight. And he's almost guaranteed the Urban Renewal contract. Now do you know what that means? Skyscrapers like this all over the country! You design 'em, I'll build 'em.

Doug Roberts

Jim I think you suffer from an edifice complex.

You'll never leave.

Doug Roberts

Right after the party. Come on downstairs and watch me burn my black tie.

I know, I know. Callahan called me. Now just how bad is it?

Doug Roberts

Depends on how good your imagination is. (Roberts drops the burned wire on Duncan's desk) Jesus Christ. Specs called for Conduit safety covering!

How many fuse terminals did you check?

Doug Roberts

How many do I have to?

Yes?

Mr. Bigelow's here, sir.

Ok, send him in. Now Doug, one piece of scorched wire from a burned-out circuit breaker is hardly conclusive.

Doug Roberts

Maybe not. But after that I'm worried about what other shocks we're in for!

Will, Doug, J.D., wait 'til you see this. (Bigelow opens a box containing golden scissors for the Tower's dedication but the men do not react) What happened? Somebody hang the wallpaper upside down?

We have an equipment problem.

No problem in the Tower is there?

Doug Roberts

Could be.

Oh now come on Doug. You're just guessing!

Doug Roberts

Alright I'm just guessing. But I wanna talk to that son-in-law of yours and I wanna talk to him right away.

Ok. (Talking to his secretary on the intercom) Get me Roger Simmons.

Yes, sir.

We're going to check this thing out Mr. Duncan, I guarantee you.

Sure, sure, we're all going to check it out.

I'm missing something.

Doug Roberts

We damn near had a fire.

Doug Roberts

Yeah. A fire.

In this building? Come on.

You know we haven't even finished installing the safety equipment? The party should have been put off for at least another month...

Now hold it Will, hold it! Everybody's overreacting! (Intercom buzzes) Yes?

Mr. Simmons is out, sir.

Out where?

They don't know, sir, but I left word for him to call.

Ok. (pauses before speaking to Doug) We'll talk to Roger tomorrow. And then we'll decide what to do, that's ok isn't it?

Doug Roberts

No, it won't wait! (Roberts and Giddings leave)

Where were you all day?

Roger Simmons

I wasn't aware the leash was that tight.

When I get the time I'll be asking you a few questions, and I expect some straight answers!

Doug Roberts

Hello, this is 81, we've had an accident up here, a man's been burned, get an ambulance! Yes, right away!

Roberts, call Duncan in the tower! They got a lot of people there!

Yeah Doug, we were getting worried about you. Susan's here, Senator Parker, the Mayor and his wife. Everybody wants to know why the world's greatest architect isn't here.

Doug Roberts

Never mind about that. Will Giddings has been pretty badly burned.

Will Giddings burned? How?!

Doug Roberts

Look, I've already got an ambulance coming but you better think about getting those people upstairs down on the ground floor. (pause as Duncan asks why) What for? WE'VE GOT A FIRE HERE! (pause as Duncan asks the severity of the fire) Well, I think it's under control but....

Well then, uh, why the urgency?

Doug Roberts

Urgency?! Hey Dunc if that fire was caused by fluky wiring in the building we could get fires breaking out everywhere!

Doug, I think you're overreacting. Now I feel sorry for Will Giddings but he'll be taken care of. (Duncan covers the speaker on the phone) But I am not going to concern myself with a fire in a storage room on 81 because it can't possibly affect us up here. Not in this building! Now have someone call me when the fire department arrives. In the meantime, get in your dinner jacket and come on up here and join the party. Now come on! (Duncan hangs up)

Doug Roberts

I mean-(Roberts angrily hangs up)

You looking for me, Chief?

If you're Duncan, yeah.

I am. Everything under control?

We gotta move all these people outta here.

Oh now just how bad is it?

It's a fire, mister. And all fires are bad.

Well, uh, I don't believe you're familiar with the many modern safety systems we have designed into this building. We've got 'em all.

All right. It's your building, but it's our fire. Now let's get these people the hell out of here.

Now I don't think you're listening, Chief. There's no way for a fire on 81 to reach up here, not in this building!

Okay. I'll do it.

Hold it, hold it. The mayor's out there. Do you want me to pull rank on you?

When there's a fire, I outrank everybody here. Now one thing we don't want is a panic. Now I could tell them, but you oughta do it. Just make a nice cool announcement to all your guests and tell them the party's being moved down below the fire floor. Right now.

Patty - you and Susan stay right here where I can find you. Now don't leave this table. (Pointing to Roger) You I wanna talk to. (Duncan & Simmons walk away from the table) Did you change any of Doug's electrical specifications?

Roger Simmons

I most certainly did.

For God's sakes why?

Roger Simmons

The reason should be obvious - especially to you!

We've got a fire. And if it was caused by anything you did I'm going to hang you out to dry, and then I'm going to hang you!

Roger Simmons

I don't like the way you talk to me.

You drunk?

Roger Simmons

Not yet.

Well then get out of my way!

Roger Simmons

You didn't talk like this 2 years ago, did you? Running over budget and out of money. Did you ask me then how I could shave $2 million dollars off our electrical costs?

Shut up and help me with these people!

Roger Simmons

And let me ask you my dear father-in-law: am I the only subcontractor you encouraged to cut corners? Where did you save the other $4 million in Doug's original budget?!

At this rate, it's going to take a couple of hours to get everyone down. So I would suggest that those of us with stout hearts and trim waistlines start using the stairs.

That's 135 floors.

All downhill.

Doug Roberts

Will Giddings is dead. He died 20 minutes ago. Oh boy. Oh, I wonder how many more will be dead by tomorrow. I thought we were building something, where people could work and live and be SAFE! If you had to cut costs, why didn't you cut floors instead of corners?

Now listen, any decisions that were made, for the use of alternate building materials, were made because I as a builder have a right to make those decisions. If I remain within the building code and goddammit I did!

Doug Roberts

Building code, Jesus. Building code, c'mon now Dunc I mean that's a standard cop-out when you're in trouble. I was crawling around up there. I mean duct holes weren't fire-stopped! Corridors without fire doors in them, sprinklers won't work, and an electrical system that's good for what? I mean it's good for starting fires! Phew, boy where was I when all this was going on? Because I'm just as guilty as you and that goddamn son-in-law of yours! What do they call it when you kill people?

Roger Simmons

The women are gone. We are going next. (Simmons tears up a bunch of breeches buoy tickets)

You've all got numbers, and you're going to take your turn! And if it's any consolation, I'm going to be the last one out of here, along with my son-in-law!

I didn't want you to see him.

You know, there's nothing any of us can do to bring back the dead but.....(pauses and gazes back up at the smoking tower)..all I can do now is pray to God, that I can stop this from ever happening again.