The Towering Inferno (1974)

The Towering Inferno poster

Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation, Warner Bros.
Starring:
 Jennifer Jones, Fred Astaire, O.J. Simpson
Directed by: John Guillermin

Cat Out of the Bag Alert!  This review contains some spoilers for this film!

Synopsis: The star-studded high rise disaster movie finds a group of people trapped in a deadly burning tower seeking various means of escape.

Cat Burglar (Scene Stealer): Early in the film we see an older man named Harlee (Fred Astaire) call upon a beautiful woman named Lisolette (Jennifer Jones) at her apartment in the high rise. When she opens the door she is holding a pretty tabby cat.

The Towering Inferno - Lisolette Jennifer Jones holding tabby cat Elke

The Towering Inferno - Lisolette Jennifer Jones holding tabby cat Elke

The Towering Inferno - Lisolette Jennifer Jones holding tabby cat Elke

Lisolette sets the cat, whom she calls Elke, on a nearby chair and tells her to behave and that she’s left some milk for her in the kitchen.

The Towering Inferno - Lisolette Jennifer Jones setting tabby cat Elke on chair

Lisolette and Harlee go to the party upstairs as the building goes up in flames below. A security guard named Jernigan (O.J. Simpson) is making a check of apartments when he opens the door to Lisolette’s. Elke the cat is sitting on a chair.

The Towering Inferno - tabby cat Elke on chair in foreground with Jernigan O.J. Simpson in background

Jernigan almost misses the cat but spots her and goes in to pick her up and take her with him.

The Towering Inferno - tabby cat Elke being picked up by Jernigan O.J. Simpson

At the end of the film Harlee is looking for Lisolette, not realizing she has been killed. Jernigan then catches up with him and hands him the cat, Elke. It is one of the most touching moments in the movie.

The Towering Inferno - tabby cat Elke being handed to Harlee Fred Astaire by Jernigan O.J. Simpson

The Towering Inferno - tabby cat Elke being handed to Harlee Fred Astaire by Jernigan O.J. Simpson

The Towering Inferno - tabby cat Elke being held by Harlee Fred Astaire

Final Mewsings: Jernigan sure walked around a long time with that cat!

Many thanks to our dear friend Yasuko for letting us know about the cat in this film!


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