Vitals

William Holden as James Duncan, commercial real estate developer

San Francisco, Summer 1974

Film: The Towering Inferno
Release Date: December 14, 1974
Director: John Guillermin
Costume Designer: Paul Zastupnevich

WARNING! Spoilers ahead!

Background

Born 107 years ago today on April 17, 1918, charismatic actor William Holden was one of the biggest stars of the 1950s with landmark performances in Sunset Blvd. (1950), Stalag 17 (1953), Sabrina (1954), and The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957).

Though his screen presence continued into the next decade, Holden revitalized his career as the grizzled lead in Sam Peckinpah’s violent revisionist Western The Wild Bunch (1969), which led to several prominent roles through the 1970s—including Clint Eastwood’s artful romance Breezy (1973) and his final Oscar-nominated turn in Sidney Lumet’s media satire Network (1976).

Between those films, Holden joined the star-studded ensemble of The Towering Inferno (1974), Irwin Allen’s fiery follow-up to The Poseidon Adventure that earned eight Academy Award nominations—including Best Picture. And what better way to celebrate this fire-sign icon’s April 17th birthday than spotlighting his standout wardrobe in a disaster epic that quite literally turns up the Aries heat? Continue reading →