A pyromaniac, ex-employee of a city oil refinery creates an explosion at the facility which starts a chain-reaction of fires that engulf the entire city.
Director:
Writers:
Stars:
Photos and Videos
Cast verified as complete
| Barry Newman | ... |
Dr. Frank Whitman
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| Susan Clark | ... |
Diana Brockhurst-Lautrec
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| Shelley Winters | ... |
Nurse Andrea Harper
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| Leslie Nielsen | ... |
Mayor William Dudley
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| James Franciscus | ... |
Jimbo
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| Ava Gardner | ... |
Maggie Grayson
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| Henry Fonda | ... |
Risley - Fire Chief
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Jonathan Welsh | ... |
Herman Stover
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| Hilary Farr | ... |
Mrs. Adams
(as Hilary Labow)
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| Richard Donat | ... |
Capt. Harrison Risley
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Mavor Moore | ... |
John O'Brien
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| Donald Pilon | ... |
Dr. Matwick
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Terry Haig | ... |
Terry James
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| Cec Linder | ... |
Councilman Paley
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Ken James | ... |
Andrew
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| Jefferson Mappin | ... |
Beezer
(as Jeff Mappin)
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Earl Pennington | ... |
Mr. Clark
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| Sonny Forbes | ... |
Tom
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Bronwen Mantel | ... |
Sarah Watts
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Janice Chaikelson | ... |
Debbie Watts
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Steven Chaikelson | ... |
Gerald Watts
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Murray Cruchley | ... |
Tony Miller
(as Lee Murray)
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Jérôme Tiberghien | ... |
Waller - Fireman
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| Mel Ryane | ... |
Nurse Florence Stoddard
(as Melody Ryane)
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| Anthony Sherwood | ... |
Sam
(as Tony Sherwood)
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John Friesen | ... |
Albert
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Nancy Beatty | ... |
Mary Stover
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Doug Smith | ... |
Franks - Attendant
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| Rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
| Maria De Aragon | ... |
Nurse (uncredited)
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Rochanya Generous | ... |
Double for Susan Clarke (uncredited)
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Emil Glassbourg | ... |
Doctor (uncredited)
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Directed by
| Alvin Rakoff | ||
Written by
| Jack Hill | ... | (writer) & |
| David P. Lewis | ... | (writer) & |
| Céline La Frenière | ... | (writer) |
Produced by
| Harold Greenberg | ... | executive producer |
| Sandy Howard | ... | executive producer |
| Claude Héroux | ... | producer |
| Howard Lipson | ... | associate producer |
| Larry Nesis | ... | associate producer |
Music by
| Matthew McCauley | ||
| William McCauley | ||
Cinematography by
| René Verzier | ||
Editorial Department
| Jacques Clairoux | ... | editor: video |
| Jim Doyle | ... | assistant video editor |
| Jean-Pol Passet | ... | editor: video |
Casting By
| Ann Bell | ... | (as Ann Hunter Bell) |
| Ingrid Fischer | ||
| Karen Hazzard | ||
| Victoria Mitchell | ||
| Anna St. Johns | ||
Production Design by
| William McCrow | ||
Art Direction by
| Claude Marchand | ||
Set Decoration by
| Csaba András Kertész | ... | (as Csaba Kertész) |
Costume Design by
| Yvon Duhaime | ||
Makeup Department
| John Alese | ... | special makeup |
| Jocelyne Bellemare | ... | assistant makeup artist |
| Thomas Booth | ... | assistant hair stylist |
| Pierre David | ... | hair stylist |
| Michèle Dion | ... | makeup artist |
| Stephan Dupuis | ... | assistant makeup artist |
| Chantal Ethier | ... | assistant makeup artist |
Production Management
| Roger Héroux | ... | production manager |
| Lyse Lafontaine | ... | unit manager |
| Kate Morris | ... | production manager: Los Angeles |
| Danny Rossner | ... | assistant unit manager |
| John Shirley | ... | post-production supervisor |
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
| Charles Braive | ... | first assistant director |
| Lamar Card | ... | second unit director |
| Pedro Gandol | ... | third assistant director |
| Daniel Hausmann | ... | second assistant director |
Art Department
| Jean Bourret | ... | props |
| Jacques Chamberland | ... | property master |
| Myles Clarke | ... | assistant set decorator |
| Pierre Fournier | ... | assistant set props |
| Jef Melamed | ... | assistant production designer |
| Roméo Turcotte | ... | construction manager |
Sound Department
| David Appleby | ... | sound recording mixer (as Dave Appleby) |
| Martin Ashbee | ... | dialogue editor |
| Dennis Drummond | ... | sound effects editor |
| Robert Grieve | ... | sound effects editor |
| Wayne Griffin | ... | dialogue editor |
| Austin Grimaldi | ... | sound recording mixer |
| Joe Grimaldi | ... | sound recording mixer |
| Kenneth Heeley-Ray | ... | sound designer |
| Thierry Hoffmann | ... | boom operator (as Thierry Hoffman) |
| Patrick Rousseau | ... | sound mixer |
| Andy Malcolm | ... | foley artist (uncredited) |
| Don White | ... | foley recording mixer (uncredited) |
Special Effects by
| Thomas L. Fisher | ... | special effects assistant |
| Carol Lynn | ... | special effects |
| Frank Varbel | ... | special effects assistant |
| Cliff Wenger Jr. | ... | special effects assistant |
| Cliff Wenger | ... | special effects (as Cliff Wenger Sr.) |
Visual Effects by
| William Cruse | ... | visual effects |
| Cliff Culley | ... | matte artist (uncredited) |
Stunts
| Matt Birman | ... | stunt performer |
| Grant Page | ... | stunt coordinator |
| Jérôme Tiberghien | ... | stunts (uncredited) |
Camera and Electrical Department
| John Berrie | ... | gaffer |
| Michel Paul Bélisle | ... | best boy gaffer |
| Jean Courteau | ... | electrician |
| John Daoust | ... | dolly grip |
| Marc de Ernsted | ... | second grip |
| Attila Dory | ... | still photographer |
| Daniel Fournier | ... | camera operator: second unit |
| Jean-Jacques Gervais | ... | clapper loader (as J. Jacques Gervais) |
| Denis Gingras | ... | focus puller |
| Paul Gravel | ... | focus puller |
| Walter Klymkiw | ... | best boy gaffer |
| Georges Krawzykowsky | ... | focus puller |
| Frank Lenk | ... | camera operator: second unit |
| André Ouellette | ... | key grip |
| Yves Paquette | ... | generator operator |
| Gérald Proulx | ... | electrician |
| Bert Tougas | ... | focus puller |
| René Verzier | ... | camera operator |
Casting Department
| Hannele Halm | ... | casting assistant |
Costume and Wardrobe Department
| Jean-Marc Castilloux | ... | dresser |
| Mario Davignon | ... | assistant costume designer |
| Andrée Gaboury | ... | wardrober |
| Christiane Galop | ... | dresser |
| Lise Poirier | ... | dresser |
| Corinne Verzier | ... | dresser |
Script and Continuity Department
| Susanna David | ... | script supervisor |
Additional Crew
| Joy Berger | ... | unit publicist |
| Manon Bougie-Boyer | ... | production accountant |
| Monique Brasseur | ... | production secretary |
| Peter Cohen | ... | medical advisor (as Dr. Peter Cohen) |
| Quinn Donoghue | ... | unit publicist |
| Dona Friedberg | ... | video designer/coordinator |
| James A. Mendrala | ... | television photographic effects supervisor |
| Dave Novak | ... | unit publicist |
| L. Claude Teweles | ... | production executive |
| Louise Vincent | ... | assistant production secretary |
| Laurie Wenger | ... | assistant accountant |
Production Companies
- Astral Bellevue Pathé
- Astral Films
- Canadian Film Development Corporation (CFDC) (participation)
- Famous Players Film Corporation (participation)
Distributors
- AVCO Embassy Pictures (1979) (United States) (theatrical)
- Astral Films (1979) (Canada) (theatrical)
- Concorde Film (1979) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
- Europa Film (1979) (Sweden) (theatrical)
- Film France Distribution (1979) (France) (theatrical)
- Fram Film (1979) (Norway) (theatrical)
- Rank Film Organization (1979) (United Kingdom) (theatrical)
- Residenz Film (1979) (West Germany) (theatrical)
- Roadshow Films (1979) (Australia) (theatrical)
- Filmes Lusomundo (1980) (Portugal) (theatrical)
- Shochiku (1980) (Japan) (theatrical)
- Rank Video Library (1981) (United Kingdom) (VHS)
- CBS (1982) (United States) (tv)
- Home Video Hellas (HVH) (1985) (Greece) (VHS)
- Charter Entertainment (1986) (United States) (VHS)
- The Video Collection (1986) (United Kingdom) (VHS)
- Embassy Home Entertainment (1988) (United States) (VHS)
- Nelson Entertainment (1988) (United States) (VHS)
- Odeon (1989) (Italy) (tv)
- New Line Home Video (1995) (United States) (VHS)
- X-Gabu Film (2006) (Germany) (DVD)
- Topanga Canyon Films (2018) (Spain)
- Scorpion Releasing (2016) (United States) (Blu-ray)
- Scorpion Releasing (2016) (United States) (DVD)
- Incendo Media (2020) (Canada) (video) (Amazon Prime)
- Alpha Video Distributors (United States) (DVD)
Special Effects
Other Companies
- Brigade des Pompiers de Montréal Est (thanks)
- CTM-Channel 10, Montréal (thanks)
- Ciments Lafarge Ltée (Région du Québec) (thanks)
- Dominion Gallery, Montréal (thanks)
- Fire Brigade, Los Angeles (thanks)
- Fire Brigade, New York (thanks)
- Karen Hazzard Casting (casting)
- Liberty Furniture Industries Ltd., Montréal (thanks)
- Mobile Video Services, New York (thanks)
- Pathé Sound and Post Production Center (sound facilities)
- Pathé Sound and Post Production Center (sound post-production)
- Rougier Inc., Place Bonaventure, Montréal (thanks)
- Shell Canada Ltd. (thanks)
- Vermont Army National Guard (thanks)
- Ville de Montréal Est (thanks)
Storyline
| Plot Summary |
William Dudley is a corrupt mayor of a nameless Midwestern U.S. city who has allowed a chemical refinery to be built right in the center of town, far from any river, lake or reservoir. On one typical hot summer day, Herman Stover, a dangerously disturbed employee at the works has been denied an expected promotion and in addition, finds himself fired. He then decides to take his revenge against the works by opening the valves to the storage vats and their interconnecting pipes, flooding the area and sewers with gasoline and chemicals. It doesn't take long for this act of petty vandalism to start a fire, which starts a chain reaction that causes massive explosions at the refinery, destroying it and spreading a mushroom-cloud of flame that soon engulfs the entire metropolis! The drama focuses on a newly built hospital which, like the refinery and all civic buildings that went up during the mayor's crooked administration, is shoddily built and poorly equipped where the head doctor, Frank Whitman, and his staff treat thousands of casualties from the city-fire while the city fire chief Risley keeps in constant contact with the fire companies fighting a losing battle against the fires, and Maggie Grayson, an alcoholic reporter/newscaster, sees it as her chance to make it nationwide with her coverage of the story of the 'city on fire.' Written by Alfred Jingle |
| Plot Keywords | |
| Taglines | What Happened to Them Could Happen to You ... In Any City Anywhere! See more » |
| Genres | |
| Parents Guide | View content advisory » |
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Box Office
| Budget | $5,300,000 (estimated) |
Did You Know?
| Trivia | Shell Oil, which owned a $600-million refinery that the production wanted to use as a location, granted permission as a gesture of raising awareness about safety issues (the dangers of locating oil refineries near cities). See more » |
| Goofs | Although set in an unnamed American city (identifiable because of the appearance of USA flags in a few scenes), the television station setting for the movie has the call letters listed as CFTM-TV. In the United States, all television and radio station call letters begin with either the letter K (for states west of the Mississippi River), or the letter W (for states east of the Mississippi River). The letter C is used for all of Canada's provinces. See more » |
| Movie Connections | Edited from Bullitt (1968). See more » |
| Quotes |
[last lines]
Chief Albert Risley: All it takes is one man, could be anybody... your neighbor, my neighbor... one man to destroy a city. See more » |