Robert Wagner’s Blue Tuxedo in The Towering Inferno

Robert Wagner and Susan Flannery in The Towering Inferno (1974) Vitals Robert Wagner as Dan Bigelow, horny public relations agent San Francisco, Summer 1974 Film: The Towering Inferno Release Date: December 14, 1974 Director: John Guillermin Costume Designer: Paul Zastupnevich WARNING! Spoilers ahead! Background I recently saw a tweet clowning on Robert Wagner’s ignominious death in The Towering Inferno that again got me thinking about the style in this char-studded—er- star-studded ’70s disaster epic. Wagner portrays Dan Bigelow, chief of public relations for the 138-story Glass Tower, designed by architect Doug Roberts (Paul Newman) for developer James Duncan (William Holden) to be the world’s tallest building. As The Towering Inferno‘s title suggests, this honor would be short-lived as it catches fire just before its dedication ceremony on the fourth of July. Despite this, the owners’ hubris push on with a dedication party in the tower’s upper floors as the fire spreads below.…