James Duncan:
Just how bad is it?
Chief O'Hallorhan:
It's a fire. All fires are bad.
Senator Parker:
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.
James Duncan:
That's 135 floors.
Senator Parker:
All downhill.
Chief O'Hallorhan:
For what it's worth, architect, this is one building I figured would never burn.
James Duncan:
Give me the architect that designed you, and who needs Doug Roberts?
Susan:
I do.
James Duncan:
You know... there is really nothing the living can do to bring back the dead.
Chief O'Hallorhan:
You know we got lucky tonight, body count's less then 200. Someday your gonna kill ten-thousand in one of these firetraps, and I'll keep eating smoke and carrying out bodies until someone asks us how to build them.
Doug Roberts:
Ok, I'm asking.
Chief O'Hallorhan:
You know where to reach me.
Doug Roberts:
How do you plan to get the explosives up there?
Chief O'Hallorhan:
Oh, They'll find some dumb son of a bitch to bring them up there.
Doug Roberts:
[picks up ringing phone] Roberts.
Chief O'Hallorhan:
It's out of control, and it's coming your way. You got about fifteen minutes. Now, they wanna try somethin'. They wanna blow those water tanks two floors above you. They think it might kill the fire.
Doug Roberts:
[surveys room] How're they gonna get the explosives up here?
Chief O'Hallorhan:
[after already having been given the task] Oh, they'll find some dumb son of a bitch to bring it up.
James Duncan:
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Senator Parker is flying in from Washington tonight for the dedication ceremony. He's almost guaranteed to sign the Urban Renewal Contract. Do you know what that means? Skyscrapers like this all over the country. You design 'em and I'll build 'em.
ffb
Doug Roberts:
Don't you think you're suffering from an edifice complex?
James Duncan:
You'll never leave.
Doug Roberts:
Oh yeah? Why don't you come downstairs after the party and watch me burn my black tie?
Roger Simmons:
[tears breeches buoy ticket] The women are gone, we are next.
James Duncan:
[punches him] You've all got numbers, and you're going to take them. And if it's any consolation, I'm going to be the last one out of here, along with my son-in-law.
Doug Roberts:
Hey Dunc, if that fire was caused by kooky wiring, we could have fires breaking out everywhere.
Doug Roberts:
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?
James Duncan:
Now listen. Any decisions that were made in the use of alternate building materials were made because I as a builder have a right to make those decisions. If I remained within the building code then god-dammit I did.
Doug Roberts:
[Chuckling] Building code? Building code. Come on, Dunc, now that's a standard cop-out for when you're in trouble. I mean, I was crawling around up there. Those duct holes weren't fire-stopped, corridors without fire doors, sprinklers that won't work, and electrical system that's good for what? It's good for starting fires. Hoo boy, where was I when all this was going on? Because I'm just as guilty as you and that god-damned son-in-law of yours. What do you call it when you kill people?
Dan Bigelow:
I'll be back, with the entire fire department.
Chief O'Hallorhan:
[sighs] Architects.
Doug Roberts:
Yeah, it's all our fault.
Chief O'Hallorhan:
Now, you know we don't have a sure way to fight a fire over the seventh floor, but you just keep building 'em higher and higher.
Doug Roberts:
Hey. Are you here to take me on, or the fire?
Doug Roberts:
I think they ought to leave it the way it is. It kind of shrines all of the bullshit in the world.
[about setting the charges for the tanks]
Chief O'Hallorhan:
So, how do I get back down?
[long pause]
Chief O'Hallorhan:
oh... shit.
[about breeches buoy lottery]
Doug Roberts:
Take this pad and number it, oh say, to a hundred.
Susan:
High-rise roulette?
Doug Roberts:
High-rise roulette.
[about the fire spreading up the building]
Mayor Ramsey:
How much time to we have?
James Duncan:
I wish I knew.
Mayor Ramsey:
Goddamnit Jim, you built the place.
James Duncan:
I just don't think all of us are going to make it.
[the Navy rescue officers are on the radio]
Flaker:
This is Chief Petty Officer Flaker. We have those helicopters you requested, and we'd like to set up a forward command next to yours.
Chief O'Hallorhan:
No, no, too dangerous, stay out of those elevators.
Flaker:
Then we'll just walk up the stairs, sir.
Chief O'Hallorhan:
Yeah, you're gonna trot right up to seventy-nine. Huh?
Flaker:
Standing by in the lobby.
Chief O'Hallorhan:
Thank you.
[Doug is explaining the fire situation to O'Hallorhan]
Doug Roberts:
And they're partying up there.
Chief O'Hallorhan:
What party? Where?
Doug Roberts:
Up in the Promenade Room, three hundred people.
Chief O'Hallorhan:
Didn't you try getting them the hell out of there?
Doug Roberts:
You try talking to Duncan, he ain't exactly listening to me.
Chief O'Hallorhan:
I will.
[Carlos is tied up to a wine case for the water tank detonations]
James Duncan:
For God's sake Carlos, don't tie yourself up to a lot of glass.
Carlos:
But that's the twenty-nines.
[Duncan is talking about Roberts' unemployment after the Tower job]
James Duncan:
You know, there's a saying that goes "No matter how hot it gets up there during the day...
James Duncan, Doug Roberts:
[in unison] There isn't a damn thing you can do at night."
James Duncan:
That's right. Now what the hell are you going to do at night in the middle of nowhere?
Doug Roberts:
Sleep like a winner.
[the firemen are trapped in an elevator shaft]
Chief O'Hallorhan:
We'll go down by rope. We're gonna rappel down to 65, get on top of that elevator, use it as an exit.
Young Fireman:
I can't make it. I'll fall. I know I'll fall.
Chief O'Hallorhan:
Ok. Then you better go first. That way when you fall, you won't take any of us with you.
James Duncan:
Did you change Doug's electrical specifications?
Roger Simmons:
I most certainly did.
James Duncan:
For God's sake, why?
Roger Simmons:
The reason should be obvious, especially to you.
James Duncan:
We've got a fire, and if it was caused by anything you did I'm going to hang you out to dry, then I'm going to hang you.
Dan Bigelow:
What happened, somebody hang the wallpaper upside down?
[O'Hallaran is getting his air tank changed]
Chief O'Hallorhan:
Why do they make these goddamned things so heavy?
Kappy
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:
You want it easier, Chief?
Chief O'Hallorhan:
I don't know why they couldn't design a survival suit for us like they did for football players.
Kappy:
Who pays to see us play?
Chief O'Hallorhan:
All right. It's your building, but it's our fire. Now, let's get these people the hell out of here.
James Duncan:
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.
Chief O'Hallorhan:
OK. I'll do it.
[prepares to announce evacuation]
James Duncan:
[stops him] Hold it, hold it. The mayor's out there. Do you want me to pull rank on you?
Chief O'Hallorhan:
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 ought to 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.
Lorrie:
[smelling smoke] Did you leave a cigarette burning?
[Doug Roberts gets a call for Harry Jernigan from the Security station in the Tower]
Doug Roberts:
Harry?
Harry Jernigan:
[picks up the phone] Jernigan.
[Jernigan learns that Lisolette Mueller is trapped on the 87th floor trying to rescue the Albright family]
Harry Jernigan:
What? Dammit man, you should have sent a man up there!
[pause]
Harry Jernigan:
How do you expect her to hear a phone call? She's deaf!
[pause]
Harry Jernigan:
Sure the kids can hear!
[pause]
Harry Jernigan:
I don't know, maybe they were in the shower or something when you called.
[pause]
Harry Jernigan:
No, you stay where you are, I'll get them down.
[Doug Roberts listens while Kappy angrilly demands reinforcements over his radio]
Harry Jernigan:
There's still some people on Eighty-Seven. I'll get 'em down.
Doug Roberts:
I'll give you a hand.
[Returning after his failed attempt to escape down the stairs]
Roger Simmons:
Pretty ridiculous spectacle. There's no way down.
[to Duncan after hearing about Giddings on the phone]
Doug Roberts:
Will Giddings is dead. He died twenty minutes ago.
[pause]
Doug Roberts:
I wonder how many more will be dead by tomorrow?
[Chief O'Hallorhan has just found out the fire is heading towards the elevator shaft]
Chief O'Hallorhan:
Roberts, better call Duncan and tell him to STOP those people in the tower from using that express elevator - or sombeody's going to get killed!
[Roberts picks up the phone to comply]
Chief O'Hallorhan:
[addressing a colleague]
98
OK, Kappy - ring in a third alarm. I want rescue squads here and I also want choppers. We're going to need them to get those people off the roof.
f78
Doug Roberts:
[on the phone to Duncan] The fire's moving towards the main shaft. Use the scenic elevator - don't overload.
James Duncan:
OK, Doug.
[turns to do so but is confronted by Roger Simmons]
Roger Simmons:
I don't like the way you talk to me.
James Duncan:
Are you drunk?
Roger Simmons:
Not yet.
James Duncan:
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?
James Duncan:
[making his way to the elevators] Shut up and help me with these people!
Roger Simmons:
And let me ask you something else, my dear father-in-law! Am I the only subcontractor you encouraged to cut corners?
James Duncan:
[addressing people in the crowd] Excuse me.
Roger Simmons:
Where did you save the other $4-million in Doug's original budget?
[Duncan reaches the front of the crowd & pushes past Simmons]
James Duncan:
[addressing the crowd at the elevators] Ladies & Gentlemen, I'm sorry. You'll have to move back into the promenade room, and we'll be taking you down by the scenic elevator. Now these express elevators can be activated by fire, and with the probability of short circuits, the cars might stop on the floor where the fire is. So please, we'll use the scenic elevator. It's over here.
[Suddenly an elevator door opens behind Duncan, and several people surge past him into it. Duncan tries to stop them but is unable to, and the door closes behind him and the elevator starts down. Duncan hits the button to try to stop the elevator but it does not return]
James Duncan:
[showing Senator Parker a rare case of vintage wine] That's all you're going to drink tonight!
Senator Parker:
The whole case?