Episode 39 - The Towering Inferno

John Williams closed out his stint in the disaster movie genre with a bold and effective score to "The Towering Inferno." Williams starts us off with urgent opening music, then settles down as the fire begins to spread through the 138-story title building. What also stands out is the lack of music in a 30-minute sequence where music would not have been out of place, but its omission is welcome as a setup to a powerful climax to the film. Host Jeff Commings talks about the accusations of cut-and-paste work by Williams just one month after writing the score to "Earthquake," as well as an interesting side project that has largely gone unnoticed by Williams fans.