City on Fire (1979 film)

AVCO Embassy Pictures

Industry	Film distribution

City on Fire is a 1979 disaster-action movie directed by Alvin Rakoff and scripted by Jack Hill, Dave Lewis, and Celine La Freniere. The cast features Barry Newman, Susan Clark, Shelley Winters, Leslie Nielsen, James Franciscus, Ava Gardner, and Henry Fonda. The narrative revolves around a disgruntled former employee who sabotages an oil refinery, sparking a catastrophic blaze that spreads throughout the city. The film chronicles the attempts to extinguish the inferno and evacuate the population.

Produced by Astral Bellevue Pathé and released by Astral Films in Canada alongside AVCO Embassy Pictures in the United States, filming took place in Montreal, Quebec, although the city is never explicitly named in the movie. Made with a budget of $3 million, City on Fire earned $784,181 at the U.S. box office.

Plot

Set in an unnamed American city, corrupt Mayor William Dudley authorizes construction of an oil refinery within the town’s center, distant from any water supply. On a scorching summer day, Herman Stover—a troubled refinery worker who was denied promotion and subsequently fired after refusing reassignment—seeks vengeance by opening valves to release gasoline and chemicals. This act ignites fires and massive explosions that destroy the refinery and engulf the city in flames.

The storyline focuses on a newly established hospital—like other municipal projects under Dudley’s leadership, poorly built and under-equipped—where chief physician Frank Whitman and his team treat thousands of injured people. Fire Chief Risley leads firefighting operations, while alcoholic journalist Maggie Grayson covers the disaster, hoping for national exposure.

A significant subplot involves Diana Brockhurst-Lautrec, a wealthy socialite and widow of the hospital’s namesake governor, who secretly collaborates with Mayor Dudley to enhance her social position. Dr. Whitman reconnects with Diana prior to the hospital’s dedication ceremony. Stover also appears at this event, stalking Diana and revealing a shared past. As chaos unfolds, Diana, Dudley, Whitman, and head nurse Andrea Harper manage incoming patients unaware that Stover is responsible for the catastrophe; meanwhile, Stover himself shows neither understanding nor remorse.

When flames surround the hospital, Chief Risley commands his son Captain Harrison Risley and firefighters to create a "water tunnel" using firehoses to evacuate patients and staff safely. Despite losses—including Stover, who dies from falling debris after being rejected by Diana, and Nurse Harper who perishes while attempting to rescue him—the evacuation is successful. Diana, Mayor Dudley, and Dr. Whitman escape before the hospital succumbs to destruction.

The concluding scene depicts a quarry converted into a temporary shelter for thousands displaced by the fire. Dr. Whitman and Diana confess their love for each other as Mayor Dudley praises the citizens’ heroism. Maggie Grayson finishes her broadcast and leaves for a date with her assistant Jimbo. Chief Risley reminds his team that it only takes one individual to bring down an entire city.

Production

To film sequences requiring multiple city blocks ablaze simultaneously, production teams scouted locations such as Atlanta, Edmonton, St. Louis, and Cincinnati before selecting Montreal to portray the fictional American city. Principal photography commenced on August 10, 1978; this shoot became one of Canada’s largest film productions at that time, with expenses reaching approximately $400,000. Filming on Montreal’s east side involved using 45,000 gallons of fuel to generate fire effects.

Release

City on Fire made its debut in West Germany on May 24, 1979, and subsequently premiered in Paris on July 11, 1979. In Canada, the film was distributed by Astral Films, with its Montreal release taking place on August 29, 1979. The United States saw the film's release shortly thereafter, on August 31, 1979.

Reception

Initial critical response was predominantly unfavorable; Gilbert Adair of the Monthly Film Bulletin disparaged the movie for its forced storyline and uninspired direction, particularly noting an absurd sequence featuring principal characters amidst a catastrophic event. Despite the critical disapproval, the film later reached a cult following through its feature on an episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000, which broadened its audience.

See also

• List of firefighting films

External links

Mystery Science Theater 3000

• Episode guide: K16- City on Fire