''The Hostage Tower'' is a

1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning System time epoch begins at 00:00 UTC. * January 9 – ...

American spy and

thriller Thriller may refer to: * Thriller (genre), a broad genre of literature, film and television ** Thriller film, a film genre under the general thriller genre Comics * ''Thriller'' (DC Comics), a comic book series published 1983–84 by DC Comics i ...

television film starring

Peter Fonda Peter Henry Fonda (February 23, 1940 – August 16, 2019) was an American actor. He was the son of Henry Fonda, younger brother of Jane Fonda, and father of Bridget Fonda. He was a prominent figure in the counterculture of the 1960s. Fond ...

and

Douglas Fairbanks Jr. Douglas Elton Fairbanks Jr., (December 9, 1909 – May 7, 2000) was an American actor, producer and decorated naval officer of World War II. He is best known for starring in such films as ''The Prisoner of Zenda'' (1937), ''Gunga Din'' (1939) a ...

, and directed by Claudio Guzmán, well known for his work in sitcoms. It is based on a story by Alistair MacLean. A book based on MacLean's story by John Denis was the first in the series of

UNACO UNACO, the United Nations Anti-Crime Organization, is a fictional agency within the United Nations created by author Alistair MacLean. Literary function In 1980, MacLean was commissioned by an American movie production company to write a series o ...

books.

Plot

Criminal mastermind Mr. Smith ( Keir Dullea) is being pursued by Malcolm Philpott (

), the head of an international peace organization. Smith draws together a team for a heist including weapons expert Mike Graham (ex-CIA) and thieves Sabrina and Clarence. Sabrina and Clarence secretly work for Philpott. When Mr. Smith captures the Eiffel Tower and kidnaps the mother of the President of the United States (

Celia Johnson Dame Celia Elizabeth Johnson, (18 December 1908 – 26 April 1982) was an English actress, whose career included stage, television and film. She is especially known for her roles in the films ''In Which We Serve'' (1942), ''This Happy Bree ...

), Philpott must enlist the help of spies to take him down. Mr. Smith demands a ransom of $30 million without which he will blow up the tower and the President's mother. He has protected the tower from infiltration by stealing four high-power lasers which will shoot anyone entering who is not equipped with a protective device.

Cast

as Mike Graham *

as Malcolm Philpott *

Maud Adams Maud Adams (born Maud Solveig Christina Wikström; 12 February 1945) is a Swedish actress and model, known for her roles as two different Bond girls, first in '' The Man with the Golden Gun'' (1974) and then as the eponymous character in ''Oct ...

as Sabrina Carver * Billy Dee Williams as Clarence Whitlock * Keir Dullea as Mr. Smith * Britt Ekland as Leah * Rachel Roberts as Sonya Kolchinski *

as Mrs Wheeler

Production

In the early 1970s, a series of films based on MacLean novels had not performed well at the American box office, including '' When Eight Bells Toll'', '' Puppet on a Chain'' and '' Fear Is the Key''. MacLean decided to focus on American television, collaborating with producers

Peter Snell Sir Peter George Snell (17 December 1938 – 12 December 2019) was a New Zealand middle-distance runner. He won three Olympic gold medals, and is the only man since 1920 to have won the 800 and 1500 metres at the same Olympics, in 1964. Snell ...

and Jerry Leider. In 1977 Leider and Snell suggested MacLean write some story ideas for a series. The author prepared eight outlines which dealt with the activities of a crime fighting group, the United Nations Anti-Crime Organization (UNACO). He wrote a 120 page novella called '' Air Force One is Down'' about top executives of various oil companies travelling in Air Force One when it is hijacked. The idea was turned down by NBC. MacLean then pitched a number of new ideas to networks, each with a 25-30 page treatment. ''The Hostage Tower'' was approved by CBS. The network requested the Eiffel Tower be changed to the Statue of Liberty but MacLean refused, feeling the tower was essential, and CBS ultimately agreed. Filming took twelve weeks starting in October 1979.Alistair MacLean's Eiffel Tower Drama By DAVID LEWIN. New York Times, 11 May 1980: D37. The entire film was shot in Paris with three weeks shooting on the tower itself. Filming dates were arranged so the Tower scenes were shot during the slow season. The film marked Douglas Fairbanks Jnr's return to screen acting after a long absence, although he had regularly appeared on stage. As Douglas recalled: "I've been away so long that nothing feels tempting. But this one has a quality team and a sense of sharing that is really creative".Ex-Swashbuckler Before TV Cameras: SWASHBUCKLER SWASHBUCKLER Hall, William. Los Angeles Times, 4 Jan 1980: e14. Fontana Books expressed interest in publishing a novelised version of the story. MacLean was busy writing '' Athabasca'' so John Denis did the job. The results were well received and Denis then did a novelisation of ''Air Force One is Down''. Britt Ekland and

were previously seen together as Bond girls in '' The Man with the Golden Gun''. Rachel Roberts was in a great deal of personal turmoil during filming and was worried she would be able to perform. She got through the film with minimal trouble, but she committed suicide not long after filming.

Reception

The ''Los Angeles Times'' called it "a preposterous but rather charming piece of escapism".THE TUBE TONIGHT: ESCAPE VIA 'HOSTAGE TOWER', Brown, James. Los Angeles Times, 13 May 1980: h6.

Follow-up

The roles of Mike Graham and Sabrina Carver are later reprised by

Pierce Brosnan Pierce Brendan Brosnan (; born 16 May 1953) is an Irish actor and film producer. He is best known as the fifth actor to play secret agent James Bond in the Bond film series, starring in four films from 1995 to 2002 (''GoldenEye'', ''Tomorrow ...

and Alexandra Paul in TV adaptations of '' Death Train'' and ''

Night Watch Night Watch or Nightwatch may refer to: Books * ''The Night Watch'', a 1977 memoir by Central Intelligence Agency officer David Atlee Phillips Novels * ''Night Watch'', a 1972 novel by American screenwriter Lucille Fletcher * ''Night Watch'', a 1 ...

'', both

novels written for the screen. ''Death Train'' also featured Clarke Peters taking over as C. W. Whitlock and Patrick Stewart as Malcolm Philpott. A mini-series based on '' Air Force One is Down'' came out in 2012.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hostage Tower English-language television shows 1980 television films Films set in Paris Terrorism in television CBS network films 1980 films 1980 crime thriller films American heist films American spy films Films scored by John Scott (composer) Films based on works by Alistair MacLean Films based on British novels Films about hostage takings Films about terrorism in Europe Films about fictional presidents of the United States Eiffel Tower in fiction 1980s American films