''The Hostage Tower'' is a 1980 American

spy Espionage, spying, or intelligence gathering is the act of obtaining secret or confidential information (intelligence) from non-disclosed sources or divulging of the same without the permission of the holder of the information for a tangib ...

and thriller

television film A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made for ...

starring Peter Fonda and Douglas Fairbanks Jr., and directed by

Claudio Guzmán Claudio Guzmán (August 2, 1927 – July 12, 2008) was a Chilean-American television director, producer, art director, and production designer. Biography Guzmán was born in Rancagua, Chile in 1927. As a young man, Guzmán enrolled at the ...

, well known for his work in sitcoms. It is based on a story by

Alistair MacLean Alistair Stuart MacLean ( gd, Alasdair MacGill-Eain; 21 April 1922 – 2 February 1987) was a 20th-century Scottish novelist who wrote popular thrillers and adventure stories. Many of his novels have been adapted to film, most notably '' The ...

. A book based on MacLean's story by John Denis was the first in the series of UNACO books.

Plot

Criminal mastermind Mr. Smith (

Keir Dullea Keir Atwood Dullea (; born May 30, 1936) is an American actor. He played astronaut David Bowman in the 1968 film '' 2001: A Space Odyssey'' and its 1984 sequel, '' 2010: The Year We Make Contact''. His other film roles include '' David and Lisa ...

) is being pursued by Malcolm Philpott ( Douglas Fairbanks Jr.), 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 The Eiffel Tower ( ; french: links=yes, tour Eiffel ) is a wrought-iron lattice tower on the Champ de Mars in Paris, France. It is named after the engineer Gustave Eiffel, whose company designed and built the tower. Locally nicknamed "' ...

and kidnaps the mother of the

President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States ...

( Celia Johnson), 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 A laser is a device that emits light through a process of optical amplification based on the stimulated emission of electromagnetic radiation. The word "laser" is an acronym for "light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation". The fir ...

which will shoot anyone entering who is not equipped with a protective device.

Cast

* Peter Fonda as Mike Graham * Douglas Fairbanks Jr. 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 William December Williams Jr. (born April 6, 1937) is an American actor. He appeared as Lando Calrissian in the '' Star Wars'' franchise, first in the early 1980s for ''The Empire Strikes Back'' (1980) and ''Return of the Jedi'' (1983), and thir ...

as Clarence Whitlock *

as Mr. Smith *

Britt Ekland Britt Ekland (; born Britt-Marie Eklund; 6 October 1942) is a Swedish actress, model and singer. She appeared in numerous films in her heyday throughout the 1960s and 1970s, including roles in '' The Double Man'' (1967), '' The Night They Raided ...

as Leah * Rachel Roberts as Sonya Kolchinski * Celia Johnson 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 ''When Eight Bells Toll'' is a first-person narrative novel written by Scottish people, Scottish author Alistair MacLean and published in 1966 in literature, 1966. It marked MacLean's return after a three-year gap, following the publication of ...

'', '' Puppet on a Chain'' and '' Fear Is the Key''. MacLean decided to focus on American television, collaborating with producers Peter 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 Athabasca (also Athabaska) is an anglicized version of the Cree name for Lake Athabasca in Canada, āthap-āsk-ā-w (pronounced ), meaning "grass or reeds here and there". Most places named Athabasca are found in Alberta, Canada. Athabasca may a ...

'' so John Denis did the job. The results were well received and Denis then did a novelisation of ''Air Force One is Down''.

and

were previously seen together as

Bond Bond or bonds may refer to: Common meanings * Bond (finance), a type of debt security * Bail bond, a commercial third-party guarantor of surety bonds in the United States * Chemical bond, the attraction of atoms, ions or molecules to form chemica ...

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 and

Alexandra Paul Alexandra Elizabeth Paul (born July 29, 1963) is an American actress, activist, health coach, and former model. Paul began her career modeling in New York before landing her first major role in John Carpenter's horror film ''Christine'' (1983). ...

in TV adaptations of ''

Death Train ''Death Train'' (also known as ''Detonator'') is a 1993 American made-for-television action-thriller disaster film featuring Pierce Brosnan, Patrick Stewart, Christopher Lee, Ted Levine, and Alexandra Paul. The script was based on an Alastair ...

'' and '' Night Watch'', both UNACO novels written for the screen. ''Death Train'' also featured

Clarke Peters Peter Clarke (born April 7, 1952), known professionally as Clarke Peters, is an American-British actor, writer, and director. He is best known for his roles as Lester Freamon in the television series ''The Wire'' (2002–2008) and Albert Lambrea ...

taking over as C. W. Whitlock and

Patrick Stewart Sir Patrick Stewart (born 13 July 1940) is an English actor who has a career spanning seven decades in various stage productions, television, film and video games. He has been nominated for Olivier, Tony, Golden Globe, Emmy, and Screen Actors ...

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