I can't help feeling that 'The Towering Inferno' was a bad choice for a Christmas film. Lots of people being burned to death or falling to their doom, isn't really the short of jolly family fun you want at that time of year.
I think the rule at that time was a five year gap between cinema release & tv showing. Itv & BBC used to grab the ‘best’ available and paid so much for them that they had to broadcast at peak periods.
