Yes, Ian, I intend to cover the Cinerama presentations in London and other international locales. However, my focus right now is on markets in North America, so I cannot put a timeframe on when a London list might appear.
In the meantime, I can highlight the following bits about London:
— The first Cinerama install was at the Casino with THIS IS CINERAMA premiering on 30 September 1954 and running for 70 weeks.
— Also Cinerama-capable were the Coliseum and Royalty cinemas.
— London hosted the world premiere of the Cinerama films HOW THE WEST WAS WON, KHARTOUM and CUSTER OF THE WEST. The Casino’s run of HOW THE WEST WAS WON ran for 123 weeks, the longest for any city running that film.
— London played every Cinerama film, a feat few North American markets matched. In addition to playing everything, London played some Cinerama product that never ran in North America, such as THE GOLDEN HEAD (1964).
— London, arguably, was the most successful roadshow city in the world.
— For a list of the 70mm-era Cinerama films (1963-69), I recommend John Sharp’s 70mm in London list from in70mm.com.
Michael,
Great rememberances. The Grand is where I would “haunt” the projection booth at intermission, and after the show. It was a single floor level booth with all 3 projectors. That’s where I caught the “Cinerama” bug that I still carry today. I was also the manager at Cinema East.
The owner, Charles Sugarman, had plans drawn up to put in a
126 degree curved screen in 1973, when “This Is Cinerama” was re-released in 70mm, but it never materialized.
John
Part 1: New York City
Part 2: Chicago
Part 3: San Francisco
Part 4: Houston
Part 5: Washington, DC
Part 6: Los Angeles
Part 7: Atlanta
Part 8: San Diego
Part 9: Dallas
Part 10: Oklahoma City
Part 11: Syracuse
Part 12: Toronto
Part 13: Columbus
Part 14: Montreal
Part 15: Northern New Jersey
Part 16: Charlotte
Part 17: Vancouver
Part 18: Salt Lake City
Part 19: Boston
Part 20: Philadelphia
Part 21: Fresno
Part 22: Detroit
Part 23: Minneapolis
Part 24: Albuquerque
Part 25: El Paso
Part 26: Des Moines
Part 27: Miami
Part 28: Orange County
Part 29: Pittsburgh
Part 30: Baltimore
Part 31: Long Island
Yes, Ian, I intend to cover the Cinerama presentations in London and other international locales. However, my focus right now is on markets in North America, so I cannot put a timeframe on when a London list might appear.
In the meantime, I can highlight the following bits about London:
— The first Cinerama install was at the Casino with THIS IS CINERAMA premiering on 30 September 1954 and running for 70 weeks.
— Also Cinerama-capable were the Coliseum and Royalty cinemas.
— London hosted the world premiere of the Cinerama films HOW THE WEST WAS WON, KHARTOUM and CUSTER OF THE WEST. The Casino’s run of HOW THE WEST WAS WON ran for 123 weeks, the longest for any city running that film.
— London played every Cinerama film, a feat few North American markets matched. In addition to playing everything, London played some Cinerama product that never ran in North America, such as THE GOLDEN HEAD (1964).
— London, arguably, was the most successful roadshow city in the world.
— For a list of the 70mm-era Cinerama films (1963-69), I recommend John Sharp’s 70mm in London list from in70mm.com.
As an 11-year-old kid, I saw 2001 and then Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (not a Cinerama film) at the Grand before it closed.
Michael, I think I’ve asked this before but do you intend on covering the wonders of Cinerama that happened in London UK?
Please!
Michael,
Great rememberances. The Grand is where I would “haunt” the projection booth at intermission, and after the show. It was a single floor level booth with all 3 projectors. That’s where I caught the “Cinerama” bug that I still carry today. I was also the manager at Cinema East.
The owner, Charles Sugarman, had plans drawn up to put in a
126 degree curved screen in 1973, when “This Is Cinerama” was re-released in 70mm, but it never materialized.
John