Not a member yet? Register now.

Maps, Maps, Maps

Cinema Treasures now uses Google Maps to map theater locations!
 

Search

Theaters News Links

Advanced search
 

Theater News

Book Project (16)
Cameos (27)
Commentary (45)
Demolitions (111)
Digital Cinema (68)
Events (473)
For Sale (583)
Help Wanted (319)
Industry News (428)
Memories (311)
Openings/Closings (420)
Preservation Alert (242)
Restorations/Renovations (283)
Site News (102)
Theater News (745)
Theaters In Need (85)
Today's Newsreel (96)
 

Cinema Treasures Poll

What is your favorite use of existing classical music in a movie?

 "Blue Danube" in 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
 "Symphony No. 9" in A Clockwork Orange (1971)
 "Rhapsody in Blue" in Manhattan (1979)
 "Barber of Seville" in Breaking Away (1979)
 "Ride of the Valkyries" in Apocalypse Now (1979)
 "Adagio for Strings" in Platoon (1986)
 "Bolero" in Femme Fatale (2002)
 Other

Login to view results and vote
 

News Archive

 

Add Theater News

Got a scoop about your favorite Cinema Treasure?
Tell us about it!
 
   Discover. Preserve. Protect.
Home » Memories » Remembering Cinerama (Part 39: Tampa)

Remembering Cinerama (Part 39: Tampa)

posted by Michael Coate on August 28, 2009 at 7:50am

REMEMBERING CINERAMA
Part 39: Tampa

The following is Part Thirty-Nine in a series of retrospectives on Cinerama, the legendary motion picture process that kicked off the widescreen revolution. The series focuses on providing a market-by-market historical record of when and where Cinerama and its multi-panel clones were exhibited. The easy-to-reference articles serve to provide nostalgia to those who experienced the Cinerama presentations when they were new and to highlight the movie palaces in which the memorable screenings took place.

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
Part 32: Kansas City
Part 33: Milwaukee
Part 34: Nanuet/Rockland County
Part 35: Denver
Part 36: Worcester
Part 37: Toledo
Part 38: St. Louis

And now...Part 39: Cinerama Presentations in Tampa, Florida!

THIS IS CINERAMA
Theater: Palace
Premiere Date: April 18, 1962
Engagement Duration: 13 weeks
Projection Format: Cinerama (3-strip)
Promotional Hype: “First Time In Tampa! At last: It’s coming to the West Coast and Central Florida, and the beautiful new Palace Theatre in downtown Tampa restyled and renovated at a cost of $150,000 will be the only theatre within 200 miles that will or can show CINERAMA Productions.”

SEVEN WONDERS OF THE WORLD
Theater: Palace
Premiere: July 18, 1962
Duration: 13 weeks
Format: Cinerama (3-strip)
Hype: “SEVEN WONDERS OF THE WORLD as seen through the greatest wonder...CINERAMA!” “One of only 2 theatres in the entire world equipped to present SUPER CINERAMA”

CINERAMA HOLIDAY
Theater: Palace
Premiere: October 17, 1962
Duration: 9 weeks
Format: Cinerama (3-strip)
Hype: “It’s Every Holiday You Ever Dreamed Of...Come True! Your Cares Will Slip Away... Your Spirits Will Soar With The Joy Of A Thousand Bursting Roman Candles!”

THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF THE BROTHERS GRIMM
Theater: Palace
Premiere: December 22, 1962
Duration: 9 weeks
Format: Cinerama (3-strip)
Hype: “For The First Time CINERAMA Tells A Story!”

SEARCH FOR PARADISE
Theater: Palace
Premiere: February 22, 1963
Duration: 11 weeks
Format: Cinerama (3-strip)
Hype: “The Newest CINERAMA Adventure...And It’s Even More Fabulous Than Before!”

SOUTH SEAS ADVENTURE
Theater: Palace
Premiere: May 8, 1963
Duration: 3 weeks
Format: Cinerama (3-strip)
Hype: “CINERAMA Transports You To Lush Tropic Islands!”

HOW THE WEST WAS WON
Theater: Palace
Premiere: May 30, 1963
Duration: 26 weeks
Format: Cinerama (3-strip)
Hype: “The Great Dramatic Motion Picture That Puts You In Every Scene!”

IT’S A MAD MAD MAD MAD WORLD
Theater: Palace
Premiere: May 27, 1964
Duration: 12 weeks
Format: Cinerama (70mm)
Hype: “The Biggest Entertainment Ever To Rock The CINERAMA Screen With Laughter!”

CIRCUS WORLD
Theater: Palace
Premiere: August 21, 1964
Duration: 8 weeks
Format: Cinerama (70mm)
Hype: “CINERAMA Puts You in the Middle of the Most Action-Filled Story You’ve Ever Seen!”

GRAND PRIX
Theater: Palace
Premiere: February 17, 1967
Duration: 11 weeks
Format: Cinerama (70mm)
Hype: “CINERAMA sweeps YOU into a drama of speed and spectacle!”

2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY
Theater: Palace
Premiere: June 12, 1968
Duration: 15 weeks
Format: Cinerama (70mm)
Hype: “An astounding entertainment experience! A dazzling trip to the stars and beyond!”

ICE STATION ZEBRA
Theater: Palace
Premiere: December 20, 1968
Duration: 10 weeks
Format: Cinerama (70mm)
Hype: “Ice Station Zebra...remember the name, your life may depend on it!”

KRAKATOA, EAST OF JAVA
Theater: Palace
Premiere: August 15, 1969
Duration: 6 weeks
Format: Cinerama (70mm)
Hype: “The New CINERAMA hurls YOU into the incredible day that shook the earth to its core!”

THIS IS CINERAMA (Re-Issue)
Theater: Palace
Premiere: July 3, 1973
Duration: 6 weeks
Format: Cinerama (70mm)
Hype: “Exclusive Bay Area Showing!” “The Last Time There Was A Show Like This One...It Was This One!” “THIS IS CINERAMA Is Back To Entertain A Whole New Generation”


NOT SHOWN IN CINERAMA IN THE TAMPA MARKET:
WINDJAMMER
HOLIDAY IN SPAIN
THE BEST OF CINERAMA
MEDITERRANEAN HOLIDAY (35mm general release)
THE GREATEST STORY EVER TOLD (35mm general release)
THE HALLELUJAH TRAIL (35mm general release)
BATTLE OF THE BULGE (35mm general release)
RUSSIAN ADVENTURE
KHARTOUM (35mm general release)
CUSTER OF THE WEST (35mm general release)


Compiled by Michael Coate

References: St. Petersburg Times, The Tampa Tribune

Email article Printer-friendly version

YOUR COMMENTS

 
Hi Michael. Am amazed that a conversion to 3 strip Cinerama was realised as late as 1962. The limited play dates indicate that this was well near the end of the "use by" date. Don't get me wrong - I loved 3 strip Cinerama - but this truly was at the dawn of "Super Panavision" single lens, and I'm surprised that any theatre chain would have agreed to the cost of installing 3 strip so many years after the initial introduction. Cinerama Dome I can understand, as it was a new building, but the expense of converting a standard auditorium at such a late date has me bewildered.
posted by bercy on Aug 28, 2009 at 10:11am
Only in view of what happened historically can Cinerama be said to have had a "use by" date. A lack of imagination and the bean counters in Hollywood killed it. Had research and development been allowed to continue, I am sure that the process would have been improved and would occupy the place that IMAX has today.
posted by CWalczak on Aug 28, 2009 at 12:11pm
bercy...

Actually, I see nothing unusual about Tampa not getting Cinerama until 1962. The period of 1960-63 was quite active with new Cinerama installs (in the U.S. and Canada), even more-so than the early 1952-54 period. In fact, 1961 and 1962 were the two years with the most markets initiating Cinerama presentations, and Tampa falls right into that timeframe. (If I had posted the entries in this series in the sequence of the original installations, this trend would be more apparent. Alas, I've been posting in a random order, primarily based on the sequence in which the research was completed.)

This early-1960s spike in Cinerama installs was largely due to (1) an increase in reserved-seat "roadshow" productions and markets showing such, (2) the introduction of "Super Cinerama" (i.e. larger, wall-to-wall screens in many of the new installs), and (3) MGM's announcement that they would produce two narrative Cinerama features (THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF THE BROTHERS GRIMM and HOW THE WEST WAS WON).

To further illustrate my point, here is a year-by-year breakdown (for the U.S. and Canada) of how many markets began showing 3-strip Cinerama.

1952: 1
1953: 8
1954: 5
1955: 1
1956: 6
1957: 2
1958: 3
1959: 1
1960: 6
1961: 16
1962: 9
1963: 5
1964: 1

In addition, during the early 1960s, numerous markets re-installed Cinerama after de-installing it in the '50s following a brief period of booking Cinerama product. This further enhances the figures I just provided, suggesting that Cinerama was alive and well in the early '60s.
posted by Michael Coate on Aug 28, 2009 at 4:02pm
And here's the installation breakdown for the rest of the world. (3-strip installations only; single-strip hasn't been included.)

1952: 0
1953: 0
1954: 1
1955: 5
1956: 1
1957: 1
1958: 6
1959: 4
1960: 4
1961: 5
1962: 6
1963: 31
1964: 5
1965: 1
1966: 3
1967: 1
1968: 1
1972: 1
posted by Michael Coate on Aug 29, 2009 at 1:16pm
Getting back to Tampa... You may have noticed a gap in the mid 1960s. This was due to the Palace not showing Cinerama product exclusively, and during that timeframe they booked, among other films, THE SOUND OF MUSIC (which played a whopping 77 weeks), and because the Palace was the only Cinerama venue in the "Tampa Bay" area, the mid-60s Cinerama titles had to settle for general-release bookings in other venues.

Tampa wasn't the only market in which this occured; it also happened in Atlanta, Chattanooga, Dayton, Nashville, Syosset, and a couple other markets.
posted by Michael Coate on Aug 30, 2009 at 10:28am
Hi Michael!

Thanks for the listing of Cinerama in Tampa. I saw all of these films at the Palace, and loved every minute of each one.

In 1973 the Palace booked the return engagement of "The Sound of Music" in 70mm. I realize this film doesn't qualify for the listing as it was not a Cinerama film. I recall that it played for several weeks in 1973. This was after the original 35mm engagement during the mid-sixties when it played for a year and a half.

It was amazing to see the film blown up to nearly twice the size on the same screen that it originally played in 35mm. In addition to being larger, the image was also brighter, sharper, and more defined than 35mm.

How I miss the Palace!

Thanks again for the listing!
posted by N DiMaggio on Aug 30, 2009 at 6:27pm
I find it interesting, and rather odd, that a 3-trip installation was completed as late as 1972!

JSA

posted by JSA on Aug 30, 2009 at 8:38pm
N DiMaggio... You're welcome! It's nice to know that some readers who reside (or previously resided) in the region being covered understand and appreciate the posting. Many of the postings in this series have no comments from any locals (i.e. those who stand to appreciate the info the most) and some have no comments at all from anyone (which baffles and disappoints me because of the coolness of the info and the fact that most of it has never before been published, not to mention the time and cost involved with conducting the research).

JSA... That 1972 install was in Bangkok, Thailand...at least according to the International Cinerama Society. I'm somewhat skeptical and think it may have actually been a single-strip install. (I was hesitant to include that one because it sticks out like a sore thumb, but if I didn't include it I imagine one of the Cinerama experts would've chimed in and pointed out its exclusion. Kind of a no-win situation...like choosing to include all the single-strip 70mm playdates in this series which irritates those who think single-strip was faux Cinerama and ought not be counted. Likewise, if I had chosen to exclude the single-strip presentations and only included the original 3-strip details, then a different group of folks would jump in and point out the single-strip stuff was missing. You can't win with some of these things.)
posted by Michael Coate on Aug 31, 2009 at 3:24am
Michael,

Your comment on "not many" or "no responses" from the locals is well taken.

When I discovered Cinema Treasures in 2006 I found there was no listing for the Palace. So I added the theatre along with a short history, and to this day there hasn't been a single response from any of the locals...just unbelievable!

This theatre was considered a "deluxe house" and was extremely popular especially during the early 60s to early 70s time frame. On any given day you'd generally find a near-full or sold-out house for Cinerama as well as standard films. So with the number of people who frequented this theatre you'd surely expect to see comments from a few locals. But alas, not the first one...none...so sad :(
posted by N DiMaggio on Aug 31, 2009 at 10:04pm
Michael,

Thanks for the info regarding the 1972 install. And yes, in perspective, it makes more sense as a single strip setup.

And I know how you feel about the no-win situation in regards to 3-strip vs. single strip. When I posted my Cinerama poll ( http://cinematreasures.org/polls/322/ ) a few weeks ago, that was one of the first things I noticed from the comments. I bet that if only 3-strip films were listed, someone would have come out askking "Where is "2001" in this list?"

Finally, let me assure you that there are a few of us CT members that appreciate the work, effort and time you've put into this series. Hopefully in the future I'll be able to contribute with information regarding two theatres, but right now I'm not even close to being complete. In the meantime, we look forward to the next installment!

JSA
posted by JSA on Sep 1, 2009 at 11:58am
The passionate postings here-in regarding people's apparent lack of interest in these grand road-show type theaters make me jump in here, although I'm not from Tampa. However, I do hail from Buffalo, N.Y. where we had the Teck Theater which also was a Cinerama 3-strip (yet to make the listing on 'Remembering Cinerama').

I think the vast majority of the patrons simply wanted to see the movie showing -- a truly horrifying realization for those of us who were captivated by the theater ambiance and technical strides that came with it. Certainly, in the early days of film, leaving your home that today somewhat resembles the 'dark' ages of stimilus input was easily half the experience. What with grand and overly pretentious interiors, a large black & white picture with loud - if technically poor - sound was way cool compared to a wireless set with earphones or a Zenith table model radio.

Then, we all know how it changed over the years, until people were lining up outside the shopping mall to watch what frequently amounted to a road-show film projected in what looked like a rectangular shipping container - out of focus and frame - and with sound that barely rivaled the Zenith table radio.

The thing is, as generations progressed, things just kept on morphing into the home - going out to the theater was the main motivation, or the social stimulus if you will, more that the actual film viewed. Hence, we're sorta left with the mid-generation of theatergoers who were the last to appreciate what they had with the grand old houses and formats. Notice that today, theaters are again becoming technically spiffy. Sure, they have to be to compete with home screens nearly as big as early multi-plex ones - not to mention 5.1 etc.

Now, stop to ask yourself, in about 40 years - how many of these patrons aregoing to wax nostalgic on the AMC 20 lobby and it's 2
giant screen theaters?

I mean, I call the AMC today when they are running 5 prints - or downloads (gotta keep up here) to find out what theater has the largest screen and THEY CAN'T EVEN TELL ME!

I guess, bottom line, is you've either been hit by the magic or you haven't -- and if you have, you're probably of a generation that doesn't exactly hang around electronic web sites like this frequently. Obviously, for some strange reason, I have and I do --- for whatever consolation that may be.

So - I look foreward to the write-up on the Buffalo Cinerama one day -- and just wonder if anyone reading this was ever at a showing when one of the film reels broke during projection -- as I was way back when..............not an easy fix!

Al Knobloch
posted by alknobloch on Sep 1, 2009 at 4:20pm
Al: I had almost forgotten! Your mention of a film breakdown brings to mind the Saturday afternoon I was at the Palace for a matinee showing of "The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm". This breakdown happened during a sold-out showing. Not certain if film breakage or projector malfunction was the culprit.

Here's what occured: about 10 minutes into the film the image on the right panel seemed to be either slighly ahead or behind the other two. This was very noticeable at the panel's join line with the center panel. Seconds later the right panel image appeared to slide right out of the projector's film path (or appeture plate) leaving a brightly lit but blank right panel. Seconds later both the left and center panels also lost their image leaving a fully lit screen which suddenly went dark.

About a minute later a black and white film featuring Lowell Thomas was projected on the center of the screen (same image size as the prologues for the Cinerama films) with Lowell apologizing to the audience for the breakdown. As best as I can recall he said something to the effect of: "Ladies and Gentlemen, we apologize for the interuption. Our technicians are working on the problem and the feature will be back up on the screen shortly. Those of you who have projectors of your own at home...you know how it is...you probably also experience occasional problems with your films or projectors...so while they're working on the problem let's take a few minutes to talk about..."

I can't quite recall what followed but I believe he spoke about the areas and countries where the various Cinerama films were shot (a sort of mini-travelogue). Around 5 minutes later he closed the film saying, "well I think they're probably ready by now so let's get back to our feature". The feature began immediately afterwards (at exactly where it had left off) without any further problems.

I've read many Cinerama articles and I've visited many websites devoted to the medium but I've never seen any mention of this "breakdown reel". I'm certain each theatre that ran Cinerama had one. I'd love to see it again. Anyone else remember seeing this reel?


posted by N DiMaggio on Sep 1, 2009 at 10:56pm
Hey, it's Al again -

Actually, when I experienced the breakdown,there was no 'breakdown reel' projected. It was during "How the West Was Won" and, like yours, the right projector film just ripped - screen went white. Next the house lights came up as the big red curtains closed and the remaining projectors shut down. There was no announcement, no music, nothing but the sound of fresh popcorn popping!

After about 15 minutes, the curtains opened again to nofanfare, totally exposing the huge blank screen - I guess as a cue to get you to return to your seat. Then all 3 machines started up at once. Only problem was that the right one was now out of sync and characters crossing over the overlaps would disappear and appear into thin air. Once again the house lights came up as everything - including the soundtrack - ground to an unceremonious halt.

I think it took them about 45 minutes to get it all up and running correctly again. As I mention in the comment section on this theater, it was a conversion in a large rectangular building and the left and right projection booths were added as little rooms literally outside the main building with the projection ports actually holes in the structure wall. To get to these elevated rooms, the projectionist had to walk a covered catwalk - like a fire escape - that was hung on the building's sides (no other structure was build on either side) -- no doubt a true ordeal during one of Buffalo's famous winter storms since the only protection was that overhead covering. These daunting logistics no doubt added to the confusion and recovery time during such occurrances.

Maybe the AMC 20 isn't so bad after all.........

(just kidding - it was all worth it!)
posted by alknobloch on Sep 2, 2009 at 6:23am
Hey Al: What a wild coincidence your breakdown also originated with the right panel! I certainly can't complain about our 5 minute wait in compairson to your 45 minutes of silence to say the least. I bet there were several disgruntled walkouts. At least we were entertained! It was a nice touch. Apparently not every Cinerama theater was issued a copy of this breakdown reel.

Thanks for the interesting explanation of your theater's layout with the added side wall booths -- definitely unique. The projectionists evidently took their lives in their hands when walking the catwalk on a cold windy/rainy day! Is the building still standing?

There was one other time when a malfunction occured although it didn't involve an interruption of the film. During a showing of "This is Cinerama" (the 70mm reissue in 1973) the projectionist forgot to fully open the curtain at the conclusion of the Lowell Thomas prologue. The curtains finally began opening just as the coaster was approaching the top of that first dip, and cleared the screen just as it began it's downward plunge. Talk about poor showmanship!





posted by N DiMaggio on Sep 2, 2009 at 9:43pm
YO N:

AS OF 2 YEARS AGO WHEN I WAS UP THERE, ONLY THE STREET FACADE WAS LEFT OF THIS THEATER. CHECK OUT IT'S WRITE-UP, IT'S LISTED IN THE BUFFALO N.Y. THEATERS AS 'SHEA'S TECK', AND LOST MEMORY HAS A NICE LINK TO AN INTERIOR SHOT SHOWING THE HUGE CURTAINS AND SIDE SPEAKERS.
THERE IS ALSO A PICTURE OF SOME OLD PROJECTORS, ALTHOUGH I WONDER IF THEY WERE ACTUALLY THE ONES AT THE TECK AS THEY ARE THE ARC UNITS - PROBABLY SIMPLEX E-7'S - CERTAINLY NOT THE NEW TECHNOLOGY. IN FACT, I USED TO BE A PROJECTIONIST AT MY COLLEGE (UNIVERSITY OF BUFFALO) AND WE ACTUALLY CREATED OUR OWN PROFESSIONAL 35MM THEATER IN THEIR 250 SEAT STUDENT UNION AUDITORIUM BY BUYING WHAT LOOKED LIKE THESE EXACT UNITS FROM A CLOSED HOUSE IN TOWN - HENCE I'M VERY FAMILIAR WITH THEIR OPERATION.

AS FOR THE TECK, ONCE THEY FINISHED THE 70MM RUNS AND WENT TO A SECOND-RUN VENUE, THEIR FIRST 'REGULAR' FILM SHOWN ON THIS GIANT CURVED SCREEN WAS "VIVA LAS VEGAS" - WHICH WAS A 'SCOPE FILM THAT LOOKED ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC UP THERE -- I'M SURE 99 PERCENT OF THE AUDIENCE NEVER HAD A CLUE ABOUT WHAT THEY WERE SEEING TECHNICALLY, BUT THE MANAGEMENT STILL CARED, THE CURTAINS STILL WORKED, THE FOCUS WAS GOOD (I THINK THE UNION WAS STILL ALIVE BACK THEN) -- AND IT WAS STILL A GREAT PLACE TO SEE A FILM.

THANKS FOR YOUR COME-BACKS - MAYBE WE CAN GET SOME OTHER FOLKS TO RELATE THEIR EXPERIENCES AS WELL BEFORE ALL OUR NEURONS GIVE OUT!!!

posted by alknobloch on Sep 2, 2009 at 10:50pm
A: Thanx for the heads up on the Teck. The photos are great. Theatre was larger than I expected. The Palace only had 13 rows of seats in the orchestra (main level). In comparison to photos of other Cinerama venues, it was considerably smaller.

"How The West Was Won" was the the last 3-strip film to play. When it ended its run, "Under the Yum Yum Tree" opened. This was the first 35mm feature to play on the Cinerama screen. A vast difference in image size from wide 3-strip down to 35mm flat. Interestingly, when "Yum Yum" ended it's run, the Palace closed down for several weeks prior to reopening & continuing with roadshow engagements. As to why they temporarily closed it...I've not been able to figure that one out.

Appreciate the back & forths...looking forward to responses/stories from others but not holding my breath on that one! :-)
posted by N DiMaggio on Sep 3, 2009 at 11:35pm
Here's at least one site that mentions the Cinerama breakdown reel:
http://www.fromscripttodvd.com/this_is_cinerama_october_2004.htm
At least one or two prints still exist of it as it has been shown at both the Cinerama Dome and at the Bradford. England Pictureville Cinerama installation.
posted by CWalczak on Sep 4, 2009 at 9:04am
Great to hear more of the breakdown reel - now if we only knew how they handled the sync job or damaged frames in putting it all back together!!

Just as a point of further 'Cinerama' interest, the Buffalo N.Y. area also had the Granada Theater, which was one of the most technically adventurous houses in the country. They ran the 3 strip Cinemiracle production of "Windjammer" there. Be sure to check out the write-up in Cinema Treasures to learn all about it....

Buffalo actually had the very first permanent, purpose-built motion picture theater in the world - the Vitascope Hall - in the Ellicott Building back in 1896. This building, at the time, was also the largest office building in the area, covering an entire city block, and it's still in active use today as such, but the theater is no more but a memory. Hence, I guess it's only fitting that the city also had 2 3-strip theaters as well -- really was a great cinema town to grow up in (lots of snow = lots of viewed films).
posted by alknobloch on Sep 4, 2009 at 3:37pm
Thanks CWalczak! Glad to hear the reel is still in existence. My guess is that during each showing of a Cinerama film it was probably threaded up on a separate projector and ready to run ASAP in the event of a breakdown. As I recall (and someone please correct me if I'm wrong) all the b&w prologues for the 3-strip films were on separate reels apart from the feature, and were run on separate projectors.

Al: thanks for the additional info...will check out the Granada.

posted by N DiMaggio on Sep 5, 2009 at 1:14am
Just found out that there were actually 2 different breakdown reels made -- the one previously mentioned in this section by Lowell Thomas was reportedly made for "7 Wonders of the World". The other was made for "Cinerama Holiday" with the actual 2 couples who were featured in the film: the Marshes and the Trollers.

Believe it or not, there was actually a 3 strip commercial made for Renault - with a Dutch soundtrack - that still exists!

You can find a whole lot of Cinerama heaven at www.in70mm.com - check it out.
posted by alknobloch on Sep 8, 2009 at 3:16pm
Al: Thanks for the 'breakdown reel' update! Interesting why "This Is Cinerama" apparently didn't have one. Quite possibly breakdowns weren't taken into consideration at first, and when they began occuring a decision was made to produce one for the 2nd Cinerama travelog, "Seven Wonders".
How I'd love to see the one made exclusively for "Cinerama Holiday" not to mention Renault!


A operator friend of mine who did some relief work at the Palace (he was called in one afternoon
to run "2001: A Space Odyssey" in 70MM ) told me that he never had a chance to run 3-projector Cinerama but said he remembers hearing that the system supposedly had a built-in mechanism which would automatically shut down all projectors if one malfunctioned. Now that would certainly explain all 3 machines going down within seconds of each other.
posted by N DiMaggio on Sep 9, 2009 at 11:02pm
Jacksonville Florida also had Cinerama (3 projectors) at the Five Points Theatre.
posted by StanleyNorton on Oct 10, 2009 at 6:40pm
Al Knobloch, sorry to get off the subject folks, al knobloch of Buffalo, remember Mark Bouvier from about 25 years ago? lol if so drop me a line at MDBoaz1@aol.com
posted by Mark Bouvier on Oct 22, 2009 at 7:57pm
The Crescent theater had Cinerama in the late 50-s and early 60.s know as the Crescent Cinerama. 3-projectors in Nashville,Tennessee.This theater later went back to 2 projectors as the Loews Crescent. The Bellmeade Theater also showed 3- strip for a while. The only 2 in Nashville to do this.
posted by tlsloews on Nov 12, 2009 at 11:05am
Comment
*


Note: Please read our comment policy before posting. Comments which are off-topic, obscene, spam, or personal attacks will be removed. Help us keep the discussion productive!