Remembering Cinerama (Part 43: New Haven)

posted by Coate on October 23, 2009 at 8:00 am

REMEMBERING CINERAMA
Part 43: New Haven

The following is Part Forty-Three 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
Part 39: Tampa
Part 40: Calgary
Part 41: Hartford
Part 42: Albany

And now…Part 43: Cinerama Presentations in New Haven, Connecticut!

KRAKATOA, EAST OF JAVA
Theater: Showcase Cinemas
Premiere Date: August 6, 1969
Engagement Duration: 8 weeks
Projection Format: Cinerama (70mm)
Promotional Hype: “Connecticut’s New Luxury Triple Cinemas Where Movie-Going Is An Event…A New Concept In Entertainment!” “The New CINERAMA Hurls You Into The Incredible Day That Shook The Earth To Its Core!” “One Of The Best Movies Ever Made In CINERAMA”

NOT SHOWN IN CINERAMA IN THE NEW HAVEN MARKET:
THIS IS CINERAMA original 3-strip version
CINERAMA HOLIDAY
SEVEN WONDERS OF THE WORLD
SEARCH FOR PARADISE
WINDJAMMER
SOUTH SEAS ADVENTURE
HOLIDAY IN SPAIN
THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF THE BROTHERS GRIMM (general release)
HOW THE WEST WAS WON (general release)
THE BEST OF CINERAMA
IT’S A MAD MAD MAD MAD WORLD (general release)
CIRCUS WORLD (general release)
THE GREATEST STORY EVER TOLD (general release)
THE HALLELUJAH TRAIL (general release)
BATTLE OF THE BULGE (general release)
KHARTOUM (general release)
RUSSIAN ADVENTURE
GRAND PRIX (general release)
CUSTER OF THE WEST (general release)
2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY (roadshow engagement at Cinemart)
ICE STATION ZEBRA (general release)
THIS IS CINERAMA 1973 re-issue

NOTES & TRIVIA:
KRAKATOA, EAST OF JAVA was among the debut attractions of the then-new Showcase Cinemas, a complex located in the New Haven suburb of Orange. KRAKATOA would end up being the first and only Cinerama presentation in the New Haven market.

Compiled by Michael Coate

References: The Bridgeport Post, New Haven Register

Comments (6)

Bill Huelbig
Bill Huelbig on October 23, 2009 at 10:12 am

Poor New Haven. Only one Cinerama presentation, and it had to be that one. At least Hartford wasn’t too far away.

rsalters (Ron Salters)
rsalters (Ron Salters) on October 23, 2009 at 10:47 am

Krakatoa volcano is west of Java, between Java and Sumatra. The correct title of the movie should have been “Krakatoa – East of Sumatra”. But it is surprising that there was only one Cinerama presentation in New Haven.

JSA
JSA on October 23, 2009 at 12:37 pm

Like Martin Hart stated in the Widescreen Museum site regarding “Krakatoa…”, the fact that it was actually west of Java was “the least of its problems”. The movie was repackaged with the title “Volcano”.

Can’t wait for Seattle’s turn…

JSA

Al Alvarez
Al Alvarez on October 23, 2009 at 8:29 pm

Just turn the map upside down and Krakatoa is East of Java.

Who ever said the earth has a true north?

nritota
nritota on November 7, 2009 at 4:07 pm

Hartford really was the place to see Cinerama. The Colonial was a true dedicated Cinerama house.

Mike Rogers
Mike Rogers on September 12, 2010 at 12:14 pm

Noticed in the ad they took credit cards.did not realize that form of payment was going on in those days.

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