Remembering Cinerama (Part 12: Toronto)
REMEMBERING CINERAMA
Part 12: Toronto
The following is Part Twelve 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, film-by-film breakdown of when and where Cinerama and its multi-panel clones were exhibited. The easy-to-reference articles also 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 events took place.
Part 1: New York
Part 2: Chicago
Part 3: San Francisco
Part 4: Houston
Part 5: Washington, D.C.
Part 6: Los Angeles
Part 7: Atlanta
Part 8: San Diego
Part 9: Dallas
Part 10: Oklahoma City
Part 11: Syracuse
And now...Part 12: Cinerama Presentations in Toronto!
THIS IS CINERAMA
Theatre: University
Premiere: 24 October 1957
Engagement Duration: 24 weeks
Format: 3-Strip Cinerama
Promotional Hype: “The Only Theatre In Ontario That Can or Will Show CINERAMA”
CINERAMA HOLIDAY
Theatre: University
Premiere: 08 April 1958
Duration: 15 weeks
Format: 3-Strip Cinerama
Hype: “You Haven’t Lived Until You’ve Sat In A Specially Built CINERAMA Theatre. Beyond Your Wildest Entertainment Dreams.”
SEVEN WONDERS OF THE WORLD
Theatre: University
Premiere: 22 July 1958
Duration: 18 weeks
Format: 3-Strip Cinerama
Hype: “You Walk Step By Step with Lowell Thomas Through Every Wonderful Moment. When The Pope Blesses the Pilgrims Through the Miracle of CINERAMA, You Too Are In The Picture. The Most Inspiring Moment in Entertainment History.”
SOUTH SEAS ADVENTURE
Theatre: University
Premiere: 25 November 1958 (Canadian Premiere)
Duration: 16 weeks
Format: 3-Strip Cinerama
Hype: “The Biggest CINERAMA of Them All!”
WINDJAMMER
Theatre: Eglinton
Premiere: 23 December 1960
Duration: 52 weeks
Format: 3-strip Cinemiracle
Hype: “There has Never Been Anything to Match the Miracle of CINEMIRACLE”
HOLIDAY IN SPAIN
Theatre: Eglinton
Premiere: 22 December 1961 (World Premiere*)
Duration: 19 weeks
Format: 3-Strip Cinemiracle
Hype: “The Newest and Greatest Attraction in CINEMIRACLE...not a Travelogue! A Rollicking Adventure Story for the Entire Family. You Live Thrill After Thrill in the First CINEMIRACLE Show with Story and Stars.”
THIS IS CINERAMA (Return Engagement)
Theatre: Eglinton
Premiere: 04 May 1962
Duration: 3 weeks
Format: 3-Strip Cinerama
Hype: “The Wonder of the Motion Picture World. Do Not Confuse THIS IS CINERAMA with Any Other Kind of Entertainment!”
SEVEN WONDERS OF THE WORLD (Return Engagement)
Theatre: Eglinton
Premiere: 25 May 1962
Duration: 3 weeks
Format: 3-Strip Cinerama
Hype: “There’s More Thrills to Live... More to See... More to Hear...”
SOUTH SEAS ADVENTURE (Return Engagement)
Theatre: Eglinton
Premiere: 15 June 1962
Duration: 3 weeks
Format: 3-Strip Cinerama
Hype: “Enjoy Glamorous, Exotic, Romantic Excitement! The Lure and Beauty of a Tropical Paradise”
WINDJAMMER (Return Engagement)
Theatre: Eglinton
Premiere: 06 July 1962
Duration: 6 weeks
Format: 3-Strip Cinemiracle
Hype: “Toronto’s Favourite Motion Picture! This is the Saga of the Windswept Seas... Exciting Ports of Call. It’s Adventure and Romance in Faraway Places”
THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF THE BROTHERS GRIMM
Theatre: Eglinton
Premiere: 15 August 1962
Duration: 21 weeks
Format: 3-Strip Cinerama
Hype: “The First Full-Length Dramatic Story with a Dazzling Array of Stars in CINERAMA”
THE BEST OF CINERAMA
Theatre: Eglinton
Premiere: 10 January 1963
Duration: 11 weeks
Format: 3-Strip Cinerama
Hype: “It’s CINERAMA’s Greatest Moments in One Far-Flung, Fantastic, Unforgettable Adventure!”
HOW THE WEST WAS WON
Theatre: Eglinton
Premiere: 28 March 1963
Duration: 38 weeks
Format: 3-Strip Cinerama
Hype: “The Great Dramatic Motion Picture That Puts You In Every Scene!”
IT’S A MAD MAD MAD MAD WORLD
Theatre: Carlton
Premiere: 20 December 1963
Duration: 18 weeks
Format: 70mm
Hype: “It’s the Biggest Entertainment Ever to Hit the CINERAMA Screen”
CIRCUS WORLD
Theatre: Carlton
Premiere: 29 July 1964 (Canadian Premiere)
Duration: 5 weeks
Format: 70mm
Hype: “CINERAMA Thrills...as the Wildest Wild West Show You’ve Ever Seen Rocks You With Breathtaking Feats of Daring!”
THE GREATEST STORY EVER TOLD
Theatre: Carlton
Premiere: 31 March 1965 (Canadian Premiere)
Duration: 7 weeks
Format: 70mm
Hype: “Canadian Premiere / Presented in CINERAMA”
THE HALLELUJAH TRAIL
Theatre: Glendale
Premiere: 14 July 1965
Duration: 11 weeks
Format: 70mm
Hype: “How the West was Fun! See it on Canada’s Biggest, Brightest CINERAMA Screen!”
THE GREATEST STORY EVER TOLD (Return Engagement)
Theatre: Glendale
Premiere: 29 September 1965
Duration: 8 weeks
Format: 70mm
Hype: “At Popular Prices...A Rich, Rewarding Entertainment Experience for the Entire Family”
BATTLE OF THE BULGE
Theatre: Glendale
Premiere: 22 December 1965 (Canadian Premiere)
Duration: 14 weeks
Format: 70mm
Hype: “Super CINERAMA Turns the Screen Into the Mightiest Battleground Ever!”
RUSSIAN ADVENTURE
Theatre: Glendale
Premiere: 31 March 1966 (Canadian Premiere)
Duration: 10 weeks
Format: 70mm
Hype: “In Metrocolor and Fabulous Stereophonic Sound. The Original CINERAMA Process Brings You the Adventure You’ve Been Waiting For!”
KHARTOUM
Theatre: Glendale
Premiere: 22 June 1966
Duration: 15 weeks
Format: 70mm
Hype: “Where the Nile divides...their mighty conflict begins!”
GRAND PRIX
Theatre: Glendale
Premiere: 25 January 1967 (Canadian Premiere)
Duration: 40 weeks
Format: 70mm
Hype: “CINERAMA Sweeps You Into A Drama Of Speed And Spectacle!”
2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY
Theatre: Glendale
Premiere: 30 May 1968
Duration: 72 weeks
Format: 70mm
Hype: “An epic drama of adventure and exploration that takes you half a billion miles from Earth...and into the 21st Century!”
THIS IS CINERAMA (Re-issue)
Theatre: Glendale
Premiere: 20 April 1973
Duration: 7 weeks
Format: 70mm
Hype: “THIS IS CINERAMA Is Back To Entertain A Whole New Generation”
NEVER SHOWN IN CINERAMA
SEARCH FOR PARADISE
MEDITERRANEAN HOLIDAY (reserved-seat 70mm presentation at University)
CUSTER OF THE WEST (35mm general release)
ICE STATION ZEBRA (35mm general release)
KRAKATOA, EAST OF JAVA (reserved-seat 70mm presentation at Eglinton)
* HOLIDAY IN SPAIN was filmed in 65mm (Todd-70) and initially released in 1960 under the title SCENT OF MYSTERY and shown in 70mm & Smell-O-Vision on a reserved-seat basis in Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, and Minneapolis. The CINEMIRACLE version was the same film minus the Smell-O-Vision component, re-titled and converted to the three-strip projection format.
Compiled by Bill Kretzel & Michael Coate
Source: The Globe and Mail, Toronto Star and Variety
(Thanks to aarthyr for providing the photo.)