REMEMBERING CINERAMA
Part 16: Charlotte
The following is Part Sixteen 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, historical record 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
Part 12: Toronto
Part 13: Columbus
Part 14: Montreal
Part 15: Northern New Jersey
And now...Part 16: Cinerama Presentations in Charlotte, North Carolina!
THIS IS CINERAMA
Theater: Carolina
Premiere: December 22, 1961
Duration: 13 weeks
Format: Cinerama (3-strip)
Hype: “The only CINERAMA theatre in the two Carolinas. You’ll be swept out of your theatre chair as you are surrounded by beauty, spectacle and adventure as never before!”
SEVEN WONDERS OF THE WORLD
Theater: Carolina
Premiere: March 23, 1962
Duration: 11 weeks
Format: Cinerama (3-strip)
Hype: “You see motion pictures...you’re there in CINERAMA!”
WINDJAMMER
Theater: Carolina
Premiere: June 7, 1962
Duration: 7 weeks
Format: Cinerama (3-strip)
Hype: “A glorious new adventure with romance, thrills and excitement in the wondrous magic of CINERAMA!”
CINERAMA HOLIDAY
Theater: Carolina
Premiere: July 27, 1962
Duration: 11 weeks
Format: Cinerama (3-strip)
Hype: “CINERAMA HOLIDAY is every holiday you ever dreamed of...come true!”
SEARCH FOR PARADISE
Theater: Carolina
Premiere: October 12, 1962
Duration: 5 weeks
Format: Cinerama (3-strip)
Hype: “The thrill of CINERAMA is still unmatched!”
SOUTH SEAS ADVENTURE
Theater: Carolina
Premiere: November 16, 1962
Duration: 5 weeks
Format: Cinerama (3-strip)
Hype: “CINERAMA transports you to lush tropic islands...adventure-splashed with a thousand excitements!”
THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF THE BROTHERS GRIMM
Theater: Carolina
Premiere: December 21, 1962
Duration: 8 weeks
Format: Cinerama (3-strip)
Hype: “You’ve never seen anything like it. The first full story in the magic of CINERAMA!”
THE BEST OF CINERAMA
Theater: Carolina
Premiere: February 13, 1963
Duration: 8 weeks
Format: Cinerama (3-strip)
Hype: “It’s CINERAMA’s greatest moments in one far-flung, fantastic, unforgettable adventure!”
THE BEST OF CINERAMA (Return Engagement)
Theater: Carolina
Premiere: May 8, 1963
Duration: 3 weeks
Format: Cinerama (3-strip)
Hype: “Pardon the interruption in our CINERAMA policy. After 4 weeks of showing THE LONGEST DAY we resume the showing of THE BEST OF CINERAMA.”
HOW THE WEST WAS WON
Theater: Carolina
Premiere: May 29, 1963
Duration: 15 weeks
Format: Cinerama (3-strip)
Hype: “The Great Dramatic Motion Picture That Puts You In Every Scene!”
CIRCUS WORLD
Theater: Carolina
Premiere: August 20, 1964
Duration: 6 weeks
Format: Cinerama (70mm)
Hype: “CINERAMA puts you in the middle of the most action filled story you’ve ever seen!”
GRAND PRIX
Theater: Carolina
Premiere: June 21, 1967
Duration: 18 weeks
Format: Cinerama (70mm)
Hype: “Brace yourself for CINERAMA thrills you’ve never experienced!”
2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY
Theater: Carolina
Premiere: June 6, 1968
Duration: 13 weeks
Format: Cinerama (70mm)
Hype: “An astounding experience, a dazzling trip to the planets and beyond the stars!”
ICE STATION ZEBRA
Theater: Carolina
Premiere: February 12, 1969
Duration: 9 weeks
Format: Cinerama (70mm)
Hype: “Ice Station Zebra...remember the name, your life may depend on it!”
KRAKATOA, EAST OF JAVA
Theater: Carolina
Premiere: August 7, 1969
Duration: 6 weeks
Format: Cinerama (70mm)
Hype: “The New CINERAMA Hurls You Into The Incredible Day That Shook The Earth To Its Core!”
NEVER SHOWN IN CINERAMA:
HOLIDAY IN SPAIN
IT’S A MAD MAD MAD MAD WORLD (general release engagement at Charlottetown)
THE GREATEST STORY EVER TOLD (general release engagement at Charlottetown)
THE HALLELUJAH TRAIL (general release engagement at Capri)
MEDITERRANEAN HOLIDAY
BATTLE OF THE BULGE (general release engagement at Village)
RUSSIAN ADVENTURE
KHARTOUM (general release engagement at Charlottetown)
CUSTER OF THE WEST (general release engagement at Center)
THIS IS CINERAMA 1973 70mm re-issue
Compiled by Mark Huffstetler & Michael Coate
Source: The Charlotte Observer