Cadillac Palace Theatre

I saw my very first Cinerama movie in this theatre. An impressive experience for the time. I'm glad to see it survive.

In about 1962 I too saw my first CINERAMA movies at this theatre. It seems like I saw a bunch of the original 3 strip travel movies & perhaps even CINAMIRICAL'S Windjamer. I think they were trying to squeeze the last bit out of all these movies before the next CINERAMA movies came out?

Hello, my name is Missy Knottek and I am looking for a little help. In our small little town we have a family that has quintuplettes (5 babies, all of the age 4). What we were hoping to do was treat them to something really special, like Beauty and the Beast that is currently running. I understand that I am asking for a lot here, but I have no choice. Would it be possible to arrange some sort of discount, or maybe backstage tour for them? It would mean a lot to their family, as they can't really afford to do these kinds of things for them. Much appreciated. I can be reached at 815-433-4222 ext 4421. I do hope I hear from you.

Sincerely,

Missy Knottek

this sounds like a nice young lady wanting to do something nice for someone else. how thoughtful. it's christmas, could'nt you folks help with a little christmas cheer? you would make someone very happy. merry christmas.

As we mentioned to Missy, all requests need to go directly to the theater, not to Cinema Treasures. Thank you.

How is the seat numbering arranged in the Cadillac Palace. I'm buying tickets but would like to know how far out seats 10-12 are on the Right Side of the Loge.

My son is curious about the seating capacity at the Palace. How many people does it hold?

Gosh, I guess we didn't bother to read the details at the top!!!

Randy K,
Go to this website to see layout of theater...
http://www.ticketservice.com/html/cadillac_palace_theater.html

Two questions please.

1. I am traveling to a show at the Cadillac Theater in Chicago this summer, can anyone tell me the names of hotels that are close to the theater?

2. I am traveling to Chicago with my children and have NO desire to drive into Chicago; therefore I will be taking Greyhound or Van Galder to Chicago. Does anyone know whether either bus stops near the hotel/theater?

Thank you for whatever assistance you can offer.

The last reserved seat exclusive run to play the Bismrak was in the early 1970's.The picture was called "Nicolas and Alexandra". I took my own tour of the theatre in the late 90's before it was restored. It was in pretty good condition since it had been a banquet facility for the Bismark Hotel for a number of years. brucec

I saw Nicolas and Alex there back in 1973. Great place for a wide screen flick, was in 70mm.

I will purchase tickets for the Phantom in March '04. Can someone tell me what section/row/seats are better than others? Thank you.

I am flying to Chicago from Azrizona in March to see the Phantom. I am trying to see if anyone has information about the Hotels that are near to the Theater. I will be staying outside Chicago, but will be taking the train in, and would like to stay the night. Thanks

Debby, the Palace is located adjacent to the Hotel Allegro, which used to be called the Bismarck Hotel. (Just as the Palace was called the Bismarck Theatre from the 60s until the late 90s when its original name was restored.)

http://www.allegrochicago.com/

ar you people all isane? USE YOUR BRAIN.....and stop asking questions HERE that can easily be answered by phoning or emailig the theatre.....cimmatreasures is not a holiday info site AS YOU ALL KNOW....for gods sake!...........and thankyou for your patience, Bryan.........I am just aghast at the stupid questions above.........

Saw "Camelot" here in the 60's - and by the way-don't be afraid of our city..

Paul B. needs to get a life and go back on his Ritalin medication....

If one cannot find a phone number on the net, one is always permitted to phone Directory Assistance (dial 411) or to contact his local library which will have directories for other cities. With all due respect, this site is primarily an historical reference, not a booking agency or ticket office. With a little patience, we can all appreciate the great amount of work that the founders of CT have gone to and applaud that.

Thank you for deleting the comment that was laced with four letter words. It does not really deserve a comment, but I want to come to the defense of Cinema Treasures. The statement was made that they could not find the phone number (Jim, I agree that this is not the purpose of CT) anywhere on the net for the Cadillac Palace. You can go to the link to the official web site for "Broadway In Chicago" located on this page. Click on theatre info and then click on contact, its that simple. With the language that this individual used in the comment, it is obvious that he does not have the intelligence to surf the web.

A stunning 1926 view of the Palace's auditorium can be seen here.

The exterior of the Palace, showing the marquee and vertical sign added during the 1999 restoration, can be seen here. The neoclassical building in the background is the Chicago City Hall and Cook County Building.

When the theatre was known as the Ethel's Palace it ran three strip Cinerama from 7/29/53 thru 11/01/59 and again from 6/28/61 thru 4/01/62. It had a 76ft louvered screen for Cinerama.

That should have read Eitel's Palace.

I saw several Cinerama films at Eitel's Palace, "Cinerama Holiday", "Seven Wonders of the World" and "South Seas Adventure".
I recall it being very impressive and got me started in my appreciation of large format cinema.
We sometimes would dine next door at the Bismarck. My grandfather had retired after working fifty years at the Bismarck Hotel (the Eitel family owned both the Bismarck Hotel and the Palace Theater.)
I'm happy to hear the theater still stands. I'll have to visit it next time I'm in Chicago.

What do Chicagoans call this in ordinary conversation? The Palace, or the Cadillac Palace?

Ron, I don't know anyone who calls it the Cadillac Palace here, most everyone just calls it the Palace in conversation. If it's being talked about on the news or the radio about a show playing there, then they'll refer to it by the full name.

I saw the world premiere of Polar Express at the Cadillac Palace Theater in October of 2004. When I caught a clip of the movie "Save the Last Dance" (2001) on TV, the Chicago theater that Julia Stiles dances in toward the end looks remarkibly (if not exactly) like the Cadillac Palace. Does anyone know if scenes were shot there? Thanks!

A couple of interior photos and one exterior photo of the Palace can be seen here.

The Palace Theatre opened on Monday, October 4th, 1926.

I'm wondering if this is the theatre (Cadillac Palace in Chicago) where I went with a women's convention grou around 1965-6. I just recall the theatre was very ornate and we ate in a dining room (within the theatre) then went to one of several theatres within the theatre. The show we saw was a mariotette show. I don't recall that much about it, except that everything was like nothing I had ever encountered before in my life...I was in total AWE! I'd love to visit that magnificent theatre again, but don't recall the name. If this is the theatre, then just a visit (regardless of what's playing) would be worth any ticket price!!!

cthomps

When i first set my foot inside the cadillac building it took my breath away. I couldint believe the detail and beauty. I plan on returning soon.

does anyone in here truely appreciate art.

WHEN I WENT TO GO SEE THE LION KING I THOUGHT IT WAS GOING TO BE A SHOW FOR JUST CHILDREN, BUT ITS GOOD FOR ALL AGES TO SEE. THE COSTUMES WERE VERY COLORFUL AND DETAILED. I WOULD LIKE TO HERE SECOND OPINION ON THIS. EMAIL ME AT WILDFIREANGELLH@YAHOO.COM

Here is a B/W photo of the Cadillac Palace.

Here is a great shot of the Palace's dome

This is a night view of the Cadillac Palace Theater.

Here is a recent close-up of the Cadillac Palace Theater.

In 1970, this theatre was called the Bismarck, after the adjoining hotel. I saw Patton there on a first run, exclusive engagement. This is the only time I can remember ever seeing a film where there was reserved seating instead of general admission.

Great film, but shortly afterwards I got a job at the Montclare as an usher, and the only film they ran during my entire six weeks of employment was- you guessed it- Patton.

My photograph of the PALACE.
www.flickr.com/photos/lastpictureshow/293514498

Here is a 1999 article from the Doylestown Intelligencer, edited for length:

Bob Hope and Jack Benny played the Palace. So did Mae West, Jimmy Durante and Sophie Tucker, in an era when vaudeville was the lifeblood of a thriving theater district in downtown Chicago.
Seventy years later, that theater is back as the Cadillac Palace —
the latest chapter in the city's push to recreate past glory by restoring once-grand showplaces and building new ones.

"This is an opportunity to evoke that historical love of theater that
Chicago's always had," said Marj Halperin, executive director of the
League of Chicago Theaters. "We would love to see theater be so
much of the Chicago experience that you wouldn't come to the city
without seeing a show." The Cadillac Palace recently reopened with the Elton John-Tim Rice revamp of "Aida."

As the western anchor of the district along Randolph Street, the
the Cadillac is the third downtown theater to reopen after costly renovations. The Chicago Theater reopened in the mid-'80s and the
Oriental reopened last year as the Ford Center for the Performing
Arts.

The Palace was modeled after the French palaces of Fontainbleau
and Versailles. In restoring it, architect Daniel P. Coffey sought to retain the theater's former grace while meeting the demands of Broadway productions.

Seating was slightly reduced for comfort, to 2,370, and its stage
enlarged. Its interior remains decorated with gold leaf and marble.
Built in 1926, the Palace was once part of one of the liveliest
theater districts in the country. "There was a time when there
were dozens of theaters in and around the north Loop," said Becky Carroll, a spokeswoman for the city's Planning Department. "To play the Palace in Chicago was to play the big time," added Richard Sklenar, head of the Theater Historical Society of America.

But the district was hit hard by the Depression and never recovered.
Many of the once-great theaters were demolished. Others, including the Oriental and Chicago, became run-down movie houses, while surrounding downtown blocks, a center of business,finance and government, were usually deserted at night. The city hopes the Randolph Street theater district will change all that.

"It's our hope that theaters will continue to build off and around
Randolph Street," Carroll said of the city's push to give the Big
Apple a run for its money. Architect Coffey, who's had a hand in the renovations of the Palace, Oriental and Chicago theaters, said the new theater district secures "Chicago's place as a world city with the best of everything."

Here is a Cinerama Ticket Order Form for Eitel's Palace theater.

The Palace had actually reopened in July 1994 with a Tori Amos concert., prior to its restoration.

A couple seconds of the palace's marquee, along with the marquees of the oriental and united artists, from about 1927 are visible about :43 seconds into the video at http://www.archive.org/details/Behindth1935

Would you believe that the famed stage actor Bela Lugosi once graced the stage at the RKO Palace? Yes, as the following news item will explain:

Chicago Daily News, Wednesday, February 28, 1940, p. 23, c. 4:

WORLD PREMIERES AT PALACE TOMORROW; STARS WILL ATTEND

Arrangements have been completed for Bela Lugosi, Vincent Price and Margaret Lindsay to make personal appearances at four of the performances at the Palace tomorrow in conjunction with the double world premiere of the Universal pictures, "Black Friday" and "The House of Seven Gables."

Bela Lugosi, who is co-starred with Boris Karloff in "Black Friday," will arrive in Chicago tomorrow morning from San Francisco to join Vincent Price, who is scheduled to arrive today from Hollywood, and Margaret Lindsay, also arriving today or tomorrow by plane from Massachusetts. Price and Miss Lindsay are starred in "The House of Seven Gables."

The showing of these attractions is an event in entertainment circles of Chicago, in that for the first time in motion picture history two attractions are to be given their initial world showing at the same time and on the same program.

Fondly recall attending "This is Cinerama" at the Palace Theater, Chicago in Feb., 1955 with my 7th grade class from Franklin School in Gary, Indiana. One of the informative field trips our teacher, Miss Sanders, arranged for us. I believe it was on Lincoln's birthday, Feb. 12.

Fondly recall attending "This is Cinerama" at the Palace Theater, Chicago in Feb., 1955 with my 7th grade class from Franklin School in Gary, Indiana. One of the informative field trips our teacher, Miss Sanders, arranged for us. I believe it was on Lincoln's birthday, Feb. 12.

Yes, this was the CINERAMA place w/ 3 seperately-boothed projectors operating simultaneosly. "CINERAMA HOLIDAY" was another title, and the panorama effect one got was quite different from 70mm. You could notice a trace of the 2 picture 'seams', though they tried to minimize that with aperture plates in the projectors that actually vibrated. Then there was "HOW THE WEST WAS WON" where the director cheated and substituted 70mm-filmed scenes among the true 3-camera scenes (public never noticed), and from that point it was inevitable that the CINERAMA people just went to straight 70mm for their process. Hrrrumph.

A variation on the process called CINEMIRACLE, which the Bismarck also ran, put all 3 projectors into one central booth but re-directed (2 of) the lightbeams w/ mirrors I think (so one person could handle it in one place). Only one title - "WINDJAMMER", another travelogue derivative. (Whatever became of that film?)

You probably guessed I know this place primarily as the BISMARCK. They used to have a very tall, modern-style, neon sign for the name.
Last film I saw there myself was TORA TORA TORA (1969, probably 70mm blow-up). In its' heyday, this place was obviously quite a classy joint, but for me it lacked the very ornate, romantic quality of other 'Palaces'. Why it went unused in '80s-'90s is peculiar.

It actually did not go unused after its last motion picture showings in the 70's; until its restoration for live theater, it became a mixed-use facility known as the Bismarck Pavilion which was operated by the Bismarck Hotel for both concerts, stage performances, and banquets. A false floor was built over the orchestra level seats. I recall that some time in the 1980's, part of this false floor collapsed during a concert, fortunately, no one was seriously hurt. I attended a function there in the year just before the restoration began; the projection booth for the 70mm projectors was still in place at that time suspended from the balcony level ceiling; during its Cinerama days, all three booths were suspended from that ceiling.

Palace---first movie theatre in Chicago to show famed "Schmeling vs. Louis" fight film---

NEWS ITEM:
Chicago Daily News, Monday, June 22, 1936, p. 14, c. 7:

SCHMELING vs. LOUIS PICTURES AT PALACE

The complete and official film record of the hair-raising battle between Joe Louis and Max Schmeling is, at the moment, the proud and exclusive property of the Palace theater. As in the case of previous major fights, the Palace long ago contracted for the exclusive rights to the films which were rushed to Chicago by airplane on Saturday in time for showing yesterday. The cameramen had no ill-luck in photographing the upset battle. All of the deciding blows were caught by the cameras, and many of the crucial moments were photographed in slow motion. Though they are longer than expected, the films are not being trimmed in any manner by the theater and are being added to the regular program that includes the holdover "Show Boat" and the accompanying stage show starring Paul Haakon.
_________________

NOTE: Later that same week, the fight film was showcased at eight Balaban and Katz movie houses: Roosevelt, Apollo, Marbro, Tivoli, Southtown, Granada, Varsity and Uptown; also at the Regal on the south side for one day.

I seem to recall that the show where the floor collapsed was a band called "Frankie Goes to Hollywood".

I was amazed when they restored the Palace. During the 90's I thought for sure that I would walk by one day to find a crew gutting it for offices.

It sure seems to be making a go of things, which is fabulous to see.

NEWS ITEM:
Chicago Tribune, Sunday, June 1, 1958, s. 3, p. 6, c. 5:
PHIL SILVERS' FRIENDS THINK A LOT OF HIM
by John Fink
Phil Silvers memories of Chicago go back to the heyday of vaudeville. "Chicago was great in vaudeville days," he says. "It was the center of the Orpheum circuit. One time you could stay six months in Chicago and not repeat a single theater. You played the Palace going west, and when you came back played the State-Lake and Orpheum."

Here is another photo of the Cadillac Palace.

Here is a nice, albeit low resolution early postcard view of the Palace.

photo of Auditorium facing Proscenium Arch, September 2007:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jellybeanjill13/1409350970/

can anyone tell me about backstage? I'm going into the theatre for a show and I want to know if there are elevators backstage that the cast and crew can use? Can anyone give me the lay of the land (backstage)?

similar to above inquiry, are all dressing rooms on same level? If so, what floor in relationship to the stage level? How many dressing rooms, and approximate layout/sizes?

Here is an early postcard of the lobby.

A line drawing in the 1953 book "New Screen Techniques" shows what is supposed to be a Cinerama installation in a large theatre in which the three booths were not located on the orchestra floor, but were hung directly below the balcony above the floor. Would this be this Palace? And, also, is this the Palace that had a disastrous roadshow engagement lasting less than a week of "Citizen Kane" in May of 1941 while the film played simultaneously on "grind" at the Woods?

I can answer your first question; yes, when the Palace (then Eitel's Palace) became Chicago's first Cinerama theater, the booths were suspended from the balcony overhang in front of some of the loge boxes; later, in the late 1960s, when 70mm was installed, the Able and Charlie booths were removed and the Baker booth was enlarged to accommodate two DP70 projectors; that booth remained in place right up to the time of fairly recent the renovation that transformed the theatre into the Cadillac Palace, although the projectors were gone when I attended a few events when the theatre was called the Bismarck Pavilion. There were cutouts that had to made in the balcony overhang so that the projector beams would not be blocked; these cutouts was filled in during the restoration and there is no trace of them now.

As far as "Citizen Kane" is concerned, I do know that it played at the Woods as I have seen black and white pictures of the marquee during its run there. I do not know if it played at the Palace, but it may very well have as "Kane" was an RKO picture and the Palace was under RKO management for a time.

Sorry for my typos; I am still getting used to my new glasses. I should have said "right up to the time time of the fairly recent renovation" and "these cutouts were filled in..."

You can see a rather grainy photo of the Eitel's Palace three booth set-up for Cinerama here:
http://cinerama.topcities.com/ctchicago.htm

There is also a drawing there of the set-up; this may the same sketch that Veyoung referred to above. The same sketch also was used on the cover of a book by John Belton called "Widescreen Cinema" that was published in 1992 by the Harvard University Press.

According to the Trib, Citizen Kane had a dual premiere at the Palace and Woods on May 6, 1941. The film continued to play at the Woods as a two a day roadshow, reserved seat, and at the Palace continuously in the afternoon with an evening reserved seat show.

The Palace changed features on May 20, and the Woods dropped the reserved policy. It closed at the Woods on July 13. On August 30, it had returned to the Palace at regular admission through roughly September 14. It then played neighborhood houses starting November 15.

Thanks, folks! And the drawing that's in the link in the topcities site mentioned 7/14 here is the one I was referring to.

Here's a painted picture of the theatre and the Bismarck Hotel:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/pulp-o-rama/143503124/in/set-72057594129975085

I recall that Mayor Richard J. Daley, George Dunne and/or the Democratic Party held several convention style events in the Bismark Hotel/Palace Auditorium.
I believe even past Presidents may have spoken at some as well. So to answer the lady from 2005, yes they did various conventions there.

Somewhere I have a set of mauve coffee mugs with "Bismark Hotel" on them.
In all my years in Chicago, I did not know the Bismark/Palace ever showed films until linking over from the Chicago Theatre page.

I did see the stage version of "The Producers" there, when it first premiered with Nathan Lane & Matthew Broderick. We had gotten or tickets very early on. And it was quite interesting to be suddenly targeted by people dressed to the nines looking to score tickets, when our cab pulled up.
Literally older folks in silk scarves & furs looking to pay $500+ for seats. It was like walking out of the Addison "L" before a Cub game.

I see no mention of it, but the Bismark Hotel was renovated into the Allegro Hotel around 1998.
The Allegro was also the name of the Division Steet tavern that would ultimately become The Lodge.
Now in their 51st year.

Saw 'This is Cinerama' on opening day, which was always a Saturday in those days. Will never forget the moment when Lowell Thomas announces from a small square screed, "This is Cinerama..." as the curtains part, the screen expands, the sound magnifies into multi-track stereo, and the roller coaster drops. What a thrill.

Many years later, saw 2001 in 70mm Cinerama at the Warner Hollywood. The subject of the film and its treatment were worthy of the big picture, but the impact of that first roller coaster ride in Chicago couldn't be matched. - Leslie Michael Bender

I agree LMB; for so many us so fortunate to have seen "This Is Cinerama" in the 1950s in one of its original presentations, it was an indelible, etched-in-the brain and memory experiences. I have seen many attempts to recreate that thrill, (at world's fairs, IMAX, Omnimax
3-D, CircleVision 360, etc.) but really, no matter how good (and many are very good) still nothing else really compares.

Its amazing what imprints are left as meaningful and remarkably pleasureful more than fifty years later.

LMB-
I'm guesing you were about eleven when you saw "This Is CINERAMA". Any chance you can give us any details on how you happened to be lucky enough to be at the Palace here in Chicago that first night and anything else. Was Lowell Thomas there etc.?

"Ladies and Gentlemen, This is CINERAMA!" Lowell Thomas, September 30, 1952

Made it to Saturday morning, first screening. The 'El' was my escape to paradise. Was already a very young film lover, so made it a point to see things I thought would be fun. Had been using CTA since about eight. The times were safer than, and I was fearless when it came to seeing movies. Within a year or so of Cinerama, I made it down to The Chicago Theater for its first screening @ around 10AM for 'House of Wax'. You might imagine, I loved 3-D too.

And while the Chicago still had live stage shows, the Palace didn't. Lowell Thomas only appeared on celluloid in the Cinerama prologue.

I've read this string from time to time, and don't believe this photo has been posted to date:

http://www.fred.krauss.name/Theaters/palace.html

One of the nicer photos I have seen. Mason Rapp was responsible for putting that new vertical sign on the Bismarck Hotel.

That is a nice picture, one I had not seen before.

However the accompanying text is incorrect as regards the Cinerama projection booths at the Palace, As noted above, they were suspended from the balcony overhang, in front of the loge boxes, not attached to the auditorium floor.

The accompanying diagram (which appeared in a number of Cinerama programs and in other places) also suggests that most Cinerama installations had the booths at the top of a balcony. Except for a few purpose-built installations (such as the Martin and Cooper Cinerama theaters - where the booths were archtecturally blended into the side walls),the booths were on the main floor in order to to achieve the necessary straight-ahead projection of the images and alignment of the panels.

This looks like a fabulous theatre! I love the photograph.

Also believe that the theater name was the RKO Palace when the first Cinerama production played in 1952. Think after Hughes sold RKO, it became Eitel's Palace. This because I remember both names, being that there were few non Balaban & Katz venues in the fifties. Whatever the owner's name, it was a magnificent 'road show' theater.

It was called Eitel's Palace when the first Cinerama film was shown there. Although Cinerama premiered in New York in 1952, Chicago's first showing was in July of 1953.

Thanks for the info, Leslie Michael Bender and CWalczak.

Here's a list of SOME of the Roadshows "THAT PLAYED THE PALACE". It includes all of the 3-strip CINERAMA films that showed at the Palace and some 70mm. The list IS NOT complete and MAY have errors, but it's still a pretty good list that I've come up with (I had a lot of help from Michael Coate). Please feel free to add any flicks or make corrections. Reruns are not listed. An AFTER before a date means that this was the movies release date. Notice how many weeks some films played next to how long a film lasts in a theater now days! Hope it brings back some memories, let's hear about them.

THIS IS CINERAMA, 7/29/53, 98 weeks, 3-strip CINERAMA

CINERAMA HOLIDAY, 6/15/55, 78 weeks, 3-strip CINERAMA

SEVEN WONDERS OF THE WORLD, 12/12/56, 70 weeks, 3-strip CINERAMA

SEARCH FOR PARADISE, 4/16/58, 22 weeks, 3 strip CINERAMA

SOUTH SEAS ADVENTURE, 9/18/58, 59 weeks, 3 strip CINERAMA

CAN-CAN, 4/19/60, Todd-AO

THE ALAMO, 10/26/60, Todd-AO

THE UNSINKABLE MOLLY BROWN, 6/24/64, Panavision 70mm Blow Up, NON Roadshow

MY FAIR LADY, 10/23/64, Super Panavision 70

CAMELOT, after 10/25/67, Panavision 70mm Blow Up

TORO! TORO! TORO!, after 9/24/70, Panavision 70mm Blow Up

NICHOLAS AND ALEXANDRA, 1973, Panavision 70mm Blow Up


For some extensive lists of possible movies that could have "PLAYED THE PALACE" that you might want to add to this list go to http://cinematreasures.org/news/20357-0-1-0-C/


"Ladies and Gentlemen, This is CINERAMA!" Lowell Thomas, September 30, 1952

Here's a list of SOME of the Roadshows "THAT PLAYED THE PALACE". It includes all of the 3-strip CINERAMA films that showed at the Palace and some 70mm. The list IS NOT complete and MAY have errors, but it's still a pretty good list that I've come up with (I had a lot of help from Michael Coate). Please feel free to add any flicks or make corrections. Reruns are not listed. An AFTER before a date means that this was the movies release date. Notice how many weeks some films played next to how long a film lasts in a theater now days! Hope it brings back some memories, let's hear about them.

THIS IS CINERAMA, 7/29/53, 98 weeks, 3-strip CINERAMA

CINERAMA HOLIDAY, 6/15/55, 78 weeks, 3-strip CINERAMA

SEVEN WONDERS OF THE WORLD, 12/12/56, 70 weeks, 3-strip CINERAMA

SEARCH FOR PARADISE, 4/16/58, 22 weeks, 3 strip CINERAMA

SOUTH SEAS ADVENTURE, 9/18/58, 59 weeks, 3 strip CINERAMA

CAN-CAN, 4/19/60, Todd-AO

THE ALAMO, 10/26/60, Todd-AO

THE UNSINKABLE MOLLY BROWN, 6/24/64, Panavision 70mm Blow Up, NON Roadshow

MY FAIR LADY, 10/23/64, Super Panavision 70

CAMELOT, after 10/25/67, Panavision 70mm Blow Up

TORO! TORO! TORO!, after 9/24/70, Panavision 70mm Blow Up

NICHOLAS AND ALEXANDRA, 1973, Panavision 70mm Blow Up


For some extensive lists of possible movies that could have "PLAYED THE PALACE" that you might want to add to this list go to http://cinematreasures.org/news/20357-0-1-0-C/


"Ladies and Gentlemen, This is CINERAMA!" Lowell Thomas, September 30, 1952

Here's a list of SOME of the Roadshows "THAT PLAYED THE PALACE". It includes all of the 3-strip CINERAMA films that showed at the Palace and some 70mm. The list IS NOT complete and MAY have errors, but it's still a pretty good list that I've come up with (I had a lot of help from Michael Coate). Please feel free to add any flicks or make corrections. Reruns are not listed. An AFTER before a date means that this was the movies release date. Notice how many weeks some films played next to how long a film lasts in a theater now days! Hope it brings back some memories, let's hear about them.

THIS IS CINERAMA, 7/29/53, 98 weeks, 3-strip CINERAMA

CINERAMA HOLIDAY, 6/15/55, 78 weeks, 3-strip CINERAMA

SEVEN WONDERS OF THE WORLD, 12/12/56, 70 weeks, 3-strip CINERAMA

SEARCH FOR PARADISE, 4/16/58, 22 weeks, 3 strip CINERAMA

SOUTH SEAS ADVENTURE, 9/18/58, 59 weeks, 3 strip CINERAMA

CAN-CAN, 4/19/60, Todd-AO

THE ALAMO, 10/26/60, Todd-AO

THE UNSINKABLE MOLLY BROWN, 6/24/64, Panavision 70mm Blow Up, NON Roadshow

MY FAIR LADY, 10/23/64, Super Panavision 70

CAMELOT, after 10/25/67, Panavision 70mm Blow Up

TORO! TORO! TORO!, after 9/24/70, Panavision 70mm Blow Up

NICHOLAS AND ALEXANDRA, 1973, Panavision 70mm Blow Up


For some extensive lists of possible movies that could have "PLAYED THE PALACE" that you might want to add to this list go to http://cinematreasures.org/news/20357-0-1-0-C/


"Ladies and Gentlemen, This is CINERAMA!" Lowell Thomas, September 30, 1952

Well I know it's a good list, but I sure didn't think it was so great it needed to be repeated three times. I've got some real computer problems, I hope Santa reads this.

Well, there's something poetic about the list appearing three times. Something like the three strip process this thread is celebrating.

Maybe the computer was trying to correct the typo of Cinerama film number eleven.
Which should read "Tora! Tora! Tora!".

Otherwise CINERAMA would have had quite a task in 1970, showcasing lawnmowers or Oldsmobiles.

Well I know it's a good list, but I sure didn't think it was so great it needed to be repeated three times. I've got some real computer problems, I hope Santa reads this.

That was me not the computer with the TORO! instead of TORA!. I guess I didn't spend enough time in Japan.

Let's try http://cinematreasures.org/news/20357_0_1_20_C/ and see if that works any better.

An honest mistake. I was just making light humor of the x3 in both.

Thanks for the additional link to the Cinerama page.

Hats off to your insightful contributions to CT.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/zeusofhollywood/3375169478/in/set-72157615748797666/ - 1975 Night

Great photo BWChicago but I have to correct you on the date. Having looked up HOW TO STEAL A MILLION and DUEL AT DIABLO (both clearly playing on the right side of the picture) both were released in 1966. If you look at the United Artists across the street you can see Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton starring in a movie. In 1966 it would have to have been WHO'S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF? Having done much research in the past I know for sure WOOLF played the UA and was its all time highest grosser until 1975 when JAWS opened. So the picture has to be a 1966 night.

Here is a 1982 photo of the Bismarck.