Cinestage Theatre

A souvenir booklet about the “twin” Selwyn and Harris Theatres can be found here: archive

“Lawrence of Arabia” played the Michael Todd theatre next door. Both houses were equipped for 70mm projection. The Todd had a flat rather than a curved screen. I had just gotten a degree from the U. of I. in Champaign, and stayed over the summer to work at the University radio and TV stations. I remember getting up early on a Sunday morning to catch the train into Chicago specifically to see the “Lawrence” matinee at the Todd. The presentation was great with one curious exception. Four-track 35mm magnetic prints put the surround information on a narrower mag stripe on the film than was used for the stage channels. To minimize track hiss when there was no surround information the channel was muted. When the track was used a 12Khz “trigger tone” unmuted the channel. Four track systems filtered the tone out so the audience wouldn’t hear it. The “Lawrence” 70mm screening at the Todd apparently took its surround information from the four track version, and since 70mm systems didn’t need the tone it wasn’t filtered out. At that age I could still hear 12 Khz, and the arrival of any surround information was forecast by the annoying whine of the tone which could be plainly heard in the Todd surround speakers.

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Ken McIntyre posted an interior picture of the Cinestage on May 13, 2009 at 12:30 am (see earlier comments). My recollection is that it little changed during its days as a Cinerama house, except for the installation of an orchestra level projection booth. Except for a screen with a shallower curve compared to the original Cinerama installations at the Palace and McVickers theaters in Chicago, I thought was a terrific Cinerama house

This is an updated link to a picture of the shredded Cinerama strip screen at the Cinestage:

http://home.earthlink.net/~stevekraus/cinestage.html

I saw the original 70mm Cinerama showing of 2001 A Space Odyssey at the Cinestage in 1968. It was a reserved seat showing and souvenier program books were sold. I still have my program book along with several Chicago Tribune Cinestage ad clippings. Does anyone have any interior photos of the Cinestage? I remember the design being very clean and simple, and not an extremely large looking space, compared to the sister Michael Todd next door.

Considering it was a reserved seat, Cinerama showing, actually ten weeks was a rather short run. It was the only film I ever saw there.

A 1987 view as the Dearborn Cinemas can be seen here.

Michael Coate has done a great amount of research to come up with what CINERAMA movies played when at what theaters around the United States and Canada. These are the CINERAMA films that played at the Cinestage. Thanks Michael

All these films were in 70mm

This had been Michael Todd’s theater. When he left CINERAMA, he wanted to come up with “CINERAMA out of one hole” and he came up with TODD-AO. Years later his theater ended up having CINERAMA and it did come out of one hole, the answer was 70mm CINERAMA.

MEDITERRANEAN HOLIDAY, December 25, 1964, 13 Weeks, 70mm

GRAND PRIX, January 25, 1967, 24 Weeks, 70mm

2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY, April 11, 1968, 36 Weeks, 70mm

ICE STATION ZEBRA, April 17, 1969, 10 Weeks, 70mm

KRAKATOA, EAST OF JAVA, June 26, 1969, 12 Weeks, 70mm

Here is a 1982 photo of the Cinestage as an adult theater. In this 1982 photo you can see the Michael Todd and the Cinestage.

Here is the interior of the Selwyn, circa 1920s:
http://tinyurl.com/phpfuw

Having heard many Chicagoan say the name and having been a regular visitor to the Windy City for decades, I have never heard it pronounced anything other than “Cin-eh-stage.” Perhaps some did mockingly when it showed X-rated fare, but not to my knowledge.

There is a framed B/W picture of the Cinestage hanging in the Chicago Cultural Center. Second floor West walkway from the Washington Street side.

It is among other a few other Chicago buildings hanging in the walkway.
The picture appears to be mid `70’s complete with an AMC Gremlin parked in front. A portion of the Cinestage marquee is visible, along with the actual word Porno spelled out.

On the first floor walkway there is a much larger exhibit of historic Chicago buildings & landmarks.

A 1/23/75 dated article from the Chicago Tribune with the headline “6 Loop Theaters Shut; fire code cited” lists the Cinestage as one of the six theaters. The article mentions it was playing “Lovers Convention” and “Cherry Blosson” (“two X-rated pictures”.)
The article states in part, “The violations cited by the city include allegedly faulty electrical switches and flamable materials stored in open boxes”. The article also says that at that time, it was the largest crackdown against movie houses in the city’s history. Also noted was the fact all of the theaters were playing X-rated, violent, or “blaxploitation” movies.
The other five theaters closed were the State Lake, the McVickers, the Monroe, the Michael Todd, and the Today.