Have a news tip for us?
Just email . Ideas for stories, links to interesting articles, and press releases are welcome.
Closed Circuit Telecasts: Later shown in 35MM format?
posted by
ArchStanton007
on
March 8, 2007 at 7:33 am
Noticed a microfilm newspaper ad for the 1970 closed circuit in theater telecast of Ali vs. Joe Forman. Weeks later in ads for “The Savage is Loose” some theaters were also showing a filmed version of the same Ali vs. Forman boxing match.
So was it common for some closed circuit telecats to be struck on to 35MM film for more showings? Or maybe this was a separate film made during the fight itself unrelated to the telecast ?
Thank You Much.
Comments (7)
If the closed circuit event was a large one. So the distributor could milk a few more dollars out of it at a lower ticket price than a the night of the event. In the days before cable pay per view, these closed circuit events were a big deals On the BIG SCREEN. Thats if the theatre did not loss the feed and go down during the event.
William,
Thank you for the prompt reply.
Did the feed get sent over telephone lines or over the airwaves? If so, did the projector require an outside antenna to receive the broadcast signals?
Was the Evel Knievel jump over the Snake River Canyon, early 1970’s, the last of these closed circuit telecasts?
Thanks
No, the Knievel jump was on tv. I watched it.
In 1971, we had the Ali vs Fraizer fight on closed circuit tv at the RKO Trent theatre in Trenton, NJ. I once ran a film called “The Savage Is Loose”, staring George C. Scott. it was in 35mm, but I can’t recall a filmed version of the fight.
The “fight films” and the live closed circuit were two different operations and served two different audiences. A major studio(s) would make a 20-30 minute short condensation of the fight and play it as a 35mm short subject in theatres. The shorts would play weeks later after the fight as they were edited pieces. In the late 1960s a few Indy 500 races were also closed circuit TV'ed to theatres.
Thank you for the above postings…
Crazy Bob: As per the NY Times ad, some, not all, of the theaters running “The Savage is Loose” also ran the fight film. I should have said so in my posting..
cjarrett: Mucho thanks for clarifying my posting.
The LOEWS CRESCENT in Nashville used to show boxing matchs on closed circuit back in the 60,s drew pretty decent crowds.