I know this is going to stir up an uproar among the Roxy-ites here, and I apologize for that up front, but in the interest of wide-screen historia, which is my field, i feel compelled to ask this question: does anybody have photographs of the Roxy CineMiracle installation in 1958. I know that most Roxy fans hated it, but i really would like to see photos. At least one person on this thread has acknowledged that he saw the presentation. BGW, photos of the Hollywood Chinese also appreciated. Thanks loads, Vince
i saw the original at RCMH with daddy coppola conducting an orchestra. my question is: i have heard that there was another engagement sometime later – either with 3 projectors, or in single projector 70mm – that used a massive screen, presumably the widest possible inside the proscenium. is this true?
Re: airport 70mm. not in philadelphia. also, “napoleon,” also only 35mm in the city of cant-be-bothered-with-70mm-love. “airport” opened in philly in a 70mm-equipped house, but with an anamorphic 35mm print. “napoleon” opened in a 35mm-only house.
vince
Dennis, there are pictures of the original Cinerama auditorium head-on installation at the Temple Univ archives site. These were probably from the “Bulletin.” There are other pictures from the “Inquirer”. If you wait a minute, and be sure to remind me, i can get you the date of the Inquirer photo. The one i have is a reprint from an article that appeared a little while back when the restoration program began..the “Bulletin” photos i know exist because someone in the current SavetheSameric program showed them to me, but he refused to let me know the dates. But they do exist. If you find them before I do, I would hope you would share them. Yes, they are alive!!!!
vince
I recall seeing it at the 2nd run Stanley-Warner Orpheum in the Germantown section of Philadelphia, PA in late 1959. Maybe we were jaded, but it got a big laugh there. Even though not in VistaVision :)
rg, interesting. it may be that i saw “fiddler” after the hard-ticket, roadshow run had been discontinued. this often happened, and the house would go continous-“popular prices” midway through the run…i seem to recall (and this is dangerous) that i sat my self down front row center with my friend without having to have had reserved seats. btw, i went to the last show at the Fox.
rg, i don’t know everything, and am sorry to have given you that impression. as i recall – and i admit i may be mistaken- the original Ben-Hur run in Phillytown began 11/24/59 (or within a few days) in anamorphic 70m. It is entirely possible that the some of the sites of the initial 2nd run were in 70mm. Excuse me. Fading memories recollect a possible 70mm booking somewhere in the Northeast. This would have been a house prior to the Goldman Orleans or the GCC Northeast, somewhere in Lower Bucks County. I forget the name. Please enlighten me, as I am always willing to learn more history. Vince
Like all other theatres that featured roadshows in the 1950-60’s, the schedule could change depending on film length, and time of year. Although it was always customary to have one evening show daily with matinees Wed, Sat, & Sun. Almost always it was matinees every day during the Summer months and holiday weeks. In particular, the Boyd was host to many prestigious roadshows, going back possibly even earlier than the 1939 GWTW. Beginning in 1953, there were the Cinerama and CineMiracle travelogues, with a C'scoped “Gigi” in the Summer of 1958. After the temporary removal of Cinerama equipment, the Boyd roadshowed Ben-Hur, Exodus, Judgement at Nuremburg and King of Kings. After re-establishing Cinerama in 1962: Brothers Grimm, and HTWWW, followed by numerous 70mm projections: IAMMW, Greatest Story, Hallelujah Trail, Khartoum, Circus World…The Bible, Dr. Doolittle..the list goes on. The last semi-roadshow there was the opening attraction as the severely unattractive SamEric: “Fiddler On The Roof,” on “modified” roadshow….reserved performances, but not reserved seats. Just a small point: in general a roadshow performance means reserved seats & performances. The 2nd run billings of Ben-Hur and Exodus were not, as was mentioned in the posts regarding the Erlen and Merben Theatres in Philadelphia, strictly speaking, roadshows. They were, to quote the print media, “special exclusive engagements”…seats were not reserved, though in some theatres the performances may have been. And, of course, in those days, the 70mm projection prints were not used at these 2nd-run houses. Other cities used somewhat different tactics: in a racially segregated Washington, DC in 1962, a 70mm print of “West Side Story” was being truly “roadshowed” simultaneously with a 35mm “continous performance-popular prices” (“grind”) booking at a theatre in heavily segregated neighborhood.
I dearly remember the “U” street theatres…Republic, BookerT. The last time I was in the Lincoln was around 1962. The occasion was the run of “West Side Story,” concurrent with the roadshow at another house on roadshow (probably the Uptown or Ontario). I remember that the operator kept the anamorphic lens (or attachment) on for the pre-feature stuff…the cartoon and the newsreel. The cartoon, especially, didn’t look too bad.
Right, “Exorcist” opened at the Stage Door, which was actualy built into the stage house of the Fox Theatre. Needless to say, because of its limited seating capacity, it ran for months on end.
Just keep firmly in mind that the few auditorium shots do in no way present the Boyd in its glory days 1952-1959, 1962-1971 as a Cinerama showcase, initially with the largest Cinerama screen ever installed. Both the Philadelphia Inquirer microfilms at the public libraries, and the Philadelphia Bulletin collection at Temple University Urban Archives have photographs of the initial installations.
I have a question about the 70mm print of “2001” which played at the DC Uptown, among other places, with what I believe was a digital sound remix, about 2 or 3 years ago. How close to the original 162 minute version is this print? I’m told that this is the only print that was struck. I remember saying to my friend at this time how good it was to hear directional dialogue once again. Also, wasnt' the “official” world premiere of “2001” in 1968 held at the Uptown, before the NYC Loew’s Capitol (Cinerama) opening?
re: 70mm aspect ratios for “Cinerama” presentations. Of the 7 “recognized” Cinerama productions (those reading “in Cinerama” during the title credits),4 were photographed in Ultra-Panavision, which is 65mm production with anamorphic lenses (not all theatres had compensating lenses to completely unsqueeze the image)..these were “Mad World,” “Greatest Story,” “Hallelujah Trail,” “Battle of the Bulge,” and “Khartoum”. The spherical 65mm productions, often called Super-Panavision or Panavision-70 “Cinerama” presentations were “2001,” “Ice Station Zebra,” and “Grand Prix.” Many locations, particularly New York, had “in Cinerama” presentations (and, as far as the audience viewpoint was concerned, they were indeed “in Cinerama), that were not actually licensed Cinerama productions. Some of these were "Cinerama Mediterranean Holiday,” which was photographed in 65mm using a German process called MCS-70. And “Cinerama’s Russian Adventure,” was was mostly photographed in the Soviet 3-camera Kinopanorama process. As for the Rivoli and its 70mm D-150 presentations, which, although using a 2.2:1 ratio, had curvature built into the projected image, along with curved top and bottom masking, that, when in the “sweet spot” gave the impression of a more ribbon-like image on a curve greater than 128 degrees. It is questionable, however, how often the Rivoli utilized the full width/height D-150 image, as one young projectionist told me at some point in the 1960’s that he only used the “smaller” D-150 70mm setting, because the full D-150 screen “was too large”. AARGH. I could have strangled him on the spot!:)
Re Midtown: Interesting that the theatre that was the 5th theatre on the planet to install 70mm (Todd-AO) process no longer has 70mm capability, and presumably doesn’t care. But it has video, rah!, rah!, rah!. No one seems to mention that its lack of wide-gauge projection lost it a high-class booking as it reopened. A travelling Philip Glass opera with 3-D 70mm projection had been scheduled to open at the Prince, but had to be moved to a more suitable location, a portable exhibition at an auditorium on the U. of Pennsylvania campus. I can talk for days about the Midtown, but don’t intend to mention the Prince while sober ever again.
No, i dont have the exact dates, but I know that the Trans-Lux chain had been around for many years. There were several located in Manhattan. I am sure some diligent research will turn up the answers you need. I’m also sure that the hyphenated “trans” and “lux” suggests a merging of at least two separate companies. What I would like to know is at what point the T-L chain decided to become a “newsreel” provider, and, also when it deemed to appropriate to utilize rear-screen projection (see my msg of 11/25/04 above). pls let us know what u find out. this was a very unusual chain in the history of American film theater organizations. Good luck.
Rg, I certain respect your opinion. Let me just state that I am talking here solely as an Audience Member. I am not a projectionist, or lab technician, or sound engineer, or directory of photographer…simply a revenue-producing audience member. And as such I can certainly relate to cost factors, but at the same time, I felt at many operations, but most particularly with the Budco people, a complete disdain, a total non-caring attitude towards people like me….the audience. To have utterly no concern whatsoever for the public’s intelligence, and to take the stand, “well, they don’t know what they’re talking about, they don’t care.” During the “Apoc. Now” commotion, I recall reading a statement from a Budco spokesperson who proudly claimed that the Goldman had the most up-to-date, state-of-the-art equipment available. Huh? Woefully incorrect aspect ratio for ‘scope….no magnetic soundheads….no optical Dolby. They might as well have run machinery built in 1930! This, to me, is the ultimate insult to the audience…to state, presumably with a straight face, that this particular theatre was second-to-none in terms of technology is a crime punishable by banishment out of the exhibition industry. OK, so maybe they didn’t have the money to achieve a better screen/masking ratio, or to install Dolby, or just to upgrade everything. This, however, doesn’t explain the laughable lapses in just plain taste which was a hallmark of Budco indoor theatres. To pick on the Goldman again, please explain then during the twinning why on earth take a perfectly decent and pleasant-looking lobby, and paint The Whole Damn Thing Black!!! Has anybody ever experienced a totally black lobby? It’s horrifying! I’ve been in dingy subway entrances which were more inviting. I understand fully that, particularly with family-run enterprises, the personality of the owner (or a close family member) impacts to a large degree the look, the feel of business. I understand that Mrs. Shapiro, wife of the SamErich chain head, was responsible for that chain’s interior decorations. So, she must have liked pale pastel, non-dramatic colors, and she had a thing for statues of greyhounds. But she never painted a lobby jet black! Rg, I am certainly glad you’re not taking this personally, but, there is no power or principality on Heaven or Earth that will change my absolute and utter immovable Disdain for All Things Budco. On the other hand, Budco probably did more to convert Delaware Valley folks to VCRs and cable television in the 1970s than any amount of advertising or promotions from RCA, Magnavox, and Zenith. OK, rant over. Phew!
Rg, do you remember the “Apocalypse Now” disaster at the split Goldman?Had you seen the Midtown BEFORE the twinning? Did you experience “Alternate States” in 70mm with “baby boom” Dolby at the Regency? How about the advertised “snuff” film booked at a downtown Budco before the police confiscated the prints? Not to say that you, personally, were (are still) not an excellent manager and district manager, but in terms of indoor projection and sound, not to mention showmanship, they were worse than abysmal. The “Apocalypse Now” disaster I refer to concerns a lawsuit that Budco tried to bring against Philadelphia film reviewers who were outraged that that particular United Artists jewel was being booked into a theatre that was not only plug-ugly, but could barely show “scope”, and was not equipped for either 70mm, or 35mm Dolby stereo, or 4-channel magnetic. The critics prevailed, and audiences stayed away from the Goldman in droves, as Samuel Goldwyn would have said. Sorry, rg, but as a friend of mine told me at the time, “I wouldn’t set foot into the Goldman if it was the last building on earth with oxygen!”
DennisZ, “I just remember the curtain and screen always extending out past the proscenium until the Sameric take over of the theatre”. I understand that there are photographs available of the original Cinerama installation at the Temple University Urban ARchives section. You can “google” that name to get to the site. I don’t have time to search their files as I work weekdays, and I believe the archives are open weekends only once a month. The great thing about sitting in the Loge section of the Boyd was that the screen still extended above your head and still nearly completely filled your peripheral vision. Wasn’t it grand?
“I believe the Fox, etc, were demolished long before Liberty Place was being planned.” Very true. It was replaced by a tall dark-glass structure that some people began to call the “Darth Vader” building. Bill Milgram, owner of the Fox and the Fox Building, had plans to build a downtown multiplex, the Omni, nearby; but the plans never came to fruition. Milgram still operates in other parts of Pennsylvania. By the way, I just noticed the opening introductory comment to the Regency. The impression is given that the theatre was twinned by the Budco chain and then converted to 70mm. No way. The Budco chain NEVER did anything forward-thinking in its theatres. It was possibly the worst chain to ever operate in the State. (Don’t get me started on Budco!) I don’t have a complete, list but one of the pre-Budco 70mm attractions at the William Goldman-owned Regency was “Concert for Bangladesh”. It’s sound system was second to none…even the 4-track “Nashville” brought the house down.
Glenn M, i seem to remember a Brookline theatre outside of Philly outside. I would suggest trying to get a copy of Irving Glazer’s “Philadelphia Theatres” at the library (very rare). Next time I’m at a the only branch of Camden County libraries that has a copy, I will look it up for you. There are tons of theatres that are not on c.t., simply because no one has posted the information
Glenn M, “Spartacus” opened in Philly in 70mm at the dearly-departed Goldman on 15th Street north of Chestnut. The theatre was demolished many years ago and an office tower stands in its place. Philly was the 4th premiere city of “Ben-Hur.” It opened Nov. 24, 1959 and ran until Jan. or Feb. of 1961.
One of the most enduring myths about widescreen/stereo sound presentation is that the horrid curses of mono sound and incorrect aspect ratios are something new. Not so. As early as December 1953, scarcely 3 months after The Robe premiered, some chains, notably Walter Reade, Jr. steadfastly refused to install stereo screen speakers or surrounds. Reade, in particular, used a “mixer” which mixed the output from the 4 mag tracks into one single signal which went on its way to the one single loudspeaker with no one being any wiser. Likewise, I distinctly remember as far back as 1954 being in a major theatre (Philadelphia, Stanton) with that god-awful “constant width” masking which rendered the anamorphic image actually smaller than the pre-Scope screen. Bad showmanship has been around for decades!
The general consensus over the years at the rec.arts.movies.tech group, and the various film-music groups, and the Star Wars groups is that the CinemaScope Extension was written by Lionel Newman, brother of Alfred Newman, who wrote the original Fox Fanfare around 1934, and that this Extension was first used in 1954 for “River of No Return.” It is still a matter of debate, especially within the Star Wars groups.
It’s all dependent on the size of the auditorium. Both the Roxy’s and the RCMH’s original CinemaScope screen were larger than the Broadway’s original Cinerama screen. However, the effect was much more startling at the Broadway. There are pictures of both the original CinemaScope and Todd-AO screens at the Rivoli on the American WideScreen Museum site.
Does anybody remember some of the hilarious names of the strippers? Like: “Trolley Carr,” or “Lynn Oleum…she’ll floor ya!” I think they would change the names on Mondays. Some of them were quite hysterical.
WOW. In Philadelphia there is no 14th Street. That Street, between 13th and 15th is called Broad Street. Memory’s short here, but Market Street which was (and still is) perpendicular to Broad Street was the loction of the Palace. The theatre it was between 12th and 13th street. As a note in widescreen history, it was the 2nd house to install CinemaScope here. The Palace was, as I had said earlier, the mainstream 2nd run house. “The Robe” ran here right after closing at the Fox, the 1st C'scope house. To answer your question, I havent seen the film, but by the 1970’s the house had gone totally downhill. Remarkably, I met the manager once there back in the 1970’s. He had been the manager of the Boyd Cinerama theatre in the 1950’s. what a comedown.
I know this is going to stir up an uproar among the Roxy-ites here, and I apologize for that up front, but in the interest of wide-screen historia, which is my field, i feel compelled to ask this question: does anybody have photographs of the Roxy CineMiracle installation in 1958. I know that most Roxy fans hated it, but i really would like to see photos. At least one person on this thread has acknowledged that he saw the presentation. BGW, photos of the Hollywood Chinese also appreciated. Thanks loads, Vince
i saw the original at RCMH with daddy coppola conducting an orchestra. my question is: i have heard that there was another engagement sometime later – either with 3 projectors, or in single projector 70mm – that used a massive screen, presumably the widest possible inside the proscenium. is this true?
Re: airport 70mm. not in philadelphia. also, “napoleon,” also only 35mm in the city of cant-be-bothered-with-70mm-love. “airport” opened in philly in a 70mm-equipped house, but with an anamorphic 35mm print. “napoleon” opened in a 35mm-only house.
vince
Dennis, there are pictures of the original Cinerama auditorium head-on installation at the Temple Univ archives site. These were probably from the “Bulletin.” There are other pictures from the “Inquirer”. If you wait a minute, and be sure to remind me, i can get you the date of the Inquirer photo. The one i have is a reprint from an article that appeared a little while back when the restoration program began..the “Bulletin” photos i know exist because someone in the current SavetheSameric program showed them to me, but he refused to let me know the dates. But they do exist. If you find them before I do, I would hope you would share them. Yes, they are alive!!!!
vince
I recall seeing it at the 2nd run Stanley-Warner Orpheum in the Germantown section of Philadelphia, PA in late 1959. Maybe we were jaded, but it got a big laugh there. Even though not in VistaVision :)
rg, interesting. it may be that i saw “fiddler” after the hard-ticket, roadshow run had been discontinued. this often happened, and the house would go continous-“popular prices” midway through the run…i seem to recall (and this is dangerous) that i sat my self down front row center with my friend without having to have had reserved seats. btw, i went to the last show at the Fox.
rg, i don’t know everything, and am sorry to have given you that impression. as i recall – and i admit i may be mistaken- the original Ben-Hur run in Phillytown began 11/24/59 (or within a few days) in anamorphic 70m. It is entirely possible that the some of the sites of the initial 2nd run were in 70mm. Excuse me. Fading memories recollect a possible 70mm booking somewhere in the Northeast. This would have been a house prior to the Goldman Orleans or the GCC Northeast, somewhere in Lower Bucks County. I forget the name. Please enlighten me, as I am always willing to learn more history. Vince
Like all other theatres that featured roadshows in the 1950-60’s, the schedule could change depending on film length, and time of year. Although it was always customary to have one evening show daily with matinees Wed, Sat, & Sun. Almost always it was matinees every day during the Summer months and holiday weeks. In particular, the Boyd was host to many prestigious roadshows, going back possibly even earlier than the 1939 GWTW. Beginning in 1953, there were the Cinerama and CineMiracle travelogues, with a C'scoped “Gigi” in the Summer of 1958. After the temporary removal of Cinerama equipment, the Boyd roadshowed Ben-Hur, Exodus, Judgement at Nuremburg and King of Kings. After re-establishing Cinerama in 1962: Brothers Grimm, and HTWWW, followed by numerous 70mm projections: IAMMW, Greatest Story, Hallelujah Trail, Khartoum, Circus World…The Bible, Dr. Doolittle..the list goes on. The last semi-roadshow there was the opening attraction as the severely unattractive SamEric: “Fiddler On The Roof,” on “modified” roadshow….reserved performances, but not reserved seats. Just a small point: in general a roadshow performance means reserved seats & performances. The 2nd run billings of Ben-Hur and Exodus were not, as was mentioned in the posts regarding the Erlen and Merben Theatres in Philadelphia, strictly speaking, roadshows. They were, to quote the print media, “special exclusive engagements”…seats were not reserved, though in some theatres the performances may have been. And, of course, in those days, the 70mm projection prints were not used at these 2nd-run houses. Other cities used somewhat different tactics: in a racially segregated Washington, DC in 1962, a 70mm print of “West Side Story” was being truly “roadshowed” simultaneously with a 35mm “continous performance-popular prices” (“grind”) booking at a theatre in heavily segregated neighborhood.
I dearly remember the “U” street theatres…Republic, BookerT. The last time I was in the Lincoln was around 1962. The occasion was the run of “West Side Story,” concurrent with the roadshow at another house on roadshow (probably the Uptown or Ontario). I remember that the operator kept the anamorphic lens (or attachment) on for the pre-feature stuff…the cartoon and the newsreel. The cartoon, especially, didn’t look too bad.
Right, “Exorcist” opened at the Stage Door, which was actualy built into the stage house of the Fox Theatre. Needless to say, because of its limited seating capacity, it ran for months on end.
Just keep firmly in mind that the few auditorium shots do in no way present the Boyd in its glory days 1952-1959, 1962-1971 as a Cinerama showcase, initially with the largest Cinerama screen ever installed. Both the Philadelphia Inquirer microfilms at the public libraries, and the Philadelphia Bulletin collection at Temple University Urban Archives have photographs of the initial installations.
I have a question about the 70mm print of “2001” which played at the DC Uptown, among other places, with what I believe was a digital sound remix, about 2 or 3 years ago. How close to the original 162 minute version is this print? I’m told that this is the only print that was struck. I remember saying to my friend at this time how good it was to hear directional dialogue once again. Also, wasnt' the “official” world premiere of “2001” in 1968 held at the Uptown, before the NYC Loew’s Capitol (Cinerama) opening?
re: 70mm aspect ratios for “Cinerama” presentations. Of the 7 “recognized” Cinerama productions (those reading “in Cinerama” during the title credits),4 were photographed in Ultra-Panavision, which is 65mm production with anamorphic lenses (not all theatres had compensating lenses to completely unsqueeze the image)..these were “Mad World,” “Greatest Story,” “Hallelujah Trail,” “Battle of the Bulge,” and “Khartoum”. The spherical 65mm productions, often called Super-Panavision or Panavision-70 “Cinerama” presentations were “2001,” “Ice Station Zebra,” and “Grand Prix.” Many locations, particularly New York, had “in Cinerama” presentations (and, as far as the audience viewpoint was concerned, they were indeed “in Cinerama), that were not actually licensed Cinerama productions. Some of these were "Cinerama Mediterranean Holiday,” which was photographed in 65mm using a German process called MCS-70. And “Cinerama’s Russian Adventure,” was was mostly photographed in the Soviet 3-camera Kinopanorama process. As for the Rivoli and its 70mm D-150 presentations, which, although using a 2.2:1 ratio, had curvature built into the projected image, along with curved top and bottom masking, that, when in the “sweet spot” gave the impression of a more ribbon-like image on a curve greater than 128 degrees. It is questionable, however, how often the Rivoli utilized the full width/height D-150 image, as one young projectionist told me at some point in the 1960’s that he only used the “smaller” D-150 70mm setting, because the full D-150 screen “was too large”. AARGH. I could have strangled him on the spot!:)
Re Midtown: Interesting that the theatre that was the 5th theatre on the planet to install 70mm (Todd-AO) process no longer has 70mm capability, and presumably doesn’t care. But it has video, rah!, rah!, rah!. No one seems to mention that its lack of wide-gauge projection lost it a high-class booking as it reopened. A travelling Philip Glass opera with 3-D 70mm projection had been scheduled to open at the Prince, but had to be moved to a more suitable location, a portable exhibition at an auditorium on the U. of Pennsylvania campus. I can talk for days about the Midtown, but don’t intend to mention the Prince while sober ever again.
No, i dont have the exact dates, but I know that the Trans-Lux chain had been around for many years. There were several located in Manhattan. I am sure some diligent research will turn up the answers you need. I’m also sure that the hyphenated “trans” and “lux” suggests a merging of at least two separate companies. What I would like to know is at what point the T-L chain decided to become a “newsreel” provider, and, also when it deemed to appropriate to utilize rear-screen projection (see my msg of 11/25/04 above). pls let us know what u find out. this was a very unusual chain in the history of American film theater organizations. Good luck.
Rg, I certain respect your opinion. Let me just state that I am talking here solely as an Audience Member. I am not a projectionist, or lab technician, or sound engineer, or directory of photographer…simply a revenue-producing audience member. And as such I can certainly relate to cost factors, but at the same time, I felt at many operations, but most particularly with the Budco people, a complete disdain, a total non-caring attitude towards people like me….the audience. To have utterly no concern whatsoever for the public’s intelligence, and to take the stand, “well, they don’t know what they’re talking about, they don’t care.” During the “Apoc. Now” commotion, I recall reading a statement from a Budco spokesperson who proudly claimed that the Goldman had the most up-to-date, state-of-the-art equipment available. Huh? Woefully incorrect aspect ratio for ‘scope….no magnetic soundheads….no optical Dolby. They might as well have run machinery built in 1930! This, to me, is the ultimate insult to the audience…to state, presumably with a straight face, that this particular theatre was second-to-none in terms of technology is a crime punishable by banishment out of the exhibition industry. OK, so maybe they didn’t have the money to achieve a better screen/masking ratio, or to install Dolby, or just to upgrade everything. This, however, doesn’t explain the laughable lapses in just plain taste which was a hallmark of Budco indoor theatres. To pick on the Goldman again, please explain then during the twinning why on earth take a perfectly decent and pleasant-looking lobby, and paint The Whole Damn Thing Black!!! Has anybody ever experienced a totally black lobby? It’s horrifying! I’ve been in dingy subway entrances which were more inviting. I understand fully that, particularly with family-run enterprises, the personality of the owner (or a close family member) impacts to a large degree the look, the feel of business. I understand that Mrs. Shapiro, wife of the SamErich chain head, was responsible for that chain’s interior decorations. So, she must have liked pale pastel, non-dramatic colors, and she had a thing for statues of greyhounds. But she never painted a lobby jet black! Rg, I am certainly glad you’re not taking this personally, but, there is no power or principality on Heaven or Earth that will change my absolute and utter immovable Disdain for All Things Budco. On the other hand, Budco probably did more to convert Delaware Valley folks to VCRs and cable television in the 1970s than any amount of advertising or promotions from RCA, Magnavox, and Zenith. OK, rant over. Phew!
Rg, do you remember the “Apocalypse Now” disaster at the split Goldman?Had you seen the Midtown BEFORE the twinning? Did you experience “Alternate States” in 70mm with “baby boom” Dolby at the Regency? How about the advertised “snuff” film booked at a downtown Budco before the police confiscated the prints? Not to say that you, personally, were (are still) not an excellent manager and district manager, but in terms of indoor projection and sound, not to mention showmanship, they were worse than abysmal. The “Apocalypse Now” disaster I refer to concerns a lawsuit that Budco tried to bring against Philadelphia film reviewers who were outraged that that particular United Artists jewel was being booked into a theatre that was not only plug-ugly, but could barely show “scope”, and was not equipped for either 70mm, or 35mm Dolby stereo, or 4-channel magnetic. The critics prevailed, and audiences stayed away from the Goldman in droves, as Samuel Goldwyn would have said. Sorry, rg, but as a friend of mine told me at the time, “I wouldn’t set foot into the Goldman if it was the last building on earth with oxygen!”
DennisZ, “I just remember the curtain and screen always extending out past the proscenium until the Sameric take over of the theatre”. I understand that there are photographs available of the original Cinerama installation at the Temple University Urban ARchives section. You can “google” that name to get to the site. I don’t have time to search their files as I work weekdays, and I believe the archives are open weekends only once a month. The great thing about sitting in the Loge section of the Boyd was that the screen still extended above your head and still nearly completely filled your peripheral vision. Wasn’t it grand?
“I believe the Fox, etc, were demolished long before Liberty Place was being planned.” Very true. It was replaced by a tall dark-glass structure that some people began to call the “Darth Vader” building. Bill Milgram, owner of the Fox and the Fox Building, had plans to build a downtown multiplex, the Omni, nearby; but the plans never came to fruition. Milgram still operates in other parts of Pennsylvania. By the way, I just noticed the opening introductory comment to the Regency. The impression is given that the theatre was twinned by the Budco chain and then converted to 70mm. No way. The Budco chain NEVER did anything forward-thinking in its theatres. It was possibly the worst chain to ever operate in the State. (Don’t get me started on Budco!) I don’t have a complete, list but one of the pre-Budco 70mm attractions at the William Goldman-owned Regency was “Concert for Bangladesh”. It’s sound system was second to none…even the 4-track “Nashville” brought the house down.
Glenn M, i seem to remember a Brookline theatre outside of Philly outside. I would suggest trying to get a copy of Irving Glazer’s “Philadelphia Theatres” at the library (very rare). Next time I’m at a the only branch of Camden County libraries that has a copy, I will look it up for you. There are tons of theatres that are not on c.t., simply because no one has posted the information
Glenn M, “Spartacus” opened in Philly in 70mm at the dearly-departed Goldman on 15th Street north of Chestnut. The theatre was demolished many years ago and an office tower stands in its place. Philly was the 4th premiere city of “Ben-Hur.” It opened Nov. 24, 1959 and ran until Jan. or Feb. of 1961.
One of the most enduring myths about widescreen/stereo sound presentation is that the horrid curses of mono sound and incorrect aspect ratios are something new. Not so. As early as December 1953, scarcely 3 months after The Robe premiered, some chains, notably Walter Reade, Jr. steadfastly refused to install stereo screen speakers or surrounds. Reade, in particular, used a “mixer” which mixed the output from the 4 mag tracks into one single signal which went on its way to the one single loudspeaker with no one being any wiser. Likewise, I distinctly remember as far back as 1954 being in a major theatre (Philadelphia, Stanton) with that god-awful “constant width” masking which rendered the anamorphic image actually smaller than the pre-Scope screen. Bad showmanship has been around for decades!
The general consensus over the years at the rec.arts.movies.tech group, and the various film-music groups, and the Star Wars groups is that the CinemaScope Extension was written by Lionel Newman, brother of Alfred Newman, who wrote the original Fox Fanfare around 1934, and that this Extension was first used in 1954 for “River of No Return.” It is still a matter of debate, especially within the Star Wars groups.
It’s all dependent on the size of the auditorium. Both the Roxy’s and the RCMH’s original CinemaScope screen were larger than the Broadway’s original Cinerama screen. However, the effect was much more startling at the Broadway. There are pictures of both the original CinemaScope and Todd-AO screens at the Rivoli on the American WideScreen Museum site.
Does anybody remember some of the hilarious names of the strippers? Like: “Trolley Carr,” or “Lynn Oleum…she’ll floor ya!” I think they would change the names on Mondays. Some of them were quite hysterical.
WOW. In Philadelphia there is no 14th Street. That Street, between 13th and 15th is called Broad Street. Memory’s short here, but Market Street which was (and still is) perpendicular to Broad Street was the loction of the Palace. The theatre it was between 12th and 13th street. As a note in widescreen history, it was the 2nd house to install CinemaScope here. The Palace was, as I had said earlier, the mainstream 2nd run house. “The Robe” ran here right after closing at the Fox, the 1st C'scope house. To answer your question, I havent seen the film, but by the 1970’s the house had gone totally downhill. Remarkably, I met the manager once there back in the 1970’s. He had been the manager of the Boyd Cinerama theatre in the 1950’s. what a comedown.