Jack, the Variety article did NOT refer to any technical problems outside of Radio City but my main point here is that audiences were avoiding 3-D and these films were not big hits.
HONDO, which buried the fact that it was in 3-D in ads, is was mostly seen in 1954, only showed $4.1 in receipts and came in at number 16 that year. THE HIGH AND THE MIGHTY had done $5.2 that year in 2-D.
DIAL M FOR MURDER, (Hitchcock was ‘compelled’ by Warners to film it in 3-D) was not even advertised as being in that format in any New York run to avoid the stigma. It made $2.7 compared to $5.3 for REAR WINDOW that same year.
MONEY FROM HOME made $3.5, the same as THE CADDY in 2-D but less that LIVING IT UP $4.2 in 2-D that same year.
1953
The Robe $20-30
From Here to Eternity $12.5
Shane $8.0
How to Marry a Millionaire $7.5
Peter Pan $7.0
Hans Christian Anderson $6.0
House of Wax (3-D) $5.5
Mogambo $5.2
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes $5.1
Moulin Rouge $5.0
Salome $4.7
The Charge at Feather River (3-D) $3.6
1954
White Christmas $12.0
The Caine Mutiny $8.7
The Glenn Miller Story $7.0
The Egyptian $6.0
Rear Window $5.3
The High and the Mighty $5.2
Magnificent Obsession $5.0
Three Coins in the Fountain $5.0
Seven Brides For Seven Brothers $4.7
Desiree $4.5
My point is that the whole history of the 3-D in the 50’s lived and died in one year and was killed by audience rejection. Whether it was head-ache inducing sync or bad films remains a matter of opinion. I was a theatre manager during the COMIN’ AT YA! era and gave out many refunds to unhappy patrons. You might argue we have come a long way but the last HARRY POTTER gave me a headache after only ten minutes of IMAX 3-D.
I really think that if IMAX had stuck with the WINGS OF COURAGE headset and concept they would have been a real force in the industry today. Instead they chose to go IMAX light when WINGS OF COURAGE failed to ignite the box office.
By the way, the Variety article that reports that only small town children were responding well to 3-D may be the reason FLY ME TO THE MOON is in 3-D but FROST/NIXON is not.
All studios push for Oscars every year. Loews decided the give the bigger hit FROM HERE TO ETERNITY that key Christmas playdate.
As you may know, Variety articles did not always carry writer’s credentials back then but here are a couple I have at hand that express the disdain already taking place, not only by audiences, but also exhibitors, in 1953-54:
November 6, 1953 MUSIC HALL FEARS KATE IN 3D
“Shady reputation of 3-D in the public’s mind is giving Radio City Music Hall, NY, a first-rate headache in trying to decide whether or not to present Metro’s “KISS ME KATE†in 3-D or flat.’
It goes on to explain the technical issues that add to the problem including the loss of about 300 seats.
“But if technical difficulties exist, the real stigma on 3-D is its past performanceâ€
October 13, 1954 BECAUSE KIDS LIKE ‘EM 3-D LINGERS IN THE STICKS
This article refers to the fact that films made in 3-D are only playing to kids in small towns with larger towns opting out and showing them in 2-D.
Even if HOW TO MARRY A MILLIONAIRE was not a musical, of the top rental receipts of 1953 KISS ME KATE came in at an unimpressive number 31. At 2.5 million it was beaten by the musicals PETER PAN, HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSON, GENTLEMEN PREFER BLONDES, MOULIN ROUGE, ROAD TO BALI, CALL ME MADAM, APRIL IN PARIS, THE BAND WAGON, and EASY TO LOVE.
To compare, HOUSE OF WAX, the biggest 3-D hit of the era made 5.5 million in receipts. THE ROBE alone made somewhere between 20-30 million that year. Cinemascope was the real revelation.
I do not have a grudge against 3D. WINGS OF COURAGE in 3D was an amazing flop. I do take issue with revisionist history and anyone trying to pass off a fiasco like 1950’s 3-D as some kind of success, when it was in reality a seriously failed experiment. A little research will confirm that.
KISS ME KATE opened wide in 3D on the NY Loews circuit in the deadly mid-January slot. It is not true that it had the Christmas slot as that was given to the far more successful FROM HERE TO ETERNITY.
KATE was pulled from Radio city after four weeks and replaced by EASY TO LOVE in time for Christmas. It was showing only in Brooklyn with a second feature by Christmas.
For the sake of comparison, the musical HOW TO MARRY A MILLIONAIRE ran for 15 weeks during the same period and did about three times the business. Regardless of whether you like the film, it was not considered a box office success by anyone and is considered one of the nails in the coffin of 3D.
I realize it is a subjective thing but, having seen all of the 50’s films mentioned above in 2D, (except perhaps the Martin-Lewis title), I can thinks they are among the 50’s worst films with KISS ME KATE and CEASE FIRE! rating in the unbearable category.
HOUSE OF WAX and BLACK LAGOON are in the “so bad they are funny” category, and MISS SADIE THOMPSON being one of the worst remakes of all time. The best of the lot, DIAL M FOR MURDER, was mediocre for Hitchcock.
The press of today have not maligned 50’s 3D films. The press at the time, including Variety, stated that bad films killed the gimmick. By the end of the cycle the films were not even advertising when they were in 3D for fear of the stigma and in many cases opened nationwide in 2D after failing in 3D in some major markets. The distributors for KISS ME KATE didn’t even open it 3D in New York City.
When they showed their adaptation of the Gene Kelly song scene from SINGIN' IN THE RAIN I was impressed. When I saw scenes from the new films, I was underwhelmed. That should tell you what the problem is.
I found a 1922 NY Times article on the opening of the Childrens Theatre and not only did the playhouse not play movies, its aim was to keep children away from them.
“Hordes of children frequent the movie houses and the pictures they see give them a distorted, and many times unhealthy idea of ‘grown up’ life”.
The last I heard it cost Universal over 10 million dollars to do ten minutes of JAWS before they abandoned the project.
“Gimick or not, Digital 3D is the future.”
How many times have we heard that one before! Here’s COMIN' AT YA,
WINGS OF COURAGE, CHICKEN LITTLE.
“In 1953 and 1954, 3-D was used for some very good films- including House of Wax, Kiss Me Kate, Inferno, Dial M for Murder, The Glass Web, Creature from the Black Lagoon, Hondo, Miss Sadie Thompson, etc.”
Which one of those films are you accusing of being good?
No matter how good the 3D process, it is still a gimmick when it is attached only to bad films that stand no chance otherwise.
JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH, BOLT, MY BLOODY VALENTINE, CORALINE, THE JONAS BROTHERS, ICE AGE 3, FINAL DESTINATION IV, CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF MEATBALLS.
From the NY Times, this odd explanation of why Marble Hill is really, sort of, Manhattan;
“The City of New York, as it was before 1899, became the borough of Manhattan. Its island boundaries have been changed many times by landfill as well as legislation. For example, when the bed of Spuyten Duyvil Creek was cut through a rocky bit of northern Manhattan to simplify navigation between the Hudson and East Rivers, the lost territory, known as Marble Hill, was joined physically by landfill to the Bronx. But legally, Marble Hill residents remain Manhattanites and vote in Manhattan, even though they have to cross Spuyten Duyvil Creek on the Broadway bridge to do so.”
Does anyone have any knowledge of a HUDSON theatre in north Manhattan?
It appears in the 1934 Film Daily Year Book as located at 1268 Amsterdam Avenue but newspaper ads in 1921-22 place it close to Audubon Avenue and 167th street.
This website has a photo identifying the Sunset as the current La Gree Baptist Church. This would place the Sunset closer to St. Nicholas than the address above.
If Cinemascope and Cinerama had novelty blockbusters to lead with why didn’t the 3-D ever produce one?
If you add all the receipts for every 3-D film from BWANA DEVIL to HONDO you still get less than $30 million.
Jack, the Variety article did NOT refer to any technical problems outside of Radio City but my main point here is that audiences were avoiding 3-D and these films were not big hits.
HONDO, which buried the fact that it was in 3-D in ads, is was mostly seen in 1954, only showed $4.1 in receipts and came in at number 16 that year. THE HIGH AND THE MIGHTY had done $5.2 that year in 2-D.
DIAL M FOR MURDER, (Hitchcock was ‘compelled’ by Warners to film it in 3-D) was not even advertised as being in that format in any New York run to avoid the stigma. It made $2.7 compared to $5.3 for REAR WINDOW that same year.
MONEY FROM HOME made $3.5, the same as THE CADDY in 2-D but less that LIVING IT UP $4.2 in 2-D that same year.
1953
The Robe $20-30
From Here to Eternity $12.5
Shane $8.0
How to Marry a Millionaire $7.5
Peter Pan $7.0
Hans Christian Anderson $6.0
House of Wax (3-D) $5.5
Mogambo $5.2
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes $5.1
Moulin Rouge $5.0
Salome $4.7
The Charge at Feather River (3-D) $3.6
1954
White Christmas $12.0
The Caine Mutiny $8.7
The Glenn Miller Story $7.0
The Egyptian $6.0
Rear Window $5.3
The High and the Mighty $5.2
Magnificent Obsession $5.0
Three Coins in the Fountain $5.0
Seven Brides For Seven Brothers $4.7
Desiree $4.5
My point is that the whole history of the 3-D in the 50’s lived and died in one year and was killed by audience rejection. Whether it was head-ache inducing sync or bad films remains a matter of opinion. I was a theatre manager during the COMIN’ AT YA! era and gave out many refunds to unhappy patrons. You might argue we have come a long way but the last HARRY POTTER gave me a headache after only ten minutes of IMAX 3-D.
This site was advertised as the Harlem Third Avenue in 1919.
I really think that if IMAX had stuck with the WINGS OF COURAGE headset and concept they would have been a real force in the industry today. Instead they chose to go IMAX light when WINGS OF COURAGE failed to ignite the box office.
By the way, the Variety article that reports that only small town children were responding well to 3-D may be the reason FLY ME TO THE MOON is in 3-D but FROST/NIXON is not.
All studios push for Oscars every year. Loews decided the give the bigger hit FROM HERE TO ETERNITY that key Christmas playdate.
As you may know, Variety articles did not always carry writer’s credentials back then but here are a couple I have at hand that express the disdain already taking place, not only by audiences, but also exhibitors, in 1953-54:
November 6, 1953 MUSIC HALL FEARS KATE IN 3D
“Shady reputation of 3-D in the public’s mind is giving Radio City Music Hall, NY, a first-rate headache in trying to decide whether or not to present Metro’s “KISS ME KATE†in 3-D or flat.’
It goes on to explain the technical issues that add to the problem including the loss of about 300 seats.
“But if technical difficulties exist, the real stigma on 3-D is its past performanceâ€
October 13, 1954 BECAUSE KIDS LIKE ‘EM 3-D LINGERS IN THE STICKS
This article refers to the fact that films made in 3-D are only playing to kids in small towns with larger towns opting out and showing them in 2-D.
Even if HOW TO MARRY A MILLIONAIRE was not a musical, of the top rental receipts of 1953 KISS ME KATE came in at an unimpressive number 31. At 2.5 million it was beaten by the musicals PETER PAN, HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSON, GENTLEMEN PREFER BLONDES, MOULIN ROUGE, ROAD TO BALI, CALL ME MADAM, APRIL IN PARIS, THE BAND WAGON, and EASY TO LOVE.
To compare, HOUSE OF WAX, the biggest 3-D hit of the era made 5.5 million in receipts. THE ROBE alone made somewhere between 20-30 million that year. Cinemascope was the real revelation.
I do not have a grudge against 3D. WINGS OF COURAGE in 3D was an amazing flop. I do take issue with revisionist history and anyone trying to pass off a fiasco like 1950’s 3-D as some kind of success, when it was in reality a seriously failed experiment. A little research will confirm that.
KISS ME KATE opened wide in 3D on the NY Loews circuit in the deadly mid-January slot. It is not true that it had the Christmas slot as that was given to the far more successful FROM HERE TO ETERNITY.
KATE was pulled from Radio city after four weeks and replaced by EASY TO LOVE in time for Christmas. It was showing only in Brooklyn with a second feature by Christmas.
For the sake of comparison, the musical HOW TO MARRY A MILLIONAIRE ran for 15 weeks during the same period and did about three times the business. Regardless of whether you like the film, it was not considered a box office success by anyone and is considered one of the nails in the coffin of 3D.
I realize it is a subjective thing but, having seen all of the 50’s films mentioned above in 2D, (except perhaps the Martin-Lewis title), I can thinks they are among the 50’s worst films with KISS ME KATE and CEASE FIRE! rating in the unbearable category.
HOUSE OF WAX and BLACK LAGOON are in the “so bad they are funny” category, and MISS SADIE THOMPSON being one of the worst remakes of all time. The best of the lot, DIAL M FOR MURDER, was mediocre for Hitchcock.
The press of today have not maligned 50’s 3D films. The press at the time, including Variety, stated that bad films killed the gimmick. By the end of the cycle the films were not even advertising when they were in 3D for fear of the stigma and in many cases opened nationwide in 2D after failing in 3D in some major markets. The distributors for KISS ME KATE didn’t even open it 3D in New York City.
When they showed their adaptation of the Gene Kelly song scene from SINGIN' IN THE RAIN I was impressed. When I saw scenes from the new films, I was underwhelmed. That should tell you what the problem is.
I found a 1922 NY Times article on the opening of the Childrens Theatre and not only did the playhouse not play movies, its aim was to keep children away from them.
“Hordes of children frequent the movie houses and the pictures they see give them a distorted, and many times unhealthy idea of ‘grown up’ life”.
Here is one I never heard before:
From the New York Times 1928 regarding the New Proctor 58th St.
“The new playhouse will have…an "animal room” where, it is announced, patrons may check their pets while attending performances."
BILL & TED and HOUSE OF CARDS both opened at the Plaza.
If AVATAR fails look for 3D to end up where it did last time. Porn.
The last I heard it cost Universal over 10 million dollars to do ten minutes of JAWS before they abandoned the project.
“Gimick or not, Digital 3D is the future.”
How many times have we heard that one before! Here’s COMIN' AT YA,
WINGS OF COURAGE, CHICKEN LITTLE.
“In 1953 and 1954, 3-D was used for some very good films- including House of Wax, Kiss Me Kate, Inferno, Dial M for Murder, The Glass Web, Creature from the Black Lagoon, Hondo, Miss Sadie Thompson, etc.”
Which one of those films are you accusing of being good?
No matter how good the 3D process, it is still a gimmick when it is attached only to bad films that stand no chance otherwise.
JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH, BOLT, MY BLOODY VALENTINE, CORALINE, THE JONAS BROTHERS, ICE AGE 3, FINAL DESTINATION IV, CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF MEATBALLS.
Audiences can already smell the desperation
This still advertised as Naturemax, not LeFrak???
There are two theatres with the same name at the same location. One operated from 1919 to 1932. The other from 1933 to 1963.
Just because an organ was delivered does not mean this was ever a cinema.
From the NY Times, this odd explanation of why Marble Hill is really, sort of, Manhattan;
“The City of New York, as it was before 1899, became the borough of Manhattan. Its island boundaries have been changed many times by landfill as well as legislation. For example, when the bed of Spuyten Duyvil Creek was cut through a rocky bit of northern Manhattan to simplify navigation between the Hudson and East Rivers, the lost territory, known as Marble Hill, was joined physically by landfill to the Bronx. But legally, Marble Hill residents remain Manhattanites and vote in Manhattan, even though they have to cross Spuyten Duyvil Creek on the Broadway bridge to do so.”
Is the Dyckman theatre (552 West 207th Street) listed on CT? I can’t seem to find it.
My mistake, LM, it is 1968, but that still maps near Lincoln Center.
This was already advertised as the Gem in 1922.
Does anyone have any knowledge of a HUDSON theatre in north Manhattan?
It appears in the 1934 Film Daily Year Book as located at 1268 Amsterdam Avenue but newspaper ads in 1921-22 place it close to Audubon Avenue and 167th street.
This short video on the music history of Overtown features a rare, albeit fuzzy, nightime view of the Ritz.
View link
Thanks LM! That makes more sense.
This website has a photo identifying the Sunset as the current La Gree Baptist Church. This would place the Sunset closer to St. Nicholas than the address above.
View link
I suspect the La Gree Church building might actually be the Palace St. Nicholas theatre and annex instead, which is not yet listed.
Any ideas?