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Remembering Cinerama (Part 37: Toledo)
posted by
Coate
on
August 5, 2009 at 8:00 am
REMEMBERING CINERAMA
Part 37: Toledo
The following is Part Thirty-Seven in a series of retrospectives on Cinerama, the legendary motion picture process that kicked off the widescreen revolution. The series focuses on providing a market-by-market historical record of when and where Cinerama and its multi-panel clones were exhibited. The easy-to-reference articles serve to provide nostalgia to those who experienced the Cinerama presentations when they were new and to highlight the movie palaces in which the memorable screenings took place.
Part 1: New York City
Part 2: Chicago
Part 3: San Francisco
Part 4: Houston
Part 5: Washington, DC
Part 6: Los Angeles
Part 7: Atlanta
Part 8: San Diego
Part 9: Dallas
Part 10: Oklahoma City
Part 11: Syracuse
Part 12: Toronto
Part 13: Columbus
Part 14: Montreal
Part 15: Northern New Jersey
Part 16: Charlotte
Part 17: Vancouver
Part 18: Salt Lake City
Part 19: Boston
Part 20: Philadelphia
Part 21: Fresno
Part 22: Detroit
Part 23: Minneapolis
Part 24: Albuquerque
Part 25: El Paso
Part 26: Des Moines
Part 27: Miami
Part 28: Orange County
Part 29: Pittsburgh
Part 30: Baltimore
Part 31: Long Island
Part 32: Kansas City
Part 33: Milwaukee
Part 34: Nanuet/Rockland County
Part 35: Denver
Part 36: Worcester
And now… Part 37: Cinerama Presentations in Toledo, Ohio.
THIS IS CINERAMA
Theater: Paramount
Premiere Date: November 22, 1960
Engagement Duration: 17 weeks
Projection Format: Cinerama (3-strip)
Promotional Hype: “Northwestern Ohio Premiere” “The PARAMOUNT is the ONLY Theatre in Northwestern Ohio that can or will show CINERAMA”
CINERAMA HOLIDAY
Theater: Paramount
Premiere: March 21, 1961
Duration: 11 weeks
Format: Cinerama (3-strip)
Hype: “It’s Every Holiday You Ever Dreamed Of…Come True!” “[The intersection of] Adams & Huron is the place for the Greatest Thrill Of Your Life!”
SEVEN WONDERS OF THE WORLD
Theater: Paramount
Premiere: June 6, 1961
Duration: 18 weeks
Format: Cinerama (3-strip)
Hype: “SEVEN WONDERS OF THE WORLD as seen through the greatest wonder…CINERAMA!”
SEARCH FOR PARADISE
Theater: Paramount
Premiere: October 12, 1961
Duration: 7 weeks
Format: Cinerama (3-strip)
Hype: “The New CINERAMA”
SOUTH SEAS ADVENTURE
Theater: Paramount
Premiere: November 30, 1961
Duration: 13 weeks
Format: Cinerama (3-strip)
Hype: “The story of 6 Who Surrendered To The Lure Of The South Seas!”
WINDJAMMER
Theater: Paramount
Premiere: March 1, 1962
Duration: 15 weeks
Format: Cinerama (3-strip)
Hype: “An Electrifying…Breath-taking Adventure And Glorious Romance” “In The Thrilling Tradition Of CINERAMA…Which Puts You Right In The Picture!”
THIS IS CINERAMA (Return Engagement)
Theater: Paramount
Premiere: June 15, 1962
Duration: 5 weeks
Format: Cinerama (3-strip)
Hype: “Returns by popular demand!”
HOLIDAY IN SPAIN
Theater: Paramount
Premiere: July 20, 1962
Duration: 11 weeks
Format: Cinerama (3-strip)
Hype: “You feel the suspense… You live the thrills of… HOLIDAY IN SPAIN”
THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF THE BROTHERS GRIMM
Theater: Paramount
Premiere: October 10, 1962
Duration: 13 weeks
Format: Cinerama (3-strip)
Hype: “Now CINERAMA Tells A Story!”
THE BEST OF CINERAMA
Theater: Paramount
Premiere: January 9, 1963
Duration: 9 weeks
Format: Cinerama (3-strip)
Hype: “For The First Time CINERAMA’s Greatest Thrills Together In One Breathtaking Entertainment!”
HOW THE WEST WAS WON
Theater: Paramount
Premiere: April 11, 1963
Duration: 30 weeks
Format: Cinerama (3-strip)
Hype: “The Great Dramatic Motion Picture That Puts You In Every Scene!”
IT’S A MAD MAD MAD MAD WORLD
Theater: Valentine
Premiere: May 7, 1964
Duration: 25 weeks
Format: Cinerama (70mm)
Hype: “[The Valentine Is] Toledo’s New CINERAMA Home!” “The Biggest Entertainment Ever To Rock The CINERAMA Screen With Laughter!”
CIRCUS WORLD
Theater: Valentine
Premiere: February 10, 1965
Duration: 11 weeks
Format: Cinerama (70mm)
Hype: “CINERAMA Surrounds You With The Greatest Thrill-Packed Story Ever Filmed!”
MEDITERRANEAN HOLIDAY
Theater: Valentine
Premiere: June 30, 1965
Duration: 2 weeks
Format: Cinerama (70mm)
Hype: “Cool as a Mountain Breeze! An Ideal Vacation Treat!”
THE HALLELUJAH TRAIL
Theater: Valentine
Premiere: July 14, 1965
Duration: 11 weeks
Format: Cinerama (70mm)
Hype: “CINERAMA Sends You Roaring With Laughter And Adventure Down That Wide, Wonderful, Fun-Trail!”
THE GREATEST STORY EVER TOLD
Theater: Valentine
Premiere: September 29, 1965
Duration: 20 weeks
Format: Cinerama (70mm)
Hype: “A Rich, Rewarding Entertainment Experience for the Entire Family!!”
BATTLE OF THE BULGE
Theater: Cinema 1
Premiere: January 12, 1966
Duration: 15 weeks
Format: Cinerama (70mm)
Hype: “SUPER CINERAMA turns the screen into the mightiest battleground ever!”
RUSSIAN ADVENTURE
Theater: Cinema 1
Premiere: April 27, 1966
Duration: 4 weeks
Format: Cinerama (70mm)
Hype: “CINERAMA’s RUSSIAN ADVENTURE, Hosted By Bing Crosby, In Metrocolor and Fabulous Stereophonic Sound!”
KHARTOUM
Theater: Cinema 1
Premiere: June 29, 1966
Duration: 7 weeks
Format: Cinerama (70mm)
Hype: “Where The Nile Divides, The Great CINERAMA Adventure Begins!”
GRAND PRIX
Theater: Cinema 1
Premiere: March 1, 1967
Duration: 19 weeks
Format: Cinerama (70mm)
Hype: “CINERAMA sweeps YOU into a drama of speed and spectacle!”
AROUND THE WORLD IN EIGHTY DAYS (Re-Issue)
Theater: Cinema 1
Premiere: May 8, 1968
Duration: 5 weeks
Format: Cinerama (70mm)
Hype: “Shown For The 1st Time in CINERAMA”
2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY
Theater: Cinema 1
Premiere: June 12, 1968
Duration: 14 weeks
Format: Cinerama (70mm)
Hype: “An astounding entertainment experience, a dazzling trip to the planets and beyond the stars!”
ICE STATION ZEBRA
Theater: Cinema 1
Premiere: December 18, 1968
Duration: 11 weeks
Format: Cinerama (70mm)
Hype: “Ice Station Zebra…remember the name, your life may depend on it!”
KRAKATOA, EAST OF JAVA
Theater: Cinema 1
Premiere: August 13, 1969
Duration: 6 weeks
Format: Cinerama (70mm)
Hype: “The New CINERAMA hurls YOU into the incredible day that shook the earth to its core!”
THIS IS CINERAMA (Re-Issue)
Theater: Showcase Cinemas
Premiere: June 13, 1973
Duration: 4 weeks
Format: Cinerama (70mm)
Hype: “THIS IS CINERAMA Is Back To Entertain A Whole New Generation”
NOT SHOWN IN CINERAMA IN THE TOLEDO MARKET:
CUSTER OF THE WEST
Compiled by Michael Coate
References: The Blade, The Toledo Record
Comments (10)
“One of these things is not like the other,
One of these things just doesn’t belong,
Can you guess which thing is not like the other,
Before I finish my song.”
Sure is one BIG surprise in this list!
I assume that advertising “Around the World in Eighty Days” as being shown in Cinerama was a local promotional idea. The screen at the Cinema 1 (later the Showcase Cinemas) was not that deeply curved screen (compared to the Paramount’s) and only showed 70mm Cinerama films played there; I suppose any 70mm film could have been shown there with minimal distortion. There were a couple cases I have read about, especially in Europe, where a few other films (such as “Song of Norway”) were advertised as being “presented in Cinerama” or “playing on the big Cinerama screen”. I don’t know if the Cinerama, Inc. folks knew about this or if they objected.
I assume that advertising “Around the World in Eighty Days” as being shown in Cinerama was a local promotional idea. The screen at the Cinema 1 (later the Showcase Cinemas) was not that deeply curved (compared to the Paramount’s) and only 70mm Cinerama films played there; I suppose any 70mm film could have been shown there with minimal distortion. There were a couple cases I have read about, especially in Europe, where a few other films (such as “Song of Norway”) were advertised as being “presented in Cinerama” or “playing on the big Cinerama screen”. I don’t know if the Cinerama, Inc. folks knew about this or if they objected.
During that time as long as you paid the fee to Cinerama or D-150. You could say Presented in Cinerama or Presented in or on the D-150 screen. So if you paid the fee you could advertise and use the full screen. This was for the 70MM presentations. The masking contols in the booth had an extra masking stop marked.
I knew that this was the case with regard to D-150 equipped houses, but I was not aware that Cinerama, Inc. had a similar policy. I guess the fee must have been exorbitant or exhibitors did not in general think it was worth it as I cannot recall very many instances of 70mm non-Cinerama films being promoted this way.
I thought it would be interesting at this stage in the series to provide an updated list, arranged alphabetically, of the completed and yet-to-be-completed North American Cinerama markets. The completed entries have been courtesy-linked to their dedicated page.
Akron
Albany
Albuquerque
Atlanta
Baltimore
Birmingham
Boston
Buffalo
Calgary
Charlotte
Chattanooga
Chicago
Cincinnati
Cleveland
Columbus
Dallas
Dayton
Denver
Des Moines
Detroit
Edmonton
El Paso
Fargo
Erie
Fresno
Harrisburg
Hartford
Honolulu
Houston
Huntsville
Indianapolis
Jacksonville
Kansas City
Knoxville
Las Vegas
Lawrence, MA
London, ON
Long Island
Los Angeles
Louisville
Memphis
Miami
Milan, IL/Quad Cities
Milwaukee
Minneapolis
Montreal
Nanuet/Lower Hudson Valley
Nashville
New Haven
New Orleans
New York City
Norfolk/Hampton Roads
Northern New Jersey
Oklahoma City
Omaha
Orange County, CA
Orlando
Philadelphia
Phoenix
Pittsburgh
Portland
Providence
Reno
Rochester
Sacramento
St. Louis
Salt Lake City
San Diego
San Francisco
San Jose
Scranton
Seattle
Springfield, MA
Syracuse
Tacoma
Tampa
Toledo
Toronto
Tucson
Tulsa
Vancouver
Washington, DC
Wichita
Winnipeg
Worcester
Note that Fargo, Tacoma and Tucson are unconfirmed; it has not been definitively determined if those markets had an official Cinerama venue and/or showed any Cinerama presentations.
In time, some international markets will be featured in the series.
I cannot end this post without thanking my collaborators on this project, in particular Al Alvarez, Kirk Besse, Bill Huelbig, Mark Huffstetler, Bill Kretzel, Mark Lensenmayer, Stan Malone, Gabriel Neeb, Jim Perry, Bob Throop, and Vince Young.
And, finally, if any Cinema Treasures readers have access to the relevant resources and would like to contribute to the completion of the yet-to-be-completed Cinerama markets, please contact me.
Some Cinerama films were shown at the Falls Theater in Cuyahoga Falls, OH. Were you planning to to consider this as a separate market or include it in the Cleveland retrospective?
Cuyahoga Falls is in the Akron market.
1960 ad at View link
also have a look at the front section for another ad for Cinerama.
As a note of interest…the Valentine Theater, which became the “new home” of Cinerama in 1964 after the Paramount Theater closed had to mothball the Cinerama equipment after Cinema I got the exclusive rights to show 70mm Cinerama films in early 1966. For a very brief time the Cinerama screen was brought back in April of 1973 through 1974. They showed the following in 70mm… Hello Dolly, The Greatest Story Ever Told, Fiddler On The Roof (blow-up), This Is Cinerama and Song of Norway. These were the only 70mm films I can recall them showing. The Valentine closed as a movie theater in 1975. The Valentine’s installation blew away the Cinema I installation…better screen, better sound system.