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Remembering Cinerama (Part IX)
posted by
Coate
on
October 31, 2008 at 8:00 am
REMEMBERING CINERAMA
Part IX: Dallas
The following is Part Nine 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, film-by-film breakdown of when and where Cinerama and its multi-panel clones were exhibited. The easy-to-reference articles also 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 events took place. (The series will not describe the particulars of what Cinerama was or how it worked, as extensive coverage of such is accessible in numerous books and websites.)
Part I: New York
Part II: Chicago
Part III: San Francisco
Part IV: Houston
Part V: Washington, D.C.
Part VI: Los Angeles
Part VII: Atlanta
Part VIII: San Diego
And now…Part IX: Cinerama Presentations in Dallas!
THIS IS CINERAMA
Theater: Melba
Premiere: 01 July 1954
Engagement Duration: 43 weeks
Format: 3-Strip Cinerama
Promotional Hype: “Cinerama Comes To Texas! Now that you’ve seen all the others…get set for the revolutionary screen entertainment event that puts you in the picture!”
CINERAMA HOLIDAY
Theater: Melba
Premiere: 27 April 1955
Duration: 52 weeks
Format: 3-Strip Cinerama
Hype: “The New Cinerama…Even More Fabulous Than The First”
SEVEN WONDERS OF THE WORLD
Theater: Melba
Premiere: 01 May 1956
Duration: 55 weeks
Format: 3-Strip Cinerama
Hype: “Most Fabulous Adventure Of All Time!”
SEARCH FOR PARADISE
Theater: Melba
Premiere: 02 October 1957
Duration: 33 weeks
Format: 3-Strip Cinerama
Hype: “The newest, most exciting Cinerama of them all…”
WINDJAMMER
Theater: Wynnewood
Premiere: 25 January 1961
Duration: 9 weeks
Format: 3-Strip Cinemiracle
Hype: “The Most Wanted Tickets In Texas! 3 Headed Camera! Wrap-Around Sound! Thrill After Thrill!”
SOUTH SEAS ADVENTURE
Theater: Capri
Premiere: 03 October 1961
Duration: 11 weeks
Format: 3-Strip Cinerama
Hype: “The Newest Cinerama Production! The Capri Theatre in Dallas, at a cost of $150,000, has installed special all-new perfected equipment and becomes the only theatre in all of North Texas that can or will show Cinerama productions!”
THIS IS CINERAMA (Return Engagement)
Theater: Capri
Premiere: 22 December 1961
Duration: 6 weeks
Format: 3-Strip Cinerama
Hype: “You Become Part Of The World’s Greatest Theatrical Attraction When You See THIS IS CINERAMA. Will Never Be Shown Again…Your Last Chance!”
SEVEN WONDERS OF THE WORLD (Return Engagement)
Theater: Capri
Premiere: 02 February 1962
Duration: 3 weeks
Format: 3-Strip Cinerama
Hype: “Beyond The Vastest Horizon Of Imagination!”
THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF THE BROTHERS GRIMM
Theater: Capri
Premiere: 15 August 1962
Duration: 12 weeks
Format: 3-Strip Cinerama
Hype: “The First Dramatic Film In Fabulous Cinerama!”
HOW THE WEST WAS WON
Theater: Capri
Premiere: 27 February 1963
Duration: 33 weeks
Format: 3-Strip Cinerama
Hype: “The Great Dramatic Motion Picture That Puts You In Every Scene!”
IT’S A MAD MAD MAD MAD WORLD
Theater: Capri
Premiere: 20 December 1963
Duration: 23 weeks
Format: 70mm
Hype: “The Biggest Entertainment Ever To Rock The Cinerama Screen With Laughter!”
CIRCUS WORLD
Theater: Capri
Premiere: 24 June 1964 (World Premiere)
Duration: 11 weeks
Format: 70mm
Hype: “Cinerama Surrounds You with the Greatest Thrill-Packed Story Ever Filmed!”
THE GREATEST STORY EVER TOLD
Theater: Capri
Premiere: 17 March 1965
Duration: 19 weeks
Format: 70mm
Hype: None
THE HALLELUJAH TRAIL
Theater: Capri
Premiere: 27 July 1965
Duration: 9 weeks
Format: 70mm
Hype: “Cinerama Sends You Roaring With Laughter And Adventure Down That Wide, Wonderful Fun-Trail!”
BATTLE OF THE BULGE
Theater: Capri
Premiere: 22 December 1965
Duration: 10 weeks
Format: 70mm
Hype: “Super Cinerama turns the screen into the mightiest battleground ever!”
KHARTOUM
Theater: Capri
Premiere: 29 June 1966
Duration: 7 weeks
Format: 70mm
Hype: “Where The Nile Divides, The Great Cinerama Adventure Begins!”
RUSSIAN ADVENTURE
Theater: Capri
Premiere: 17 August 1966
Duration: 1 week
Format: 70mm
Hype: “It is more than you have ever seen…more than you have ever known of adventure…as the original Cinerama brings you the entertainment achievement of a lifetime!”
GRAND PRIX
Theater: Capri
Premiere: 25 January 1967
Duration: 14 weeks
Format: 70mm
Hype: “Cinerama Sweeps You Into A Drama Of Speed And Spectacle!”
CUSTER OF THE WEST
Theater: Capri
Premiere: 24 January 1968 (American Premiere)
Duration: 3 weeks
Format: 70mm
Hype: “A man too big for legend. A motion picture too big for any screen except Cinerama!”
2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY
Theater: Capri
Premiere: 29 May 1968
Duration: 24 weeks
Format: 70mm
Hype: “An Epic Drama Of Adventure And Exploration!”
ICE STATION ZEBRA
Theater: Capri
Premiere: 13 November 1968
Duration: 13 weeks
Format: 70mm
Hype: “Ice Station Zebra…remember the name, your life may depend on it!”
NOTES
Dallas was the 13th city in which a theater equipped for Cinerama exhibition.
During a 1961 renovation, the MELBA Theater was renamed the CAPRI.
NEVER SHOWN IN CINERAMA
HOLIDAY IN SPAIN
THE BEST OF CINERAMA
MEDITERRANEAN HOLIDAY
KRAKATOA, EAST OF JAVA (reserved-seat 70mm run at the Tower)
THIS IS CINERAMA (1973 70mm re-issue)
Compiled by Michael Coate
Source: The Dallas Morning News and Variety
