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Remembering Cinerama (Part 24: Albuquerque)
posted by
Coate
on
March 27, 2009 at 8:02 am
REMEMBERING CINERAMA
Part 24: Albuquerque
The following is Part Twenty-four 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, historical record 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.
Part 1: New York
Part 2: Chicago
Part 3: San Francisco
Part 4: Houston
Part 5: Washington, D.C.
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
And now… Part 24: Cinerama Presentations in Albuquerque, New Mexico!
THIS IS CINERAMA
Theater: Fox Winrock
Premiere: March 24, 1964
Engagement Duration: 7 weeks
Format: Cinerama (3-strip)
Promotional Hype: “THIS IS CINERAMA Can Only Be Seen At The Fox, New Mexico’s Exclusive CINERAMA Theatre”
SOUTH SEAS ADVENTURE
Theater: Fox Winrock
Premiere: May 13, 1964
Duration: 6 weeks
Format: Cinerama (3-strip)
Hype: “CINERAMA Sweeps You To The Tropic Isles Of Your Dreams…”
IT’S A MAD MAD MAD MAD WORLD
Theater: Fox Winrock
Premiere: June 24, 1964 (Mountain States Premiere)
Duration: 13 weeks
Format: Cinerama (70mm)
Hype: “The Biggest Entertainment Ever To Rock The CINERAMA Screen With Laughter!”
CIRCUS WORLD
Theater: Fox Winrock
Premiere: September 23, 1964 (Mountain States Premiere)
Duration: 4 weeks
Format: Cinerama (70mm)
Hype: “CINERAMA Surrounds You With The Greatest Thrill-Packed Story Ever Filmed!”
SEVEN WONDERS OF THE WORLD
Theater: Fox Winrock
Premiere: October 21, 1964
Duration: 5 weeks
Format: Cinerama (3-strip)
Hype: “An Entertainment Of Such Irresistible Fascination… That Only THE MIRACLE OF CINERAMA Could Encompass It! Cannot And Will Not Be Shown In Any Local Or Neighborhood Theatre!”
SEARCH FOR PARADISE
Theater: Fox Winrock
Premiere: November 25, 1964
Duration: 4 weeks
Format: Cinerama (3-strip)
Hype: “Dream No More! Now You Live It Through CINERAMA”
WINDJAMMER
Theater: Fox Winrock
Premiere: December 23, 1964
Duration: 5 weeks
Format: Cinerama (3-strip)
Hype: “Swashbuckling Adventure Story! Produced in CINEMIRACLE, Presented in CINERAMA”
THE BEST OF CINERAMA
Theater: Fox Winrock
Premiere: January 27, 1965 (Mountain States Premiere)
Duration: 3 weeks
Format: Cinerama (3-strip)
Hype: “See The Highlights Of All CINERAMA Thrills In One Production!”
MEDITERRANEAN HOLIDAY
Theater: Fox Winrock
Premiere: May 5, 1965 (Southwest Premiere)
Duration: 4 weeks
Format: Cinerama (70mm)
Hype: “All New Super 70mm Presentation! Full Stereophonic Sound! See It On The Large CINERAMA Screen!”
THE HALLELUJAH TRAIL
Theater: Fox Winrock
Premiere: July 21, 1965
Duration: 10 weeks
Format: Cinerama (70mm)
Hype: “Filmed in New Mexico! CINERAMA Sends You Roaring With Laughter And Adventure Down That Wide, Wonderful, Fun-Trail!”
THE GREATEST STORY EVER TOLD
Theater: Fox Winrock
Premiere: October 13, 1965
Duration: 10 weeks
Format: Cinerama (70mm)
Hype: “A Rich, Rewarding Entertainment Experience for the Entire Family”
BATTLE OF THE BULGE
Theater: Fox Winrock
Premiere: February 9, 1966
Duration: 8 weeks
Format: Cinerama (70mm)
Hype: “Unlike Anything You Have Ever Seen! The Super Action Show In Super CINERAMA”
KHARTOUM
Theater: Fox Winrock
Premiere: June 29, 1966
Duration: 6 weeks
Format: Cinerama (70mm)
Hype: “Where The Nile Divides, Their Mighty Conflict Begins!”
GRAND PRIX
Theater: Fox Winrock
Premiere: June 14, 1967
Duration: 8 weeks
Format: Cinerama (70mm)
Hype: “Brace Yourself For CINERAMA Thrills You’ve Never Experienced!”
2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY
Theater: Fox Winrock
Premiere: October 2, 1968
Duration: 12 weeks
Format: Cinerama (70mm)
Hype: “An astounding entertainment experience, a dazzling trip to the moon, the planets and the still more distant stars”
ICE STATION ZEBRA
Theater: Fox Winrock
Premiere: March 5, 1969
Duration: 8 weeks
Format: Cinerama (70mm)
Hype: “Ice Station Zebra…remember the name, your life may depend on it!”
NEVER SHOWN IN CINERAMA IN THE ALBUQUERQUE MARKET:
CINERAMA HOLIDAY
HOLIDAY IN SPAIN
THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF THE BROTHERS GRIMM (general-release engagement at Sunshine)
HOW THE WEST WAS WON (general-release engagement at Sunshine)
RUSSIAN ADVENTURE
CUSTER OF THE WEST
KRAKATOA, EAST OF JAVA (general-release engagement at Fox Winrock)
THIS IS CINERAMA 1973 re-issue
TRIVIA:
Albuquerque was the last market in the United States to be given a 3-strip Cinerama installation.
Alternate names used in newspaper promotion for Albuquerque’s Fox Winrock Theater included: Fox, Fox-Winrock, Fox Cinerama, Fox Cinerama Winrock, Fox Winrock Cinerama, and Fox Winrock Center.
Compiled by Michael Coate
Source: Albuquerque Journal and The Albuquerque Tribune
Comments (4)
Michael,
Regarding the trivia, the Teatro Cinerama in San Juan, Puerto Rico may have been the last 3-strip installation in US soil. If I remember correctly, this happened sometime in 1965.
I’ve said it before, and will say it again: this has been a truly great series!
JSA
Does this mean Miami never had three-strip?
Al…What does Miami have to do with Albuquerque or San Juan? At any rate, yes, Miami had 3-strip Cinerama presentations (at the FLORIDA, ROOSEVELT and SHERIDAN). I plan to feature Miami in this series sometime in the future.
Were you misled into thinking this series had concluded because I mentioned Albuquerque being the last 3-strip market and/or because JSA used the past tense when giving his opinion on the series?
JSA…you have a point since Puerto Rico is a U.S. territory. I wasn’t thinking of it in those terms, though, since the film industry generally considers Puerto Rico an international market.
That was exactly what I thought, Michael. Thanks for clearing that up.