Thirty-five years ago today, Toronto’s University was among three North American theaters to open Francis Ford Coppola’s “Apocalypse Now” in a reserved-performance, guaranteed-seat exclusive engagement. A 35th anniversary retrospective article was posted today at The Digital Bits.
WARNER
THIS IS CINERAMA
CINERAMA HOLIDAY
SEVEN WONDERS OF THE WORLD
SEARCH FOR PARADISE
WINDJAMMER
SOUTH SEAS ADVENTURE
THE BIG FISHERMAN
BEN-HUR
SPARTACUS
KING OF KINGS
JUDGMENT AT NUREMBERG
EL CID
MUTINY ON THE BOUNTY
CLEOPATRA
THE FALL OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE
MY FAIR LADY
DOCTOR ZHIVAGO
HAWAII
CAMELOT
DOCTOR DOLITTLE
STAR!
HELLO, DOLLY!
APEX
LORD JIM
THOSE MAGNIFICENT MEN IN THEIR FLYING MACHINES
IS PARIS BURNING?
THE TAMING OF THE SHREW
GONE WITH THE WIND (1967 re-issue)
FINIAN’S RAINBOW
THE LION IN WINTER
GOODBYE, MR. CHIPS
PAINT YOUR WAGON
PATTON
NICHOLAS AND ALEXANDRA
ONTARIO
RAINTREE COUNTY
THE LONGEST DAY
LAWRENCE OF ARABIA
BECKET
THE SOUND OF MUSIC
THE SAND PEBBLES
THE HAPPIEST MILLIONAIRE
THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE
HALF A SIXPENCE
WAR AND PEACE
FUNNY GIRL
MACARTHUR
A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS
OLIVER!
SONG OF NORWAY
YOUNG WINSTON
L’ENFANT
THE SHOES OF THE FISHERMAN
BEN-HUR (1969 re-issue)
TRANS-LUX
THE BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI
THE CARDINAL
A few weeks ago techman707 wrote: “Upon further investigation it appears I was correct. Cheyenne Autumn did have its ‘World Premiere’ at the The Lincoln Theater, 1615 Central Avenue in downtown Cheyenne, Wyoming on October 1, 1964. It opened at the Capitol on October 3, 1964.”
Referencing more credible source material reveals the world premiere of “Cheyenne Autumn” was actually held in London in mid-October 1964; the early-October event in Cheyenne, Wyoming, was simply a press preview. And, as Al Alvarez correctly pointed out, the film opened on a roadshow basis at the Capitol in New York on December 23, 1964. The first of its few roadshow bookings in the United States was in Denver (presumably because Denver was the roadshow market closest to Cheyenne), opening a week before New York.
bigjoe59… Here’s my work-in-progress listing of the time period you’re asking about. The roadshow bookings are in bold.
1956-11-01 … OKLAHOMA! <23 weeks> 70mm
1957-04-08 … AROUND THE WORLD IN EIGHTY DAYS <51> 70mm
1958-04-01 … SOUTH PACIFIC <32> 70mm 1958-11-12 … THE OLD MAN AND THE SEA <6> 1958-12-23 … SOUTH PACIFIC <8> 70mm
1959-02-18 … SLEEPING BEAUTY <11> 70mm
1959-05-06 … SAYONARA <2> 1959-05-19 … THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK <5> stereo
1959-06-24 … AUNTIE MAME <1>
1959-07-02 … THE BIG CIRCUS <5>
1959-08-07 … THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK <1> stereo
1959-08-14 … INDISCREET <9> 1959-10-14 … PORGY AND BESS <12> 70mm
1960-01-06 … PILLOW TALK <1>
1960-01-14 … BELOVED INFIDEL <1>
1960-01-21 … A SUMMER PLACE <1>
1960-01-28 … THE LAST ANGRY MAN <1>
1960-02-04 … LIBEL <1>
1960-02-11 … ANATOMY OF A MURDER <1>
1960-02-19 … NEVER SO FEW <1>
1960-02-26 … LI’L ABNER <1>
1960-03-03 … ROOM AT THE TOP <1>
1960-03-10 … SOME LIKE IT HOT <1>
1960-03-17 … ON THE BEACH <1>
1960-03-24 … THE MOUSE THAT ROARED <1>
1960-03-31 … OPERATION PETTICOAT <2>
1960-04-13 … THE SHAGGY DOG <4 days>
1960-04-17 … DAMN YANKEES <3 days>
1960-04-20 … BELL BOOK AND CANDLE <2 days>
1960-04-22 … THE BRAMBLE BUSH <1>
1960-04-28 … WHO WAS THAT LADY? <1>
1960-05-06 … THE SWORD AND THE CROSS <1>
1960-05-13 … WILD STRAWBERRIES <2> 1960-05-25 … CAN-CAN <19> 70mm 1960-10-06 … SUNRISE AT CAMPOBELLO <8>
1960-12-01 … EMBEZZLED HEAVEN <3> 1960-12-23 … THE ALAMO <8> 70mm
1961-02-20 … EXODUS <18> 70mm
1961-06-28 … SPARTACUS moveover from Warner <11 (35)> 70mm
1961-09-15 … FANNY <6>
1961-10-25 … UPSTAIRS AND DOWNSTAIRS <1>
1961-11-03 … CAROUSEL <2> stereo 1961-11-14 … WEST SIDE STORY <42> 70mm
1962-09-04 … theater closed <9> 1962-11-07 … THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF THE BROTHERS GRIMM <18> Cinerama
1963-03-14 … HOW THE WEST WAS WON <44> Cinerama
1964-02-19 … IT’S A MAD MAD MAD MAD WORLD <36> “Cinerama” 1964-10-28 … CIRCUS WORLD <3> “Cinerama”
1964-11-20 … LILI <5>
1964-12-25 … FATHER GOOSE <10>
1965-03-10 … THE GREATEST STORY EVER TOLD <19> “Cinerama” 1965-07-20 … THE HALLELUJAH TRAIL <9> “Cinerama” 1965-09-22 … MEDITERRANEAN HOLIDAY <6> “Cinerama” 1965-11-03 … THE AGONY AND THE ECSTASY <18> 70mm
1966-03-09 … BATTLE OF THE BULGE <15> “Cinerama” 1966-06-23 … KHARTOUM <13> “Cinerama”
1966-09-21 … JOHN F. KENNEDY: YEARS OF LIGHTNING, DAY OF DRUMS <5> 1966-10-26 … THE BIBLE: IN THE BEGINNING… <29> 70mm
1967-05-24 … GRAND PRIX <21> “Cinerama” 1967-10-19 … FAR FROM THE MADDING CROWD <14> 70mm
1968-01-26 … LOVE MATES <3>
1968-02-16 … GRAND SLAM <2>
1968-03-01 … DOCTOR ZHIVAGO <5> 1968-04-02 … 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY <52> “Cinerama”
1969-04-02 … ICE STATION ZEBRA <12> “Cinerama” 1969-06-25 … SWEET CHARITY <13> 70mm
1969-09-24 … A MAN AND A WOMAN / BELLE DE JOUR <1>
1969-10-01 … JOURNEY TO THE FAR SIDE OF THE SUN <1>
1969-10-10 … CAN HEIRONYMUS MERKIN EVER FORGET… <1>
1969-10-17 … DOCTOR ZHIVAGO <1>
1969-10-22 … THE MADWOMAN OF CHAILLOT <4>
1969-11-19 … DON’T DRINK THE WATER <5>
1969-12-24 … MARRY ME! MARRY ME! <2>
1970-01-07 … TRILOGY <?>
1970-??–?? … GONE WITH THE WIND <?> 70mm 1970-02-08 … MAROONED <10> 70mm
1970-04-22 … 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY <5> 70mm 1970-05-27 … HELLO, DOLLY! moveover from Warner <17 (40)> 70mm 1970-09-24 … TORA! TORA! TORA! <20> 70mm
1971-02-10 … THE LAST VALLEY <2> 70mm
1971-02-24 … MY FAIR LADY <6> 70mm
1971-04-07 … WATERLOO <7> 70mm
1971-05-26 … RED SKY AT MORNING <2>
1971-06-09 … DR. NO / FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE <3>
1971-06-30 … MURPHY’S WAR <3>
1971-07-21 … EVEL KNIEVEL <5>
1971-08-25 … GONE WITH THE WIND <4> 70mm
1971-09-22 … WINDJAMMER <2>
1971-10-06 … AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS / WEST SIDE STORY <5> 70mm 1971-11-10 … FIDDLER ON THE ROOF <57> 70mm
1972-12-13 … MAN OF LA MANCHA <18> 70mm
1973-04-18 … 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY <8> 70mm
1973-06-13 … FIDDLER ON THE ROOF <2> 70mm
1973-06-27 … JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR <14> stereo 1973-10-03 … THIS IS CINERAMA <6> 70mm
raysson’s latest comment contradicts my comment from January 2nd. Per his request, I recently sent him some information pertaining to early Dolby installations in North Carolina, but, unfortunately, it would appear he has misinterpreted that info. What I had mentioned to him in regard to this theater was that Dolby’s records suggest a timeframe of no earlier than December 1978 and no later than July 1980 as when this theater first had installed a Dolby cinema processor. If, however, he insists a Dolby unit was in place in time for “Grease” (June 1978), well, let him prove it!
(raysson: How is “Dolby” handled in the Chapel Hill newspaper ads for “Grease”? Is there explicit text indicating a Dolby presentation and/or new sound system installtion? If it’s merely the Dolby logo embedded into the ad, then I hardly think that qualifies as an indicator this theater ran “Grease” in Dolby Stereo.)
Eastwood wrote: “The first public showing of STAR WARS was at 12:45 p.m. on Wednesday, May 25, 1977. We had 2 invitational (sold out) showings at 8:00 p.m. on Monday and Tuesday prior. We modified the showtimes to add a midnight showing on Friday and Saturday beginning 7 days later beginning on Friday, June 3rd and we continued with midnight shows the remainder of the summer.”
Thank you for that, including clarifying the situation with the midnight screenings. On this comments page way back in 2006 I couldn’t seem to convince another member that any midnight screenings of the original STAR WARS took place after the opening rather than on opening night. There was simply no way an unheard of movie would open with a midnight screening on a Tuesday night during the spring in the Mid-West.
And here are a few things that don’t quite match up with my research….
Eastwood wrote: “Our exclusive run for the state of Indiana was for 12 weeks. However, the popularity of the show blew all records and Fox added Glendale, Eastgate, Greenwood and 1 other (I forget) theatre at the 8 week mark with additional openings each week for most of the summer.”
My research shows that the expanded bookings of STAR WARS during Week #9 were actually at Lafayette Square and Regency, not the ones you cite. (Glendale played it the following summer during the saturation re-release.)
Eastwood wrote: “The original 25' by 40' screen and red traveler curtains were replaced in 1973 with a 64', 36° curved Cinerama screen for the re-issue of the original 7 Cinerama movies beginning with THIS IS CINERAMA. The Cinerama movies failed at the box office and Cinerama, Inc. abandoned the idea. That is how the giant screen and Cinerama lenses for STAR WARS came to be in the Eastwood.”
Only the first Cinerama film got re-released. There may have been plans to do more or all of them but ultimately only the first one got re-released in 1973.
Eastwood wrote: “GREASE enjoyed a 28 week run leading up to the opening of our Christmas picture that year, Disney’s BLACK HOLE.”
THE BLACK HOLE was a Christmas 1979 release, not 1978. So which film actually played the Eastwood at Christmas 1978? I know it wasn’t SUPERMAN. Maybe INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS? Or, given the Clint Eastwood connection…EVERY WHICH WAY BUT LOOSE?
Eastwood wrote: “Other great pictures followed for shorter runs leading up to our June 1979 premier of ALIEN.”
ALIEN opened May 25th, the same day as STAR WARS two years earlier.
raysson wrote: “Dobly Stereo System was installed in this theatre for the June 16,1978 opening of ‘GREASE’”
Dolby’s installation records indicate a Dolby sound system (CP50) was installed at the Manor in February 1978, not June.
Movies released with Dolby Stereo prints in the early months of 1978 ahead of “Grease” included “FM,” “Big Wednesday,” “The Manitou,” and the re-release of “American Graffiti.” As well, ‘77 Dolby productions still in release in early '78 included “Star Wars,” “Close Encounters of the Third Kind,” Saturday Night Fever,“ and “Pete’s Dragon.” I haven’t researched it, but it’s possible one or more of those played at the Manor in a Dolby Stereo presentation before “Grease.”
dickneeds111 wrote: “"Oklahoma was shot both in Cinemascope and Todd AO at the same time.”
Yeah, but they weren’t distributed at the same time. In North America, only Todd-AO prints, distributed by Magna, were booked for the first thirteen months of the film’s release. Then the 35mm CinemaScope version, distributed by 20th Century-Fox, became available for hundreds of general-release bookings. All of the original roadshow engagements were the 70mm version (except for the final few weeks of the Detroit engagement which had been switched to the 35mm version as a test).
On a related note, some of you may recall a while ago I posted a list of the original roadshow engagements of “Oklahoma!” This info may clarify many of the points mentioned in the discussion going on here on the Astor page. Here again is the link if you wish to take a refresher look or if you missed it when first posted. The list is complete, as far as I know, up to the point in time the 35mm general release began. (There were a few more 70mm presentations that began beyond my cut-off point — plus international — but I didn’t include them because I wanted to present a concise timeline.)
dickneeds111 wrote: “As far as Oklahoma it ran at the Saxon in 35mm cinemascope roadshow for most of its engagement until Todd AO was put in and then in Todd AO for the rest of its engagement.”
Not true, dickneeds111. There’s plenty of evidence available to support the claim that the Saxon installed Todd-AO equipment specifically for the “Oklahoma!” engagement, which began in September 1956. That was two months before any 35mm prints of “Oklahoma!” were put into circulation. The timeline alone proves you wrong.
dickneeds111 wrote: “Raintree County from what I have read was filmed in Camera 65(same as Ben Hur) but was never shown in 70mm on its 1st release anywhere. MGM said they could not get any 70mm theatres in the country because they were all booked solid at that time.”
It’s a myth that there weren’t any available 70mm theaters to show “Raintree County.” The theater in which its world premiere engagement was held, the Brown in Louisville, was 70mm-equipped at the time, having previously played “Oklahoma!” and “Around the World in Eighty Days.” Also among the first few bookings of “Raintree County” when it was still a roadshow was the McVickers in Chicago, which had Todd-AO installed for “Oklahoma!.” If no 70mm prints were made for “Raintree County” it was a choice made by the distributor for reasons other than theater availability.
Prior to “Porgy and Bess” the Astor ran another large-format movie: “Raintree County,” which had a roadshow run there in autumn ‘57 (though I suspect it was screened from a 35mm reduction print, though some historians might debate that).
RogerA wrote: “So far with all of my research the first 70mm film to run at the Astor was Spartacus. The Gary got Todd-AO in ‘57 and it appears that Oklahoma and Around the World in 80 Days ran at what is now the Wang Center and what was then the Metropolitan.”
All of those claims I believe are incorrect! My research informs me that “Porgy and Bess” was the first 70mm presentation at the Astor, commencing in August 1959, fourteen months before “Spartacus.”
The Gary’s first 70mm presentation appears to have been “Sleeping Beauty” in 1959.
“Oklahoma!” and “Around the World in 80 Days” played their Boston roadshow runs at the Saxon, not the Wang Center/Metropolitan.
boxcop… At the time of the “Superman” engagement, the Dome Complex and the Town & Country were in competition with each other. The Domes were run by Syufy and the Town & Country was run by Mann. Syufy’s (aka Century) ownership of the Town & Country came years later. See my Still Believing A Man Can Fly article for a reference to Town & Country being a Mann operation in 1978/79 (and for a list of where else “Superman” played when it was new).
boxcop… At the time of the “Superman” engagement, the Dome Complex and the Town & Country were in competition with each other. The Domes were run by Syufy and the Town & Country was run by Mann. Syufy’s (aka Century) ownership of the Town & Country came years later. See my Still Believing A Man Can Fly article for a reference to Town & Country being a Mann operation in 1978/79 (and for a list of where else “Superman” played when it was new).
boxcop… At the time of the “Superman” engagement, the Dome Complex and the Town & Country were in competition with each other. The Domes were run by Syufy and the Town & Country was run by Mann. Syufy’s (aka Century) ownership of the Town & Country came years later. See my Still Believing A Man Can Fly article for a reference to Town & Country being a Mann operation in 1978/79 (and for a list of where else “Superman” played when it was new).
boxcop… At the time of the “Superman” engagement, the Dome Complex and the Town & Country were in competition with each other. The Domes were run by Syufy and the Town & Country was run by Mann. Syufy’s (aka Century) ownership of the Town & Country came years later. See my Still Believing A Man Can Fly article for a reference to Town & Country being a Mann operation in 1978/79 (and for a list of where else “Superman” played when it was new).
RSM3853…I’d hate to think your effort will go to waste if folks choose not to read them because they dislike the layout or question the accuracy/comprehensiveness of the information. Using Wednesday dates is your prerogative, of course, but I think it will lead to confusion. Some titles are listed a week late (CLEOPATRA, for instance) and I suspect it’s because you used Variety, which reports grosses a week after the reporting period.
Having spent numerous hours researching JAWS for a retrospective article, I can state that I found no theaters that opened it on Wednesday, June 18th, 1975. I found all “first wave” openings were Friday, June, 20th (but I guess you should list it as the 18th if you insist on using the “Wednesday of the opening week” approach).
You don’t need to re-type everything. It’s the Cinema Treasures application that is causing the jumbled paragraph layout. To create a list, simply paste in your title, then follow it with two spaces and a hard return, and it will create…
10/17/56 Around the World in 80 Days
10/01/58 South Pacific
04/01/59 Compulsion…
Thirty-five years ago today, Toronto’s University was among three North American theaters to open Francis Ford Coppola’s “Apocalypse Now” in a reserved-performance, guaranteed-seat exclusive engagement. A 35th anniversary retrospective article was posted today at The Digital Bits.
bigjoe59….
WARNER
THIS IS CINERAMA
CINERAMA HOLIDAY
SEVEN WONDERS OF THE WORLD
SEARCH FOR PARADISE
WINDJAMMER
SOUTH SEAS ADVENTURE
THE BIG FISHERMAN
BEN-HUR
SPARTACUS
KING OF KINGS
JUDGMENT AT NUREMBERG
EL CID
MUTINY ON THE BOUNTY
CLEOPATRA
THE FALL OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE
MY FAIR LADY
DOCTOR ZHIVAGO
HAWAII
CAMELOT
DOCTOR DOLITTLE
STAR!
HELLO, DOLLY!
APEX
LORD JIM
THOSE MAGNIFICENT MEN IN THEIR FLYING MACHINES
IS PARIS BURNING?
THE TAMING OF THE SHREW
GONE WITH THE WIND (1967 re-issue)
FINIAN’S RAINBOW
THE LION IN WINTER
GOODBYE, MR. CHIPS
PAINT YOUR WAGON
PATTON
NICHOLAS AND ALEXANDRA
ONTARIO
RAINTREE COUNTY
THE LONGEST DAY
LAWRENCE OF ARABIA
BECKET
THE SOUND OF MUSIC
THE SAND PEBBLES
THE HAPPIEST MILLIONAIRE
THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE
HALF A SIXPENCE
WAR AND PEACE
FUNNY GIRL
MACARTHUR
A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS
OLIVER!
SONG OF NORWAY
YOUNG WINSTON
L’ENFANT
THE SHOES OF THE FISHERMAN
BEN-HUR (1969 re-issue)
TRANS-LUX
THE BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI
THE CARDINAL
AVALON
LAST TANGO IN PARIS
CINEMA
FUNNY GIRL (moveover from Ontario)
COLUMBIA
GIGI
KEITH’S
THE TEN COMMANDMENTS
PALACE
IN HARM’S WAY
PLAYHOUSE
THE BLUE MAX
TOWN
CHITTY CHITTY BANG BANG
A few weeks ago techman707 wrote: “Upon further investigation it appears I was correct. Cheyenne Autumn did have its ‘World Premiere’ at the The Lincoln Theater, 1615 Central Avenue in downtown Cheyenne, Wyoming on October 1, 1964. It opened at the Capitol on October 3, 1964.”
Referencing more credible source material reveals the world premiere of “Cheyenne Autumn” was actually held in London in mid-October 1964; the early-October event in Cheyenne, Wyoming, was simply a press preview. And, as Al Alvarez correctly pointed out, the film opened on a roadshow basis at the Capitol in New York on December 23, 1964. The first of its few roadshow bookings in the United States was in Denver (presumably because Denver was the roadshow market closest to Cheyenne), opening a week before New York.
bigjoe59… Here’s my work-in-progress listing of the time period you’re asking about. The roadshow bookings are in bold.
1956-11-01 … OKLAHOMA! <23 weeks> 70mm
1957-04-08 … AROUND THE WORLD IN EIGHTY DAYS <51> 70mm
1958-04-01 … SOUTH PACIFIC <32> 70mm
1958-11-12 … THE OLD MAN AND THE SEA <6>
1958-12-23 … SOUTH PACIFIC <8> 70mm
1959-02-18 … SLEEPING BEAUTY <11> 70mm
1959-05-06 … SAYONARA <2>
1959-05-19 … THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK <5> stereo
1959-06-24 … AUNTIE MAME <1>
1959-07-02 … THE BIG CIRCUS <5>
1959-08-07 … THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK <1> stereo
1959-08-14 … INDISCREET <9>
1959-10-14 … PORGY AND BESS <12> 70mm
1960-01-06 … PILLOW TALK <1>
1960-01-14 … BELOVED INFIDEL <1>
1960-01-21 … A SUMMER PLACE <1>
1960-01-28 … THE LAST ANGRY MAN <1>
1960-02-04 … LIBEL <1>
1960-02-11 … ANATOMY OF A MURDER <1>
1960-02-19 … NEVER SO FEW <1>
1960-02-26 … LI’L ABNER <1>
1960-03-03 … ROOM AT THE TOP <1>
1960-03-10 … SOME LIKE IT HOT <1>
1960-03-17 … ON THE BEACH <1>
1960-03-24 … THE MOUSE THAT ROARED <1>
1960-03-31 … OPERATION PETTICOAT <2>
1960-04-13 … THE SHAGGY DOG <4 days>
1960-04-17 … DAMN YANKEES <3 days>
1960-04-20 … BELL BOOK AND CANDLE <2 days>
1960-04-22 … THE BRAMBLE BUSH <1>
1960-04-28 … WHO WAS THAT LADY? <1>
1960-05-06 … THE SWORD AND THE CROSS <1>
1960-05-13 … WILD STRAWBERRIES <2>
1960-05-25 … CAN-CAN <19> 70mm
1960-10-06 … SUNRISE AT CAMPOBELLO <8>
1960-12-01 … EMBEZZLED HEAVEN <3>
1960-12-23 … THE ALAMO <8> 70mm
1961-02-20 … EXODUS <18> 70mm
1961-06-28 … SPARTACUS moveover from Warner <11 (35)> 70mm
1961-09-15 … FANNY <6>
1961-10-25 … UPSTAIRS AND DOWNSTAIRS <1>
1961-11-03 … CAROUSEL <2> stereo
1961-11-14 … WEST SIDE STORY <42> 70mm
1962-09-04 … theater closed <9>
1962-11-07 … THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF THE BROTHERS GRIMM <18> Cinerama
1963-03-14 … HOW THE WEST WAS WON <44> Cinerama
1964-02-19 … IT’S A MAD MAD MAD MAD WORLD <36> “Cinerama”
1964-10-28 … CIRCUS WORLD <3> “Cinerama”
1964-11-20 … LILI <5>
1964-12-25 … FATHER GOOSE <10>
1965-03-10 … THE GREATEST STORY EVER TOLD <19> “Cinerama”
1965-07-20 … THE HALLELUJAH TRAIL <9> “Cinerama”
1965-09-22 … MEDITERRANEAN HOLIDAY <6> “Cinerama”
1965-11-03 … THE AGONY AND THE ECSTASY <18> 70mm
1966-03-09 … BATTLE OF THE BULGE <15> “Cinerama”
1966-06-23 … KHARTOUM <13> “Cinerama”
1966-09-21 … JOHN F. KENNEDY: YEARS OF LIGHTNING, DAY OF DRUMS <5>
1966-10-26 … THE BIBLE: IN THE BEGINNING… <29> 70mm
1967-05-24 … GRAND PRIX <21> “Cinerama”
1967-10-19 … FAR FROM THE MADDING CROWD <14> 70mm
1968-01-26 … LOVE MATES <3>
1968-02-16 … GRAND SLAM <2>
1968-03-01 … DOCTOR ZHIVAGO <5>
1968-04-02 … 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY <52> “Cinerama”
1969-04-02 … ICE STATION ZEBRA <12> “Cinerama”
1969-06-25 … SWEET CHARITY <13> 70mm
1969-09-24 … A MAN AND A WOMAN / BELLE DE JOUR <1>
1969-10-01 … JOURNEY TO THE FAR SIDE OF THE SUN <1>
1969-10-10 … CAN HEIRONYMUS MERKIN EVER FORGET… <1>
1969-10-17 … DOCTOR ZHIVAGO <1>
1969-10-22 … THE MADWOMAN OF CHAILLOT <4>
1969-11-19 … DON’T DRINK THE WATER <5>
1969-12-24 … MARRY ME! MARRY ME! <2>
1970-01-07 … TRILOGY <?>
1970-??–?? … GONE WITH THE WIND <?> 70mm
1970-02-08 … MAROONED <10> 70mm
1970-04-22 … 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY <5> 70mm
1970-05-27 … HELLO, DOLLY! moveover from Warner <17 (40)> 70mm
1970-09-24 … TORA! TORA! TORA! <20> 70mm
1971-02-10 … THE LAST VALLEY <2> 70mm
1971-02-24 … MY FAIR LADY <6> 70mm
1971-04-07 … WATERLOO <7> 70mm
1971-05-26 … RED SKY AT MORNING <2>
1971-06-09 … DR. NO / FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE <3>
1971-06-30 … MURPHY’S WAR <3>
1971-07-21 … EVEL KNIEVEL <5>
1971-08-25 … GONE WITH THE WIND <4> 70mm
1971-09-22 … WINDJAMMER <2>
1971-10-06 … AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS / WEST SIDE STORY <5> 70mm
1971-11-10 … FIDDLER ON THE ROOF <57> 70mm
1972-12-13 … MAN OF LA MANCHA <18> 70mm
1973-04-18 … 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY <8> 70mm
1973-06-13 … FIDDLER ON THE ROOF <2> 70mm
1973-06-27 … JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR <14> stereo
1973-10-03 … THIS IS CINERAMA <6> 70mm
raysson’s latest comment contradicts my comment from January 2nd. Per his request, I recently sent him some information pertaining to early Dolby installations in North Carolina, but, unfortunately, it would appear he has misinterpreted that info. What I had mentioned to him in regard to this theater was that Dolby’s records suggest a timeframe of no earlier than December 1978 and no later than July 1980 as when this theater first had installed a Dolby cinema processor. If, however, he insists a Dolby unit was in place in time for “Grease” (June 1978), well, let him prove it!
(raysson: How is “Dolby” handled in the Chapel Hill newspaper ads for “Grease”? Is there explicit text indicating a Dolby presentation and/or new sound system installtion? If it’s merely the Dolby logo embedded into the ad, then I hardly think that qualifies as an indicator this theater ran “Grease” in Dolby Stereo.)
Eastwood wrote: “The first public showing of STAR WARS was at 12:45 p.m. on Wednesday, May 25, 1977. We had 2 invitational (sold out) showings at 8:00 p.m. on Monday and Tuesday prior. We modified the showtimes to add a midnight showing on Friday and Saturday beginning 7 days later beginning on Friday, June 3rd and we continued with midnight shows the remainder of the summer.”
Thank you for that, including clarifying the situation with the midnight screenings. On this comments page way back in 2006 I couldn’t seem to convince another member that any midnight screenings of the original STAR WARS took place after the opening rather than on opening night. There was simply no way an unheard of movie would open with a midnight screening on a Tuesday night during the spring in the Mid-West.
And here are a few things that don’t quite match up with my research….
Eastwood wrote: “Our exclusive run for the state of Indiana was for 12 weeks. However, the popularity of the show blew all records and Fox added Glendale, Eastgate, Greenwood and 1 other (I forget) theatre at the 8 week mark with additional openings each week for most of the summer.”
My research shows that the expanded bookings of STAR WARS during Week #9 were actually at Lafayette Square and Regency, not the ones you cite. (Glendale played it the following summer during the saturation re-release.)
Eastwood wrote: “The original 25' by 40' screen and red traveler curtains were replaced in 1973 with a 64', 36° curved Cinerama screen for the re-issue of the original 7 Cinerama movies beginning with THIS IS CINERAMA. The Cinerama movies failed at the box office and Cinerama, Inc. abandoned the idea. That is how the giant screen and Cinerama lenses for STAR WARS came to be in the Eastwood.”
Only the first Cinerama film got re-released. There may have been plans to do more or all of them but ultimately only the first one got re-released in 1973.
Eastwood wrote: “GREASE enjoyed a 28 week run leading up to the opening of our Christmas picture that year, Disney’s BLACK HOLE.”
THE BLACK HOLE was a Christmas 1979 release, not 1978. So which film actually played the Eastwood at Christmas 1978? I know it wasn’t SUPERMAN. Maybe INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS? Or, given the Clint Eastwood connection…EVERY WHICH WAY BUT LOOSE?
Eastwood wrote: “Other great pictures followed for shorter runs leading up to our June 1979 premier of ALIEN.”
ALIEN opened May 25th, the same day as STAR WARS two years earlier.
“Return of the Jedi” played there as a twin, so 1983 was the latest it got twinned.
Mikeoaklandpark wrote: “It was twined in the late 80’s”
This theater was twinned several years earlier than the late 1980s claim.
raysson wrote: “Dobly Stereo System was installed in this theatre for the June 16,1978 opening of ‘GREASE’”
Dolby’s installation records indicate a Dolby sound system (CP50) was installed at the Manor in February 1978, not June.
Movies released with Dolby Stereo prints in the early months of 1978 ahead of “Grease” included “FM,” “Big Wednesday,” “The Manitou,” and the re-release of “American Graffiti.” As well, ‘77 Dolby productions still in release in early '78 included “Star Wars,” “Close Encounters of the Third Kind,” Saturday Night Fever,“ and “Pete’s Dragon.” I haven’t researched it, but it’s possible one or more of those played at the Manor in a Dolby Stereo presentation before “Grease.”
dickneeds111 wrote: “"Oklahoma was shot both in Cinemascope and Todd AO at the same time.”
Yeah, but they weren’t distributed at the same time. In North America, only Todd-AO prints, distributed by Magna, were booked for the first thirteen months of the film’s release. Then the 35mm CinemaScope version, distributed by 20th Century-Fox, became available for hundreds of general-release bookings. All of the original roadshow engagements were the 70mm version (except for the final few weeks of the Detroit engagement which had been switched to the 35mm version as a test).
On a related note, some of you may recall a while ago I posted a list of the original roadshow engagements of “Oklahoma!” This info may clarify many of the points mentioned in the discussion going on here on the Astor page. Here again is the link if you wish to take a refresher look or if you missed it when first posted. The list is complete, as far as I know, up to the point in time the 35mm general release began. (There were a few more 70mm presentations that began beyond my cut-off point — plus international — but I didn’t include them because I wanted to present a concise timeline.)
Oklahoma! Roadshow Engagements
Good grief.
dickneeds111 wrote: “As far as Oklahoma it ran at the Saxon in 35mm cinemascope roadshow for most of its engagement until Todd AO was put in and then in Todd AO for the rest of its engagement.”
Not true, dickneeds111. There’s plenty of evidence available to support the claim that the Saxon installed Todd-AO equipment specifically for the “Oklahoma!” engagement, which began in September 1956. That was two months before any 35mm prints of “Oklahoma!” were put into circulation. The timeline alone proves you wrong.
dickneeds111 wrote: “Raintree County from what I have read was filmed in Camera 65(same as Ben Hur) but was never shown in 70mm on its 1st release anywhere. MGM said they could not get any 70mm theatres in the country because they were all booked solid at that time.”
It’s a myth that there weren’t any available 70mm theaters to show “Raintree County.” The theater in which its world premiere engagement was held, the Brown in Louisville, was 70mm-equipped at the time, having previously played “Oklahoma!” and “Around the World in Eighty Days.” Also among the first few bookings of “Raintree County” when it was still a roadshow was the McVickers in Chicago, which had Todd-AO installed for “Oklahoma!.” If no 70mm prints were made for “Raintree County” it was a choice made by the distributor for reasons other than theater availability.
In the overview, Lost Memory wrote: “Twinned in 1978, the Eric I & II opened with “Superman” starring Christopher Reeve.”
This theater was twinned earlier than 1978.
Prior to “Porgy and Bess” the Astor ran another large-format movie: “Raintree County,” which had a roadshow run there in autumn ‘57 (though I suspect it was screened from a 35mm reduction print, though some historians might debate that).
RogerA wrote: “There was an article about the Todd-AO conversions to both the Saxon and The Gary theaters in late 1957 in Boxoffice”
The article is wrong if it’s claiming those installations took place at the same time.
You’re misinformed, RogerA. The Saxon’s Todd-AO roadshow run of “Oklahoma!” began in September 1956.
RogerA wrote: “So far with all of my research the first 70mm film to run at the Astor was Spartacus. The Gary got Todd-AO in ‘57 and it appears that Oklahoma and Around the World in 80 Days ran at what is now the Wang Center and what was then the Metropolitan.”
All of those claims I believe are incorrect! My research informs me that “Porgy and Bess” was the first 70mm presentation at the Astor, commencing in August 1959, fourteen months before “Spartacus.”
The Gary’s first 70mm presentation appears to have been “Sleeping Beauty” in 1959.
“Oklahoma!” and “Around the World in 80 Days” played their Boston roadshow runs at the Saxon, not the Wang Center/Metropolitan.
javert…
It was actually Richard Attenborough’s “Magic” that replaced “Star Wars.” “Superman” followed “Magic” a month later.
Daverem…Tom Moyer’s Luxury Theatres operated the Washington Square Cinemas in the 1986-87 timeframe.
First-run STAR WARS in Tulsa was at Southroads Mall.
boxcop… At the time of the “Superman” engagement, the Dome Complex and the Town & Country were in competition with each other. The Domes were run by Syufy and the Town & Country was run by Mann. Syufy’s (aka Century) ownership of the Town & Country came years later. See my Still Believing A Man Can Fly article for a reference to Town & Country being a Mann operation in 1978/79 (and for a list of where else “Superman” played when it was new).
boxcop… At the time of the “Superman” engagement, the Dome Complex and the Town & Country were in competition with each other. The Domes were run by Syufy and the Town & Country was run by Mann. Syufy’s (aka Century) ownership of the Town & Country came years later. See my Still Believing A Man Can Fly article for a reference to Town & Country being a Mann operation in 1978/79 (and for a list of where else “Superman” played when it was new).
boxcop… At the time of the “Superman” engagement, the Dome Complex and the Town & Country were in competition with each other. The Domes were run by Syufy and the Town & Country was run by Mann. Syufy’s (aka Century) ownership of the Town & Country came years later. See my Still Believing A Man Can Fly article for a reference to Town & Country being a Mann operation in 1978/79 (and for a list of where else “Superman” played when it was new).
boxcop… At the time of the “Superman” engagement, the Dome Complex and the Town & Country were in competition with each other. The Domes were run by Syufy and the Town & Country was run by Mann. Syufy’s (aka Century) ownership of the Town & Country came years later. See my Still Believing A Man Can Fly article for a reference to Town & Country being a Mann operation in 1978/79 (and for a list of where else “Superman” played when it was new).
How ironic that someone who refuses to use capital letters where appropriate would claim someone has misspelled a word.
RSM3853…I’d hate to think your effort will go to waste if folks choose not to read them because they dislike the layout or question the accuracy/comprehensiveness of the information. Using Wednesday dates is your prerogative, of course, but I think it will lead to confusion. Some titles are listed a week late (CLEOPATRA, for instance) and I suspect it’s because you used Variety, which reports grosses a week after the reporting period.
Having spent numerous hours researching JAWS for a retrospective article, I can state that I found no theaters that opened it on Wednesday, June 18th, 1975. I found all “first wave” openings were Friday, June, 20th (but I guess you should list it as the 18th if you insist on using the “Wednesday of the opening week” approach).
You don’t need to re-type everything. It’s the Cinema Treasures application that is causing the jumbled paragraph layout. To create a list, simply paste in your title, then follow it with two spaces and a hard return, and it will create…
10/17/56 Around the World in 80 Days
10/01/58 South Pacific
04/01/59 Compulsion…