According to "Wide Screen Movies" by R.E. Carr and R.M.Hayes, McFarland & Co, 1988:

Sensurround
Developed by MCA and RCA under guidance of former Universal Studios sound dept. head Waldon O. Watson.
....for 35mm engagements prints were offered in three different formats:
a) MagOptical (3 channel mag. stereo + 1 optical for sensurround info).
b) MagOptical (1 mag channel of mono dialog, music, effects + 1 optical for sensurround info).
c) Single track optical with all sound info.

For 70mm prints six mag tracks were employed in the same manner as MegaSound [probably other name for the Dolby Baby Boom].
Sensurround changed with each feature even though the soundtrack pattern was followed as noted. "Earthquake" had only rumbles in the Sensurround info. "Midway" included also sound effects. "Rollercoaster" incorporated music along with rumble and effects; and "Zoot Suit" which introduced Sensuround Plus utilized the full system plus Lightsurround, a synced light cueing system for in-auditorium effects.

....Filmography:
in Sensurround:
"Eartquake" (1974)
"Midway" (1976)
"King kong" (1976)(in Sensurround only outside US)
"Rollercoaster" (1977)
"Battlestar Galactica" (1978)

In Sensurround Plus:
"Zoot Suit" (1981)

In Feelarama in Europe only
"Krakatoa East of Java aka Volcano (1975?)

In Vibrasound
"Das Boot" (1982)

Feelarama and Vibrasound were variations of Sensurround. [No further info supplied]

Regards
Christos.

The dbx process was not used in Earthquake, but was used in Midway, Roller-Coaster and Battlestar Galactica. Unlike the Sensurround I system for Earthquake, (which had its own internal noise generator) the Sensurround II system amplified effects on the sound track. It also gave the abiltiy to direct the effects to the front and or rear speakers.

By the time Battlestar Gallactica (released in Canada, AFAIK only in French) they had dramatically improved on the recordings. The dramatic effects were replaced by, for the most part, much more subtle ones. In the interior shot of the ship increasing speed, for example, you could feel the slight vibrations on the theatre floor.

There were, of course, numerous tales associated with the running of this print, such as the elderly lady who lived behind the Fairlawn, complaining to the Toronto Transit Commission that they were running their subways especially loud at 8:00.

Aha! I just remembered the third loop. This was the "shake-down test" in which you were supposed to examine theatre light fixtures, and anything set on an elevated horizontal surface (vases, ect.) for the possibility of things coming loose and falling on someone. It did a real number on any old incandescent bulbs too!

At the Fairlawn (by this time made into a piggy-back dual) during the presentation of Roller-Coaster, it was found that in either theatre, the Sensurround noise would intrude into the sound of the other theatre. The only option was to run the picture simultaneously in both houses. The problem was that the upper booth used Cinemeccanica Vic 10's while the lower one used Century CC's. Although both were equipped with sync motors, it was necessary that both shows start at exactly the same time. As both houses were reel-to-reel, the projectionists (one in each booth) used headphones to call out their motor-start cues.

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Did distributors elsewhere do the same thing?

------------------
All my best
Thomas
..in70mm - The 70mm Newsletter
www.in70mm.com www.dp70.com www.70mm.dk www.hauerslev.com
hjem.get2net.dk/in70mm

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MIDWAY:

(a more polite) Your Attention Please! Midway is presented in the startling new dimension of Sensurround. Please be aware that you will feel, as well as see and hear, realistic effects that might be experienced in actual combat. the management assumes no responsibility......

ROLLERCOASTER:
( a generic intro)

Attention: THe following motion picture is presented in the startling (no "new") dimension of Sensurround. Please be aware that you will feel, as well as see and hear, realistic effect. the management assumes no responsibility...

Theatre stories: Chinese (EARTHQUAKE) had a huge net covering their ceiling for this showing (per the LA Times review).

Sensurround Plus was used with the movie Zoot Suit and used DBX encoding throuhgout the whole film (this was the only Sensurround advertised film in the US to feature 70mm prints.

Here is a link to a correction to the Carrs and Hayes information on ensurround (these two get MANY facts jumbled up and should probably not be used as a reference). http://members.aol.com/filmteknik/wsmc12.rtf

When I was employed to pull this complex apart in 1986, all the Sensurround gear was still installed, including all the original MCA Universal instructions on the wall. The projectors were Cinemeccanica Victoria 8 70mm. I recall being told that the building was checked for structural damage after several Sensurround seasons.

Wish I had seen Rollercoaster too.

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