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Topic: What is a roadshow release?

Michael Coate
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1904
From: Los Angeles, California
Registered: Feb 2001

posted 08-30-2002 02:32 PM

quote:
Mike, As I answered in an earlier post in this thread, Cabaret was a mag/optic release that pre-dated Dolby SVA prints.

Paul,
I know. It was a rhetorical question, and I wanted to mention Excalibur.

By the way, there may have been 70mm prints of Cabaret in some international markets (Spain, for instance). Whether they were stereo or mono, I don't know.

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Jeff Logan
Film Handler

Posts: 15
From: Mitchell, SD, USA
Registered: Feb 2002

posted 09-17-2002 01:16 PM

Roadshow presentation in the 1950's and 1960's was a true joy to experience. We always carefully figured out our presentation plan to make the best use of houselights (partially dim during the overture and exit music) and two curtains (grand drape and "title curtain").

It should also be noted that the term "roadshow" is really a carry-over from live stage and vaedeville days. A roadshow was a large traveling company that brought a touring show to local theatres as opposed to the local company of actors doing a new show.

These traveling roadshows were a big deal that brought with them extra promotion, reserved seat tickets at a higher price, etc. When theateres switched from stage shows to movies, they simply carried over this method of promotion for bigger movies. In the early days of silent and sound movies, the big hits were presented in this way. Often an advance publicity man from the studio came to town weeks in advance to set up the reserved seat ticket sales and promotions. The theatres were encouraged to build special displays, roof signs, post billboards, etc. The first engagements of BIRTH OF A NATION were handled in this way. The theatres were encouraged to hire extra musicians for this silent film. In the 1930's A MIDSUMMER'S NIGHT DREAM was also promoted on a roadshow basis.

The other difference most veteran managers will remember is that the theatre's usual pass list was always suspended for roadshows. Most circuit passes always had fine print on the bottom saying "Not good for roadshow engagements."

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Per Hauberg
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 883
From: Malling, Denmark
Registered: Jul 2000

posted 10-03-2002 06:52 PM

"Hawaii", "Battle of Britain", the first 10 Bond films - Lots of "big" titles were mono. -They had one thing in common; the United Artists logo. -Guess, they were the first to skip technical quality, when the whole business saved itself allmost to death.

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Per Hauberg
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 883
From: Malling, Denmark
Registered: Jul 2000

posted 10-03-2002 06:56 PM

Talk about wonderful "Camelot" (Warner 1967)
In Denmark, we had one 70mm print, which - as far as i know was cut before it reached us. One or two verses out of every song !
One 35mag, which was cut few days after local premiere.
One 35optical which ran for the end of its days uncut !
Logic is a funny thing...

But still, "Camelot" was one of the sweetest failures of my life. -I enjoyed every screening, even if i was allmost alone in the house.

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Bill Gabel
Film God

Posts: 3873
From: Technicolor / Postworks NY, USA
Registered: Jan 2002

posted 10-03-2002 07:30 PM

The New 70MM print of "Lord Jim" that played the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood was presented in 3 Track Stereo ,not 6 Track Stereo. A projectionist friend told me, he was talking with one of the persons that worked on restoring it. He said that the film was mixed for 3 Track Stereo (L/C/R) no surrounds.
And the NEW 70MM print of "Hello Dolly" was incredible it had the
FULL TODD-AO 5 stage Tracks and surrounds.

70MM DONE WRONG
The Cinerama Dome damaged some of the print of "Lawrence of Arabia"
and started one of the shows with the film flopped.

Remembering 70MM Done Right
I saw "Camelot" in 70MM at the Dome in First Run, I always enjoyed it.
We ran the studio 4 Track print a few years ago at the Fairfax Theatre
in Los Angeles. It still looked great, we tried to get the 70MM studio
print but it was beet red. What a shame.

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Paul Linfesty
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1383
From: Bakersfield, CA, USA
Registered: Nov 1999

posted 10-03-2002 08:41 PM

A 70mm print (allegedly the last one available, according to the theatre) showed in Bakersfield in 1981. It was badly scratched, although the colors weren't severely faded yet. This was the badly cut version, where the edits were obviously done on this print itself. Why a musical would have cuts in almost every song is beyond me. Still sounded good, though.

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Paul Linfesty
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1383
From: Bakersfield, CA, USA
Registered: Nov 1999

posted 10-03-2002 08:47 PM

QUOTE:

quote:
The New 70MM print of "Lord Jim" that played the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood was presented in 3 Track Stereo ,not 6 Track Stereo.

Was this a mag print, or a DTS one? I know Patton and Hello Dolly were both run in "special venue" DTS and 2001 in MAG. Hello Dolly was truly magnificent in 70mm, BTW. 2001 was marred by black scratches that ran throughout, but was still enjoyable.

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John Pytlak
Film God

Posts: 9987
From: Rochester, NY 14650-1922
Registered: Jan 2000

posted 10-03-2002 08:52 PM

Maybe the recent successes of these new 70mm print releases will result in making new 70mm prints of more classic 65mm/70mm features on the much more stable Kodak VISION Color Print Film.

The great quality being reported with "Hello Dolly!" and "Patton" shows that 30+ year old 65mm color negatives are holding up well with proper storage.

------------------
John P. Pytlak, Senior Technical Specialist
Worldwide Technical Services, Entertainment Imaging
Research Labs, Building 69, Room 7525A
Rochester, New York, 14650-1922 USA
Tel: +1 585 477 5325 Cell: +1 585 781 4036 Fax: +1 585 722 7243
e-mail: john.pytlak@kodak.com
Web site: http://www.kodak.com/go/motion

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Paul Linfesty
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1383
From: Bakersfield, CA, USA
Registered: Nov 1999

posted 10-03-2002 09:32 PM

It just proves that b&W seperates aren't neccessarily neccessary for providing new prints. Now the question is, why if these negatives can produce such incredible prints, what's the problem with proper storage of others? Was it just a question of overusage (too many prints off the ON)?

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John Pytlak
Film God

Posts: 9987
From: Rochester, NY 14650-1922
Registered: Jan 2000

posted 10-03-2002 09:41 PM

If only a few 70mm prints were being made, they were often direct prints, to save the cost of making a 65mm master positive and duplicate negative, and get "show print" quality. The duplicating systems of the 50's and 60's produced noticeable increases in graininess and contrast, so sometimes many dozens of prints were made from the original negative, with resulting wear. Kodak has improved the quality of duplicating stocks tremendously over the years, such that today's KODAK VISION Color Intermediate Film can produce master positives and duplicate negatives that allows release prints virtually indistinguishable from direct prints for sharpness, graininess and color reproduction:
http://www.kodak.com/US/en/motion/products/lab/5242.shtml
http://www.kodak.com/country/US/en/motion/about/chrono2.shtml
http://www.kodak.com/US/en/motion/about/chrono3.shtml
http://www.kodak.com/US/en/motion/about/chrono4.shtml

I have heard a few "horror stories" of 65mm original negatives and 70mm prints being stored in totally unconditioned warehouses or storage sheds, sometimes under the hot Southern California sun. Watch the documentary of the Harris/Katz restoration of "My Fair Lady" to see the sad state of affairs before studios recognized the value of their older films.
------------------
John P. Pytlak, Senior Technical Specialist
Worldwide Technical Services, Entertainment Imaging
Research Labs, Building 69, Room 7525A
Rochester, New York, 14650-1922 USA
Tel: +1 585 477 5325 Cell: +1 585 781 4036 Fax: +1 585 722 7243
e-mail: john.pytlak@kodak.com
Web site: http://www.kodak.com/go/motion

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Bill Gabel
Film God

Posts: 3873
From: Technicolor / Postworks NY, USA
Registered: Jan 2002

posted 10-04-2002 08:40 AM

A few years back when National Film Services (Gilboy) closed their Pico Rivera depot. We found a few hundred 35mm prints and a few hundred 70MM reels & cases. When we went through the 70MM cases, we found a few prints that Gilboy did not ship over to ETS. But that
wherehouse was located in Pico Rivera, California. Pico Rivera may be
a interesting place to live. But it's Hotter than Hell in the summer.
The building was an old wherehouse, just spending a week in there was
hell. It was dirty, poorly maintained, I found prints and records
for the prints. The only part of the building that was air conditioned
was the offices. The rest of the building had large blowers & fans.
I found a room that had prints stored inside that was next to a restroom. Sometime one of the sinks had a leak, that flooded into the
next room. According to some of the records I found some of those
prints were destroyed & discarded. The company was poorly managed
because the dates on some of the print cards and the ones I found
to be destroyed had a ten year differance. The landlord had not been
paid rent for 6 six months. Gilboy lost accounts & transfered prints
to ETS and others. But they left hundreds of prints and shorts in
the wherehouse.

One of the fun moments at Gilboys, was going through the 70MM cases
& looking at the old labels (shipping & special titles labels) from
when the print or prints played.

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John Pytlak
Film God

Posts: 9987
From: Rochester, NY 14650-1922
Registered: Jan 2000

posted 10-07-2002 11:50 AM

Anyone would look pretty "faded" and have a pungent odor after spending 20 years locked in a film case, sitting in a leaking pool of restroom water, in a hot warehouse in Pico Rivera California.

It really isn't that hard to provide better (cooler and dryer) storage conditions that would greatly improve film longevity:
http://www.rit.edu/~661www1/sub_pages/8page20.htm

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Michael Coate
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1904
From: Los Angeles, California
Registered: Feb 2001

posted 10-07-2002 01:33 PM

Paul Linfesty asked:

quote:
Was [Lord Jim] a mag print, or a DTS one?

DTS.

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Bill Gabel
Film God

Posts: 3873
From: Technicolor / Postworks NY, USA
Registered: Jan 2002

posted 10-07-2002 01:49 PM

Michael

I am waiting to hear back from my friend.

He talked with someone who did the restore on the picture.
That person said that the film was a 3 Track Stereo mix.
That was the way Columbia released. Columbia did that with "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner" (L/C/R). As soon as I hear back from him, I will post the info. He knows his business on sound and film.
He Does Film Right.

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Paul Linfesty
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1383
From: Bakersfield, CA, USA
Registered: Nov 1999

posted 10-07-2002 02:48 PM

But wouldn't HELLO DOLLY have been originally mixed with three stage channels in mind, and only at the last stage, be "faked" uip to 5 stage channels? The original release of LOA was done this way. I thought most 70mm films from the mid sixties on were done in this manner (up through Baby-Boom Dolby format films).

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