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Martin , You are missing these 70MM Roadshow houses.

These, New York Roadshow houses were the best.

Loew's Capital
Loew's State (not the one in the basement at the Virgin store)
UA Rivoli (before the twinning)
Moss's Criterion (before UA, damaged the house)

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I did list the Criterion, but I didn't go back far enough to list the others. The Loew's Capital became the Loew's Cinerama and I saw "How The West Was Won" there. There was one bit of sound mixing work in that film that has always stayed with me: there's a scene in front of a window. There's music coming from behind the window, probably in a bar or something similar. It sounded uncanny. I saw the movie a second time when my Junior High School class got tickets to the film. I was not a very outspoken student at that time, but when we got back, I gave a presentation on how Cinerama worked to an incredulous class.

I saw "West Side Story" at the Rivoli and it was one of the best moviegoing experiences of my life. I later purchased the soundtrack album and would place my friends heads between the loudspeakers to try to re-create the effect, but of course, I could not duplicate the 6-channel sound with my hi-fi.

I also saw "Lawrence of Arabia" in the original roadshow presentation, but I can no longer remember if it played at the Loew's State or the Criterion. Also a great experience.

"Lawrence of Arabia" roadshowed at the Criterion.
Yes, the National, Warner and Radio City had 70MM projection.

Radio City got theirs in the late '69. I think with
"Airport".

The Rialto theatre had it for a short time, before they razed the
theatre. The DP70 projector came from the National.

Apologies to Thomas and Bill.

The National opened in December 1972 with the premiere of THE POSEIDON ADVENTURE. The pre-opening ad highlighting the theatre said the movie was to be "presented in the granduer, scope and excitement of 70mm and 6-track stereophonic sound." They also ran THE TOWERING INFERNO in 70.

BTW, which building in Times Square contained the National theatre? I was just there this summer and couldn't figure out where exactly it was. TOYS 'R US, maybe?

The Criterion theatre (1657 seats) is where the Toy-R-Us store is now.

The old Loew's State (3339 seats) is where the Virgin MegaStore is.

The old Loew's Capital (5486 seats) was across the street from the Winter Garden theatre. (Paramount Plaza)

The Rivoli theatre (2092 seats) was where Caroline's Comedy Club is on Broadway.

The Roxy theatre (5886 seats) was on the southwest corner of 50th & 7th Ave. (TGIF- restaurant in the hotel build for the Michelangelo.

The Paramount Time Square theatre (3664 seats) was in the Paramount
building, which is now the WWF store.

Radio City theatre (5949 seats)

Was the Astor where the Astor Plaza is now? I read years ago that the new Astor Plaza took several years to open due to the fact that it was underground, and it took a while to find soundproofing that worked to block out (or minimize) the sounds of the subway.

Yes, The old Astor Theatre and Hotel once stood there. I think the Astor Theatre was going to be a Walter Reade Theatre at one time.
But because of the delay Loew's took over the theatre. Yes, to the sound problem. The Loew's Paramount theatre at 61st & Broadway had
the same problem with subway movement. The Loew's Paramount was in the basement of the Gulf+Western building in Columbus Circle. When
Paramount Pictures was in the building, this was used as a screening
room. When the theatre was built, they found they had a subway movement problem. Charlie Bluhdorn the Head of Gulf+Western had the
theatre ripped out and redone. They had a rubber cocoon between the
main walls of the building and the inner theatre walls. This theatre
closed a few years back. Now Trump owns the building and has turned
the building into a Hotel. (This theatre was 70mm equipped)
Another theatre that has the same problem is the Angelika Film Center
at Houston & Mercer. The theatre is in the basement and has a subway
movement problem. It's like watching a movie in the San Fernando Valley, California during Earthquake season. If you come back to NYC, take a trip over to Jersey City. To see the Loew's Jersey City theatre (3200 seats). The theatre is equipped to run Dolby Stereo and Perspecta Sound and has a original Vitaphone system. The theatre is being restored by The Friends of the Loew's Jersey City. www.loewsjersey.org

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According to my records (no accuracy guaranteed) the following films were the only US releases to use the 70mm Dolby Split Surround format. Corrections welcomed.

Superman 1978 (SS)
Apocalypse Now 1979 (SS)
Jazz Singer, The 1980 (SS)
Superman II 1980 (SS)
Pink Floyd The Wall 1982 (SS)
Supergirl 1984 (SS)
Black Cauldron, The 1985 (SS)
Return To Oz 1985 (SS)
Top Gun 1986 (SS)
Terminator 2: Judgment Day 1989
Hook 1991 (SS)
Star Trek VI 1991 (SS)
Shining Through 1992 (SS)

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Martin,
I'm very surprised no one has commented on your post given the number of 70mm enthusiasts who read film-tech. I'm also surprised one member in particular -- who shall remain nameless(!) -- hasn't chimed in as I imagine this person would dispute some of your info. I'm even more surprised it has taken myself this long to reply given my interest in the topic!

Here's what I can contribute to the discussion.

I'm unaware of any U.S. 70mm screenings of Supergirl. I believe a 70 was shown at its London engagement.

I believe the following are missing from list:
Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade (1989)
Days Of Thunder (1990)
Dick Tracy (1990)
The Hunt For Red October (1990)
Alien 3 (1992)
Baraka (1992)

I would imagine any title simultaneously released with 35mm-digital sound prints may have had their 70mm prints in the split surround format. This would include:
The Doors (1991)
Cliffhanger (1993)
Geronimo: An American Legend (1993)
Gettysburg (1993)
In The Line Of Fire (1993)
Last Action Hero (1993)
Miracle On 34th Street (1994)
My Fair Lady (1994 re-issue)
True Lies (1994)
Hamlet (1996)

Disney had magnetically striped 70mm prints prepared for special screenings of The Lion King and Pocahontas. Unsure of specific channel configuration.

Some *possible* split surround releases:
Dragonslayer (1981)
Tron (1982)
Krull (1983)
Indiana Jones And The Temple Of Doom (1984)
Explorers (1985)
Flatliners (1990)
The Rocketeer (1991)

Ask if you want sources on my info.

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Was "Batman" ever released in 70mm , as it was advertised in Auckland as 70mm but when I went to see it , it was masked Wide Screen and not in scope , this was a 7omm theatre "Regent" but it did not look 70mm to me , not in flat

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Yes, it was. The film was shot in 35mm 1.66:1 and projected in theatres either in 35 mm 1.66, 35mm 1.85 or 70mm 1.85 blow-up.

I saw it in 70mm at the Palace in Liege (Belgium) that has no screen masking and, strangely enough, the Warner logo and Batman opening credits scene filled the whole width of the screen in 70mm. But when the film actually "begins", the image is only 1.85 with vertical black strips at the left and right of the image. And I visited the booth: the platter was definitely loaded with a 70mm print...

I am pretty sure that Temple of Doom was NOT a split surround film.

Steve

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According to my records (no accuracy guaranteed) the following films were the only US releases to use the 70mm Dolby Split Surround format. Corrections welcomed.
Superman 1978 (SS)
Apocalypse Now 1979 (SS)
Jazz Singer, The 1980 (SS)
Superman II 1980 (SS)
Pink Floyd The Wall 1982 (SS)
Supergirl 1984 (SS)
Black Cauldron, The 1985 (SS)
Return To Oz 1985 (SS)
Top Gun 1986 (SS)
Terminator 2: Judgment Day 1989
Hook 1991 (SS)
Star Trek VI 1991 (SS)
Shining Through 1992 (SS)

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I clearly remember noticing stereo surround effects in "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade" and "The Abyss", both in 1989.

Last Crusade: beginning of film, Harrison Ford escaping a ship by night and raging sea, with cloudbursts falling on the ship in stereo surround.

The Abyss: Ed Harris swimming in deep sea, with small extra-terrestrial pods turning around him in stereo surround.

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Did you ever note how those older 70mm titles still live in our memories today, decades later, even though not every picture was a top-10 hit? Having 70mm prints made a picture an "event", and separated them from the "crowd" of a routine 35mm release.

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The two most amazing movie presentations I remember were 70mm roadshows.

For INDIANA JONES AND THE LAST CRUSADE at the Empire (London, UK), they played the Indiana Jones theme while the festoon curtain lift and multicolored concealed lighting changed. Then the overwhelming laser show played with its own music and thunderstorm effects, plus fiber-optics lights in the ceiling vault above the screen. Finally, the second curtain horizontally parted, revealing the THX Cimmaron trailer (the first version of it, best one). All film long, sound was so powerful, yet absolutely crisp clear and distortion-free.

LAWRENCE ARABIA 1989 at the Odeon Marble Arch (London, UK). Best 70mm screen in London for me (alas split into a trash-plex since then). The film music as Non-Sync plus the typical 1960's "look and feel" due to auditorium architecture and decoration, plus the grand curtain opening all together contribute to a huge impact...

BTW, "Tucker" is rarely mentioned but I had the opportunity to see it in 70mm at the Kinepolis Brussels when it was released in Belgium.

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