Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: This Island Earth (1955)

This is topic This Island Earth (1955) in forum Feature Info, Trailer Attachments & REAL Credit Offsets at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.

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Posted by Scott Norwood (Member # 30) on 01-07-2009, 06:53 AM:

5 reels
flat/1.85 (open for debate, but looks good at 1.85; there is too much headroom in Academy)
mono
lab. cues

mid-1990s print from Universal is in good shape, with a few splices and no other significant damage

Posted by Jack Theakston (Member # 4484) on 01-08-2009, 06:26 AM:

Ratio is 2-1. Original mix is Perspecta Stereo.

Posted by Scott Norwood (Member # 30) on 01-08-2009, 08:07 AM:

IMDB says that it's 2:1, but that would look way too tight. The cans said 1.33 [sic] as received. Titles and headroom look perfect at 1.85. There are no Perspecta cue tones on this print, as far as I can tell.

Posted by Jack Theakston (Member # 4484) on 01-17-2009, 01:21 PM:

2-1 was Universal's house ratio at the time. The titles are also blocked for it.

Whoever wrote 1.33 on the cans doesn't know what they're talking about.

Posted by Frank Angel (Member # 248) on 01-27-2009, 03:48 AM:

This should probably be moved off here, but in 1955, 2:1 for flat was certainly not Universal's standard ratio for flat releases.

Posted by Jack Theakston (Member # 4484) on 01-27-2009, 01:57 PM:

I don't know what you're basing that upon, Frank, but all of the documentation points otherwise. Reel bands, leaders, trade articles, trade reviews and studio memos all show that 2-1 was the more prevalent ratio at Universal.

In 1955 alone, these following Universal productions were recommended to be run 2-1 for the second half of the year:

ABBOTT AND COSTELLO MEET THE KEYSTONE KOPS
AIN'T MISBEHAVIN'
BENGAL BRIGADE
CAPTAIN LIGHTFOOT (Flat version)
CHIEF CRAZY HORSE (Flat version)
DESTRY
THE FAR COUNTRY
FEMALE ON THE BEACH
FOUR GUNS TO THE BORDER
FOXFIRE
FRANCIS IN THE NAVY
KISS OF FIRE
LAND OF FURY
THE MAN WITHOUT A STAR
ONE DESIRE
THE PRIVATE WAR OF MAJOR BENSON
THE PURPLE MASK (Flat version)
REVENGE OF THE CREATURE
THE SHRIKE
SIGN OF THE PAGAN (Flat version)
SMOKE SIGNAL
SO THIS IS PARIS
THIS ISLAND EARTH
TO HELL AND BACK (Flat version)
WEST OF ZANZIBAR
THE YELLOW MOUNTAIN

[ 01-27-2009, 04:51 PM: Message edited by: Jack Theakston ]