Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Does anyone think three strip Cinerama will ever be run again in the United States?

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Posted by William Kucharski (Member # 7246) on 08-17-2019, 03:40 PM:

I consider myself lucky and forever grateful that I went to Los Angeles a few years ago to see This is Cinerama and How the West Was Won shown at the Cinerama Dome in true three projector Cinerama.

However the projection staff working those shows was old enough I suspected it might never occur again and in fact it has not. Except for a poor-quality showing during the TCM film festival, three strip Cinerama has never to my knowledge run there again, with more recent showings of How the West Was Won coming from WB's DCP.

I am unaware of any attempt to run three strip again except overseas.

Does everyone else feel it probably won't happen again?

Posted by Stephan Shelley (Member # 8587) on 08-17-2019, 03:46 PM:

Note that they also can run it at the Cinerama Theatre in Seattle.

Posted by William Kucharski (Member # 7246) on 08-17-2019, 04:23 PM:

Never mind!

How the West Was Won in three strip - Cinerama Dome, October 1

Posted by Scott Norwood (Member # 30) on 08-17-2019, 05:11 PM:

Not in the US, but there is also the Pictureville Cinema in Bradford, UK. They used to do 3-strip screenings monthly, but it seems that they now do them only once a year during their Widescreen Weekend event in October.

I'm not sure how often they do 3-strip shows in Seattle, but it also seems to be a semi-regular event.

Posted by William Kucharski (Member # 7246) on 08-17-2019, 08:33 PM:

Yeah, that's why I originally said the US; I know about Bradford, but I don't think the Seattle theater has run three strip anytime recently.

Posted by Mark Ogden (Member # 43) on 08-17-2019, 09:56 PM:

The New Neon Movies, a theatre in Dayton, Ohio, was set up for three strip Cinerama as recently as a few years back, in fact they began running it in the mid-nineties. I am not sure if they still have the capability. It was overseen by John Harvey, who passed away last year. He also installed the Cinerama set-up at the Pictureville in Bradford, UK as well.

Posted by Terry Monohan (Member # 8285) on 08-18-2019, 08:25 AM:

I have been to some nice new theatres around the USA In the last few years that have very large deep curved screens. Not like Cinerama® had but close from just one DCP projector with a good lens to prevent keystone.

The best place to see true 3 projector film Cinerama® movies in the USA is when they show them up in Seattle WA. The curved Super Cinerama® screen is louvered and a little larger in Seattle then the one in Hollywood at the Dome. Way better stereo sound up in Seattle and they don't have all the problems on the bottom R/L with curved up masking like in Hollywood at the Pacific Cinerama® Dome.

The Dome was never built for 3 projector Cinerama®, only single 70mm movies. The 3 projector set up was added later on out of one booth.

When I was a kid my family loved the Orpheum Cinerama® Theatre in San Francisco CA. The theatre is still open showing Broadway touring truck shows.

When they were taking out all the Cinerama® items from the Orpheum SF to make way for live stage shows in the early 1970's they just dumped many things in the dumpster by the side exits. Too bad I did not get some of these movie Cinerama® treasures, I was to young to climb into the bins.

These were not just programs and posters but as I remember equipment was dumped also,sound and projector items pink curtains ect. Today with big bucks going on E Bay If you can find them.

Many new things are always coming out like Screen X® but It is a bad way to project images on the side walls If It is added to a old cinema with side surround speakers showing thru the image.
We in San Franciso CA are getting two brand new Screen X®cinemas in 2020. They will have the surround speakers aimed way down from the ceiling.

At least you can sit back and watch all the old 1950's 3 strip Cinerama® movies now restored on Blu Ray with a curved screen look for home wide screen TV in 7 ch stereo sound!

My favorite was Cinerama® Holiday as they shot some footage in San Francisco and at a Cinerama® roadshow theatre in NY.

Posted by Allan Young (Member # 6332) on 08-18-2019, 10:09 AM:

quote: Mark Ogden
The New Neon Movies, a theatre in Dayton, Ohio, was set up for three strip Cinerama as recently as a few years back, in fact they began running it in the mid-nineties. I am not sure if they still have the capability. It was overseen by John Harvey, who passed away last year. He also installed the Cinerama set-up at the Pictureville in Bradford, UK as well.

The New Neon movies installation only lasted three years. The theater owner wanted to twin the cinema but the manager persuaded him to allow John Harvey to temporarily install his own personal Cinerama equipment. After the screenings ended in 1999, the twinning went ahead.

I flew out to Dayton two years in a row to catch Cinerama screenings. It was rather impressive to see Harvey running the entire show on his own.

Tarantino was in the audience for one of the screenings. It cemented the opinion I have of him as being a loud-mouthed pillock.

quote:
The best place to see true 3 projector film Cinerama® movies in the USA is when they show them up in Seattle WA. The curved Super Cinerama screen is louvered and a little larger in Seattle then the one in Hollywood at the Dome.

True, but the installation is far from perfect. They screwed up by aligning the louvres with the curve with no overlapping, whereas they should all have been facing the auditorium. The lack of an overlap is especially irritating as the theater's aircon causes the louvres to flutter resulting in wavy black lines in the picture.

quote: Scott Norwood
Not in the US, but there is also the Pictureville Cinema in Bradford, UK. They used to do 3-strip screenings monthly, but it seems that they now do them only once a year during their Widescreen Weekend event in October.

I'm looking forward to the Widescreen Weekend event this year as it'll mark the end of a 23-year quest to see all the three-strip titles in Cinerama. They've gotten hold of the last remaining print of South Seas Adventure. Unfortunately the second half is too damaged to project, so it'll be screened in digital. Should be cool to compare the two systems back-to-back though.

Posted by Frank Angel (Member # 248) on 08-18-2019, 03:56 PM:

quote: Terry Monohan
The Dome was never built for 3 projector Cinerama®, only single 70mm movies. The 3 projector set up was added later on out of one booth.

Is that correct? I thought the dome did have three booths. I assume it could be done with three projectors shooting into a mirror arrangement; wasn't that the CineMiracle configuration?.

Posted by Mark Ogden (Member # 43) on 08-18-2019, 05:09 PM:

The Dome opened with Cinerama V.2, the Ultra-Panavision 70 format, but with rectified prints to make the sides look better on the curved screen. It was retro-fit in 2002 for three-projector use. There are pictures in the warehouse that I took in 2004 or thereabouts of this set-up.

Posted by Claude S. Ayakawa (Member # 1401) on 08-18-2019, 07:01 PM:

Almost all the three panel Cinerama projection equipment the Dome now use was salvaged from the Cinerama Theatre here in Honolulu.

The Cinerama in Honolulu was the 2nd house to feature the system. The first was the Princess Theatre in downtown Honolulu where all the original Cinerama pictures played including the Cinemiracle film WINDJAMMER. I saw them all including the two MGM films, THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF THE BROTHERS GRIMM and HOW THE WEST WAS WON In three panel Cinerama and all the 70mm shows advertised as such. I enjoyed them all !

Posted by Sean McKinnon (Member # 612) on 08-19-2019, 12:38 PM:

quote: William Kucharski
Except for a poor-quality showing during the TCM film festival

When was this and why was it poor quality?

Posted by James Biggins (Member # 8574) on 08-19-2019, 01:01 PM:

The Dome screen has a 126 degree curve, which was intended for Ultra Panavision Cinerama projection, rather than the 146 degree curve of a true Cinerama screen.

This allows it to have a one piece screen rather than the louvered screens in Seattle and Bradford which are necessary to prevent cross reflection.

Posted by Allen Arin (Member # 10988) on 09-02-2019, 12:43 AM:

They can also run at the cinema theatre in Seattle

Posted by James Biggins (Member # 8574) on 09-02-2019, 12:52 AM:

See post #2

quote: Allen Arin
They can also run at the cinema theatre in Seattle