Cinerama Memorial Day Weekend Screenings
""Cinerama Holiday"" - Memorial Day - Weekend Saturday May 29 - ""Cinerama Holiday"" (1955) (Special pre-show with ""Cinerama Holiday"" interviews and on location behind the scenes shorts) Sunday May 30 - ""How The West Was Won"" (1962) (Special pre-show with ""How The West Was Won interviews and on location behind the scenes shorts) A special tribute screening of ""Cinerama Holiday"" will be shown this coming Memorial Day weekend on Saturday, May 29. Mr. John Harvey will share stories with the audience of John Marsh and their friendship. Also on the program, a special once-only video presentation on the big screen, on loan from David Strohmaier, director of Lone Pony Productions forthcoming documentary ""Cinerama Adventure."" It consists of interviews with the cast of ""Cinerama Holiday,"" filmed in Dayton, Ohio when they were assembled here for a reunion screening in April of 1997. Little did we realize this would be the last time we would all be together as John Marsh died suddenly last fall in a car accident. The video will be shown from noon until 12:45 before the screening of ""Cinerama Holiday"" at 1:00pm. During the intermission another short film made by the director of ""Cinerama Holiday,"" Bob Bendick will be shown. This film was shot behind the scenes while making the skiing and bobsled sequences in Switzerland! ""Cinerama Holiday"" was produced after the huge success of ""This Is Cinerama"" (1952), the first film in the 3-projector process which was seen by over 10 million amazed viewers in just 21 Cinerama theaters by 1954. Audience members were asked what the second Cinerama film should be about. Like today, Cinerama voyeurs enjoyed the intimate way the process pulls you in and makes you feel you are ""in the picture."" And since we all like time off and traveling for pleasure, it was decided the second Cinerama feature would be ""the ultimate vacation, a Cinerama Holiday!"" In 1954, Academy Award winner Louis de Rochemont (graduate MIT and Harvard) was famous for producing ""The March of Time"" newsreels, a novel concept in screen journalism which offered cinema audiences a dynamic, in-depth view of news. He pioneered the trend toward realism and on-location shooting. His best known feature films are ""The House on 92nd Street"" (1945), ""Boomerang"" (1947), ""Cinerama Holiday"" (1955) and ""Windjammer"" (1958) in Cinemiracle. Louis de Rochemont teamed up with director Robert Bendick, composer Morton Gould, the best technicians, cameraman and crew. As for the cast, two couples would be selected to trade continents and spend six months traveling with a crew and the unique Cinerama camera and sound system to record their experiences. John and Betty Marsh from Kansas City were the ideal innocent mid-western couple, never having traveled more than 100 miles from home they jumped at the chance to see the best of Switzerland and Paris. Fred and Beatrice Troller had never left picturesque Switzerland and were anxious to see the diversity of the states. Todayís 1999 audience gets to go back in time to 1954 via Cinerama to share with these young romantics, highlights of the best of their experiences. Locations include: flying over the Swiss Alps, St. Louis airport, watching Holiday on Ice at the Survretta house in St. Moritz, The Desert Inn in Las Vegas, riding the California Zephyr train gliding through Glenwood Canyon Colorado, Denver, Rio Grande, San Francisco, Chicago, in New Orleans soaking up a traditional gospel hymn from a ""Negro"" congregation, strolling behind a funeral to the rhythm of ""When the Saints Go Marching In,"" with a rocking climax of the Tiger Rag performed at the Absinthe House, Deerfield, New Hampshire for the county fair, Dartmouth College, Alpine skiing, a Swiss Chalet for fondue, singing and dancing, and ahhh!!!! Paris! In Paris, high mass at Notre Dame, discovering art at the Louvre, the Paris Opera House and Lido night Club, the ballet, the Art Ball, an after hours fashion show. Back in the USA: Washington D.C., New York and finally joining the Blue Angeles taking off from an air-craft carrier and performing breath taking feats. Director Bob Bendickís behind the scenes [1954] film, shot on location in Switzerland will be screened during intermission on the Big Screen! Did we mention that this is the LAST KNOWN PRINT ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD? Also, it has less scratches and splices than either of John Harveyís full Technicolor prints of ""How The West Was Won"" or ""This Is Cinerama."" And, the fact that it has faded to a mostly pink condition only adds to its charm and makes us want to raise more money and awareness to get it fully restored to full color, with all its blues, yellows and greens! Cinerama Tickets To charge by credit card, call Monday-Friday 9am-5pm EST 937291 9640. Please leave a slow and clear message on our answering machine with your name, address, phone number, show date, number of tickets, credit card number and expiration date. We will record all this info then call you back to confirm the tickets are being held at the box office for you. To purchase in advance through the mail, please send a check for the amount of the tickets (center section Sweet Spots tickets are $10 each) with a self addressed and stamped return envelope to Cinerama Preservation Society, Inc., 6513 Azure Way, Dayton, OH 45449. Requests arriving within 7 days of the show will be held at the boxoffice. Include your phone in case we need to contact you. The day of the show side section and Senior and Child tickets will be sold at the door, also any remaining sweet spot tickets. All seating is first come first served, no returns or refunds. Old 3-Eyes Installed In Cinerama Dome For the first time ever Able, Baker and Charlie (the names for the three Cinerama projectors) are visiting the LA theatre that was custom built for Cinerama in 1963! Recently Pacific Theatres dusted off some of the last known equipment and had it delivered to the Dome. The theatre will be shut down after the year end holidays to be renovated. Hopefully to re-open summer of 2000 with the capacity to play real 3-projector Cinerama for the first time ever! (Confirmed rumors from various sources.) Seattleís New Cinerama Theatre Opens With ""Lawrence Of Arabia"" in 70mm! Eyewitness reports say eyes were popping at the opulence of the completely done over Seattle Cinerama theatre renovation. Billionaire philanthropist, and better yet Cinerama fan Paul Allen after hearing of plans to close the historic theatre came to the rescue. Now with a 1960ís retro decor and state of the art equipment including in-the-works digital projection. Everyoneís waiting for old three eyes to return next year sometime. The gossip mills have been circulating the story that Seattle finally has the 3-projector equipment on its way (details inside.) We pray that print restoration starts soon! ""Seven Wonders Of The World"" Soundtrack Copied Chase Productions and Pacific Theatres are happy to announce another soundtrack has been copied. We hope C.P.S. can get a copy to match with John Harveyís optical print, maybe soon! ""This Is Cinerama And Selected Shorts? In case youíve missed it, John Harvey has added the 3-projector previews for ""How The West Was Won"" and ""The Wonderful World of the Brother Grimm"" and the Renault car commercial short to every screening of ""This Is Cinerama."" They run just after intermission in all their 3-paneled glory! Fragrant Cinerama Fragments Found In Chile, South America, a U.S. citizen was scavenging last year for unwanted cinema equipment and walked into a theatre to ask the manager if they had any for sale. Just then, he spotted a Cinerama logo on an old ad in the lobby. Our detective inquired had the theatre ever actually played Cinerama? The manger replied he didnít think so... just then an old janitor eavesdropping interrupted. ""Oh yes they did! Back in the late 1960s!"" In fact, the gentleman continued he knew that the old Cinerama equipment and prints had been walled up after a theatre renovation. So... with ax in hand our super sleuth (with permission) started tearing through walls to find the damp, rotting refuge from the past. Three original projectors and dozens of reels of faded pink film lay melting into a stinky gooey mess. However, the story does not end there, read Part Two in our next issue! Kinopanorama Shorts? Australian John Lasher and Frenchman Bruno Lemonnier have spent years researching the Russian format of 3-projector Kinopanorama, a very Cinerama like format. They have between them, a working 3-panel camera, rediscovered short films and NEWLY photographed NEW shorts in the 3-projector process. Investigation and negotiations are underway to maybe, someday play Kinopanorama at the Neon. Cinevent 31 ñ One Of The Countryís Best Classic Film Festivals For over 30 years film buffs from around the world have been converging at Cinevent over Memorial Day weekend (May 28-31) in Columbus, Ohio (90 minutes from the Neon in Dayton) to view dozens of the rarest silent and early sound films, and to buy, sell, trade and collect memorabilia, 16mm prints, LaserDiscs, video tapes, posters, lobby cards, stills, autographs, etc. For more info phone 619 229 3555 or visit their Website at http://www.Cinevent.com. Neonís New Paint Job Youíll be quite surprised at the Neonís new exterior paint job. Itís stylized! WHAT AND WHEN? The Next Cinerama Showings The Cinerama Preservation Society will host Cinerama showings again over Labor Day weekend, September 4 and 5, and Thanksgiving weekend, November 27 and 28. Just what titles we will be showing depends on a lot of things. Will Pacific Theatres sell us a copy of the ""Seven Wonders of the World"" soundtrack? Will the Kinopanorama film look and sound good enough to share with a paying audience? Will something playable come out of the bits and pieces of John Harveyís archives? Donít go looking in the National Enquirer, just keep up your subscription to the C.P.S. Newsletter and youíll be the first to know! Coming To The Neonís Cinerama Screen June 11-24 ñ Columbia Pictureís 75th Anniversary Film Festival Including...""Lawrence Of Arabia"" in 70mm, ""Easy Rider,"" ""It Happened One Night,"" ""Mr. Smith Goes To Washington,"" ""Bridge On The River Kwai,"" ""Guess Whoís Coming to Dinner,"" ""Tootsie,"" ""Taxi Driver,"" ""On The Waterfront,"" ""From Here To Eternity,"" ""Close Encounters Of The Third Kind"" (definitive directorís cut in DTSÆ Digital Sound), and one of Stanley Kubrickís Masterpieces ""Dr. Srangelove Or How I Stopped Worrying And Learned To Love The Bomb!"" Phone 937 222- 8452 to check on playdates and showtimes. Hurry, ""Lawrence Of Arabia"" in 70mm on the opening weekend only! So You Want To Go Surfing??? Catch The Cinerama Wave At These Bodacious Sites www.simplecom.net/widefilm/ www.seattlecinerama.com http://members.aol.com/cinerama7/index.html www.comp.brad.ac.uk/research/GIP/cinerama.html www.cybertheater.com/News_Views/Cinerama/cinerama.html www.redballoon.net/~snorwood/pictureville/index.html www.neonmovies.com A Sweet Short Story From An Eyewitness C.P.S. member Edwin John Schroll wrote about a friend of his in North Carolina named David Alexander who is retired after years behind the Hollywood camera. Mr. Alexander shared this story ""I had no idea that the Cinerama process and those extraordinary films were more than a passing interest to you (Schroll). Michael Todd, JR. is a friend of mine and his late father entrusted the roller coaster segment of ëThis Is Cineramaí to him. I was still a young army corporal when I took a train from the Carolinas to NYC for the first public showings at the Broadway Theatre on Upper Broadway to see the film. Then, in 1962, I went to work for Bill Doll at 1700 Broadway (in the Michael Todd Building) Mr. Doll was Michael SRís press agent since 1939 where they both worked at the Worldís Fair. For two years I was a fledgling press agent and my office was next to Mike JRís. On my 33rd birthday Mike JR. took a photograph of me holding the Best Picture OscarÆ for ëAround The World In 80 Days.í I guess that I was stage struck. The Cinerama films were excellent, and I never tired of seeing them. That approach to the Grand Canyon lifted me right out of my seat and gave me goose-pimples of gigantic proportions which I can bring back simply by thinking of that time."" For more information, contact Larry Smith, President C.P.S. The New Neon Movies, Americaís Cinerama Theatre or email: newneon@erinet.com. Phone 937 222 8452 for a copy of the C.P.S. News Quarterly, a quarterly newsletter published by The Cinerama Preservation Society, Inc. a not-for-profit film organization that underwrites and promotes the screenings of authentic 3-projector Cinerama at The New Neon Movies in Dayton, Ohio, still the only theater in the USA doing so in 33 years!