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Remembering Cinerama (Part 48: Orlando)
posted by
Coate
on
April 23, 2010 at 4:06 pm
REMEMBERING CINERAMA
Part 48: Orlando
The following is Part Forty-Eight in a series of retrospectives on Cinerama, the legendary motion picture process that kicked off the widescreen revolution. The series focuses on providing a market-by-market historical record of when and where Cinerama and its multi-panel clones were exhibited. The easy-to-reference articles serve to provide nostalgia to those who experienced the Cinerama presentations when they were new and to highlight the movie palaces in which the memorable screenings took place.
Part 1: New York City
Part 2: Chicago
Part 3: San Francisco
Part 4: Houston
Part 5: Washington, DC
Part 6: Los Angeles
Part 7: Atlanta
Part 8: San Diego
Part 9: Dallas
Part 10: Oklahoma City
Part 11: Syracuse
Part 12: Toronto
Part 13: Columbus
Part 14: Montreal
Part 15: Northern New Jersey
Part 16: Charlotte
Part 17: Vancouver
Part 18: Salt Lake City
Part 19: Boston
Part 20: Philadelphia
Part 21: Fresno
Part 22: Detroit
Part 23: Minneapolis
Part 24: Albuquerque
Part 25: El Paso
Part 26: Des Moines
Part 27: Miami
Part 28: Orange County
Part 29: Pittsburgh
Part 30: Baltimore
Part 31: Long Island
Part 32: Kansas City
Part 33: Milwaukee
Part 34: Nanuet/Rockland County
Part 35: Denver
Part 36: Worcester
Part 37: Toledo
Part 38: St. Louis
Part 39: Tampa
Part 40: Calgary
Part 41: Hartford
Part 42: Albany
Part 43: New Haven
Part 44: Sacramento
Part 45: Las Vegas
Part 46: Seattle
Part 47: Phoenix
And now…Part 48: Cinerama Presentations in Orlando, Florida!
CIRCUS WORLD
Theater: Beacham
Premiere: January 22, 1965
Duration: 4 weeks
Format: Cinerama (70mm)
Hype: “CINERAMA comes to Central Florida!” “CINERAMA Surrounds You With The Greatest Thrill-Packed Story Ever Filmed!”
KHARTOUM
Theater: Beacham
Premiere: June 30, 1966
Duration: 5 weeks
Format: Cinerama (70mm)
Hype: “The Great CINERAMA Adventure!” “Gordon defended Khartoum in the name of his empire! The Mahdi besieged Khartoum in the name of his God!”
2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY
Theater: Beacham
Premiere: August 9, 1968
Duration: 11 weeks
Format: Cinerama (70mm)
Hype: “An astounding entertainment experience! A dazzling trip to the planets and beyond!”
ICE STATION ZEBRA
Theater: Beacham
Premiere: March 28, 1969
Duration: 7 weeks
Format: Cinerama (70mm)
Hype: “Ice Station Zebra…remember the name, your life may depend on it!”
KRAKATOA, EAST OF JAVA
Theater: Beacham
Premiere: July 18, 1969
Duration: 7 weeks
Format: Cinerama (70mm)
Hype: “The new CINERAMA hurls you into the incredible day that shook the earth to its core!”
NOT SHOWN IN CINERAMA IN THE ORLANDO MARKET:
THIS IS CINERAMA original 3-panel version
CINERAMA HOLIDAY
SEVEN WONDERS OF THE WORLD
SEARCH FOR PARADISE
WINDJAMMER
SOUTH SEAS ADVENTURE
HOLIDAY IN SPAIN
THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF THE BROTHERS GRIMM (general release)
THE BEST OF CINERAMA
HOW THE WEST WAS WON (general release)
IT’S A MAD MAD MAD MAD WORLD (general release)
MEDITERRANEAN HOLIDAY
THE GREATEST STORY EVER TOLD (general release)
THE HALLELUJAH TRAIL (general release)
BATTLE OF THE BULGE (general release)
RUSSIAN ADVENTURE
GRAND PRIX (general release)
CUSTER OF THE WEST (general release)
THIS IS CINERAMA 1973 70mm Re-Issue
Compiled by Nick DiMaggio & Michael Coate
Reference: Orlando Sentinel
Comments (12)
One has to feel sorry for the good folks of Orlando; although undoubtedly some of them saw Cinerama features in other cities, the uninitiated there only got the 70mm version and, with the exception of “2001” and possibly “Khartoum,” got only a few of the weakest of the films in that format. I am sure a lot of people left the Beacham shaking their heads muttering something like, “What’s the big deal with this Cinerama thing?”
Why the line “And now…Part 48: Cinerama Presentations in Orlando, Florida!” and all lines announcing Cinerama in a particular city end with an exclamation point as if announcing the second coming? Just end it with a colon. And now…Part 48: Cinerama Presentations in Orlando, Florida:
Hurray, Remembering Cinerama is back! Missed it. Still looking forward to seeing Cleveland and Cincinnati.
Have a little enthusiasm AGR! Do you understand what a pain it is to gather such obscure information? I would be excited as well. Thumbs up to Nick and Mike!
Cool stuff!
Remember that pre-Disney World Orlando was a pretty slow town.
AGR, That’s SHOWMANSHIP!
I can understand CapnRob comment, he has a point. But Bob Jensen, an exclamation point is showmanship? Come'on! It’s their writing style. Showmanship is about presenting shows, spectacles, not about writing.
When I read the line referred to above, I hear an echo of Lowell Thomas saying, “Ladies and gentlemen: This is Cinerama!”
Good point, CWalczak. You made me change my mind.
Agreed; you can’t have Cinerama with out the ! Take it from someone who had the priveledge to work it!
Before DISNEY got there I didn’t this town had anything,but it had CINERAMA,something the IMPERIAL wanted in Augusta,but according to an old projectionist the fire department wouldn’t approve,Two exit doors would have to be moved or covered,by the screen. So Orlando had CINERAMA,before Disney.
I’ve found your Cinerama blod extremely useful in my research of old theaters and what they played. I would hope that you would add Cleveland, Cincinnati, Indianapolis, New Orleans, San Antonio, Portland (OR), Providence, and Buffalo. I have some of the theaters and opening dates for these, as well as some information on Cinerama films that didn’t play in Cinerama in these markets. Most of my research is from 1958-1975, so it doesn’t include the Cinerama openings of the early 50s for these cities.