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UNIVERSAL- How about AIRPORT and SWEET CHARITY for the 100th? (1 Viewer)

NY2LA

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ahollis said:
Opening was not that different, on the Roadshow prints the curtains opened on a dark screen with airport background voices over the black and then it fades into the opening shot of the chaos in the ticket area.  The Universal logo was added at the end of the film. 
That's how I remember it all these years.
ahollis said:
The 35mm opened with the Universal Logo fading up with the same airport background voices over the logo that fades out and then the shot of the ticket area fades up.  A gentleman with the Universal Film exchange in New Orleans said they did this for the General Release so the film would not go dark after the trailers and audience members would not think something happened to the picture,
Heaven help us from stupid decisions made for the ignorant masses. How else are people to learn if they don't experience different things? Pandering to ignorance is just dumbing down the experience for everyone, and as a result... we end up right where we are now. PS: while AIRPORT played in the same roadshow theatres that ran SWEET CHARITY, HELLO, DOLLY, MILLIE, etc, it wasn't booked or played as a roadshow, aside from 70mm stereo, no trailers, and the classy opening in the dark. No reserved seats, advance sale, souvenir book, etc. Just an exclusive engagement until it opened wider.
 

ahollis

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Originally Posted by NY2LA


PS: while AIRPORT played in the same roadshow theatres that ran SWEET CHARITY, HELLO, DOLLY, MILLIE, etc, it wasn't booked or played as a roadshow, aside from 70mm stereo, no trailers, and the classy opening in the dark. No reserved seats, advance sale, souvenir book, etc. Just an exclusive engagement until it opened wider.

That is really just about the way it opened. While it opened in Roadshow Theatres, it never really was a Roadshow Engagement. Universal filmed it in Todd-AO and opened it in the larger cities as a one of kind special engagement. Universal never really did have a good list of Roadshow houses to book their films in. Even Thoroughly Modern Millie did not get the full Roadshow release. Spartacus was just about the only Universal film that received the credit it deserved as a Roadshow release. Airport's Roadshow release was as you say more of exclusive engagements. It did open the Radio City Music Hall and played many weeks, then quickly moved over to the Universal Showcase Theater run in the New York Market. The film did make a lot of money for Universal and spawned the three sequels. By the way the amount of money Universal made on their films from Showcase Theatre run in the New York Market was what game that gave them the idea for the huge release of Jaws several years later.

Even though so much has changed in the Airline industry since the film made and some parts are very laughable now, such as the stowaway, but the film is great entertainment.
 

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ahollis said:
Universal never really did have a good list of Roadshow houses to book their films in.  Even Thoroughly Modern Millie did not get the full Roadshow release. 
Yeah it did. Millie and Charity both got full reserved seat exclusive roadshow engagements, souvenir books, advance sale, top theatres, Warner Cinerama/Pantages LA - Criterion/Rivoli NY. Millie even got classy Bob Peak artwork for the roadshow posters/ads, a full page ad in Life magazine listing all the big city roadshow houses, played almost a year before wide general release. Charity got 70mm prints. And Greg can post the roadshow ads to prove it... ; )
 

ahollis

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Originally Posted by NY2LA


Yeah it did. Millie and Charity both got full reserved seat exclusive roadshow engagements, souvenir books, advance sale, top theatres, Warner Cinerama/Pantages LA - Criterion/Rivoli NY. Millie even got classy Bob Peak artwork for the roadshow posters/ads, a full page ad in Life magazine listing all the big city roadshow houses, played almost a year before wide general release. Charity got 70mm prints.
And Greg can post the roadshow ads to prove it... ; )

I did not make myself clear. Millie was Roadshowed in the large cities, New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and others, but passed on the secondary roadshow towns, such as New Orleans, Memphis, Wichita, Indianapolis. Most of the other Roadshow films from Fox, MGM, Warner's, United Artists hit those secondary Roadshow cities with 70mm prints and reserved seats. That is what I meant by it not getting the full Roadshow release. I did not mean to indicate that it was not roadshowed. I have a souvenir program in my collection.

 

NY2LA

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ahollis said:
I did not make myself clear.  Millie was Roadshowed in the large cities, New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and others, but passed on the secondary roadshow towns, such as New Orleans, Memphis, Wichita, Indianapolis.  Most of the other Roadshow films from Fox, MGM, Warner's, United Artists hit those secondary Roadshow cities with 70mm prints and reserved seats. That is what I meant by it not getting the full Roadshow release.  I did not mean to indicate that it was not roadshowed.  I have a souvenir program in my collection. 
Actually the cities in that ad are not the only cities it roadshowed in. Full roadshow, hard ticket, only 1 or 2 shows a day, in cities smaller than you mentioned. Citles like Hamden CT and Rochester, NY. It was Uni's major release for 67 and top moneymaker. They put a lot of unnecessary stuff in to pad the length for an excuse to roadshow it, so they took every opportunity. I can ask around and probably come up with some ads, ticket stubs, something. A google search turns up some evidence. Charity ran in the same cities... IIRC, If you look at some reissue posters for one of these films, you'll find drawings for the other. Yeah Uni goofed. Anyway, what's your favorite moments on Charity and Airport?
 

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Millie was filmed 1.85:1. Were there any other roadshows using that aspect ratio instead of some form of Panavision or Todd-AO or Dimension 150?
 

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MattH. said:
Millie was filmed 1.85:1. Were there any other roadshows using that aspect ratio instead of some form of Panavision or Todd-AO or Dimension 150?
"The Happiest Millionaire" comes instantly to mind. Disney seldom shot anything wider than 1.85 after "Swiss Family Robinson" and tended to frame everything to be "TV-safe" since most product would end up on the Wonderful World of Disney at some point.
 

NY2LA

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MattH. said:
Millie was filmed 1.85:1. Were there any other roadshows using that aspect ratio instead of some form of Panavision or Todd-AO or Dimension 150?
Funny, I was thinking about that last night. I think Millie is probably the only one. Seems that choice was made to make it seem more of the period*, as the original concept was supposed to be a cute little film with a couple of songs. I was really a kid when it opened, so even though I had already seen other roadshows, and exclusive runs, (Poppins, SOM, Hawaii) it hadn't occurred to me to notice the aspect ratios yet. *Of course, even trying to evoke the period, they wouldn't go the whole old-fashioned 1.33 for Millie... but today... has anyone seen The Artist yet? I hear it's not only B&W silent but square as well. Wonder how many of today's multiplexes have masking that pulls in that far.
 

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Rob_Ray said:
"The Happiest Millionaire" comes instantly to mind. Disney seldom shot anything wider than 1.85 after "Swiss Family Robinson" and tended to frame everything to be "TV-safe" since most product would end up on the Wonderful World of Disney at some point.
Oh shoot, yeah! Good recall. Lemme check the pressbook... Okay, doesn't mention AR (I thought many Dis Pressbooks did) Pressbook does list runtime: 2:24:25. Also mentions available featurette of the Pantages premiere. IMDb says Lab Technicolor - Film negative format 35 mm - Spherical - Printed film format 35 mm Aspect ratio 1.66 : 1. Spherical means no anamorphic squeeze, so I think they shot "Open Matte" exposing the full 1.33 frame. I recall hearing Disney liked 1.66 (I hear that was common in Europe so maybe he was thinking globally) I think they composed for 1.66 as the medium but protected for both 1.85 (most theatres) and 1.33 (for TV) The restoration of Bedknobs first ran at the Academy at full 1.33 because they had found the neg that way. Aha! Here it is: the pressbook for Bedknobs says "To create the utmost magical effect, BEDKNOBS AND BROOMSTICKS must be shown at an aspect ratio of 1.75 to 1" So we can imagine that's what Millionaire was. FYI the Airport pressbook doesn't list AR, which kinda makes sense because that would be either 2.2 or 1.35 depending on which print you got.
 

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I saw "Airport" in its exclusive Houston engagement at the Tower Theatre on Westheimer Road, a major roadshow house at the time. To the best of my recollection, it was 35mm with mono sound and definitely did not have reserved seating. The aspect ratio was in the neighborhood of 2:35:1. The days of 70mm and pre-Dolby stereo sound in markets such as Houston were starting to wane at this point. The Poseidon Adventure ran in 70mm at the Alabama, but The Towering Inferno was 35mm in the same theatre two years later. Mame was an exclusive engagement at the Alabama in 35mm mono as well, but Tom Sawyer and That's Entertainment! were shown in 70mm at the Windsor Cinerama and both were dazzling aural and visual experiences, especially the latter.
 

ahollis

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Originally Posted by NY2LA


Actually the cities in that ad are not the only cities it roadshowed in. Full roadshow, hard ticket, only 1 or 2 shows a day, in cities smaller than you mentioned. Cites like Hamden CT and Rochester, NY. It was Uni's major release for 67 and top moneymaker. They put a lot of unnecessary stuff in to pad the length for an excuse to roadshow it, so they took every opportunity. I can ask around and probably come up with some ads, ticket stubs, something. A google search turns up some evidence. Charity ran in the same cities... IIRC, If you look at some reissue posters for one of these films, you'll find drawings for the other. Yeah Uni goofed.
Anyway, what's your favorite moments on Charity and Airport?

Airport - I loved the banner between Burt Lancaster and Jean Seberg and any scene with Helen Hayes, George Kennedy and Maureen Stapleton was classic. I still enjoy the film and can watch it at any sitting. The way George Seaton directed it along with the musical score, it was, even at that time a nostalgic film. Millie- not a damn thing wrong with it. Carol Channings scenes (Jazz Baby) were classic as was Beatrice Lillie. I read that at the time she filmed the movie, she was in advance stage of Alzheimer's and had a very hard time remembering her lines and what she was doing there. Despite that she preformed magnificently.

Charity - I thought Shirley was a breath of fresh air through out the whole film. Stubby Kaye and Sammy Davis Jr. were also very entertaining. Give me this on Blu-ray and a happy person I will be.


Ok the CT and upper NY theaters were played off as Roadshow from the New York market, I won't argue for that was the way film played in the Northeast. I lived in CT for a time and even in the early part of this decade the CT theaters played exactly the same as NY. When Dreamgirls Roadshowed in NY it also did so in Stamford and New Haven, have program from the Stanford run at one of our theaters. The surrounding areas around Los Angeles also Roadshowed Millie again because of the relationship to LA. What I am talking about are the Mid-America and the Southern States. Example, New Orleans played Roadshow films at the Civic, Martin Cinerama, Joy Panorama, Saenger Orleans and the Cine', but when Millie opened, it opened on Canal Street at the Joy Theater five shows a day in 35mm without reserved seats. This happened in many towns that were secondary Roadshow towns. Another example was Shreveport, LA where they had the Saenger as their only roadshow house and it was taken at the time so it played the Don Theater 5 shows a day. Universal could not obtain theaters that could handle a Roadshow engagement in towns that had limited Roadshow houses so they released General. This did not effect the the grosses of the film one bit and the it was a great money maker for Universal. It deserves a Blu-ray release.

I am not saying that Millie was not a Roadshow attraction for it played Dallas, Atlanta, Miami, Washington DC, Houston, Denver Seattle, Indianapolis as a Roadshow, just that it did not go as deep during that period as other titles such as My Fair Lady, South Pacific, Ben-Hur, The Sound Of Music, The Ten Commandments and others.
 

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Millie was roadshown in Houston at the Majestic Theatre downtown, the biggest movie palace in town. My only complaints with the film are that it doesn't know when to wrap up the story -- after all the fireworks in Chinatown, it's anti-climactic to have yet another chase out to Long Island for more mayhem -- and there's that Jewish Wedding Song that everyone agrees is superfluous however entertaining the number may be. I'd get a BluRay in a heartbeat though, along with Julie's other roadshow star vehicle, Star!
 

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First three AIRPORT movies have been available on Encore Channel On Demand in HD. 16x9. Airport's splitscreen shots seamlessly adapted to 16.9 without letterboxing. Quality seems pretty good. Airport 75 has letterboxed opening titles, Airport does not. Airport BTW appears as always with the Uni globe at the end. Have also seen these titles on Streaming Netflix. Regarding Millie being a roadshow in areas surrounding LA, not possible as roadshow engagements would be exclusive for miles and miles away from each main city until after the hard ticket run. (not close enough to drive there and back in a day) Have seen no evidence of Millie as a roadshow in LA reigon except for Warner Hollywood. Closest cities for roadshow probably San Francisco, maybe San Diego.
 

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Universal is biased against musicals (they hate them) Don't look for "Sweet Charity" "Flower Drum Song" or "Thoroughly Modern Millie" on blu -ray



The only chance we may get "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas" is because Universal is planning a re-make (But if and when that happens remains to be seen and could be years away) Plus the word "Whore" in the title may help appeal to the "American Pie" consumer


The only reason they released "The Wiz" was because of was Michael Jackson as it was his only film acting role and to tie in with his concert film
 

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Originally Posted by GMpasqua

Universal is biased against musicals (they hate them) Don't look for "Sweet Charity" "Flower Drum Song" or "Thoroughly Modern Millie" on blu -ray



Why do you think this? When they arrived on DVD, they did a fairly good job with them. Universal has never really released titles as the other studios have and I always thought they just took their time with those titles being released as they have with all their titles. Both Flower Drum and Thoroughly Modern Millie were out before Airport on DVD, and I am not counting the Goodtimes DVD which was terrible. The first really big push that I see is this 100 year anniversary. Universal Studios made Mamma Mia, they have the rights to Wicked and are making Les Miserables. For a studio that hates musicals their track record right now is pretty good. They did put In The Heights in turn-around, but that due to script problems.
 

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Originally Posted by NY2LA

Regarding Millie being a roadshow in areas surrounding LA, not possible as roadshow engagements would be exclusive for miles and miles away from each main city until after the hard ticket run. (not close enough to drive there and back in a day) Have seen no evidence of Millie as a roadshow in LA reigon except for Warner Hollywood. Closest cities for roadshow probably San Francisco, maybe San Diego.

I think the confusion on where this film was roadshowed or not steams from the fact that the General Release prints were not cut and the running time was the same as the roadshow running time. Also Universal sent the 35mm General Release prints with the Overture and Intermission intact. Some theatres played it as sent, while a lot of the theatres cut the Overture and Intermission out. When the film was re-released in the early 70's the prints went out with both Overture and Intermission cut. But a lot of the prints were reused from the original release and those cuts were hand made at Technicolor or the local Film Inspection office.
 

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Lots of pictures have been presented as a roadshow without actual roadshow policies. I don't think there was any reason to cut a film between initial engagement and popular price neighborhood runs except if the picture was less than successful or so long they wanted to squeeze a few extra showings in. Millie was a total success so no reason to cut a frame, Funny Girl still had part of the overture and intermission in popular price runs, I think they only cut the Swan lake Ballet. Hello, Dolly! had no cuts at all, maybe kept intermission in prints. Fiddler's world premiere engagement at NY Rivoli cut the intermission for weekend supper shows (5 of 2-5-8) I experienced that myself. When I saw Happiest Millionaire it had overture, intermission, everything but advance sale reserved seats. At some point Chitty had an alternate reel to replace the intermission. Movies of a certain length almost BEG for a intermission, while any picture can be nicely enhanced by an overture. I think we can all agree that if these movies ever had any of these elements, we want the option of being able to play them that way. If seamless branching can enable three different versions of CLOSE ENCOUNTERS on one disc, why not a roadshow complete with actual intermission and a play through? Disney and Warner titles sometimes include featurettes, so why not a Feature and a Complete Show option with the cartoons and/or featurettes up front?
 

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Usually if the film was a hit the general relase version wasn't cut (except maybe the intermission and overture)

If the film was not a hit (and many weren't) they were sometimes cut for general release - and not all prints were cut, some cities may have gotten shorter versions than others and some got mono prints.


"Sweet Charity" had different versions floating around, the New York Roadshow, the general release and then variations on both - some cities got the alternate happy ending - "Sweet Charity" was expensive and did fairly low business - earning about the same box-office as "Star"! with Julie Andrews released 5 months earlier. Universal found they did better if they did not advertise "Shirley MacLaine" and so alternate posters were printed which featured many photos from the film which did not highlight the film's star. The film is a downer of a musical and one you problably won't bring the children to see while there are some great moments - esp the dancing - the story is too depressing and both endings too corny to finish the film correctly


MacLaine also bounces between playing a street smart woman and a total moron - so you never really care for her they way one needs is a film such as this. Sometimes her character is just to dumb and other time she's too wise. Of course the whole sex trade business was censored to make the film more family friendly leading a lot of holes for you to fill in yourself
 

ahollis

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Originally Posted by GMpasqua

Usually if the film was a hit the general relase version wasn't cut (except maybe the intermission and overture)

If the film was not a hit (and many weren't) they were sometimes cut for general release - and not all prints were cut, some cities may have gotten shorter versions than others and some got mono prints.


"Sweet Charity" had different versions floating around, the New York Roadshow, the general release and then variations on both - some cities got the alternate happy ending - "Sweet Charity" was expensive and did fairly low business - earning about the same box-office as "Star"! with Julie Andrews released 5 months earlier. Universal found they did better if they did not advertise "Shirley MacLaine" and so alternate posters were printed which featured many photos from the film which did not highlight the film's star. The film is a downer of a musical and one you problably won't bring the children to see while there are some great moments - esp the dancing - the story is too depressing and both endings too corny to finish the film correctly


MacLaine also bounces between playing a street smart woman and a total moron - so you never really care for her they way one needs is a film such as this. Sometimes her character is just to dumb and other time she's too wise. Of course the whole sex trade business was censored to make the film more family friendly leading a lot of holes for you to fill in yourself



But as you said the Bob Fosse dancing it classic. I loved the featurette that is included, which I remember seeing on local TV, for I was taken in with what Fosse said about on stage the audience gets to pick which dancer to look at, while as a director he has to pick for the audience. He was talking about the "Hey, Big Spender" number. I really enjoyed this film and fell in love with Shirley Maclaine when I saw it. Years later had a good time talking with her about the film while she was filming Steel Magnolias and again later on one of her press junkets for RUMOR HAS IT. But by then most of the questions revolved around AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS, TWO MULES FOR SISTER SARA, and JOHN GOLDFARB of which she graciously spent close to an hour talking.
 

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