The Ultimate List of Mono to Stereo Remixed Soundtracks (1 Viewer)

[Mark-P]

So I’ve compiled a list (by no means comprehensive) of all the movies that were originally released as mono and have since been remixed into stereo or multi-channel. Unlike aspect ratio or black & white versus color, the decision to mix sound as mono or stereo is not an artistic decision (excluding one Mr. Woody Allen) but merely a financial one. Nobody in the music industry chose to continue to record monaural once hi-fis became the norm. Also once television began broadcasting in stereo (circa 1983) TV programs retooled pretty quickly to begin mixing their soundtracks in stereo. Movies are another kettle of fish. Stereophonic sound debuted in the early 1950s, only to quickly die off due to the exorbitant cost. Magnetic sound striping doubled the cost of film prints and theaters were plagued with the bothersome maintenance of keeping those magnetic soundheads clean. So stereo sound in movies became scarce, reserved only for the blockbusters with the biggest budgets. Then in the 1970s Ray Dolby came along with a new optical stereo process that solved all the cost problems and stereo was finally here to stay. By the 1990s nearly every movie had a stereo soundtrack.


So now we have all these movies that were released as mono due to cost. In the era of home video the studios have now seen fit to go back and remix many of them into stereo. This list only includes films that were mono for their original release. Not included are any films that were in stereo and have since been remixed to newer standards even if the original stereo mixes have been lost, such as with House of Wax, From Here to Eternity, or Cabaret. If a film was released mono in 35mm, but there were 70mm prints struck with 6-track sound, those films are also not included. Also note that I have disqualified anything where they used a fake, synthesized stereo process. Only soundtracks remixed from original sound stems, or from separate dialog and music & effects tracks will be included. And lastly any title that was originally released in Perspecta “Stereo” that has been remixed into true stereo IS included because I consider Perspecta to be mono, thus White Christmas makes the list.


Please feel free to contribute listings to this thread as I am sure there are many titles that I have missed.




1937

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs


1939

Gone With the Wind

Jesse James

The Wizard of Oz


1940

Pinocchio


1941

Dumbo

How Green Was My Valley


1942

Bambi


1943

Saludos Amigos (streaming version)


1944

Meet Me in St. Louis


1945

The Three Caballeros (streaming version)

Ziegfeld Follies


1947

Fun and Fancy Free

The Ghost and Mrs. Muir

Miracle on 34th Street


1948

So Dear to My Heart


1949

The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad

A Letter to Three Wives

Twelve O’Clock High


1950

All About Eve

Cinderella

Treasure Island


1951

Alice in Wonderland

A Christmas Carol

The Day the Earth Stood Still

A Place in the Sun


1952

Singin’ in the Rain


1953

The Band Wagon

Escape from Fort Bravo

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes

Hondo

Niagara

Peter Pan


1954

The Caine Mutiny

On the Waterfront

Seven Samurai

White Christmas


1955

It Came from Beneath the Sea

To Catch a Thief


1956

Earth vs. the Flying Saucers

Giant

High Society

The Ten Commandments


1957

20 Million Miles to Earth

The Bridge on the River Kwai

Funny Face

Gunfight at the O.K. Corral

Jailhouse Rock

Old Yeller (Blu-ray mono only)

Pal Joey

The Tin Star


1958

The 7th Voyage of Sinbad

Vertigo


1959

North by Northwest

On the Beach

Some Like it Hot

Third Man on the Mountain


1960

Anatomy of a Murder

The Apartment

Home from the Hill

The Magnificent Seven

Pollyanna (Blu-ray mono only)

Psycho

Swiss Family Robinson


1961

Breakfast at Tiffany’s

The Hustler

Judgment at Nuremberg (Australian Blu-ray mono only)

One Hundred and One Dalmatians

The Parent Trap


1962

Dr. No

The Manchurian Candidate

The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance

To Kill a Mockingbird


1963

From Russia with Love

Hud

Jason and the Argonauts

McLintock!

Savage Sam

The Sword in the Stone

Tom Jones (Laserdisc)


1964

Americanization of Emily

Dr. Strangelove…

Dr. Syn: Alias the Scarecrow

Fistful of Dollars

Goldfinger

A Hard Day’s Night

Hey There, It’s Yogi Bear

A Shot in the Dark


1965

For a Few Dollars More

Help!

Major Dundee

Thunderball

Von Ryan’s Express


1966

Aflie

Fantastic Voyage

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

Hawaii (Laserdisc)

Return of the Seven


1967

The Graduate

In the Heat of the Night

The Jungle Book

You Only Live Twice


1968

Bullit

Easy Rider

Hang ‘Em High

Head

The Odd Couple

Once Upon a Time in the West

Yellow Submarine


1969

A Boy Named Charlie Brown

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid

Guns of the Magnificent Seven

The Love Bug

Midnight Cowboy

On Her Majesty’s Secret Service

Those Daring Young Men in Their Jaunty Jalopies

True Grit

The Undefeated


1970

The Aristocats

Beneath the Planet of the Apes

The Boys in the Band

Love Story

MASH

On a Clear Day You Can See Forever

Rio Lobo


1971

Bedknobs and Broomsticks

Big Jake

A Clockwork Orange

Diamonds Are Forever

Dirty Harry

Duel

Escape from the Planet of the Apes

Macbeth

The French Connection

THX 1138


1972

Conquest of the Planet of the Apes

The Godfather

The Magnificent Seven Ride!

Snoopy Come Home


1973

Battle for the Planet of the Apes

The Exorcist

The Golden Voyage of Sinbad

High Plains Drifter

Live and Let Die

Magnum Force

Robin Hood

Serpico

The Sting

The Three Musketeers

The Way We Were


1974

Benji

Black Christmas

Blazing Saddles

Chinatown

The Conversation

The Four Musketeers

The Godfather Part II

Herbie Rides Again

The Man with the Golden Gun

Murder on the Orient Express (StudioCanal Blu-ray mono only)

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre


1975

The Apple Dumpling Gang (Blu-ray mono only)

Barry Lyndon

Bite the Bullet

Escape to Witch Mountain

Jaws

Monty Python and the Holy Grail

One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest

Posse

Three Days of the Condor


1976

1900

Assault on Precinct 13

Carrie

The Enforcer

Freaky Friday

The Omen

The Outlaw Josey Wales

The Pink Panther Strikes Again

Rocky


1977

For the Love of Benji

The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh

Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo

The Rescuers

Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger

Smokey and the Bandit


1978

Animal House

Every Which Way But Loose

The Fury

Return from Witch Mountain

Revenge of the Pink Panther


1979

The Amityville Horror

China Syndrome

Kramer vs. Kramer


1980

Coal Miner’s Daughter

The Fog

Friday the 13th

Herbie Goes Bananas

Prom Night

The Shining

Terror Train


1981

An American Werewolf in London

Body Heat

The Evil Dead

Excalibur

The Fox and the Hound

Friday the 13th Part 2

Gallipoli

The Howling

My Bloody Valentine

On Golden Pond (Shout! Factory Blu-ray mono only)

The Prowler

Reds

Stripes


1982

Amityville II: The Possession

Conan the Barbarian

Fast Times at Ridgemont High

Friday the 13th Part III

An Officer and a Gentleman

Sophie’s Choice

Tootsie (Criterion Blu-ray mono only)

The Verdict

The World According to Garp


1983

The Big Chill

Sudden Impact

Terms of Endearment

Trading Places


1984

Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter

Nightmare on Elm Street

Once Upon a Time in America

Racing with the Moon

Sixteen Candles

The Terminator

The Times of Harvey Milk


1985

The Breakfast Club

Friday the 13th Part V: A New Beginning

Nightmare on Elm Street Part 2: Freddy's Revenge

Mask

Reanimator


1986

Heartburn

Peggy Sue Got Married

Salvador

Stand By Me


1987

Evil Dead II

Full Metal Jacket

The Hidden

Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors

Prick Up Your Ears


1988

Eight Men Out (streaming version)

A Fish Called Wanda

The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad


1992

Troll 2

 

[Douglas R]

You can add TAXI DRIVER and OBSESSION.

 

[Lord Dalek]

1946

The Jolson Story (1969 reissue)


1950

Jolson Sings Again (1969 reissue)


1954

Seven Samurai


1956
The Ten Commandments


1959

Black Orpheus (remixed in six track for a 70s reissue, all home video releases mono)


1961
Anatomy of a Murder


1965

Major Dundee


1974

American Graffiti (IMDB lists this as 4-track originally but I don't think that's true. Otherwise the 2.0 Dolby dates back to the 1978 reissue)


1975

The Magic Flute


1976

The Omen


1977

Alambrista!


1980
Airplane!

Forbidden Zone

1981
An American Werewolf in London
Excalibur (test Dolby mix rejected and not used, dvd and blu-ray use a different mix)

The Fox and the Hound

The Evil Dead


1982
Conan The Barbarian


1984
Conan The Destroyer

Repo Man (Criterion Blu-ray is mono only)


1985

Blood Simple (director's cut version)

Re-Animator


1986

Salvador


1987

Evil Dead II

The Hidden


1988
The Naked Gun


1991

Troll 2


1994

Clerks (The original Jim von Beulow mix shown at film festivals and Sundance was in mono)

 

[Robert Harris]

A few comments to an interesting topic.


Many of the Vista productions were released in Perspecta.


Tom Jones was re-recorded in stereo in 1989 for the SHORT version. The film was re-cut for re-issue in 1989. A version that did not represent the Best Picture of 1963.


Hawaii had a 70mm blow-up, which may have been stereo.


Bed knobs may have had a 3-channel mag mix.


I believe Breakfast Club was Dolby


Airplane may have had some stereo prints


Conan the Destroyer may have been stereo


Some of the stereo re-mixes work. Others do not. Most important factor is generally

whether the music stems were original stereo, and if they have survived.


Good fodder for discussion.


RAH

 

[TravisR]

Virtually every grindhouse or horror movie made in the mid-70's to the mid-80's.


1974:

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre

Black Christmas


1976:

Assault On Precinct 13


1978:

Dawn Of The Dead

Halloween


1979:

The Amityville Horror


1980:

The Fog

Friday The 13th

Prom Night

Terror Train


1981:

My Bloody Valentine

Friday The 13th Part 2

The Howling

The Prowler


1982:

Friday The 13th Part III

Amityville II: The Possession


1983:
Amityville 3-D


1984:

Friday The 13th- The Final Chapter*

A Nightmare On Elm Street


1985:

Friday The 13th Part V- A New Beginning*

A Nightmare On Elm Street Part 2: Freddy's Revenge


1987:
A Nightmare On Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors


* The original mono track isn't on the Blu-ray.

 

[rsmithjr]

Great idea and a good start.


A topic that could provide virtually endless fun and argument.

 

[Lord Dalek]

Great idea and a good start.


A topic that could provide virtually endless fun and argument.

Especially considering the opening post already has some errors!


Swiss Family Robinson was originally in 4-track and MASH is one of those Fox reprocessing jobs.

 

[rsmithjr]

Notes from a 60's-era projectionist.


1. Magnetic sound equipment was not that difficult to maintain. You had to clean the heads, and there were more amplifiers that you had to check for the bias and fading tubes.


2. A more serious problem was the lack of enough magnetic prints for stereo films, especially in more remote places. As the 50's ended, fewer and fewer magnetic prints were struck, and it was harder to get a print.


I was in Des Moines, IA, not exactly remote but not NYC either. We often were able to get stereo prints by asking the studio to try extra hard. In those days, prints were shipped around very quickly and there was an elaborate, non-computerized tracking system, and we could generally get something. The local studio execs were generally big film lovers and very interested in the best presentation. [Dave Gold of Fox in Des Moines comes to mind. Thanks, Dave!] Today, of course, distribution is all handled by shipping out hard drives, and there are no local distributors.


3. Even then, there was a lot of anecdotal information about stereo. One old projectionist swore to me that he had run a magnetic print of Giant, even explaining that he had to ride gain on the levels. Of course, Warners discarded all of their stereo masters, so who is ever to know?


Some films, such as The Big Country, have generated many discussions about whether there were stereo prints.


4. In the 1970's, Dolby Stereo SVA optical was not much of a solution. While it allowed ubiquitous stereo and many films were mixed for stereo, the result in a theatre was not very good. This had the side-effect in the 80's and early 90's of allowing many films to be distributed in blown-up 70mm prints, with some huge print orders, where the big benefit of 70mm was the sound.


5. Dolby Atmos is the first thing I have heard that really challenges 6 and 7 track magnetic for the quality of presentation. Only took 60 years!

 

[TravisR]

1982
Halloween III: Season of the Witch

I'd have to double check but I'm pretty sure that Halloween III is still only mono on Blu-ray/DVD.

 

[Mark-P]

I'll comb through the additions to add to the master list while I still have editing capability. At some point I will be locked out.

Especially considering the opening post already has some errors!


Swiss Family Robinson was originally in 4-track and MASH is one of those Fox reprocessing jobs.

Dialog on the MASH Blu-ray is locked into center, so I consider that to be an acceptable remix. That wasn't the case with the earlier DVD which was indeed fake stereo. As for Swiss Family Robinson, you may be correct as IMBD lists it as such, however the mix on the DVD does not resemble a 1960s stereo soundtrack but instead a very subtle remix from separate dialog and music tracks. So either the original mix is lost or never existed.

A few comments to an interesting topic.


Many of the Vista productions were released in Perspecta.


Tom Jones was re-recorded in stereo in 1989 for the SHORT version. The film was re-cut for re-issue in 1989. A version that did not represent the Best Picture of 1963.


Hawaii had a 70mm blow-up, which may have been stereo.


Bed knobs may have had a 3-channel mag mix.


I believe Breakfast Club was Dolby


Airplane may have had some stereo prints


Conan the Destroyer may have been stereo


Some of the stereo re-mixes work. Others do not. Most important factor is generally

whether the music stems were original stereo, and if they have survived.


Good fodder for discussion.


RAH

There was discussion in another thread about Breakfast Club and the consensus was that despite pre-release posters with the Dolby logo, that it was most likely mono. Nobody could provide any proof that it actually played anywhere in stereo, and all of the VHS, Laserdics and even 1st DVD were mono.

 

[Lord Dalek]

I'd have to double check but I'm pretty sure that Halloween III is still only mono on Blu-ray/DVD.

Yeah you're right. My bad.

 

[Mark-P]

1956

The Ten Commandments

There were 70mm 6-track prints struck for the original run, so The Ten Commandments does not qualify.

 

[rsmithjr]

There were 70mm 6-track prints struck for the original run, so The Ten Commandments does not qualify.

Do not think so.


I remember in the early 60's that Paramount was discussing making some 70mm prints. This was eventually done for the 1989 re-issue (called "Super VistaVision" if I recall). There is a trailer for it on the laserdisc box set (and perhaps other places).


Since the original release was 1956, there were very few houses equipped with 70mm at that time and would not have been an attractive distribution route for Paramount until later.


Paramount's VistaVision exclusively used Perspecta, which (as pointed out) is rechanneled mono, and none of their VV films had 4-track magnetic during original release.


The MGM sound department, thankfully, recorded stereo stems for the two VistaVision films made at MGM, High Society and North by Northwest, which were later released in stereo, as the original list denotes.

 

[Lord Dalek]

All issues of Ten Commandments up until the 1989 reissue when it was blown up to 70mm were in mono. The ONLY American made VistaVision film (there are some Japanese ones like The Venus Wars) to be in stereo was Williamsburg: Story of a Patriot, which was not a regular theatrical release and used a separate 6-track magnetic soundtrack (its since been preserved on 70mm).


Remember... studios don't have the ability to create 70mm blow-ups until 1963!

 

[Douglas R]

Also add THE GREAT ESCAPE and THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN.

 

[Mark-P]

All issues of Ten Commandments up until the 1989 reissue when it was blown up to 70mm were in mono. The ONLY American made VistaVision film (there are some Japanese ones like The Venus Wars) to be in stereo was Williamsburg: Story of a Patriot, which was not a regular theatrical release and used a separate 6-track magnetic soundtrack (its since been preserved on 70mm).


Remember... studios don't have the ability to create 70mm blow-ups until 1963!

I concede on Ten Commandments. I got a bum steer from IMDB as the 70mm blowup was obviously done at a much later time. I've gone ahead and edited the original post to include all the additional titles that I could verify fit the original criteria.

 

[Mark Anthony]

Golden Voyage of Sinbad, Sinbad & Eye of Tiger and Polanski's Macbeth, have all been remixed to Stereo /5.1 for BD release.

Exorcist has had several soundtracks over the years, the 1979 re-issue had a 6 track stereo / 70mm release, the current version on BD is yet another re-mix, based on 25th anniversary re-issue mix

Excalibur had a Dolby Stereo track on original release, but it was (is) terrible. It really need's re-foleying and remixing from scratch, some of the music elements used are poor too.

M

 

[EddieLarkin]

Was Brian De Palma's The Fury originally stereo?

 

[Lord Dalek]

Exorcist has had several soundtracks over the years, the 1979 re-issue had a 6 track stereo / 70mm release, the current version on BD is yet another re-mix, based on 25th anniversary re-issue mix

Original cut still has that 6-track mix on the blu-ray (its simply a rechanneling of the original now-long gone mono and sounds pretty bad).

 

[mBen989]

Sorry to bump an old thread but Rocky Horror wasn't on the list.