VistaVision--film by film chat and vote (1 Viewer)

[Keith Cobby]

I didn't add it to my list but the German release of The Battle of the River Plate (released as Graf Spee) has a superb transfer. One of the best VV blu-rays.

 

[Bob Furmanek]

Prior to the worldwide release of HOUSE OF WAX in Warnerphonic, THIS IS CINERAMA had only played in a select few theaters.

 

[john a hunter]

The first time most people heard stereophonic sound on a wide basis was HOUSE OF WAX in glorious 4-channel Warnerphonic sound.

There were 26 stereophonic features released before THE ROBE.

There's more information here: http://www.3dfilmarchive.com/the-first-year-of-stereophonic-sound

Interesting point Bob but how wide was the release of Wax in Warnerphonic Sound?

 

[Bob Furmanek]

Most first-run engagments were Warnerphonic.

 

[OliverK]

The first time most people heard stereophonic sound on a wide basis was HOUSE OF WAX in glorious 4-channel Warnerphonic sound.

There were 26 stereophonic features released before THE ROBE.

There's more information here: http://www.3dfilmarchive.com/the-first-year-of-stereophonic-sound

Thank you Bob, very interesting. I am especially surprised that most of the first movies where only recorded mono on set. Was the film music usually recorded in stereo?

 

[Bob Furmanek]

To the best of our knowledge, the scores were recorded three-channel.

 

[OliverK]

Thanks, that's impressive and it is surprising that this relatively widespread process has garnered so little attention when people talk about stereo sound in films and how it all started.

 

[Bob Furmanek]

The common myth for many years is that widescreen and stereophonic sound started with CinemaScope and THE ROBE. That's simply not true.

Regarding the use of Perspecta in a musical, I can say from firsthand experience that it can be quite effective, depending on the mix. I had an MGM musical short and used it as a demo for people that had never heard the system. By use of creative and subtle panning - as well as judicious and discrete gain control on the three channels - the audio sounded much fuller when played through the three stage speakers. I would switch between mono and Perspecta during playback and people were always surprised at how good it sounded. Of course, it was not true discrete stereophonic but still had a much more dimensional sound.

Don't forget, Perspecta was developed for MGM by the legendary Fine Recording in New York, one of the prominent audio companies at that time. Their series of Mercury Living Presence recordings are landmarks in audiophile recording. Bob Fine and his technical team knew what they were doing and there's a reason why Perspecta was installed in thousands of theaters worldwide.

That being said, Paramount tracks are the most conservative and it's very likely those titles either stayed in mono center channel for the musical numbers - as YOU'RE NEVER TOO YOUNG and ARTISTS AND MODELS do - or simply kicked in all three speakers at top gain, as in WHITE CHRISTMAS. I haven't heard the titles in question so can't say for sure.

 

[john a hunter]

The common myth for many years is that widescreen and stereophonic sound started with CinemaScope and THE ROBE. That's simply not true.
View attachment 35340

Surely there can be no question that it started with Cinerama .
As far as stereo's widespread use is concerned, while there were many experiments with stereo and widescreen as well as 3D in the early 50’s,I would have thought they would have only taken place in one or two of the major cities in the studio’s premier theatres and not widely used .

That seems to have been the case in the UK where there were showings with stereo at London’s Empire and Warner theatres in 1953. However, despite Wax’s great success in 3D (and I presume stereo) in London, it was never even given a proper general release on the ABC circuit that handled all WB pictures. I think it is safe to say that any stereo showings would have been few and far between.

While Wax was a huge financial success in the U.S, The Robe was a mega world wide one, grossing nearly twice as much as Wax on the figures I have seen. Indeed it was probably the biggest grossing film ever made up to that time save for GWTW.

Given the fast uptake of Scope in theatres, most of which would have been with stereo, I still believe it is reasonable to say that most lost their mono virginity with The Robe and the other very successful early Scope pictures.
However, it’s a bit late for a head count now, isn’t ?

 

[Bob Furmanek]

As far as stereo's widespread use is concerned, while there were many experiments with stereo and widescreen as well as 3D in the early 50’s,I would have thought they would have only taken place in one or two of the major cities in the studio’s premier theatres and not widely used .

There were well over 1,000 domestic stereophonic installations by the end of 1953.

Please check out the article for more documented information: http://www.3dfilmarchive.com/the-first-year-of-stereophonic-sound

In addition, there's info on HOUSE OF WAX in Warnerphonic on this page: http://www.3dfilmarchive.com/House-of-Wax

 

[cinemiracle]

As far as stereo's widespread use is concerned, while there were many experiments with stereo and widescreen as well as 3D in the early 50’s,I would have thought they would have only taken place in one or two of the major cities in the studio’s premier theatres and not widely used .

There were well over 1,000 domestic stereophonic installations by the end of 1953.

Please check out the article for more documented information: http://www.3dfilmarchive.com/the-first-year-of-stereophonic-sound

In addition, there's info on HOUSE OF WAX in Warnerphonic on this page: http://www.3dfilmarchive.com/House-of-Wax

How many stereo installations were there in the rest of the world by 1953? There were only 3 or 4 in my country by the end of 1953. Early cinemascope stereo films were also released in standard size format in many places and cinemascope came later .THE ROBE was the first stereo film that I saw. I still remember cinemascope being installed, and tested as an 8 year old child at the cinema where my parents worked. I also witnessed installations of TODD-AO at the same cinema and Cinerama at another cinema where I also worked. We only screened about 4 films in 3-D in the early fifties. The rest were shown on 2-D. I still have fond memories of the good old days of also working in a TODD-AO cinema..

3-D and widescreen films have been around since the silent days. They were nothing new in 1953. When was stereo first heard in cinemas world wide? How many cinemas world wide in 1940, actually released FANTASIA with stereo sound?

 

[john a hunter]

How many stereo installations were there in the rest of the world by 1953? There were only 3 or 4 in my country by the end of 1953. Early cinemascope stereo films were also released in standard size format in many places and cinemascope came later .THE ROBE was the first stereo film that I saw. I still remember cinemascope being installed, and tested as an 8 year old child at the cinema where my parents worked. I also witnessed installations of TODD-AO at the same cinema and Cinerama at another cinema where I also worked. We only screened about 4 films in 3-D in the early fifties. The rest were shown on 2-D. I still have fond memories of the good old days of also working in a TODD-AO cinema..

3-D and widescreen films have been around since the silent days. They were nothing new in 1953. When was stereo first heard in cinemas world wide? How many cinemas world wide in 1940, actually released FANTASIA with stereo sound?

I think your experience Peter would be the same for most of that era.
Given that the world (save U.S) was at war when Fantasound made its debut, I think it has been reported that it only saw the light of day in N.Y and L.A. After Pearl Harbour, there was no chance of the sound equipment necessary being made.

 

[john a hunter]

As far as stereo's widespread use is concerned, while there were many experiments with stereo and widescreen as well as 3D in the early 50’s,I would have thought they would have only taken place in one or two of the major cities in the studio’s premier theatres and not widely used .

There were well over 1,000 domestic stereophonic installations by the end of 1953.

Please check out the article for more documented information: http://www.3dfilmarchive.com/the-first-year-of-stereophonic-sound

In addition, there's info on HOUSE OF WAX in Warnerphonic on this page: http://www.3dfilmarchive.com/House-of-Wax

I am sure there were well over 1000 theatres in the U.S by the end of 1953 as The Robe opened in September of that year.
The question is really how many stereo installations mid- year.

Your websites, Bob, are truly fascinating and a joy to read.

Looking at the Wax site, I note a U,S trade ad listing seventeen theatres showing the film’s initial release. Eight of those were mono.

The release of Wax in the U.K seems strange. The trade ad listing Wax venues outside London, of those, only one or two of the largest at the most, would have had stereo. The ABC circuit, of which these theatres would be part, supported 3D far more than the other two circuits. ABC later released Phantom, Hondo etc in 3D widely but all with mono sound.

The situation is messy and perhaps someone out there( –Doug?-) can throw more light on the situation.

 

[Bob Furmanek]

It's worth noting there were 31 features released in stereophonic sound between September 30, 1952 - September 30, 1953.

There was only one Cinerama and one CinemaScope title released in stereo during those twelve months.

 

[Keith Cobby]

Hell Drivers is to be released on blu-ray by Network in the UK in February.

 

[Stephen PI]

It's worth noting there were 31 features released in stereophonic sound between September 30, 1952 - September 30, 1953.

There was only one Cinerama and one CinemaScope title released in stereo during those twelve months.

I think it was probably the introduction of mag-striping technology to create a multi-track stereo composite print that caused it to become more widespread.
I think the method of interlock stereo was not a popular format for wide general use.

 

[willyTass]

I didn't add it to my list but the German release of The Battle of the River Plate (released as Graf Spee) has a superb transfer. One of the best VV blu-rays.

And slipped completely under my radar. Ordered!

 

[Kyrsten Brad]

I didn't add it to my list but the German release of The Battle of the River Plate (released as Graf Spee) has a superb transfer. One of the best VV blu-rays.

I've almost forgotten about this one. Off to Amazon for some shopping.

During my early teen years I read the full story of The Battle Of The River Plate from those Marshall Cavendish magazine volumes released in the early 1970s. Sad story about Captain Langsdorff, especially considering his chivalrous nature and his humane treatment of English prisoners in his charge.

 

[benbess]

Actually far less willful than one imagine. Searchers neg is in similar fade condition to TMWKTM.
At the time this work was performed, this was what they were able to cull from the elements. Today it could look as it did in 1956.
It wasn't the people. It was the process.
And, yes, this should be redone with new technology.
RAH

Here we are seven years after this note from RAH, and we still don't have a remaster of The Searchers or the other VistaVision titles with botched blu-rays (The Man Who Knew Too Much, etc.).

Plus imho blu-rays would be nice for Artists and Models (and maybe some of the other Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis movies in VV), The Desperate Hours, Lucy Gallant, The Seven Little Foys, The Court Jester, The Tin Star, etc. Alas, hope has mostly faded. A few of these are available streaming....

 

[john a hunter]

The Court Jester is the most well known of those titles and I would have thought it would have seen the light of day on BD by now.!
There were even some experiments in the later 50's-early 60's of a 70mm release such was its popularity.