| |
How Cinerama got the name
|
Read more
at
in70mm.com
The 70mm Newsletter
|
Written
by: Richard C. Babish |
Date:
1. October 2004 |
Dick Babish and Borden Mace in Bradford, March 2002. Image by Thomas Hauerslev
Dear friends,
Sorry that I cannot identify the truck for you, it seems to be a much
later model than existed at the time I left the company and lost intimate
contact with their activities. All the trucks we used up to that point
were compact, van type delivery models that could go anywhere, with one
possible exception.
In Europe, Bill Latady, one of our vice-presidents, organized a portable
version of Cinerama by which he was able to set up quickly and move from
place to place rapidly and not require a long run. He might have used
something of the sort, but I don't believe ti would have survived all
these years.
|
Further
in 70mm reading:
Cinerama's 50th Anniversary by Greg Kimble
The Passing of Richard C. Babish
Internet link:
|
Dick Babish reunited with Cinerama camera #1 on the Pictureville stage in March 2002. Image by Thomas Hauerslev
Marty Hart reminds me of something on which I can shed some light however.
He mentions that "Cinerama" is an anagram of "American". I can assure you
that it is purely accidental, however delightful!
After the war Fred Waller moved Vitarama, the company that he formed to
produce the Gunnery Trainer, to Huntington Station on Long Island, New
York, taking with him some of the people who worked on it. After getting
my degree, I rejoined them there. After some time, when we had established
a going business, Fred determined to resume the development of the wide
screen process that had been his long time dream, and proceeded to
assemble a small group of investors. In order to name the process, Fred
called a meeting of all the employees and offered to award a prize of a
case of champagne to the one who came up with the most appropriate name.
The winner was Waldo McLaury, a designer-draftsman who came up with
Cinerama. He explained that he used "Cine" as a prefix for motion pictures
and "rama" for panorama, --no mention of "American". The
occasion is
particularly memorable in that we all shared in his award. He did not go
home with a full case! Indeed, in all the years that intervened before I
was invited to attend the 50th Anniversary Celebration at Bradford,
England, I had never heard of the relationship! Thus I can assure everyone
that the anagram relationship is indeed a pure accident, however
appropriate!
Thanks for keeping me in the loop. It is much appreciated.
Dick Babish
|
|
|
|
Go: back
- top -
back issues
- news index
Updated
28-07-24 |
|
|