“The Alamo”: The North American Roadshow and 70mm
Engagements |
Read more at in70mm.com The 70mm Newsletter |
| Compiled by: Michael Coate | Date: 08.07.2024 |
 The
following is a reference / historical listing of the roadshow and 70mm
presentations of “The Alamo” in the United States and Canada. The United Artists release was directed by and starred John Wayne (“The Searchers,” “The Cowboys”) and also starred Richard Widmarck and Laurence Harvey. The film’s world premiere was held October 24th, 1959, at the Woodlawn in San Antonio, Texas. The presentations cited in the main section of this work were “hard ticket” roadshow engagements (i.e. special, long-running, showcase presentations in major cities prior to the film being exhibited as a general release). Much like a stage production, these typically featured an average of only ten scheduled screenings per week, advanced admission pricing, reserved seating, and an overture/intermission/entr’acte/exit music. A souvenir program booklet and soundtrack album were sold, as well, and, in some roadshow venues. The print type utilized during the film’s roadshow release was 70-millimeter (Todd-AO 2.21:1) with discrete magnetic six-channel stereophonic sound At the beginning of the film’s release its running time was 202 minutes. Not long thereafter the studio shortened the film to 167 minutes. Out of the hundreds of films released in North America during 1960, “The Alamo” was among only eight given deluxe roadshow treatment and only five released with 70mm prints. PART 1: FIRST RUN / THE ROADSHOW ENGAGEMENTS (reserved-seat policy and 70mm presentation) Opening date YYYY-MM-DD … locale — cinema (duration in weeks) [notes] 1960-10-24 … San Antonio, TX — Woodlawn (26) 1960-10-25 … Dallas, TX — Capri (19) 1960-10-26 … Chicago, IL — Palace (12) 1960-10-26 … Houston, TX — Tower (22) 1960-10-26 … Los Angeles, CA — Carthay Circle (18) 1960-10-26 … New York, NY — Rivoli (21) 1960-10-26 … Philadelphia, PA — Midtown (13) 1960-10-26 … San Francisco, CA — Alexandria (15) 1960-11-09 … Oklahoma City, OK — State (10) 1960-11-09 … Tulsa, OK — Brook (13) 1960-11-10 … Montreal, QC — Seville (13) 1960-11-10 … Toronto, ON — Tivoli (18) 1960-12-23 … Cincinnati, OH — Valley (13) 1960-12-23 … Miami Beach, FL — Roosevelt (7) 1960-12-23 … Washington, DC — Uptown (8) The first international booking of “The Alamo” commenced October 27th, 1960, at Astoria in London. PART 2: FIRST RUN (70mm presentation w/ un-reserved seating) 1960-12-23 … Boston, MA — Gary (7) 1960-12-23 … Buffalo, NY — Teck (8) 1960-12-23 … Cleveland, OH — Ohio (6) 1960-12-23 … Pittsburgh, PA — Warner (11) 1961-02-09 … Syracuse, NY — Eckel (6) 1961-02-10 … Asbury Park, NJ — St. James (5) 1961-02-10 … Providence, RI — Elmwood (8) 1961-02-10 … Rochester, NY — Riviera (10) 1961-02-21 … Seattle, WA — Paramount (9) 1961-02-27 … Ottawa, ON — Nelson (4) 1961-03-01 … Baltimore, MD — New (7) 1961-03-07 … Kansas City, MO — Plaza (6) 1961-03-29 … Hartford, CT — Strand (3) 1961-05-17 … Detroit, MI — United Artists (7) PART 3: SUBSEQUENT 70MM ENGAGEMENTS & SCREENINGS (second run, re-issue, revival, etc. / unreserved seating / general release policy) 1961-03-24 … Levittown, PA — Fox (1) 1961-08-04 … Pontiac, MI — Miracle Mile Drive-In (3) 1961-08-23 … Thornton, CO — North Star Drive-In (1) 1971-08-20 … Northbrook, IL — Edens 2 (1) 1978-09-11 … Atlanta, GA — Fox [1st Annual Summer Film Festival] 1980-03-17 … Toronto, ON — Cinesphere (1) [70mm festival] 1980-07-22 … Toronto, ON — Science Centre [70mm festival] The information in this article was principally referenced from film industry trade publications and regional newspaper promotion. Special thanks to Jerry Alexander, Claude Ayakawa, Sheldon Hall, Robert A. Harris, Mark Huffstetler, Bill Kallay, Bill Kretzel, Mark Lensenmayer, Stan Malone, Rick Mitchell, Bob Throop, Vince Young, and the librarians who helped me research information for this project International 70mm presentations of this title have not been accounted for in this work. If you believe this article contains any errors or omissions, please consider emailing the author or editor. |
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