The following is a reference / historical
listing of the roadshow presentations of Becket in the United States and
Canada. These were the first and arguably best cinemas in which to
experience this motion picture.
The presentations cited in the Part 1 section of this work were hard
ticket roadshow engagements and were special, long-running, showcase
presentations in major cities prior to the film being exhibited as a general
release. Much like a stage production, these presentations featured advanced
admission pricing, reserved seating, an overture/intermission/entracte/exit
music, and an average of only ten scheduled screenings per week. Souvenir
program booklet were sold, as well. The print types utilized during the
films roadshow release were, depending on the booking, (1) 70-millimeter
(blow-up) with discrete magnetic six-channel stereophonic sound, (2)
35-millimeter with discrete magnetic four-channel stereophonic sound and
optical monaural sound, (3) 35-millimeter with optical monaural sound.
The Hal Wallis production and Paramount release was directed by Peter
Glenville and starred Richard Burton and Peter OToole and was based upon
the play by Jean Anouilh. The world premiere was held March 11th, 1964 at
Loews State in New York.
Out of the hundreds of films released in North America during 1964, Becket
was among only six given deluxe roadshow treatment and among only seven
released with 70mm prints (five from 65mm origination and two blow-ups).
Premiere/opening date YYYY-MM-DD
city cinema (duration in weeks) [notes]
PART 1: THE ROADSHOW ENGAGEMENTS
(reserved seat policy / 70mm presentation)
Note that some bookings did not explicitly or consistently promote 70mm,
suggesting they may have been screened in 35mm.
1964-03-11
New York, NY State (28)
1964-03-18
Los Angeles (Beverly Hills), CA Stanley-Warner (29)
1964-03-18
Omaha, NE Cooper (14)
1964-03-18
Toronto, ON Eglinton (32)
1964-03-19
Chicago, IL Cinestage (16)
1964-03-25
Vancouver, BC Strand (19)
1964-04-22
Denver, CO International 70 (1+)
1964-04-30
Houston, TX Windsor (12)
1964-05-13
New Haven, CT Whalley (1+)
1964-05-15
Boston, MA Music Hall [premiere]
1964-05-16
Boston, MA Saxon (19)
1964-05-27
San Francisco, CA United Artists (14)
1964-05-28
Montreal, QC Seville (22)
1964-06-03
Salt Lake City, UT South East (10)
1964-06-17
Philadelphia, PA Cheltenham (10)
1964-06-18
Miami (Miami Beach), FL Colony (10)
1964-06-24
Kansas City, MO Brookside (10)
1964-07-01
Detroit, MI United Artists (9)
1964-07-09
Washington, DC Ontario (15)
1964-09-16
Wichita, KS Uptown (4)
PART 2: FIRST-RUN 70MM ENGAGEMENTS
(unreserved seating / some bookings did not explicitly or consistently
promote 70mm)
1964-06-18
San Diego, CA Loma (8)
1964-07-01
Cleveland, OH Colony (19)
1964-07-22
Cincinnati, OH International 70 (11)
1964-07-22
Minneapolis, MN Academy (10)
1964-07-22
New Orleans, LA Saenger-Orleans (6)
1964-07-22
Portland, OR Music Box (10)
1964-08-12
Baltimore, MD Mayfair (10)
1964-08-28
Albany, NY Hellman (6)
1964-09-02
Atlanta, GA Rhodes (8)
1964-09-02
Columbus, OH Cinestage (15)
1964-09-02
Newark (Upper Montclair), NJ Bellevue (6)
1964-09-04
Dayton, OH McCook (6)
1964-09-09
Syracuse (DeWitt), NY Shoppingtown (7)
1964-09-10
Oklahoma City, OK Cooper (9)
1964-09-16
Providence, RI Elmwood (1+)
1964-09-17
Dallas, TX Wynnewood (6)
1964-09-17
Dallas (Highland Park), TX Village (8)
1964-09-18
Seattle, WA Music Box (5)
1964-09-23
Indianapolis, IN Lyric (3)
1964-09-23
Norfolk, VA Riverview (8)
1964-09-30
Charlotte, NC Carolina (4)
1964-09-30
Pittsburgh, PA Squirrel Hill (11)
1964-10-07
Richmond, VA Westhampton (5)
1964-10-14
Louisville, KY Penthouse (4)
1964-10-15
Honolulu, HI Royal (3)
1964-10-21
Akron (Cuyahoga Falls), OH Falls (3)
1964-10-21
Rochester, NY Riviera (8)
1964-10-22
Nashville, TN Crescent (3)
1964-11-06
Toledo, OH Valentine (2)
PART 3: SUBSEQUENT 70MM ENGAGEMENTS
(second run / revival / unreserved seating)
1964-07-22
Asbury Park, NJ St. James (2)
1964-08-26
Philadelphia, PA Boyd (8)
1964-09-30
Fairless Hills, PA Eric (3)
1964-11-18
King of Prussia, PA King (1)
1964-11-18
Moorestown, NJ Plaza (2)
1965-01-06
Philadelphia, PA Leo (1)
1965-02-03
Marlow Heights, MD Marlow (1)
1965-03-03
Greenbelt, MD Beltway Plaza (2)
1965-04-07
Albuquerque, NM Fox Winrock (1)
1965-04-07
Sappington, MO Ronnies Drive-In (1)
1965-04-21
Scottsdale, AZ Round-Up Drive-In (1)
1965-11-03
Philadelphia, PA Cheltenham (1)
1967-10-18
Cincinnati, OH Kenwood (2)
1972-09-20
Des Moines, IA River Hills (1)
The reserved-seat policy, in some instances, was relaxed during the latter
weeks of the run. Any non-roadshow portion of such an engagement has been
included in the duration figure.
This information has been principally referenced from film industry trade
publications and regional newspaper promotion, with thanks to David Ayers,
Bill Huelbig, Bill Kallay, Bill Kretzel, Mark Lensenmayer, Joel Weide, Vince
Young.
The films international roadshow/70mm engagements 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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