The
following is a reference / historical listing of the 70-millimeter
engagements of “Fame” in the United States and Canada. These were the
cinemas worth seeking out to experience this motion picture.
“Fame” was among eleven confirmed first-run films released in 1980 with 70mm
prints for selected engagements. The MGM release (thru United Artists) —
directed by Alan Parker (“Pink Floyd: The Wall”) — opened in limited release
May 16th.
Pre-release screenings include the film’s world premiere held May 12th at
the Ziegfeld in New York. The film’s west coast premiere was held May 15th
at the Cinerama Dome.
The 70mm prints of “Fame” featured Six-Track Dolby Stereo (“A”) and
pillarboxed imagery (approximately 1.85:1) blown up from spherical 35mm.
UA circulated 70mm Six-Track Dolby coming-attraction trailers for “Heaven’s
Gate” and “Roadie” during the release of “Fame.” Other studios circulated
70mm trailers during this period, as well. Ultimately, any 70mm trailers
screened during 70mm presentations of “Fame” varied by venue and screening.
The duration of the engagements (measured in weeks) is included in
parenthesis following the cinema name.
CALIFORNIA
Los Angeles — Pacific’s Cinerama Dome (5)
NEW YORK
New York — Reade’s Ziegfeld (5)
ONTARIO
Toronto — Famous Players’ Eglinton (31)
Note that some of the presentations included in this listing may have been
presented in 35mm during the latter week(s) of engagement due to contractual
terms or print damage and the distributor’s unwillingness to supply a 70mm
replacement print or because the booking was moved to a non-70mm-equipped
auditorium within a multiplex. As well, the reverse may have been true in
some cases whereas a booking began with a 35mm print because the lab was
unable to complete the 70mm print order in time for an opening-day delivery
or the exhibitor negotiated a mid-run switch to 70mm. In these cases, any
35mm portion of the engagement has been included in the duration figure.
SUBSEQUENT 70MM ENGAGEMENTS & SCREENINGS
1980-06-20 … Los Angeles, CA — Pacific’s Hollywood Pacific Triplex (7)
1980-06-20 … New York, NY — RKO Stanley-Warner’s Cinerama Twin (6)
1980-08-15 … Los Angeles, CA — Pacific’s Picwood (7)
1980-08-22 … San Francisco, CA — Blumenfeld’s Regency II (5)
1980-10-10 … Ottawa, ON — Famous Players’ Nelson (6)
1980-10-10 … San Francisco, CA — Syufy’s Cinema 21 (1)
1980-10-10 … Seattle, WA — GCC’s King (2)
1980-11-21 … San Diego, CA — Pacific’s La Jolla Village 4 (1)
1980-12-19 … Montreal, QC — United’s Le Parisien 5 (5) [Version Francaise]
1981-01-16 … Los Angeles, CA — GCC’s Avco Center Triplex (4)
1981-01-23 … Cleveland, OH — CWRU’s Strosacker [35mm substitution]
1981-02-06 … Montreal, QC — United’s Le Parisien 5 (2) [Version Francaise]
1981-03-27 … Honolulu, HI — Consolidated’s Cinerama (4)
1981-04-03 … Los Angeles, CA — Pacific’s Picwood (2)
1981-04-03 … Ottawa, ON — Famous Players’ Nelson (1)
1981-04-03 … Toronto, ON — Famous Players’ University (2)
1981-04-24 … Toronto, ON — Famous Players’ Runnymede Twin (3)
1981-05-29 … Bakersfield, CA — UA’s Movies 6 (1)
1981-07-03 … Toronto, ON — Famous Players’ Cumberland 4 (3) [La Reserve]
1981-11-06 … Modesto, CA — Redwood’s Briggsmore (1) [w/ “The Jazz Singer”]
1981-11-06 … Windsor, ON — Famous Players’ Centre (2)
1981-12-07 … Cleveland, OH — Colony (2)
1982-01-06 … Toronto, ON — Cinesphere (12 days) [70mm festival]
1982-04-30 … Windsor, ON — Famous Players’ Centre (1)
1982-05-14 … Halifax, NS — Famous Players’ Scotia Square (3)
1982-08-26 … Cleveland, OH — Colony [summer festival]
1982-09-17 … Los Angeles, CA — GCC’s Avco Center Triplex (1)
1982-09-24 … Philadelphia, PA — Sameric’s SamEric Triplex (4)
1982-10-08 … Cleveland, OH — Colony (1)
1982-11-12 … Dallas, TX — GCC’s Northpark West Twin (1)
1982-11-24 … Norfolk, VA — Naro (2 days) [w/ “Rocky III”]
1982-11-26 … Montreal, QC — Odeon’s Champlain Twin (2) [Version Francaise]
1982-12-03 … Montreal, QC — Odeon’s Cote-des-Neiges Twin (1)
1982-12-10 … Seattle, WA — GCC’s King (1)
1982-09-10 … Ottawa, ON — NAC’s Opera (2 days)
1983-01-28 … Scarborough, ON — Famous Players’ Cedarbrae 6 (1)
1983-01-28 … Toronto, ON — Famous Players’ Runnymede Twin (1)
1983-04-05 … Ottawa, ON — NAC’s Opera
1983-05-13 … Montreal, QC — United’s Claremont (1)
1983-05-20 … Toronto, ON — Famous Players’ University (4 days) [w/“The
Rose”]
1983-05-27 … Toronto, ON — Famous Players’ Uptown 5 (1) [w/“The Rose”]
1983-06-10 … Ottawa, ON — Famous Players’ Nelson (1) [w/“The Rose”]
1983-08-07 … Norfolk, VA — Naro (2 days) [w/ “Hair”]
1983-10-14 … Cleveland, OH — Colony (1)
1983-10-21 … Calgary, AB — Odeon’s Northill (1) [70mm festival]
1983-10-28 … Edmonton, AB — Odeon’s Meadowlark (1) [70mm festival]
1983-11-11 … Winnipeg, MB — Odeon’s Grant Park (1) [70mm festival]
1985-05-17 … Cleveland, OH — Colony [Fri-Sat midnight]
1985-07-30 … Norfolk, VA — Naro [w/ “Hair”]
1988-11-13 … Los Angeles, CA — Pacific’s Cinerama Dome*
2023-04-22 … Cleveland, OH — Strosacker [CWRU Film Society series]
* Screened during the Cinerama Dome’s 25th anniversary film festival, a
17-day, 35-title celebration of popular movies shown at the famous cinema
between 1963 and 1988.
The information included in this article was principally referenced from
film industry trade publications, regional newspaper promotion, print
enclosures, and Dolby records. Special thanks to Andrew Coll, Ana Gomes,
Bill Kallay, Bill Kretzel, Mark Lensenmayer and Paul Linfesty.
International 70mm engagements of this title have not been accounted for in
this article.
If you believe this article contains any errors or omissions, please
consider emailing the
author or editor.
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More in 70mm reading:
70mm Engagements
70mm Blow Up List
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