Fiddler on the Roof: The North American
Roadshow and 70mm Engagements |
Read more at in70mm.com The 70mm Newsletter |
| Compiled by: Michael Coate | Date: 20.04.2023 |
 The following is a reference / historical listing of the roadshow and
70mm presentations of Fiddler on the Roof in the United States and
Canada. These were the first and 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 (typically sold in advance), and an average of ten scheduled screenings per week (one per evening, plus a matinee on weekends, Wednesdays and holidays, though this policy varied by locale and/or was modified during the latter phase of engagement). Souvenir roadshow programs were sold as well, and the presentation included an intermission, entracte and exit music. (Many roadshows included an overture, as well, though Fiddler, as with some notable exceptions, lacked such an introduction.) Roadshow presentations, compared to general release and the average moviegoing experience of the era, typically were booked into larger cinemas and offered a superior projection and sound experience in addition to the other roadshow amenities. The print types utilized during the films roadshow release were, depending on the booking, (1) 70-millimeter (2.20:1 blow-up from anamorphic 35mm) 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. United Artists, the distributor of Fiddler on the Roof, elected not to promote the films presentation tech details, though it is believed the majority of the films reserved-seat presentations featured stereophonic sound: 4-track for 35mm prints and 6-track for the coveted 70mm prints. The UA release was directed by Norman Jewison (Jesus Christ Superstar, Rollerball) and starred Topol and was based upon the Broadway musical and the writings of Sholem Aleichem. The world premiere was held November 3rd, 1971 at the Rivoli in New York City. Out of the hundreds of films released in North America during 1971, Fiddler on the Roof was among only three given deluxe roadshow treatment and among only four issued with 70mm prints (one from 65mm origination and three blow-ups). PART 1: THE ROADSHOW ENGAGEMENTS (reserved seat policy / 70mm* presentation) *Note these bookings were not explicitly or consistently promoted as 70mm, suggesting they may have been screened in 35mm. Premiere/opening date YYYY-MM-DD locale cinema (duration in weeks) [notes] 1971-09-17 Chicago (Northbrook), IL Edens 2 [sneak preview] 1971-09-18 Minneapolis, MN Mann [sneak preview] 1971-11-03 New York, NY Rivoli (58) 1971-11-05 Los Angeles (Beverly Hills), CA Fox Wilshire (58) 1971-11-10 Boston, MA Cheri 1 (11) 1971-11-10 Boston, MA Cheri 2 (37) 1971-11-10 Chicago, IL McClurg Court (57) 1971-11-10 Denver, CO Aladdin (57) 1971-11-10 Detroit (Southfield), MI Northland (57) 1971-11-10 San Francisco, CA Golden Gate 1 (57) 1971-11-10 Toronto, ON University (57) 1971-11-10 Washington, DC Uptown (57) 1971-12-14 Atlanta, GA Atlanta (22) 1971-12-14 Baltimore (Randallstown), MD Randallstown Plaza (26) 1971-12-14 Buffalo (Amherst), NY Plaza-North (26) 1971-12-14 Cincinnati, OH Valley (34) 1971-12-14 Cleveland, OH Colony (52) 1971-12-14 Dallas, TX Cine 150 (26) 1971-12-14 Houston, TX Tower (52) 1971-12-14 Indianapolis, IN Circle (26) 1971-12-14 Kansas City, MO Midland 1 (33) 1971-12-14 Miami (Miami Beach), FL Sheridan (38) 1971-12-14 Milwaukee, WI Southgate (52) 1971-12-14 Minneapolis, MN Academy (43) 1971-12-14 Montreal, QC Place du Canada (31) 1971-12-14 New Orleans, LA Cinerama (36) 1971-12-14 Philadelphia, PA SamEric (27) 1971-12-14 St. Louis, MO Cinerama (39) 1971-12-14 Salt Lake City (South Salt Lake), UT Century 21 (52) 1971-12-14 San Diego, CA Loma (52) 1971-12-14 Seattle, WA Uptown (52) 1971-12-14 Vancouver, BC Park (52) 1971-12-15 Pittsburgh, PA Manor (51) 1971-12-15 Portland, OR Hollywood (53) 1972-02-15 San Jose, CA Century 21 (56) 1972-02-15 Syracuse, NY Shop City (20) [35mm] 1972-02-16 Edmonton, AB Varscona (51) [35mm] 1972-02-16 Hartford, CT Cinerama (38) 1972-02-16 Honolulu, HI Cinerama (15) 1972-02-16 Las Vegas, NV Huntridge (10) [35mm] 1972-02-16 Louisville, KY United Artists (19) 1972-02-16 New Haven (Orange), CT Showcase 3 (20) 1972-02-16 Orlando (Winter Park), FL Colony (20) 1972-02-16 Phoenix, AZ Thomas Mall (30) [35mm] 1972-02-16 Providence, RI Cinerama (26+) 1972-02-16 Rochester (Henrietta), NY Towne 1 (20) 1972-02-16 Sacramento, CA Century 21 (43) 1972-02-16 St. Petersburg, FL Gateway Mall (30) [35mm] 1972-02-16 Springfield (West Springfield), MA Showcase 1 (20) 1972-02-16 Toledo, OH Showcase 1 (20) 1972-03-14 Orange, CA Cinedome 21 (56) 1972-03-15 Calgary, AB Palliser Square 1 (20) 1972-03-15 Charlotte, NC Park Terrace (12) 1972-03-15 Dayton, OH Dabel (26) 1972-03-15 Des Moines, IA Fleur 2 (15) [35mm] 1972-03-15 Omaha, NE Admiral (50) 1972-03-15 Ottawa, ON Nelson (37) 1972-03-15 Winnipeg, MB Kings (33) [35mm] 1972-03-17 Jacksonville, FL Edgewood (10+) [35mm] 1972-03-22 Memphis, TN Crosstown (12) 1972-03-22 Norfolk (Virginia Beach), VA Pembroke (10+) [35mm] 1972-04-26 Reno, NV Century 21 (10) 1972-04-26 Richmond, VA Willow Lawn (11) 1972-05-24 Wichita, KS Boulevard (17) [35mm] 1972-06-21 Long Island North Shore (Woodbury), NY Cinema 150 (25) 1972-06-21 Long Island South Shore (Woodmere), NY Five Towns (20) [35mm] 1972-06-21 Newark (Paramus), NJ Paramus 2 (20) 1972-06-21 Newark (Upper Montclair), NJ Bellevue (25) 1972-06-28 Des Moines, IA Fleur 4 m/o (14 [29]) [35mm] 1972-06-28 Oakland, CA Century 21 (25) 1972-07-12 Richmond, VA Westhampton m/o (5 [16]) 1972-08-04 Calgary, AB Palliser Square 2 m/o (17 [37]) 1972-10-04 Concord (Pleasant Hill), CA Century 21 (19) 1972-10-04 Des Moines, IA River Hills m/o (5 [34]) 1972-12-14 Salt Lake City (South Salt Lake), UT Century 23 m/o (14 [66]) PART 2: SUBSEQUENT 70MM ENGAGEMENTS (second run / re-issue / revival / unreserved seating) 1972-06-21 Philadelphia, PA Mark I m/o (14 [41]) 1972-06-28 Indianapolis, IN Eastwood (12) 1972-12-14 Ventura, CA Fox (6) 1973-01-24 Los Angeles, CA National (6) 1973-07-18 Toledo, OH Renaissance Valentine (1) 1973-09-14 Northbrook, IL Edens Twin (1) 1973-09-19 Salt Lake City, UT Villa (1) 1973-10-19 Anaheim, CA Cinemaland (3) [w/ Man of La Mancha] 1973-10-24 Beverly Hills, CA Wilshire (1) [w/ Man of La Mancha] 1973-10-31 Southfield, MI Northland Twin (7) 1973-12-07 Des Moines, IA River Hills (2) 1980-07-26 Atlanta, GA Fox [3rd Annual Summer Film Festival] 1980-07-28 Atlanta, GA Fox [3rd Annual Summer Film Festival] 1981-05-01 Redford, MI Redford (2 days) 1982-10-15 Cleveland, OH Colony (1) 1982-12-03 Philadelphia, PA SamEric Triplex (1) 1983-04-10 Norfolk, VA Naro (2 days) 1983-07-25 Atlanta, GA Fox [6th Annual Summer Film Festival] 1983-11-18 Atlanta, GA Columbia [canceled] 1984-05-18 Atlanta, GA Phipps Plaza Triplex (1) 1987-11-20 Redford, MI Redford (2 days) 1991-02-08 Creve Coeur, MO Creve Coeur Triplex [70mm series] 1991-07-19 Chicago, IL Pipers Alley 4 [70mm series] (canceled) 1991-08-08 Atlanta, GA Fox [14th Annual Summer Film Festival] 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 Bill Kallay, Bill Kretzel and Stan Malone. 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. |
More in 70mm reading: 70mm Cinemas in North America in70mm.com's list of films blown up to 70mm 70mm Engagements by Title 35mm to 70mm Engagements by Year Large Format 7OMM Engagements Month by month premiere list of wide gauge and 3-strip films Chronological premiere list of major 70mm films 70mm Blow Up List Dolby Stereo |
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