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Cinerama: How the revolutionary filming process changed everything
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Fred Waller first developed Cinerama (a combination of the words 'cinema' and 'panorama') in the 1930's with Meriam C. Cooper, best known for his wildlife films and as one of the directors of the classic film King Kong (1933). Both men tried to promote the process over the next decade, first at the World's Fair in 1939 and later after World War II to studios.
The first process consisted of eleven cameras shown on a huge dome which covered half a theater. This was overkill and the process never fully worked correctly. During the war, a five camera system was adapted and fighter pilot films were used as flight simulators for training purposes. Pilots often wrote to Waller thanking him and asking if the process would ever be used for features.
Waller designed a three camera system for his presentation to the Hollywood studios. Each camera was 35mm mounted beside one another. Each lens was 27mm and were permanently mounted, resulting in no zoom-in feature. The screen would be at 146 degrees of arc, the exact measurements of the human eye. Waller walked around with a baseball cap on with toothpicks on each side to get the correct angle he needed to make the effect work. Each camera would crisscross one another when shown and would have to be in sync with each other and the sound for the system to function perfectly. (see above picture) A new screen, which consisted on the outside screens of multiple strips of 7/8 inch material, was used. They looked a large venetian blind.
After the war, Waller went to Hollywood trying to coax studios to film using Cinerama. No studios showed interest saying it was impractical. Waller left disillusioned, but not defeated. He soon joined up with theater magnate Lowell Thomas and promoter Michael Todd who loved the idea and they invested in the project. Soon afterward, Hazzard Reeves also invested focusing on the new seven-channel sound system.
By 1952, the four had developed a feature using Cinerama. This Is Cinerama debuted at the Warner theater in New York on September 30, 1952. The theater was packed with both celebrities and citizens dressed in their best attire. All were photographed on a red carpet as if it were the Academy Awards. A program was handed out describing the film but no concessions were served. The promoters felt this was a distraction.
The film was introduced by Thomas on screen. When he finished the introduction, he said the words "This is Cinerama!" Then, the over one hundred foot long screen was displayed from behind a curtain and you saw a roller coaster going up a hill. A Cinerama camera was mounted on the front. As the coaster went through the ride, the seven-channel sound system used special effects to make it feel like you were actually there. The audience inadvertently swayed back and forth as if they really were on the ride. Soon, the scene changed to show images of America from the nose of a B-25 bomber flown by Hollywood stunt pilot Paul Mantz. The Statue of Liberty, Washington, D.C., Mount Rushmore, Hoover Dam, the Grand Canyon and the great plains were just some of the scenes shown.
During intermission, Thomas introduced the sound system. It displayed five channels of sound in the front and two in the rear. A sound mixer was needed for each performance. The sound mixer would instinctively use their judgment and adjust the sound to fit the audience. The size of the crowd, the arena's dimensions and other factors were weighted in to make the experience as entertaining as possible. Once in a while, there would be a problem with the movie and Thomas filmed a segment assuring the audience it would soon be operational. The film was a huge success and a craze was born.
Soon, everyone wanted to see Cinerama, even President Eisenhower, who saw a special showing for him and his cabinet. The President got into the film so much he was seen singing 'America the Beautiful' along with the film as the scenes of the country were shown. Even though it was only shown in one theater that year, it made more money than any other film in 1952.
By 1955, Cinerama was a household word. Other productions followed; Cinerama Holiday (1955), The Seven Wonders of the World (1956), Search For Paradise (1957), and South Seas Adventure (1958). Cinerama theaters opened all over the world. 'Orama" became a part of the common language. Every device sold imaginable used 'orama' to promote products. Kelvinator had a refrigerator called 'Food-o-rama'. There was even a burlesque show called 'Sin-o-rama' (note the spelling!). A touring company using a large tent that inflated showed Cinerama films throughout Europe. It was not until a large thunderstorm ripped apart the tent that a safer building was constructed. Fortunately, no movie was being shown then and no one was hurt.
Others were not so lucky. During shooting of Search For Paradise, crewman Jim Parker lost his life while shooting a sequence aboard a water raft along the Indus river. The raft hit an underwater hole and the whole crew went overboard. Only the camera and Parker did not come out. Ironically, Parker had mentioned the day before how much he loved the area and did not want to leave. A bridge over the river still stands with a plaque dedicated in his memory.
Close calls were not uncommon. Paul Mantz, who was a daredevil at heart, flew his plane into a live volcano in Africa during Seven Wonders of the World. The plane stalled from the sulfur fumes and lack of oxygen and barely made it over to the next side. Once the plane cleared and re-fired, Mantz asked the crew if they needed to shoot again. They said he was crazy. Mantz, who had done everything a stunt man can do with a plane, sadly died while shooting a crash scene for the James Stewart movie Flight of the Phoenix (1966). Mantz was planning on retiring after the film.
Michael Todd used his millions made on the project to produce the only movie of his career, Around the World in 80 Days (1956). It was filmed in a new camera he designed called Todd A-O, similar to the Cinerama camera but with a single lens. The film was successful and won best picture. Unfortunately, Todd died in a car crash two years later.
Many times, the promoters tried to get the audience into the film as much as they could. For the raft sequence on Paradise, the audience were given life jackets, some of which wore them. At the right times, water was sprayed on the crowd. Moviegoers were marveled at the images on screen, especially point of view shots, which were common. Some scenes were of places they had never been or seen. No INTERNET or satellite TV existed and the only pictures of things such as the Giza pyramids and areas of the United States were seen in books. Touring National Parks was one of the biggest attractions in the 1950's, but not everyone could get to them. The promoters felt what better way to see them then to bring them to the audience!
By the end of the 1950's, travelogues had run their course and finally studios responded to the demand for movies to be shot in Cinerama. MGM released two features; The Wonderful World of the Brothers' Grimm and How the West Was Won. Although the films were successful, the actors and directors hated filming using the process due to complications not encountered when just filming nature scenes. Also, the expense was enormous and the process was abandoned, instead adapting to UltraPanavision 70 and SuperPanavision 70. These used a single camera at the ratio of 2.86:1, close to the 2.89:1 Cinerama used (some insisted it was 3:1). Film goers found the newer format inferior to the original.
By the end of the 1960's, Cinerama was defunct. Theaters were being torn down and by this time, Fred Waller had passed away. Only three theaters showing Cinerama features still exist. They are in Bradford, England, Seattle, Washington and Hollywood, California. Productions are shown there, mainly for charity raising events. Even though Cinerama is no longer being used, it is a vital part of film history. IMAX, virtual reality and 3-D owe a lot to Cinerama, none of which would probably be in use today.
See also my article on How the West Was Won (1962).
www.examiner.com/x-24897-West-Palm-Beach-Epic-Movie-Examiner
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