“Sleeping Beauty” 50th Anniversary
The Original Engagements | Read more at
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The 70mm Newsletter
| | Compiled by: Michael Coate, Hollywood, USA | Date: 08.04.2010 |  Click image to see enlargement
Commemorating the golden anniversary of the release of Walt Disney’s animated production of “Sleeping Beauty”, I’ve put together a list of the film’s original roadshow* bookings. These were the first cinemas anywhere to play the film and, for the most part, the only ones to showcase the film in 70mm and stereophonic sound. This article is a celebration of the famous and long-gone cinemas in which the film played as much as it is a celebration of the classic film.
(*Officially, “Sleeping Beauty” was not a roadshow release since screenings were continuous and seats were not reserved. Many moviegoers and historians, however, tend to remember the film as a roadshow because the film was booked initially as a 70mm exclusive in roadshow markets.)
These original “Sleeping Beauty” presentations included the CinemaScope short film “Grand Canyon”. (The general-release showings, in some situations, included a different short and/or was double-billed with another feature.)
The bookings are listed chronologically by premiere date (day.month.year). These engagements ran an average of 8-12 weeks, with 17 being the longest that I tracked.
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| Release Dates (day.month.year) | | 29.01.1959 … Beverly Hills, CA – Fox Wilshire
10.02.1959 … Miami Beach, FL – Sheridan
11.02.1959 … San Francisco, CA – Coronet
12.02.1959 … Boston, MA – Gary
12.02.1959 … Chicago, IL – State-Lake
12.02.1959 … Dallas, TX – Tower
17.02.1959 … New York, NY – Criterion
18.02.1959 … Baltimore, MD – New
18.02.1959 … Buffalo, NY – Century
18.02.1959 … Louisville, KY – Brown
18.02.1959 … Oklahoma City, OK – State
18.02.1959 … Rochester, NY – Monroe
18.02.1959 … Seattle, WA – Blue Mouse
18.02.1959 … Washington, DC – Uptown
19.02.1959 … Houston, TX – Tower
20.02.1959 … Syracuse, NY – Eckel
25.02.1959 … New Orleans, LA – Panorama
27.02.1959 … San Antonio, TX – Broadway
04.03.1959 … Detroit, MI – United Artists
04.03.1959 … Richmond, VA – Willow Lawn
05.03.1959 … Minneapolis, MN – Academy
06.03.1959 … Pittsburgh, PA – Nixon
06.03.1959 … Portland, OR – Broadway
12.03.1959 … Shreveport, LA – Saenger
13.03.1959 … Atlanta, GA – Roxy
18.03.1959 … Philadelphia, PA – Goldman
19.03.1959 … Columbus, OH – Cinestage
20.03.1959 … Corpus Christi, TX – Tower
20.03.1959 … Dayton, OH – McCook
20.03.1959 … Denver, CO – Centre
20.03.1959 … Honolulu, HI – Queen
20.03.1959 … San Diego, CA – Capri
25.03.1959 … Providence, RI – Elmwood
26.03.1959 … Cincinnati, OH – Valley
26.03.1959 … Kansas City, MO – Brookside
27.03.1959 … Indianapolis, IN – Lyric
15.04.1959 … Tampa, FL – Britton
03.06.1959 … Salt Lake City, UT – Villa
12.06.1959 … Norfolk, VA – Memrose
12.06.1959 … Phoenix, AZ – Fox
12.06.1959 … St. Louis, MO – Pageant
19.06.1959 … Jacksonville, FL – 5 Points
19.06.1959 … Milwaukee, WI – Strand
19.06.1959 … Omaha, NE – State
01.07.1959 … Utica, NY – Uptown
02.07.1959 … Lexington, KY – Strand
 “Sleeping Beauty” around 1995 (maybe later) at the El Capitan on Hollywood Boulevard. Image by Richard Greenhalg.
In addition to the bookings listed above, “Sleeping Beauty” might have played in the following markets/cinemas listed below during the 70mm-exclusive period prior to the film’s general release. Additional research is required for verification.
Albany, NY – Ritz
Atlantic City, NJ – Virginia
Beaumont, TX – Liberty
Davenport, IA – Coronet
Des Moines, IA – Orpheum
Fort Wayne, IN – Clyde
Little Rock, AR – Capitol
Tulsa, OK – Rialto or Ritz
Wichita Falls, TX – State
North American roadshow markets that played “Sleeping Beauty” only in its 35mm general-release version (despite having at the time at least one 70mm-equipped venue) included Cleveland, OH; Hartford, CT; Montreal, QC; Sacramento, CA; Toledo, OH; Toronto, ON; Vancouver, BC, and Youngstown, OH.
The 35mm nationwide general release began in June 1959. The first international playdates began in July 1959. The film was re-issued during 1970, 1979, 1986 and 1995.
| | Sources/References | | This article was compiled primarily by referencing film industry trade publications and newspaper promotion.
| | Thanks | | Jerry Alexander, Claude Ayakawa, Larry Blake, Mark Huffstetler, Bill Kretzel, Mark Lensenmayer, Rick Mitchell, Bob Throop, Vince Young, and the librarians who helped me research the information for this project.
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Updated 03-04-12 | |
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