“Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines”:
The North American Roadshow and 70mm Engagements |
Read more at in70mm.com The 70mm Newsletter |
| Compiled by: Michael Coate | Date: 01.05.2022 |
 The following is a reference / historical listing of the roadshow presentations
of “Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines (or How I Flew from London to
Paris in 25 Hours and 11 Minutes)” 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 main section of this work were “hard ticket” roadshow engagements (i.e. special, long-running, showcase presentations in major cities prior to the film being exhibited as a general release). Much like a stage production, these typically featured advanced admission pricing, reserved seating, an overture/intermission/entr’acte/exit music (“Those Magnificent Men…” only featured an intermission and entr’acte), and an average of only ten scheduled screenings per week. Souvenir program booklet were sold, as well, and, in some locales, the film’s soundtrack album. The print types utilized during the film’s roadshow release were, depending on the booking, 70-millimeter with discrete magnetic six-channel stereophonic sound or 35-millimeter with discrete magnetic four-channel stereophonic sound. The Twentieth Century-Fox release was directed by Ken Annakin (“Battle of the Bulge”) and starred Stuart Whitman, Sarah Miles, James Fox, Alberto Sordi, Robert Morley, Gert Frobe, Jean-Pierre Cassel, Irina Demick, Eric Sykes, Terry-Thomas and Red Skelton. The North American premiere was held June 16th, 1965 at the DeMille in New York. (The film’s world premiere was held June 3rd, 1965 at Astoria in London.) Out of the hundreds of films released in North America during 1965, “Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines” was among only ten given deluxe roadshow treatment and among only eleven released with 70mm prints (eight from 65mm origination plus three blow-ups). Premiere/Opening date YYYY-MM-DD … Locale — Cinema (duration in weeks) [notes] 1965-05-06 … New York — DeMille (sneak preview) PART 1: THE ROADSHOW ENGAGEMENTS (reserved seat policy) 1965-06-16 … New York, NY — DeMille (27) 1965-06-17 … Los Angeles (Beverly Hills), CA — Beverly (19) 1965-06-22 … Chicago, IL — Cinestage (25) 1965-06-23 … Atlanta, GA — Capri (14) [35mm] 1965-06-23 … Boston, MA — Music Hall (14) 1965-06-23 … Charlotte, NC — Capri (10) 1965-06-23 … Cincinnati, OH — Valley (15) 1965-06-23 … Des Moines, IA — Ingersoll (14) 1965-06-23 … Kansas City, MO — Brookside (15) 1965-06-23 … Memphis, TN — Crosstown (19) 1965-06-23 … Miami (Miami Beach), FL — Beach (15) 1965-06-23 … Minneapolis (St. Louis Park), MN — Park (23) 1965-06-23 … Oklahoma City, OK — Cooper (15) 1965-06-29 … Toronto, ON — Fairlawn (50) 1965-06-30 … Atlantic City, NJ — Shore (1+) [35mm] 1965-06-30 … Philadelphia, PA — Trans-Lux (19) [35mm] 1965-06-30 … St. Petersburg, FL — Center (15) 1965-06-30 … Salt Lake City, UT — Studio (26) [35mm] 1965-06-30 … Vancouver, BC — Park (29) [35mm] 1965-06-30 … Washington, DC — Apex (27) 1965-06-30 … Winnipeg, MB — Gaiety (17) [35mm] 1965-07-01 … New Orleans, LA — Orpheum (13) 1965-07-07 … San Francisco, CA — Parkside (24) 1965-07-07 … Seattle, WA — Paramount (23) 1965-07-14 … Cleveland, OH — Allen (18) 1965-07-15 … Houston, TX — Northline I (19) [35mm] 1965-07-15 … Richmond, VA — Westhampton (12) 1965-07-21 … Dallas, TX — Tower (12) 1965-07-21 … Denver, CO — Centre (13) 1965-07-28 … Detroit, MI — Adams (18) [35mm] 1965-08-04 … Montreal, QC — Westmount (21) 1965-08-04 … Providence, RI — Elmwood (20) 1965-08-04 … San Diego (La Mesa), CA — Cinema Grossmont (12) 1965-08-04 … Tulsa, OK — Circle (1+) [35mm] 1965-08-05 … Nashville, TN — Crescent (11) 1965-08-11 … Baltimore, MD — Hippodrome (17) 1965-08-11 … Buffalo, NY — Century (8) 1965-08-11 … Pittsburgh, PA — Kings Court (28) 1965-08-11 … Rochester, NY — Riviera (12) 1965-08-11 … Syracuse, NY — Eckel (9) 1965-08-12 … Edmonton, AB — Westmount (12) [35mm] 1965-08-18 … Indianapolis, MN — Circle (16) 1965-08-18 … Milwaukee, WI — Capitol Court (7) [35mm] 1965-08-18 … Portland, OR — Broadway (30) 1965-08-20 … Birmingham, AL — Ritz (8) 1965-08-25 … Dayton, OH — Victory (8) [35mm] 1965-09-02 … Ottawa, ON — Regent (14) [35mm] 1965-09-22 … Long Island (Oyster Bay), NY — Pine Hollow (15) 1965-09-22 … Worcester, MA — Cinema 1 (1+) 1965-09-29 … Calgary, AB — Chinook (6) 1965-09-29 … Fresno, CA — Warner (12) 1965-09-29 … Portland (Westbrook), ME — Cinema II (1+) 1965-09-29 … St. Louis, MO — Ambassador (12) 1965-10-06 … Louisville, KY — Penthouse (11) 1965-10-06 … Toledo, OH — Pantheon (10) 1965-10-13 … Omaha, NE — Cooper 70 (14) 1965-10-13 … Columbus (Whitehall), OH — Cinema East (17) 1965-10-27 … New Haven, CT — Whalley (1+) 1965-11-10 … Jacksonville, FL — 5 Points (6) 1965-11-24 … San Jose, CA — Century 21 (15) 1966-03-08 … San Jose, CA — Century 22 m/o (10 [25]) 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. PART 2: SUBSEQUENT 70MM ENGAGEMENTS (unreserved seating / general-release policy) 1965-10-20 … Cuyahoga Falls, OH — Falls (9) 1965-12-25 … Charlotte, NC — Manor (4) 1966-01-26 … Asbury Park, NJ — St. James (4) 1966-02-04 … Houston, TX — Gaylynn (8) 1966-04-27 … Albany, NY — Hellman (4) 1966-05-25 … Wichita, KS — Uptown (7) 1973-06-27 … Beverly Hills, CA — Wilshire (1) [w/ “The Poseidon Adventure”] 1975-10-15 … Bloomington, MN — Southtown (1) [70mm Musicals festival] PART 3: SUBSEQUENT 70MM ENGAGEMENTS (New 70mm print / DTS audio) 2004-01-25 … Los Angeles, CA — Egyptian [70mm festival] 2004-08-24 … Austin, TX — Paramount (2 days) [70mm series] 2004-08-30 … Los Angeles, CA — Egyptian [Ken Annakin Tribute] 2005-02-05 … Santa Monica, CA — Aero [70mm festival] 2011-10-06 … Seattle, WA — Cinerama [70mm festival] 2012-08-11 … Silver Spring, MD — AFI Silver [70mm festival] 2012-08-12 … Silver Spring, MD — AFI Silver [70mm festival] 2016-02-28 … Chicago, IL — Music Box [70mm festival] 2018-09-22 … Somerville, MA — Somerville [70mm festival] This information has been principally referenced from film industry trade publications and regional newspaper promotion, with thanks to Jim Barg, Schawn Belston, Herbert Born, Sheldon Hall, Bill Huelbig, Bill Kallay, Bill Kretzel, Mark Lensenmayer, Stan Malone, W.R. Miller, and the librarians who assisted with research. The film’s international roadshow engagements (except for noting the film’s world premiere locale) 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. |
More in 70mm reading: 70mm Cinemas in North America Chronological premiere list of major 70mm films Month by month premiere list of wide gauge and 3-strip films 70mm Engagements 70mm Blow Up List Dolby Stereo |
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