The Shoes of the Fisherman: The North American
Roadshow and 70mm Engagements |
Read more at in70mm.com The 70mm Newsletter |
| Compiled by: Michael Coate | Date: 27.05.2023 |
 The following is a reference / historical
listing of the roadshow and 70-millimeter presentations of The Shoes of the
Fisherman 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, an overture/intermission/entracte/exit music, and an average of only ten scheduled screenings per week. Souvenir program booklet were sold, as well. The print types utilized during the films roadshow release, depending on the booking, were (1) 70mm (2.20:1 blow-up from 35mm anamorphic) with discrete magnetic six-channel stereophonic sound, (2) 35mm with discrete magnetic four-channel stereophonic sound and optical monaural sound, (3) 35mm with optical monaural sound. The MGM release, based on the novel by Morris L. West, was directed by Michael Anderson (Around the World in 80 Days, Logans Run) and starred Anthony Quinn, Oskar Werner, David Janssen, Vittorio De Sica, Leo McKern, Sir John Gielgud, Babara Jefford, Rosemarie Dexter and Sir Laurence Olivier. The world premiere was held November 14, 1968, at LEnfant in Washington, DC which doubled as the grand opening of the venue. (An invitational preview was held the day prior at the DeMille in New York City.) Out of the hundreds of films released in North America during 1968, The Shoes of the Fisherman was among only fourteen given deluxe roadshow treatment and among only eleven released with 70mm prints (seven from 65mm origination and four blow-ups). PART 1: THE ROADSHOW ENGAGEMENTS (reserved seat policy / 70mm* presentation) * Note that some bookings were not explicitly or consistently promoted as 70mm, suggesting they may have been screened in 35mm. Confirmed 35mm roadshow presentations are noted. Premiere/opening date YYYY-MM-DD locale cinema (duration in weeks) [notes] 1968-11-13 New York, NY DeMille (18) 1968-11-14 Washington, DC LEnfant (20) 1968-11-15 Los Angeles, CA Carthay Circle (23) 1968-11-20 Chicago, IL McVickers (14) 1968-11-20 Toronto, ON Uptown (14) 1968-11-21 San Francisco, CA Golden Gate Penthouse (18) 1968-12-11 Miami (Miami Beach), FL Beach (12) 1968-12-17 Sacramento, CA Century 21 (11) 1968-12-17 San Jose, CA Century 22 (22) 1968-12-18 Dallas, TX Tower (11) 1968-12-18 Detroit, MI Adams (11) [35mm] 1968-12-18 St. Louis, MO Ambassador (10) 1968-12-18 Seattle, WA Paramount (14) 1968-12-19 Montreal, QC Seville (6) 1968-12-19 Ottawa, ON Nelson (7) 1968-12-19 St. Petersburg, FL Loews (11) 1968-12-20 Vancouver, BC Strand (6) 1969-01-16 Atlanta, GA Martin Cinerama (7) 1969-01-24 Minneapolis, MN Mann (9) 1969-01-29 New Orleans (Metairie), LA Lakeside (12) 1969-02-05 Cincinnati, OH International 70 (13) 1969-02-05 Houston, TX Tower (8) 1969-02-05 Long Island (Plainview), NY Plainview (13) 1969-02-11 Fresno, CA Warnor (6) 1969-02-11 Newark (Upper Montclair), NJ Bellevue (13) 1969-02-12 Boston, MA Gary (10) 1969-02-12 Cleveland, OH Colony (11) 1969-02-12 Indianapolis, IN Lyric (7) 1969-02-12 Las Vegas, NV Cinerama (7) 1969-02-12 New Haven, CT Whalley (1+) 1969-02-12 Pittsburgh, PA Warner (13) 1969-02-20 San Diego, CA Cinerama (12) 1969-02-26 Denver, CO Denham (1+) 1969-02-26 Omaha, NE Cooper 70 (8) 1969-02-26 Philadelphia, PA Randolph (8) 1969-02-26 Phoenix (Scottsdale), AZ Kachina (11) 1969-03-05 Asbury Park, NJ St. James (7) 1969-03-05 Oklahoma City, OK Cooper (13) 1969-03-12 Kansas City, MO Capri (11) 1969-03-12 Portland, OR Broadway (8) 1969-03-13 Rochester (Irondequoit), NY Stutson (9) [35mm] 1969-03-19 Des Moines, IA River Hills (13) 1969-03-26 Dayton, OH McCook (15) 1969-03-26 Milwaukee, WI Southgate (10) 1969-04-02 Salt Lake City, UT Cottonwood Mall (7) 1969-04-16 Hartford, CT Cinerama (11) 1969-04-16 Springfield (West Springfield), MA Showcase 2 (5) 1969-04-16 Toledo, OH Showcase 1 (5) 1969-04-30 Reno, NV Century 21 (3) 1969-05-28 Pleasant Hill, CA Century 21 (3) PART 2: FIRST-RUN 70MM ENGAGEMENTS (unreserved seating) 1969-04-30 Monterey, CA Cinema 70 (8) 1969-05-28 Wichita, KS Uptown (4) 1969-10-09 Memphis, TN Crosstown (3) PART 3: SUBSEQUENT 70MM ENGAGEMENTS & SCREENINGS (second run / revival / unreserved seating) 1969-05-28 King of Prussia, PA Plaza (1) 1969-06-04 Philadelphia, PA Cheltenham (1) 1969-06-11 McLean, VA Tysons (2) 1970-12-16 Fort Worth, TX Opera House (1) 1978-08-29 Toronto, ON Science Centre [70mm festival] 1978-12-16 Toronto, ON Cinesphere [Wintertainment series] 1980-04-03 Toronto, ON Cinesphere (4 days) [Winter film festival] The reserved-seat policy, in some instances, was relaxed during the latter weeks of the run. Any non-reserved-seat portion of the run 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 Jerry Alexander, Jim Barg, Sheldon Hall, Bill Kallay, Bill Kretzel, Jim Perry, Joel Weide, Vince Young. The films international roadshow/70mm engagements 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: in70mm.com's page about films blown up to 70mm 35mm to 70mm Engagements by Year 35mm to 70mm Engagements by Title Presented on the big screen in 7OMM The Alleged 70mm Releases 70mm Blow Ups Which Never Were |
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