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THE NOT SO BREATHTAKING SIDE OF

By Ross King

ollowing on from the article by Keith required for the installations as carried out by
FGulliver in CR 85, the introduction of the major chains. For many small country
CinemaScope and other widescreen processes exhibitors only screening two or three times a
created many problems for small, independent week, often in multipurpose town halls, and
exhibitors. using projection equipment dating from the
silent era, the cost of installing CinemaScope
CinemaScope was introduced in the USA as a was somewhat daunting.
more economical process than the three
projector, Cinerama widescreen system. This It was soon found that, for the projection of
was introduced in an effort to arrest the anamorphic squeeze prints, neither the
declining cinema attendances following the Miracle Mirror screen, nor the stereophonic
introduction and widespread take up of magnetic sound installations were necessary,
television. All this happened some years as CinemaScope films were released with
before television broadcasting commenced combined magnetic and optical tracks, or just
here in Australia in 1956. an optical soundtrack. However, projector
back-plates and gates needed to be modified
USA’s Twentieth Century Fox was the major so as to allow for the interchangeable aperture
shareholder in the Australian Hoyts Theatres plates necessary to accommodate the larger
chain, and so the introduction of frame size of CinemaScope films, and the
CinemaScope into Hoyts theatres followed smaller frame size for widescreen ratios. For
within a year of its introduction in America, running magnetic/optical prints, the tooth
although Australia, at the time, did not have profile of projector sprockets had to be altered
such an urgent need as television was still a to accommodate the narrower film sprocket
few years away. holes. This, along with the purchase of
Within the Fox controlled Hoyts theatres, suitable projection backing lenses and the
alterations had to be carried out for the associated anamorphic attachment, added to
installation of larger screens and stereophonic the cost of presenting CinemaScope.
sound, along with either new or modified
projection equipment. To accommodate the It wasn’t long before cheaper optical
larger CinemaScope screens, many stage alternatives were developed, just as had been
prosceniums had to be reconstructed and the case with the introduction of sound twenty
widened, whilst in other situations new five years earlier. Among these was the
screens, masking and curtains were installed “Paradise” anamorphic lens, developed by
in front of the existing proscenium. Mr. N. Dyer of Southport, Queensland. The
first of these consisted of two lens elements
Overall, the installation of CinemaScope was mounted on aluminium plates, one fixed and
an expensive undertaking, where even some the other connected by four steel posts to a
of the major theatre chains’ lesser performing plate mounted on the front of the projector.
theatres were not converted, either for This allowed one lens element to slide nearer
CinemaScope and/or the four track magnetic to, or further from the fixed lens so as to effect
stereophonic sound system. the necessary adjustment for various
projection throws. These were extremely
With much acclaim, CinemaScope was difficult to adjust to gain an optimum result.
launched with the film The Robe, soon
followed by How to Marry a Millionaire. A later version of the Paradise lens was a big
improvement, and a 16 mm version also
Under a favourable licensing arrangement, became available.
MGM produced Seven Brides for Seven
Brothers in
CinemaScope, but also
Fox had acquired a New York based cinema shot separately on
screen manufacturer to create the Miracle standard 4:3 ratio for
Mirror screen, a silver, lenticular screen theatres not equipped to
deemed necessary for the reproduction of the show the CinemaScope
anamorphic process. They also arranged for anamorphic prints.
the lens manufacturer Bausch & Lomb to
produce the anamorphic projection lenses, not As the popularity and
to mention the development and installation of hype of CinemaScope
four track magnetic penthouse sound heads on grew, more product
projection equipment. became available, making
it necessary for small,
Following the installation of CinemaScope, a independent exhibitors to
special preview program of productions was convert for the
held at the Regent Theatre, Melbourne to anamorphic process.
introduce theatre managers and projectionists Many could not afford the
to the CinemaScope era. huge financial outlay “Paradise” 35 mm Anamorphic Lens (Made by N. Dyer, Queensland)

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