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Topic: CinemaScope shorts 1953-1959

Roger Manning Jr
Film Handler

Posts: 32
From: Encinitas, CA, USA
Registered: Jan 2003

posted 03-13-2003 03:29 PM

Anyone know of a list of shorts made in CinemaScope from 1953-1959. I have looking on the internet but only came up with " The CinemaScope Parade" 1954, There has to be more. [Confused]

Thanks for any help you can give.
Roger

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Claude S. Ayakawa
Film God

Posts: 2738
From: Waipahu, Hawaii, USA
Registered: Aug 2002

posted 03-13-2003 04:14 PM

Hi Roger,

There is an excellent MGM CinemaScope short subject on the battle at Gettysburg on the "GETTYSBURG" motion picture DVD released by Warner Home Video. The film featured the statues at "Gettysburh with sound effects and smoke to tell the story of the tragic three day battle in that little town in Pennsylvania on July 1, 2 and 3 in 1863. The film received an Acafemy Award for best short subject for the year it was released. I first saw the short at the Waipahu Theatre and never forgot it. As a fan of the American Civil War, I was elated to find it attached to the theatrical film about the battle.

Beside the Gettysburg short, I used to enjoy many classical music short subjects with Alfred Newman and the 20th Century Fox Symphony and Jonny Green conducting the MGM Symphony. The one I enjoyed the most by the Fox symphony was Franz Joseph Haydn's Symphony No. 45, the "Farewell" when all of the orchestra members dressed in 18th century clothing would leave after they finished playing their part. The only two people remaining at the end was the conductor and the concert master closing the work with a soft solo violin passage.

-Claude

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Roger Manning Jr
Film Handler

Posts: 32
From: Encinitas, CA, USA
Registered: Jan 2003

posted 03-13-2003 04:26 PM

Thanks Claude,
I'll have to check that one out.I also found "The Big Show"1958 promotional featurette that on the DVD "20th Century Fox The First 50 Years" thats over an hour long.
Thanks again Claude. Anymore?

Roger

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Robert E. Allen
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1078
From: Checotah, Oklahoma
Registered: Jul 2002

posted 03-13-2003 07:33 PM

MGM made a bunch of musical shorts in 'Scope in the '50s. They featured Johnny Green and the MGM studio orchestra playing well known classics.

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Dick Prather
Master Film Handler

Posts: 259
From: Portland, OR, USA
Registered: Feb 2002

posted 03-13-2003 08:17 PM

Rodger,
I think every studio who was using CinemaScope had short subjects to promote the wide screen process or a companion piece for their feature.

I have seen at least 15 Fox Movietone Shorts and some Fox British Movetone Shorts. These were 2.55 mag only.

Also MGM had several with the MGM orchestra in 2:55 mag only and 2.35 Perspecta.

These are just what I have seen or watched in the last 10 years. Most were in collectors hands.

I have never seen a list either. You might have to go back to old Box Office magazines or something simular from those years to see what was availible to the theatres.

There was also some C/S shorts (freebes from the exchange or poster co.) which were done by industry and used for filler. We still ran them into the 70's. If you do find a good list I would sure like a copy if possible.

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Claude S. Ayakawa
Film God

Posts: 2738
From: Waipahu, Hawaii, USA
Registered: Aug 2002

posted 03-13-2003 10:44 PM

Hello again, Roger,

After giving the matther some thought, I recall owning the laserdisc of "LOVE ME OR LEAVE ME, the 1955 film starring Doris Day and James Cagney. Beside the movie, there was the CinemaScope short of a MGM Symphony Orchestra performance of Otto Nicolai's "The Merry Wives Of Winsdor" Overture conducted by Johnny Green. On the deluxe laserdisc box set of Walt Disney's "SLEEPING BEAUTY" was "GRAND CANYON", the 35mm CinemaScope short subject that played with the Technirama 70mm film in many first run theatres. "SLEEPING BEAUTY" is scheduled to be released on DVD very soon and if they load it with a lot of extra program material, "GRAND CANYON" might be included. On the "FANTASIA" DVD box set with the original 1940 film and the recent "FANTASIA 2000" is the animated Academy Award winning CinemaScope short "TOOT,WHISTLE, PLUNK AND BOOM". I saw this in CinemaScope and four track mag and the film is a very good music primer.
The "FANTASIA" set also features another short"MELODY" and I am not sure if it was in CinemaSchpe but I will check it and get back to you. Getting back to laserdiscs, MGM released almost all of the original CinemaScope Tom & Jerry cartoons on the disc format and I once owned them.

-Claude

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Paul Linfesty
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1383
From: Bakersfield, CA, USA
Registered: Nov 1999

posted 03-13-2003 11:12 PM

Melody was a Disney 3-D short that was flat. The first two CinemaScope shorts released were TOOT, WHISTLE, PLUNK AND BOOM (the Disney cartoon mentioned by Claude) and CORONATION PARADE. Both debuted in NYC with Fox's second scope release, HOW TO MARRY A MILLIONAIRE. Back in those days it wasn't unusual at all for a short from one studio to be booked woith another's feature.

You might try this link for the MGM scope cartoons of the 50's:

http://looney.toonzone.net/picts/cinemascope/

A YAHOO search for Cinemascope shorts returned quite a few sites. Good luck.

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Tim Reed
Better Projection Pays

Posts: 5246
From: Northampton, PA
Registered: Sep 1999

posted 03-14-2003 09:23 AM

Terrytoons (Fox) also made several 'scope cartoons. Many of these were in the early 60s, but I'm not sure if any were made in the 1950s or not.

A good deal of Hector Heathcote, Silly Sidney, and Hashimoto titles were in CinemaScope. (I think all of the Hashimoto's were.)

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Jeffry L. Johnson
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 809
From: Cleveland, Ohio, USA
Registered: Apr 2000

posted 03-15-2003 11:20 AM

I posted the following list to the Usenet newsgroup rec.arts.movies.tech in 2000.

Leonard Maltin's "Of Mice and Magic" lists the following CinemaScope cartoons.

Disney

Grand Canyonscope (1954)
Bearly Asleep (1955)
Beezy Bear (1955)
Chips Ahoy (1956)
Hooked Bear (1956)
How to Have an Accident in the Home (1956)
In the Bag (1956)

Terrytoons

Good Deed Daily (1955)
Bird Symphony (1955)
Little Red Hen (1955)
Park Avenue Pussycat (1956)
Uranium Blues (1956)
Oceans of Love (1956)
Lucky Dog (1956)
Police Dogged (1956)
The Brave Little Brave (1956)
Cloak and Stagger (1956)
Topsy TV (1957)
Gag Buster (1957)
A Bum Steer (1957)
The Bone Ranger (1957)
Gaston Is Here (1957)
Shove Thy Neighbor (1957)
Clint Clobber's Cat (1957)
Flebus (1957)
Springtime for Clobber (1958)
It's a Living (1958)
Gaston's Baby (1958)
The Juggler of Our Lady (1958)
Gaston, Go Home (1958)
Dustcap Doormat (1958)
Camp Clobber (1958)
Sick, Sick Sidney (1958)
Old Mother Clobber (1958)
Gaston's Easel Life (1958)
Signed, Sealed and Clobbered (1958)
Sidney's Family Tree (1958)
Clobber's Ballet Ache (1959)
A Tale of a Dog (1959)
Another Day, Another Doormat (1959)
The Flamboyant Arms (1959)
Foofle's Train Ride (1959)
Gaston's Mama Lisa (1959)
The Minute and a 1/2 Man (1959)
The Fabulous Firework Family (1959)
Wild Life (1959)
Hashimoto San (1959)
Outer Space Visitor (1959)
The Leaky Faucet (1959)
Hide and Go Sidney (1960)
The Misunderstood Giant (1960)
Foofle's Picnic (1960)
The Famous Ride (1960)
Hearts and Glowers (1960)
The Wayward Hat (1960)
The Littlest Bully (1960)
Two Ton Baby Sitter (1960)
Tin Pan Alley Cat (1960)
House of Hashimoto (1960)
Daniel Boone, Jr. (1960)
Night Life in Tokyo (1961)
So Sorry, Pussycat (1961)
Son of Hashimoto (1961)
Strange Companion (1961)
Honorable Cat Story (1961)
Crossing the Delaware (1961)
Honorable Family Problem (1962)
Peanut Battle (1962)
Loyal Royalty (1962)
Send Your Elephant to Camp (1962)
Home Life (1962)
Tea House Mouse (1963)
To Be or Not to Be (1963)
Pearl Crazy (1963)
Cherry Blossom Festival (1963)
Spooky-Yaki (1963)

MGM

Pet Peeve (1954)
Dixieland Droopy (1954)
Touché Pussy Cat (1954)
Pup on a Picnic (1955)
Tom and Cherie (1955)
That's My Mommy (1955)
Good Will to Men (1955)
The Flying Srceress (1956)
The Egg and Jerry (1956)
Busy Buddies (1956)
Muscle Beach Tom (1956)
Millionaire Droopy (1956)
Downbeat Bear (1956)
Blue Cat Blues (1956)
Barbecue Brawl (1956)
Cat's Meow (1957)
Tops with Pops (1957)
Give and Tyke (1957)
Timid Tabby (1957)
Grin and Share It (1957)
Feedin' the Kiddie (1957)
Scat Cats (1957)
Mucho Mouse (1957)
Blackboard Jumble (1957)
Tom's Photo Finish (1957)
One Droopy Knight (1957)
Happy Go Ducky (1958)
Sheep Wrecked (1958)
Royal Cat Nap (1958)
Mutts About Racing (1958)
Vanishing Duck (1958)
Robin Hoodwinked (1958)
Droopy Leprechaun (1958)
Tot Watchers (1958)

UPA

When Magoo Flew (1955)
Magoo Makes News (1955)
Gerald McBoing Boing on the Planet Moo (1956)
Magoo Goes West (1956)
Calling Dr. Magoo (1956)
Magoo Beats the Heat (1956)
Magoo's Puddle Jumper (1956)
Trailblazer Magoo (1956)
Magoo's Problem Child (1956)
Meet Mother Magoo (1956)
Magoo Goes Overboard (1957)
Matador Magoo (1957)
Magoo Breaks Par (1957)
Magoo's Glorious Fourth (1957)
Magoo's Maasquerade (1957)
Magoo Saves the Bank (1957)

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Roger Manning Jr
Film Handler

Posts: 32
From: Encinitas, CA, USA
Registered: Jan 2003

posted 03-18-2003 04:05 PM

Thanks to all who replyed to my post.
Do any of you know if "The Robe" had an Overture when it came out in 1953?. I know the dvd did not but it seems like it should have one.
thanks Roger

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Claude S. Ayakawa
Film God

Posts: 2738
From: Waipahu, Hawaii, USA
Registered: Aug 2002

posted 03-18-2003 04:34 PM

Roger,

"THE ROBE" did not have an overture during it premiere showing in 1953. All it had was a short Movietone News in flat introducing CinemaScope. When the news clip was over, the screen went dark and a man's voice said" Twentieth Century Fox and the management of this theatre is very proud to present CinemaScope----" He went on and said how the new process was going to make motion pictures much more exciting and unjoyable. He concluded by saying"----- and now we are proud to present our first CinemaScope film, "THE ROBE" With that the 20th Century Fox logo against a burgandy backdrop flashed on the Kuhio Theatre's very wide scope screen with the awesome four track mag stereophonic soundtrack of Alfred Newman's beautiful music. The Kuhio Theatre at the time was was a very prominent first run house in Honolulu and the only road show venue in the city at the time.

-Claude

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Roger Manning Jr
Film Handler

Posts: 32
From: Encinitas, CA, USA
Registered: Jan 2003

posted 03-18-2003 04:52 PM

Thank you Claude for that info thats great, Wish I could have seen it when it first came out.
Roger

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