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Author Topic: "CE3K" --- Happy 30th! Michael Coate Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1904 From: Los Angeles, California Registered: Feb 2001 posted 11-16-2007 04:25 AM                     "We are not alone." On November 16, 1977, thirty years ago today, Steven Spielberg's "Close Encounters Of The Third Kind" was released. In one theatre, anyway. Using a platform release strategy, Columbia Pictures opened "Close Encounters" on Wednesday, Nov. 16 at the ZIEGFELD THEATRE in New York City and two days later at the CINERAMA DOME in Los Angeles. The national release began in a couple-hundred theatres on Dec. 14. I saw the movie at the CINEMA 70 in the Del Monte Shopping Center in Monterey, California. At the time I was a nine-year-old Army Brat (my parents were stationed at nearby Fort Ord). I slept through much of the movie but remember being awakened by the powerful musical score and overbearing sound during the film's finale. I can't say that I liked the movie at the time thinking it was rather slow and not as fun and enjoyable as "Star Wars." However, after seeing the film numerous times over the years on TV, various video formats and a few theatrical screenings, my current opinion is that I think it is a great movie and one of the best in Spielberg's illustrious career. "Close Encounters" was nominated for eight Academy Awards, winning for Cinematography. In addition, it was awarded a special achievement Oscar for Sound Effects Editing. With a domestic boxoffice gross topping $100 million (in an era when $100 million defined a blockbuster), the film was the third-highest-grossing film released in 1977 ("Star Wars" and "Smokey And The Bandit" were one and two, respectively). Among the original bookings were a couple-dozen 70-millimeter prints, most of which are identified below. These were, arguably, the best venues in which to experience the movie during that initial release. RELEASED NOV. 16, 1977 New York, NY: Ziegfeld RELEASED NOV. 18, 1977 Los Angeles, CA: Cinerama Dome RELEASED DEC. 14, 1977 Belleville, IL: BAC Cinema Bloomington, MN: Southtown Boston, MA: Cinema 57 Calumet City, IL: River Oaks Chicago, IL: Esquire Costa Mesa, CA: South Coast Plaza Denver, CO: Cooper Evergreen, IL: Evergreen Fort Worth, TX: Ridglea Honolulu, HI: Waikiki 3 Houston, TX: Alabama Houston, TX: Town and Country Village Lakewood, CA: Lakewood Center Little Rock, AR: Cinema 150 Livonia, MI: Mai Kai Los Angeles, CA: Paramount (move-over from Cinerama Dome) Louisville, KY: Showcase Cinemas Orange, CA: Cinedome Paramus, NJ: Route 4 Triplex Pasadena, CA: Hastings Philadelphia, PA: Sameric Pittsburgh, PA: Warner Pittsford, NY: Pittsford Triplex Portland, OR: Eastgate Salt Lake City, UT: Regency San Diego, CA: Cinema 21 San Francisco, CA: Coronet Santa Clara, CA: Cinema 150 Skokie, IL: Old Orchard Southfield, MI: Americana Southgate, MI: Southgate Toledo, OH: Showcase Cinemas West Allis, WI: Southtown RELEASED DEC. 21, 1977 Monterey, CA: Cinema 70 Palm Springs, CA: Camelot Portland, OR: Town Center Santa Barbara, CA: Granada (Since I seem to be the resident "listmaniac," maybe before the year is over, just for Mike Heenan, I'll do up a "Smokey And The Bandit" tribute and will list the venues that showed it in "Bandit Vision"! ) So...who else has any memories of seeing "Close Encounters" way back when? Anyone prefer one of the recut versions over the original?  |  IP: Logged Robert Throop Master Film Handler Posts: 412 From: Vernon, NY USA Registered: Jun 99 posted 11-16-2007 07:07 AM                     I saw "Close Encounters" at the Ziegfeld the following spring. Aside from SenSurround it was the first time I'd heard subwoofers in a cinema. At the time, Radio City Music Hall was playing "Crossed Swords" in 70mm. I saw that in the morning, a 70mm revival of "South Pacific" at the Cinerama on Broadway in the afternoon and CE in 70mm at the Ziegfeld in the evening. Bob  |  IP: Logged Mitchell Dvoskin Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1869 From: West Milford, NJ, USA Registered: Jan 2001 posted 11-16-2007 08:31 AM                     I saw it on it's opening weekend in RKO Stanley Warner Route 4 Triplex Paramus NJ. We waited in line for over an hour. The film opened in the "big" auditorium, which held around 1000 people. Almost every show that weekend was sold out. I liked the film, but I too thought Star Wars was better (still do). I do like the 1980 special edition better. The original version's mental breakdown went on way too long. By the time he was playing with the mashed potatos, I had enough. Trimming the excess and adding some nice touches such as the UFO shadows across the fields improved the film greatly. This is one of the few films that I felt the directors cut was better than the original. On the other hand, as Richard Dryfuss was boarding the ship at the end, I kept thinking of the Twilight Zone "To Serve Man"... Just a FYI, although newspaper advertising at the time refered to the theatre as the Route 4 Triplex, at the time the complex consisted of 2 seperate buildings, and the signage refered to one as The Stanley Warner, which was the original theatre that had it's balcony walled off to make a twin, and The Route 4 Cinema which was built from the ground up years later. Each had it's own entrance, boxoffice, projection, etc.  |  IP: Logged Frank Angel Film God Posts: 5305 From: Brooklyn NY USA Registered: Dec 1999 posted 11-16-2007 08:59 AM                        One of my favorite of all time. The opening sequence with the soundtrack orchestra building to that one bombastic chord took my breath away. The special added subs that were added (at Columbia's own cost, I was told) sure did enhance the experience; the whole theatre vibrated -- you could feel it in the pit of your stomach when the big mother ship decended. Funny thing is, it seems like it was only a few years ago, certainly not 30, when I saw it at the Ziegfeld. It was only opened for a few weeks and I went back over and over again, dragging everyone I knew to see it. I saw it at least four times at the Zieg. And I ran it just two weeks ago for a few friends and it still stands up incredibly well as a terrific piece of story-telling. And special effects -- hey, there are as good if not better than some of the glitzy fluff stuff today, and they got it all with nary a CGI frame to be found anywhere. Interesting thing was, the kid in the film looked like a clone of my nephew who was about the same age at the time. He is now nearly a head taller than me. What is really scary, is that it was 30 years ago.....it boggles the mind, this time-warp compression we are caught in.  |  IP: Logged John Walsh Film God Posts: 2490 From: Connecticut, USA, Earth, Milky Way Registered: Oct 1999 posted 11-16-2007 11:20 AM                     I also saw it at the Zig; froze my ass off waiting on line as all shows were running about 1 hour late. I remember staring at the Burlington display while talking to friends, waiting in the cold and wind. Everyone applauded like crazy at the end of the train track scene.  |  IP: Logged John Wilson Film God Posts: 5438 From: Sydney, Australia. Registered: Dec 1999 posted 11-16-2007 05:52 PM                     quote: (Since I seem to be the resident "listmaniac," maybe before the year is over, just for Mike Heenan, I'll do up a "Smokey And The Bandit" tribute and will list the venues that showed it in "Bandit Vision"! [Wink] ) Bring it on, good buddy.  |  IP: Logged Mike Heenan Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1896 From: Scottsdale, AZ, USA Registered: Mar 2000 posted 11-16-2007 06:09 PM                     I second that ya sumbitch.  |  IP: Logged David Stambaugh Film God Posts: 4021 From: Eugene, Oregon Registered: Jan 2002 posted 11-16-2007 06:57 PM                        I saw it opening weekend at the Edwards South Coast Plaza in 70mm (I believe that was originally a Mann location, pretty sure it was Edwards by this time though). Sold out show, lots of anticipation, very memorable for that opening scene that Frank mentions. I'm fine with the original theatrical cut. I never liked the versions showing Dreyfuss in the mothership as much as the original cut.  |  IP: Logged Bill Gabel Film God Posts: 3873 From: Technicolor / Postworks NY, USA Registered: Jan 2002 posted 11-16-2007 08:00 PM                     On one of the lists Michael wrote up, the South Coast Plaza was a Mann Theatre at the time of the original opening of Close Encounters. I saw Close Encounters opening week at Pacific's Cinerama Dome and later on the move-over to the SRO's Paramount Theatre in Hollywood. Both 70MM engagements were amazing. And over the years have seen it at the Cinerama Dome and Picwood Theatres in the Special Edition version in 70MM.  |  IP: Logged Mark Lensenmayer Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1605 From: Upper Arlington, OH Registered: Sep 1999 posted 11-17-2007 10:54 AM                     This is the film I most regret not seeing in 70mm. The first time I saw it was at the non-Dolby equipped Loews Westervile Twin. In fact, I've never seen the film in stereo in any theatre. The final part of that film, from the reveal of the mothership to the end, is one of the most amazing things I've ever seen in a theatre. My one critique is that much too long mashed potato scene. Those were the days when special effects were really special, since they were all in some way mechanical. Computer imagery takes a lot of the magic out of cinema.  |  IP: Logged Robert W. Jones Film Handler Posts: 74 From: San Antonio, TX Registered: Mar 2007 posted 11-17-2007 05:45 PM                     I didn't see a run in Phoenix, AZ on the list, but I did see it at the Metrocenter Cinema (3-plex?) when it was release. I prefer the director's cut with the added opening scenes (Mongolian ship).  |  IP: Logged Claude S. Ayakawa Film God Posts: 2738 From: Waipahu, Hawaii, USA Registered: Aug 2002 posted 11-18-2007 12:30 AM                        Michael, CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE 3rd KIND did play it;s opening engagement at the Waikiki #3 in Honolulu but in 35mm and not 70mm. Because of that, I was fortunate to see it in 70mm at the Coronet Theatre in San Francisco on my way home from another photographic conference. The film did play in 70mm in Honolulu when it was moved over to the Waikiki #2 about two weeks later. By the way, I just purchased the new three disc set of the movie featuring the original version, the special edition and the director's cut on DVD and what little I saw looked and sounded great! -Claude  |  IP: Logged Chris Slycord Film God Posts: 2986 From: 퍼항시, 경상푹도, South Korea Registered: Mar 2007 posted 11-18-2007 10:49 AM                     quote: Michael Coate Houston, TX: Town and Country Village All info I've found on the Town and Country Village says it didn't exist until the early 80s. I think they probably just put a typo and it's a "Town and Country Village" for some other city.  |  IP: Logged Michael Coate Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1904 From: Los Angeles, California Registered: Feb 2001 posted 11-18-2007 04:46 PM                     quote: Chris Slycord All info I've found on the Town and Country Village says it didn't exist until the early 80s. I think they probably just put a typo and it's a "Town and Country Village" for some other city. Chris, I did that "CE3K" research a few years ago, but after reading your post I pulled my original notes, trade articles, newspaper ad photocopies, etc. to double check. And, indeed, one of the movie's Houston bookings was at the TOWN & COUNTRY. It was a 3-screener at the time and operated by Loews. So...it's not a typo. Why do you believe the theater in question opened in the '80s? What's your source(s)?  |  IP: Logged Chris Slycord Film God Posts: 2986 From: 퍼항시, 경상푹도, South Korea Registered: Mar 2007 posted 11-18-2007 05:24 PM                     I'm guessing the mall must've been built after the theater then. edit: My reasoning was that all info I saw referred to the name Town & Country being used due to being nearby the Town & Country Mall which was built in the early 80s. And the Town & Country Village (strip mall) was built around the same time as the mall.  |  IP: Logged

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