King Kong (1976) question

[Aleksandrs Dubanevics]

Hi, can anyone tell me if King Kong (1976) was released in stereo on 35mm?

Many thanks!

[Robert Harrison]

Yes, it most definitely was released in 4 track magnetic. I viewed it as such at the Gateway Theatre in Chicago.

[Aleksandrs Dubanevics]

Yes, it most definitely was released in 4 track magnetic. I viewed it as such at the Gateway Theatre in Chicago.

Magnetic must have been 70mm though? Should 35mm supposed to be optical matrixed stereo?

[Jim Cassedy]

While there were a few 35mm DolbyStereo™ movies released in 1975 and '76, KING KONG
wasn't one one of them. At that time, there would have been almost no theaters wired to play
DolbyStereo anyway. I was working on Long Island (NY) in the 1970's, and out of the hundred
or so theaters in the metropolitan NY area at the time, I can recall only one on Long Island
that was equipped to play DolbyStereo- - which was installed especially for the 1976 release
of "A Star Is Born" The real push to get theaters re-wired for
DolbyStereo didn't really 'catch on' with audiences & theater owners until STAR WARS and
CLOSE ENCOUNTERS hit the screen in 1977.
Also, if you look online at copies of the original KING KONG posters, none of them have the
"DOLBY SYSTEM" emblem at the bottom, which was part of Dolby's contract back then.
(My comments refer to only to the 35mm release.)

- On a strictly personal note, the original King Kong was (and still is) one of my favorite movies.
To me, the idea of somebody attempting to re-make it, seemed almost sacrilegious. After seeing
the trailer, I realized that I wanted absolutely no part of the re-make. I arranged to take a 2-week
vacation when the movie was booked into the theater I was at, rather than have to run it.
- - and to this day, I still haven't seen it.

[Aleksandrs Dubanevics]

While there were a few 35mm DolbyStereo™ movies released in 1975 and '76, KING KONG
wasn't one one of them. At that time, there would have been almost no theaters wired to play
DolbyStereo anyway. I was working on Long Island (NY) in the 1970's, and out of the hundred
or so theaters in the metropolitan NY area at the time, I can recall only one on Long Island
that was equipped to play DolbyStereo- - which was installed especially for the 1976 release
of "A Star Is Born" The real push to get theaters re-wired for
DolbyStereo didn't really 'catch on' with audiences & theater owners until STAR WARS and
CLOSE ENCOUNTERS hit the screen in 1977.
Also, if you look online at copies of the original KING KONG posters, none of them have the
"DOLBY SYSTEM" emblem at the bottom, which was part of Dolby's contract back then.
(My comments refer to only to the 35mm release.)

I really appreciate your input, Jim! I would think so too. I did however make a small research and find this information by a person, who was working on the blu ray Collector's Edition:

"The general release prints were mono and a 4-track mag stereo mix was prepared for limited engagements in major cities. It was never included on any prior home video version until Paramount utilized it for the DVD release in 1999. It featured a 2.0 foldown and a 5.1 remix struck from that 2.0."

[Jim Cassedy]

Your reply makes sense. Although 35mm magnetic sound had largely fallen into dis-use by
the mid 1970's, there were sometimes a few magnetic sound 35mm prints made for shows
in major cities. I recall playing 35 magnetic sound copies of "Fiddler On The Roof" and
"Jesus Christ Superstar" in the 1970's. I was also once sent a 4track mag sound copy
of "Mary Poppins" but we had to play it in mono since the magnetic sound system in the
theater where I ran that show had one of magnetic pre-amps dead. We have working 35
and 70mm magnetic sound capability at the theater I work at now. I haven't played any
35mm magnetic stuff, but over the summer, we ran several 70mm mag sound titles just
before we started our Oppenheimer engagement.