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Don't feel too badly. Roger Ebert still claims the 1950's features were originally shown anaglyph!

Don't feel too badly. Roger Ebert still claims the 1950's features were originally shown anaglyph!

I didn't even know Polaroid 3D existed until I went to London in 1980 and found a pair of glasses from What the Swedish Butler Saw. (Sadly, I never saw the film, I wasn't old enough to get in.)

Never give up. I wasn't old enough to see THE STARLETS when it opened in New York.

Now I own it!

My wife and I went to the anaglyph DIAL M in '82. It was VERY yellow without the glasses and almost unwatchable with the glasses. Thankfully it's a great play and can be enjoyed with your eyes shut!

Sorry Ray, there was no anaglyph DIAL M in 1982.

Wonderful website.

A preservation of 3D as a production
technique instead leaving it in the
hands of a computer whiz in post-pro-
duction.

[Christopher Jacobs]

I saw DIAL M FOR MURDER in 2-strip Polaroid 3-D at a revival theatre in Minneapolis back in the late 70s or early 80s. It was obvious it was a dual-strip print because every so often one of the prints had been damaged and black leader spliced in to keep them in sync. It was like one eye suddenly going blind for a second or so, then later the other eye. The most impressive 3-D memory I have of it is the opening title with the Warner Bros. shield hovering over the row in front of you. Preceding the feature was a 2-strip 3-D print of the 3 Stooges in PARDON MY BACKFIRE, which had much more spectacular 3-D compositions, the most memorable of which was Moe (or one of them) squirting oil towards the camera.

Except for partial 3-D titles such as THE MASK midnight-show reissue and A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 6 (FREDDY'S DEAD), which used anaglyph, all the full-length theatrical 3-D movies our town ran in the 1980s were over-and-under Polaroid 3-D, aligned on screen with a prism, and with a dot by one of the pairs of frames so the projectionist could make sure the right and left were set to the proper Polaroid filter. Inevitably there'd be a break sometime during the run with one too many missing frames, and you might have to turn your glasses backwards after the splice to keep the correct 3-D. The only anamorphic side-by-side 3-D that I can recall playing locally was THE STEWARDESSES in 1971, the final film to play our old downtown Dakota Theatre, but I was too young to get into that one.

The only anaglyph 3-D movies I've ever seen were the 16mm versions of IT CAME FROM OUTER SPACE and THE CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON for college showings, the 8mm home movie editions, and a few sporadic TV showings tied into grocery store promotions. A few DVDs (like the 3 Stooges shorts) and even Blu-rays (like CORALINE) have also used moderately effective but still eye-straining anaglyph encoding, though I remember seeing a friend's proud 3-D VHS (or was it a DVD) alternate-field shutter-glasses edition of HOUSE OF WAX, which was quite fuzzy but had great 3-D.

Today's current 3-D HDTVs with shutter glasses often look quite impressive, but until there are at least a half-dozen or more of the major 1950s 3-D classics in the format, and maybe a couple from the 1980s 3-D revival, I'll avoid investing in a 3-D HD projector (even though they're already about the same price as my non-3D HD projector cost 4 or 5 years ago).

So what was the '82 print? It was shown at the Olympic Theater on 107th & Broadway. Certainly not a two-projector deal at that grind house. Maybe a year or two earlier. But definitely 3D and definitely YELLOW!

Thank you for that information, Christopher. It's always interesting to hear what played in different cities at that time. In the late 70's/early 80's, I was involved with 3-D shows at the Thalia and 8th Street Playhouse in New York City. This annoying anaglyph myth just won't go away!

Ray the 1982 re-issue was side by side anamorphic Stereovision, utilizing the same Polaroid lens system as the earlier HOUSE OF WAX re-issue in 1972. That single-strip version had quite a few bookings in the New York area at that time.

The prints were yellow because the dupe element for the re-issue was made by Technicolor from the very faded camera negative. There's an article in Variety describing the difficulties they had in creating the new element.

Thanks, Bob, for the clarification. When it comes to 3-D, I'm pretty much a deToth!

The prints were yellow because the dupe element for the re-issue was made by Technicolor from the very faded camera negative. There's an article in Variety describing the difficulties they had in creating the new element.

This would explain why the print I saw looked so lousy. Keep in mind, this was a number of years after that '82 reissue, so it could only have gone from bad to worse in that time.

I hadn't realized this but it's an interesting bit of trivia: HONDO was Warner Bros. first widescreen movie!

Warner Bros. had pretty shut down the studio in April of 1953 for a period of evaluation and testing with 3-D and widescreen. Jack Warner announced the studios all-widescreen policy on May 7, 1953. The All-Media camera rig was first shown to the trades on May 19 and HONDO began filming on location in Mexico on June 11.

Work finally commenced on the lot on July 14 after a three month hiatus. The first feature to begin production in Burbank was THE BOUNTY HUNTER in 3-D and 1.75:1.

Bob,
Can you give reader here a little background on EL CORAZON Y LA ESPADA aka THE SWORD OF GRANADA (1953)? Was it ever shown in 3D and how did you come to restore it?
Thanks,
Bill

So what was the '82 print? It was shown at the Olympic Theater on 107th & Broadway.

Sorry to nitpick, but that was the Olympia Theater. I used to go there a lot back when they had double-features for $1.00. Great place to catch-up on movies during the pre-home video days --despite the occasional rat running down the aisles!!

Bob,
Can you give reader here a little background on EL CORAZON Y LA ESPADA aka THE SWORD OF GRANADA (1953)? Was it ever shown in 3D and how did you come to restore it?
Thanks,
Bill

Hi Bill,

EL CORAZON Y LA ESPADA (THE HEART AND THE SWORD) is the first of three features produced in Mexico during the Golden Age of 3-D. Shot with a dual 35mm camera rig in June 1953, it was one of the few features from that era exhibited only in the inferior red/blue anaglyph system. It's release throughout the United States in early 1954 was limited to a select handful of Spanish language cinemas, such as the Million Dollar in Los Angeles, the Alameda in San Antonio and the Kiva in Las Vegas, NM. The film was well received and the LA Times stated, "The rousing tale has fine acting and there are beautiful sets of a Moorish castle."

We have restored the film from the original left/right 35mm negatives. It has never been seen in Polarized 3-D.

Best,
Bob

[Christopher Jacobs]

Bob,
Can you give reader here a little background on EL CORAZON Y LA ESPADA aka THE SWORD OF GRANADA (1953)? Was it ever shown in 3D and how did you come to restore it?
Thanks,
Bill

Hi Bill,

EL CORAZON Y LA ESPADA (THE HEART AND THE SWORD) is the first of three features produced in Mexico during the Golden Age of 3-D. Shot with a dual 35mm camera rig in June 1953, it was one of the few features from that era exhibited only in the inferior red/blue anaglyph system. It's release throughout the United States in early 1954 was limited to a select handful of Spanish language cinemas, such as the Million Dollar in Los Angeles, the Alameda in San Antonio and the Kiva in Las Vegas, NM. The film was well received and the LA Times stated, "The rousing tale has fine acting and there are beautiful sets of a Moorish castle."

We have restored the film from the original left/right 35mm negatives. It has never been seen in Polarized 3-D.

Best,
Bob

Sounds interesting. So will it now have subtitles that float in front of the screen, or inside the screen floating in the scene?

I'm having a hard time getting a distributor interested in this one, so I'm not sure the monies will even be there for sub-titling!

I'm having a hard time getting a distributor interested in this one, so I'm not sure the monies will even be there for sub-titling!

Bob, You may consider going the "Serial Squad-room" route and have people put money down on upcoming releases. I would love have any film with Katy Jurdo in it.
Bill

We're looking at different options for EL CORAZON. I definitely want to see it on 3-D Blu-ray and will do my best to make that happen.

60 years ago today on Wednesday, June 18 1952, filming commenced in the Malibu Hills on Arch Oboler’s THE LIONS OF GULU. It was the first feature film produced in Natural Vision Three-Dimension. Released as BWANA DEVIL on November 26 1952, its tremendous success jump started the short-lived 3-D revolution in Hollywood.

Here's a stereo image taken on location in the Malibu Hills. Pictured behind the Natural Vision camera is its designer Lothrop Worth. In front is Director of Photography Joe Biroc. Robert Stack and Barbara Britton look happy next to the Nash Rambler.



Bob Furmanek
http://www.3dfilmarchive.com/

Bob & Jack, your site is incredible. Thanks so much for all you've done to track down and preserve these precious films. Can't wait until you're able to release THE BUBBLE and all your other treasures on polarized 3D Blu-ray (except for the anaglyph-only titles of course). I'll buy every last damn one of 'em, as I'm starved for classic 3D films to watch on my 55" Samsung setup. All I've got are CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF MEATBALLS (um, well, it came with the TV) and HUGO (which is a fantastic film, especially in 3D). The only other 3D title currently available that interests me is CORALINE, and that's it.

My first 3D experience was watching THE MAD MAGICIAN in anaglyph on TV in the early '80s; I caught REVENGE OF THE CREATURE that way too, and the kung-fu flick DYNASTY as well. Then I had the immense pleasure of catching JAWS 3-D on its original run in 1983, and was floored. Polarized 3-D blew me away. After that, I wasn't able to catch another polarized 3-D flick until the Olympia Film Society screened the following classics in the early-to-mid '90s:

HOUSE OF WAX (they screened this one at two different festivals, and you bet I was there both times! AMAZING in 3-D)
DIAL M FOR MURDER
FLESH FOR FRANKENSTEIN (well, ok, this one ain't exactly a classic, but it's damned entertaining)
FRIDAY THE 13TH PART III (ok, neither is this one, but the 3-D is ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE, especially those opening credits)
COMIN' AT YA (yeah, this one's awful, but it had a few good 3-D moments)
AMITYVILLE 3-D (way way WAY more watchable than the first film, at least)

Reports of the WB hinting at HOUSE OF WAX and DIAL M FOR MURDER have me getting all hopeful; I've also heard rumours of Universal releasing JAWS 3-D. I'd also love to have AMITYVILLE 3-D, FRIDAY THE 13TH PART III, FLESH FOR FRANKENSTEIN, CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON, REVENGE OF THE CREATURE, THE MAD MAGICIAN (fat chance now, as it is scheduled to be released flat in a MOD DVD-R release), IT CAME FROM OUTER SPACE, ROBOT MONSTER (who has the rights to put this out?), and TREASURE OF THE FOUR CROWNS. And now to get back to sleep, so I can dream...

I attended one of Bob's screenings of ROBOT MONSTER in double-system 3D. The life-like bubbles alone made it an experience I will NEVER forget!!

Bob,

What a great photograph, had to pull out the old stereopticon to get a good look.

Pookybear

Thank you for the kind words, WaverBoy! I enjoyed reading your comments about the 3-D films that you have seen.

Our website has just been updated with an article on what really killed 3-D movies in the 1950's.

http://www.3dfilmarchive.com/what-killed-3D

I hope that you find it interesting!

Bob

Hello Bob,

On your What Killed 3D? page I noticed the 'Pennsylvania Railroad' glasses and mention of the
travelogue "THRILLS FOR YOU". Does any footage of that short remain?

Pookybear

Thank you for the kind words, WaverBoy! I enjoyed reading your comments about the 3-D films that you have seen.

Our website has just been updated with an article on what really killed 3-D movies in the 1950's.

http://www.3dfilmarchive.com/what-killed-3D" target="_blank

I hope that you find it interesting!

Bob

I just read the article. Fascinating stuff, thanks for the link!

Another one I wanna see is GORILLA AT LARGE. I believe that one also played on TV in anaglyph in the early '80s, but I didn't manage to catch that one.

Hello Bob,

On your What Killed 3D? page I noticed the 'Pennsylvania Railroad' glasses and mention of the
travelogue "THRILLS FOR YOU". Does any footage of that short remain?

Pookybear

Yes, we have restored it and it will be on a volume of "Treasures from the 3-D Film Archive."

We've just updated the Myths page with more details on the World Premiere in 3-D of DIAL M FOR MURDER.

http://www.3dfilmarchive.com/home/top-10-3-d-myths

In addition, the Anaglyph page has more information on the Dan Sonney shorts as well as a few frame-grabs. Get out your Eyescopes!

http://www.3dfilmarchive.com/home/top-1 ... lyph-films

Best,
Bob

And HOUSE OF WAX is in the works...

http://www.highdefdigest.com/news/show/Warner_Brothers/Disc_Announcements/Dial_M_for_Murder_-_3D_Announced_for_Blu-ray_3D/9686

Bob,
It would be great if you could showcase one 3D film per month and go into the production history and restoration that has taken place since the Golden Days of the 1950's. I still remember how thrilling it was to be part of the audience at the 3D Expo in Hollywood and hear a true stereophonic soundtrack for "It Came from Outer Space." Also, I never thought I would see the Nat King Cole short in 3D.
Thanks,
Bill

[Christopher Jacobs]

Bob,
It would be great if you could showcase one 3D film per month and go into the production history and restoration that has taken place since the Golden Days of the 1950's. I still remember how thrilling it was to be part of the audience at the 3D Expo in Hollywood and hear a true stereophonic soundtrack for "It Came from Outer Space." Also, I never thought I would see the Nat King Cole short in 3D.
Thanks,
Bill

The old DVD of IT CAME FROM OUTER SPACE actually includes the stereo soundtrack, but it would be wonderful to see it in 3-D while also hearing it in stereo. This would have been an ideal title for Universal to issue on 3-D Blu-ray for their 100th anniversary. And yes, the more details on the production of classic 3-D movies, the better, and the more likely to put a dent in all the mass misinformation about 3-D repeated by today's usually clueless media.

With the impending release of "Dial M for Murder" and "Creature from the Black Lagoon" (both in Blu ray 3D), I've decided to take the plunge into buying a home 3D viewing device. I say "device" since I vacillated between projector vs TV, active vs passive glasses for nearly two weeks. In the end I purchased a 55" TV using Polaroid passive glasses. This post is going to be rather long so to cut to the quick, I've believe a Polaroid passive 3D TV is the way to go for the present.
Continue reading if you dare, but you won't be able to take your eyes off the man with the paddle ball coming out of the screen (from "House of Wax")
A little history:
My first exposure to 3D was when I stopped in a camera store in the late 60's and asked the clerk "What kind of camera is that with two lenses?" He replied "Oh, it's a Stereo Realist camera which takes 3D slides." I was hooked and took several hundred slides over the next 20 years (I guess I'll never beat comedian Harold Lloyd's claim that he took over a 100,000 slides and photographed Marlyn Monroe to boot)
Cut to 2003
I attended the first Hollywood 3D expo and saw several classic 3D films projected in full color using Polaroid glasses. It was a great experience. Not only were the films great, but the mandatory change reels intermission allowed baby boomers to make a mad dash for the restroom (when was the last time you saw a male line outside a restroom door?)

Cut to 2009:
I attended a digital 3D showing of the remake of "Journey to the Center of the Earth." There were some glitches, but in the end I realized that the technology was outstanding and that even the 14 year old kid who functioned as the "projectionist" (for 22 screens) would have a hard time screwing up the presentation.

In 2010 TV manufactures began selling 3D TV's all using active glasses (i.e. shutters for each eye opening and closing to see each eye picture). The glasses are expensive (avg $50-100) and have to be recharged or batteries replaced. In 2011 a couple of manufacturers issued 3D TV using the same type of glasses you get in the theater (passive or Polaroid). In 2012 there were 5 companies selling Passive 3d TV's. All current home 3D projectors use active technology (one exception is a projector that uses passive, but sells for $12K )

My dilemma: I have a 6 year old front projector which shows a fair picture on my 96" wide screen. Ideally a logical choice would to be get an active 3D projector and that would be that. However, when I began trying out active vs passive glasses I discovered that I experienced more eye fatigue with the active glasses. The sales rep at the big box store told me, that it's hard to sit through a 2 hour movie with active glasses." He went on to state that active 3D TV's have a sharper picture, but Passive 3D TV's are easier on the eyes. I really wanted a projector but in the end I decided to go with the 55" Passive 3D TV instead and hope that in future projector manufactures will embrace Passive 3D (nothing substitutes for a big screen presentation). Just my 2 cents. Bill