Finians Rainbow: The North American Roadshow and
70mm Engagements |
Read more at in70mm.com The 70mm Newsletter |
| Compiled by: Michael Coate | Date: 06.05.2023 |
 The
following is a reference / historical listing of the roadshow and 70mm
presentations of Finians Rainbow in the United States and Canada. These
were the first and best cinemas in which to experience this motion picture.The presentations cited in the Part 1 section of this work were hard ticket roadshow engagements and were special, long-running, showcase presentations in major cities prior to the film being exhibited as a general release. Much like a stage production, these presentations featured advanced admission pricing, reserved seating, an overture/intermission/entracte/exit music, and an average of only ten scheduled screenings per week. Souvenir program booklet were sold, as well. The print types utilized during the films roadshow release were, depending on the booking, (1) 70-millimeter (2.20:1 blow-up from 35mm anamorphic) with discrete magnetic six-channel stereophonic sound, (2) 35-millimeter with discrete magnetic four-channel stereophonic sound and optical monaural sound, (3) 35-millimeter with optical monaural sound. The Warner Bros.-Seven Arts release was directed by Francis Ford Coppola (Apocalypse Now, One From the Heart) and starred Fred Astaire, Petula Clark and Tommy Steele. The world premiere was held October 9th, 1968 at the Pacific East Penthouse in New York City. Out of the hundreds of films released in North America during 1968, Finians Rainbow was among only fourteen given deluxe roadshow treatment and among only eleven released with 70mm prints (seven from 65mm origination and four blow-ups). PART 1: THE ROADSHOW ENGAGEMENTS (reserved seat policy / 70mm* presentation) * Note that some bookings were not explicitly or consistently promoted as 70mm, suggesting they may have been screened in 35mm. Confirmed 35mm roadshow presentations are noted. Premiere/opening date YYYY-MM-DD locale cinema (duration in weeks) [notes] 1968-10-09 New York, NY Penthouse (18) 1968-10-11 Chicago, IL Bismarck (17) 1968-10-16 Detroit (Southfield), MI Americana (13) 1968-10-16 Los Angeles, CA Pantages (16) 1968-10-16 Washington, DC Apex (15) 1968-10-22 Philadelphia, PA Stanley (16) 1968-10-23 Boston, MA Saxon (10) 1968-10-23 Toronto, ON Eglinton (14) 1968-10-25 San Francisco, CA St. Francis (16) 1968-10-29 New Orleans (Metairie), LA Lakeside (11) 1968-10-30 Atlanta, GA Martin Cinerama (11) 1968-10-30 Cincinnati, OH Kenwood (16) 1968-10-30 Cleveland, OH Colony (15) 1968-10-30 Dallas, TX Northpark II (16) 1968-10-30 Houston, TX Tower (14) 1968-10-30 Milwaukee, WI Towne (12) 1968-10-30 Omaha, NE Cooper 70 (7) 1968-10-30 Salt Lake City, UT Utah (13) 1968-11-06 Baltimore, MD Town (10) 1968-11-06 Denver, CO Denham (17) 1968-11-06 Honolulu, HI Kuhio (14) 1968-11-06 Indianapolis, IN Circle (15) 1968-11-06 Kansas City, MO Capri (12) 1968-11-06 Miami (Miami Beach), FL Sheridan (14) 1968-11-06 San Diego, CA Cinerama (15) 1968-11-06 Seattle, WA Music Box (13) 1968-11-08 Minneapolis, MN Uptown (10) 1968-11-13 Oklahoma City, OK Criterion (5) 1968-11-13 Toledo, OH Showcase 2 (12) 1968-12-18 Albany, NY Madison (8) 1968-12-18 Albuquerque, NM Sunshine (7) 1968-12-18 Columbus, OH Cinestage (14) 1968-12-18 Dayton, OH McCook (9) 1968-12-18 New Haven, CT Whalley (1+) 1968-12-18 Norfolk, VA Rosna (11) 1968-12-18 Tulsa, OK Brook (7) 1968-12-19 Akron, OH Colonial (9) 1968-12-19 Rochester (Irondequoit), NY Stutson (8) [35mm] 1968-12-25 Birmingham, AL Ritz (5) 1968-12-25 Buffalo (Kenmore), NY Colvin (7) [35mm] 1968-12-25 Des Moines, IA Capri (8) 1968-12-25 Edmonton, AB Garneau (6) [35mm] 1968-12-25 Fort Worth, TX 7th Street (5) [35mm] 1968-12-25 London, ON Park (6) 1968-12-25 Memphis, TN Memphian (10) [35mm] 1968-12-25 Montreal, QC Westmount (5) 1968-12-25 Nashville, TN Green Hills (5) [35mm] 1968-12-25 Ottawa, ON Towne (6) [35mm] 1968-12-25 Phoenix, AZ Cine Capri (8) 1968-12-25 Pittsburgh, PA Nixon (7) 1968-12-25 Portland (Beaverton), OR Westgate 1 (16) 1968-12-25 San Antonio, TX North Star Mall II (9) 1968-12-25 Syracuse, NY Eckel (7) 1968-12-25 Wichita, KS Sunset (5) 1968-12-25 Winnipeg, MB Gaiety (5) [35mm] 1969-01-21 Sacramento, CA Century 22 (10) 1969-01-21 San Jose, CA Century 23 (17) 1969-01-22 Hartford, CT Strand (7) 1968-01-22 Lawrence, MA Showcase 1 (5) 1969-01-22 Louisville, KY Showcase 3 (5) 1969-01-22 Tucson, AZ El Dorado (7) 1969-01-22 Youngstown, OH Paramount (6) 1969-01-23 Charlotte, NC Park Terrace (6) 1969-01-29 Moline (Milan), IL Showcase 2 (4) 1969-02-05 Long Island (Lynbrook), NY Lynbrook (14) 1969-02-05 Newark (Wayne), NJ RKO Twin 1 (12) 1969-02-05 Newark (Wayne), NJ RKO Twin 2 (12) 1969-03-12 Springfield (West Springfield), MA Showcase 2 (5) 1969-06-11 St. Petersburg, FL Center (3) PART 2: SUBSEQUENT 70MM ENGAGEMENTS AND SCREENINGS (second run / revival / unreserved seating) 1969-06-25 Bensalem, PA Premiere (3) 1969-06-25 Fairless Hills, PA Eric (2) 1969-06-25 Philadelphia, PA Orleans (3) 1972-02-25 Des Moines, IA River Hills (1) 1975-09-24 Bloomington, MN Southtown (1) [70mm Musical Festival] 1976-05-05 Cincinnati, OH Kenwood (1) 1976-11-10 Carmel, IN Woodland Twin A (1) 1978-04-19 New York, NY Cinerama 2 (1) [Broadway Comes to Broadway series] 1978-12-26 Toronto, ON Science Centre (4 days) 1980-08-15 Toronto, ON Science Centre [70mm Classics series] 1982-03-17 Cleveland, OH Colony 1983-09-09 Portland, OR Hollywood [70mm series] 1989-03-03 Redford, MI Redford (2 days) 1990-05-13 Los Angeles, CA Fairfax Triplex [70mm Classics Film Festival] The reserved-seat policy, in some instances, was relaxed during the latter weeks of the run. Any non-roadshow portion of such an engagement has been included in the duration figure. This information has been principally referenced from film industry trade publications and regional newspaper promotion, with thanks to Sheldon Hall, Bill Kallay and Bill Kretzel. The films international roadshow/70mm engagements of this title have not been accounted for in this work. If you believe this article contains any errors or omissions, please consider emailing the author or editor. |
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