Oliver!: 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 70-millimeter presentations of Oliver! 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, depending on the booking, were (1) 70mm (2.20:1 blow-up from 35mm anamorphic) with discrete magnetic six-channel stereophonic sound, (2) 35mm with discrete magnetic four-channel stereophonic sound and optical monaural sound, (3) 35mm with optical monaural sound. The Columbia release was directed by Carol Reed (The Agony and the Ecstasy) and starred Ron Moody, Oliver Reed, Harry Secombe, Shani Wallis, Mark Lester and Jack Wild. The North American premiere was held December 11, 1968, at Loews State in New York. (The films Royal World Premiere was held September 26, 1968, at Odeon Leicester Square in London.) Out of the hundreds of films released in North America during 1968, Oliver! 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 / promoted 70mm presentations noted) Opening date YYYY-MM-DD locale cinema (duration in weeks) [notes] 1968-12-11 New York, NY State 1 (47) [70mm] 1968-12-12 Boston, MA Cheri 3 (34) 1968-12-18 Philadelphia, PA Midtown (42) [70mm] 1968-12-18 Washington, DC MacArthur (43) 1968-12-19 Chicago (Oak Brook), IL Cinema 150 (45) [70mm] 1968-12-19 Miami (Bay Harbor Islands), FL Bay Harbor (26) 1968-12-19 Milwaukee, WI Wisconsin 1 (27) 1968-12-19 San Francisco, CA Alexandria (43) [70mm] 1968-12-20 Los Angeles (Beverly Hills), CA Beverly (52) [70mm] 1968-12-25 Cleveland (Shaker Heights), OH Vogue (34) 1968-12-25 Pittsburgh, PA Kings Court (40) 1969-01-23 Toronto, ON Carlton (18) 1969-01-29 Montreal, QC Cote-des-Neiges I (39) 1969-01-29 Portland, OR Eastgate 1 (38) 1969-01-29 Seattle, WA Magnolia (47) 1969-01-29 Vancouver, BC Hyland (52) 1969-02-05 Albany (Latham), NY Circle (39) 1969-02-05 Atlanta, GA Tara (32) [70mm] 1969-02-05 Denver, CO Century 21 (46) 1969-02-05 Kansas City (Overland Park, KS), MO Glenwood II (45) 1969-02-05 Syracuse (Mattydale), NY Cinema North (20) 1969-02-05 Phoenix (Scottsdale), AZ Camelback Mall (23) 1969-02-12 Norfolk (Virginia Beach), VA Princess (1+) 1969-02-12 Rochester (Penfield), NY Panorama (35) [70mm] 1969-02-12 Youngstown, OH Wedgewood (21) 1969-02-19 Dallas, TX Northpark II (34) 1969-02-19 Des Moines, IA Capri (24) 1969-02-19 Salt Lake City, UT Uptown (31) 1969-02-26 Richmond, VA Willow Lawn (31) 1969-03-05 Dayton (Kettering), OH Fox Kettering (26+) 1969-03-05 Detroit (Birmingham), MI Bloomfield (42) 1969-03-05 Detroit (Grosse Pointe Park), MI Esquire (29) 1969-03-06 Memphis, TN Crosstown (30) 1969-03-12 Akron, OH Colonial (17) 1969-03-12 New Orleans, LA Panorama 1 (40) 1969-03-13 Ottawa, ON St. Laurent 1 (12) 1969-03-20 Omaha, NE Fox (27) 1969-03-26 Baltimore, MD Mayfair (26) 1969-03-26 Buffalo, NY Penthouse (30) 1969-03-26 Calgary, AB Westbrook 1 (3) 1969-03-26 Columbus, OH Great Western (21) 1969-03-26 Hartford (Newington), CT Newington (29) 1969-03-26 Houston, TX Windsor (33) 1969-03-26 Minneapolis (St. Louis Park), MN Park (32) 1969-03-26 New Haven, CT Whalley (1+) 1969-03-26 Oklahoma City, OK Continental (29) 1969-03-26 Providence, RI Cinerama (26+) 1969-03-26 Sacramento, CA Tower (15) 1969-03-26 San Diego, CA Valley Circle (26) 1969-03-26 Trumbull, CT Trumbull (26) 1969-03-27 Grand Rapids, MI Majestic (19) 1969-03-27 Winnipeg, MB Garrick (14) 1969-04-02 Moline (Milan), IL Showcase 1 (16) 1969-04-15 Calgary, AB Westbrook 2 m/o (9 [12]) 1969-05-27 Spokane, WA Garland (18) 1969-05-28 Edmonton, AB Varscona (34) 1969-05-28 Evansville, IN Washington (12) 1969-05-28 Fresno, CA Towne (11) 1969-05-28 Halifax, NS Hyland (1+) 1969-05-28 Honolulu, HI Kapahulu (16) 1969-05-28 Toledo, OH Showcase 3 (16) 1969-05-29 Atlantic City, NJ Shore (22) 1969-05-29 Sioux Falls, SD Hollywood (5) 1969-06-05 Ottawa, ON St. Laurent 2 m/o (35 [47]) 1969-06-06 Charlotte, NC Plaza (12) 1969-06-11 Louisville, KY Showcase 2 (14) 1969-06-12 Shreveport, LA Strand (8) 1969-06-17 Orange, CA Cinedome 20 (27) 1969-06-17 Pleasant Hill, CA Century 21 (18) 1969-06-17 San Jose, CA Century 23 (34) 1969-06-18 Erie, PA Strand (8) 1969-06-18 Eugene, OR Oakway (6) 1969-06-18 Indianapolis, IN Eastwood (21) 1969-06-18 Long Island (Lynbrook), NY Lynbrook (26) [70mm] 1969-06-18 Nashville, TN Green Hills (13) 1969-06-18 St. Petersburg, FL Gateway Mall (26) 1969-06-18 Sioux City, IA Morningside (11) 1969-06-18 South Bend, IN Avon Art (13) 1969-06-18 Tacoma, WA Tacoma Mall (8) 1969-06-18 Utica (New Hartford), NY Paris (14) 1969-06-19 Bismarck, ND Cinema (5) 1969-06-19 Roanoke, VA Grandin (6) 1969-06-19 St. Louis (Creve Coeur), MO Creve Coeur (27) [70mm] 1969-06-20 Asbury Park, NJ Lyric (16) 1969-06-20 Calgary, AB Plaza m/o (8 [20]) 1969-06-20 Charleston (South Charleston), WV Cinema South (8) 1969-06-20 Fort Lauderdale, FL Gateway (17) 1969-06-20 Knoxville, TN Capri-70 (8) 1969-06-20 Lubbock, TX Village (8) 1969-06-20 Orlando (Winter Park), FL Park East (18) 1969-06-20 Trenton, NJ Brunswick (13) 1969-06-25 Allentown, PA Eric (8) 1969-06-25 Austin, TX Americana (8) 1969-06-25 Binghamton, NY Capri (13) 1969-06-25 Champaign (Urbana), IL Thunderbird (1+) 1969-06-25 Lawrence, MA Showcase 2 (13) 1969-06-25 Leominster, MA Searstown 1 (6) 1969-06-25 Manchester, NH King (11) 1969-06-25 Monterey, CA Cinema 70 (15) 1969-06-25 Newark (Totowa), NJ Cinema 46 (25) 1969-06-25 Newport News (Hampton), VA Wythe (6) 1969-06-25 Portland, ME Fine Arts (13) 1969-06-25 Reading, PA Fox (14) 1969-06-25 Regina, SK Roxy (5) 1969-06-25 Scranton, PA West Side (12) 1969-06-25 Syracuse, NY Riviera m/o (6 [26]) 1969-06-25 Wichita, KS Uptown (12) 1969-06-25 Wilmington (Newark), DE Cinema Center (12) 1969-06-25 Worcester, MA Lincoln Plaza (1+) 1969-06-26 Raleigh, NC Colony (12) 1969-06-27 Greensboro, NC Center (12) 1969-06-27 Harrisburg (Camp Hill), PA Hill (14) 1969-06-27 Miami (Kendall), FL Dadeland Twin 1 (19) 1969-06-27 Peoria, IL Beverly (1+) 1969-06-27 Victoria, BC Fox (18) 1969-06-27 Windsor, ON Park (14) 1969-07-02 Boise, ID Hillcrest Plaza Twin 2 (9) 1969-07-02 Montgomery, AL Charles (12) 1969-07-02 Springfield (West Springfield), MA Showcase 3 (12) 1969-07-03 Sioux Falls, SD Cinema m/o (3 [8]) 1969-07-04 Tulsa, OK Will Rogers (13) 1969-07-09 Burlington, VT Strong (12) 1969-07-09 Fargo, ND Cinema 70 (1+) 1969-07-09 Santa Barbara (Goleta), CA Fairview (13) 1969-07-10 Chicago, IL Bismarck (21) 1969-07-16 Billings, MT Babcock (8) 1969-07-16 Colorado Springs, CO Cinema 70 (8) 1969-07-16 Flint, MI Flint (8) 1969-07-16 Fort Worth, TX Ridglea (8) 1969-07-16 Lexington, KY Cinema (10) 1969-07-16 Phoenix (Tempe), AZ Hayden East m/o (12 [35]) 1969-07-18 Greenville, SC Astro I (6) 1969-07-17 Huntsville, AL Westbury (11) 1969-07-18 Jackson, MS Capri (8) 1969-07-18 Pittsfield, MA Paris (8) 1969-07-18 Tucson, AZ Showcase (11) 1969-07-23 Cleveland (North Olmsted), OH Great Northern (14) 1969-07-25 Columbia, SC Richland Mall (8) 1969-07-30 Canton, OH Ohio (9) 1969-07-30 Jacksonville, FL St. Johns (1+) 1969-07-30 Las Vegas, NV Bonanza (15) 1969-07-30 Madison, WI Hilldale (12) 1969-07-30 Ogden, UT Orpheum (6) 1969-07-30 Tallahassee, FL State (5) 1969-07-31 London, ON Hyland (1+) 1969-08-01 Augusta, GA National Hills (7) 1969-08-01 Birmingham, AL Ritz (8) 1969-08-06 Albuquerque, NM Fox Winrock (6) 1969-08-06 Little Rock, AR Cinema 150 (7) 1969-08-13 Cedar Rapids, IA Times (12) 1969-08-13 Cincinnati, OH Carousel (12) 1969-08-13 San Antonio, TX North Star Mall II (14) 1969-08-15 Winston-Salem, NC Winston (4) 1969-08-20 Reno, NV Century 21 (8) 1969-09-24 Salt Lake City, UT South East m/o (12 [43]) 1969-10-08 Phoenix, AZ Hayden West m/o (6 [41]) 1969-10-23 Dubuque, IA Kennedy Road 2 (6) 1969-10-29 Montreal, QC Cote-des-Neiges II m/o (24 [63])  PART 2: SUBSEQUENT 70MM ENGAGEMENTS AND SCREENINGS(second run / revival / unreserved seating) 1970-12-09 Fort Worth, TX Opera House (1) 1974-10-30 Beverly Hills, CA Fox Wilshire (5) [w/ Camelot] 1974-12-18 Anaheim, CA Brookhurst (1) [w/ Camelot] 1979-07-23 Atlanta, GA Fox [2nd Annual Summer Film Festival] 1981-08-07 Redford, MI Redford (2 days) 1982-08-16 Atlanta, GA Fox [5th Annual Summer Film Festival] 1986-12-27 Redford, MI Redford The reserved-seat policy, in some instances, was relaxed during the latter weeks of the run. Any non-reserved-seat portion of the run 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 Jerry Alexander, Jim Barg, Don Beelik, Deb Bier (Peoria Public Library), Diane Buckley (Virginia Beach Public Library), Genevieve (Moorhead Public Library), Sheldon Hall, Jordan and Renιe (London Public Library), Julia (Halifax Public Library), Bill Kallay, Bill Kretzel, Mark Lensenmayer, Kenneth Mitchell, Robert Morrow, Nicole (Champaign County Historical Archives), Jim Perry, reference staff (Worcester Public Library), Sonya (Toronto Metropolitan University), Joel Weide, Vince Young. 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. | More in 70mm reading: 70mm Cinemas in North America in70mm.com's list of films blown up to 70mm 70mm Engagements by Title 35mm to 70mm Engagements by Year Large Format 7OMM Engagements Month by month premiere list of wide gauge and 3-strip films Chronological premiere list of major 70mm films 70mm Blow Up List Dolby Stereo |
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