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At 50+ the Cinerama Dome is still an arresting sight at Sunset and Vine. Note the newer 14 screen ArcLight complex showing at the rear. Thanks to Don Solosan for this 2009 dusk view taken for the Los Angeles Historic Theatre Foundation.
Phone: 323-464-1478 Website: www.arclightcinemas.com | a page about the Dome |
Opened: The Dome opened November 7, 1963 with a 70mm run of "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World." There was a press preview on November 2. The film ran 67 weeks. The theatre was designed with a big wrap-around booth for three-projector Cinerama presentations. However, by the time "Mad World" went into production, Cinerama had converted to an anamorphic version of the 70mm TODD-AO format.
Searchlights are in the sky over Hollywood for the opening of the Dome. It's a Hollywood Citizen - News photo by Peter Banks. Noirish Los Angeles contributor Ethereal Reality spotted it on eBay and has all the data on his Noirish post #7127. It's also been seen on the Facebook pages Vintage Los Angeles and Photos of Los Angeles. A four minute clip of the stars arriving at the new theatre is on YouTube.
Seating: 937 originally, 856 at present.
Architect: Welton Becket and Associates. The Cinerama Dome was the first concrete geodesic dome constructed. It was built in 16 weeks! It's composed of 316 pre-cast concrete panels, most of which are hexagonal, each weighing approximately 3,200 lbs. Saul Pick was the developer for the project. The building was declared a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument on December 18, 1998.
A 1960 Herald Examiner photo of Becket with images and drawings of another of his many projects, the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium. He was also responsible for the Capitol Records Building and the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. The photo is in the Los Angeles Public Library collection.
A model of the Dome and a hotel to the west (which didn't get built). Thanks to Alison Martino for the photo on the Vintage Los Angeles Facebook page. The model was stashed away in Becket's office for decades and went on display at the theatre for the 50th anniversary celebration.
A Los Angeles Public Library photo by Howard D. Kelly looking east on August 5, 1963. It's one of many aerial construction views in their collection. The 18 story highrise beyond the theatre is the 1963 Sunset Vine Tower, the first such building to be constructed after the city repealed the 13 story height limit. It was designed by Douglas Honnold of the firm Honnold & Rex.
Another construction view looking north across the site of the Dome. That's Sunset Blvd. running left to right in front of the theatre. The RCA Building is rising across Sunset just to the left of the theatre. It's a Howard D. Kelly photo in the Los Angeles Public Library collection. More 1963 aerial views: a similar shot in b&w | looking northeast - b&w | looking northwest - b&w | looking east - color | looking northeast - color |
An article from the Boxoffice magazine issue of September 9, 1963. The sign says "'It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World' opens in 12 weeks." Total construction schedule was 16 weeks. Thanks to Roland Lataille for the find -- it's on his Cinerama Dome page.
Thanks to Michael Coate's site From Script To DVD for this construction shot from the Pacific Theatres collection. It's on the Cinerama Dome page where you'll find many more great photos. Also see the site's This Is Cinerama in L.A. page for a history of Cinerama engagements.
Another 1963 progress shot from the Pacific Theatres collection appearing on the From Script To DVD Cinerama Dome page.
A construction photo of the work nearing the top. Thanks to Esther Fitzpatrick for the post on the Facebook page Vintage Los Angeles.
Photos of the opening that appeared in the November 18, 1963 issue of Boxoffice. Thanks to Roland Lataille for reproducing the item on the Cinerama Dome page of his fine site InCinerama.com.
A 1963 lobby photo from the collection of longtime Pacific Theatres projection supervisor John Sittig. It appears on the From Script To DVD Cinerama Dome page.
The auditorium in 1963. It's a photo from John Sittig appearing on the From Script To DVD Cinerama Dome page.
An early view of the Cinerama Dome interior from an R.L. Grosh ad in the Boxoffice issue of January 6, 1964.
Status: Now wrapped around by the ArcLight Cinemas complex. The Dome was nicely refurbished in 2002 and is a great place to see a film. It's now using digital projection for regular runs but still retains film equipment for special showings.
The doors are open - let's go in! Photo: Google Maps - 2012 | interactive version
The snackbar and the view toward the house right side of the lobby. Photo: Google Maps - 2012 | interactive version
Looking toward the center of the lobby from the house left ramp to the auditorium. The stairs go to the upper crossaisle. Photo: Google Maps - 2012 | interactive version
The lobby from the house right ramp. Photo: Google Maps - 2012 | interactive version
The house right ramp from the lobby up into the auditorium. Photo: Don Solosan - LAHTF - 2009. The Los Angeles Historic Theatre Foundation is active in preserving the historic theatres of the Los Angeles area and regularly sponsors events and tours. www.lahtf.org | LAHTF on Facebook
A 1988 Chris Gulker shot taken during a screening of the 70mm revival of "This is Cinerama." It's in the Los Angeles Public Library collection.
Hiroshi Sugimoto's Theater Series resulted from a question he asked: "Suppose you shoot a whole movie in a single frame? And the answer: You get a shining screen. Immediately I sprang into action, experimenting toward realizing this vision." We don't know what film he saw at the Dome in 2003 but this was the result. A number of Mr. Sugimoto's photos of theatre auditoria appear on a Portfolio: Movie Theatres page from C4 Contemporary Art. Also see the Hiroshi Sugimoto page on Artsy.
A 2005 shot of the theatre still with its original color draperies -- before the change to dark blue. It's one taken by Lori/Stutefish on Flickr.
A look toward the front curtain. Photo: Don Solosan - LAHTF - 2009
The view from the rear of the house. Photo: Google Maps - 2012 | interactive version
A back of the house photo once on the website of Vista Entertainment Solutions, the company that one time provided the software for ArcLight. Looks like they changed vendors.
"How The West Was Won" on the Dome's screen in a three-strip Cinerama presentation. The photo comes from a post about the 2012 TCM Classic Film Festival on the Daws Bros. Studios blog
"How The West Was Won" on the Dome's screen in a three-strip Cinerama presentation. The photo comes from a post about the 2012 TCM Classic Film Festival on the Daws Bros. Studios blog
A panoramic shot taken from the house right side of the wrap-around projection booth by Edward M. Pio Roda graces Stuart Elliot's 2013 article "TCM Moves to Lure Film Buffs Out of Their Living Rooms." The article discusses TCM's efforts to extend the brand with film festivals, memorabilia and guided tours. On the Dome's screen is the 70mm presentation of "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World," as part of the 2013 TCM Festival in Hollywood. In this image the screen doesn't look very big but it's actually 32' x 86'.
Looking back at the booth setup. Photo: Google Maps - 2012 | interactive version
The center and house left booth ports. Photo: Google Maps - 2012 | interactive version
The Cinerama Dome in the Movies:
We get an aerial view of the Dome in "Earthquake" (Universal, 1974). The screenshot comes from Clifford Scott Carson on Vintage Los Angeles. The film ran at the Chinese, where Ted Mann put a net under the ceiling, allegedly to catch debris falling during the earthquake scenes.
We look down on the Cinerama Dome in a flyover of Hollywood in Julien Temple's "Earth Girls Are Easy" (Vestron Pictures, 1989). We don't stop as we're headed over the hills to the Valley. In "Earth Girls" we later get a shot of the Studio City Theatre. See the Theatres In Movies post for that one.
David Frost (Michael Sheen) and his girlfriend Caroline (Rebecca Hall) go to the Dome in "Frost/Nixon" (Universal, 2009) for the premiere of "The Slipper and the Rose," a 1976 film on which he served as a producer. Thanks to Jonathan Raines for spotting this one. Several more shots from the scene at the Dome are on the Theatres In Movies post.
We get to see the Dome in the David Strohmaier Cinerama film "In The Picture" (2012). Leonard Maltin did a blog post about the film and the rest of the "Cinerama at 60" festival. The photo here from his post is of the Dome, as it appeared in three-strip at the Dome itself.
The Dome appears prominently in David Chase's "Not Fade Away" (Paramount Vantage, 2012) as we look west on Sunset in the 60s for a lengthy shot that concludes the film. See the Theatres In Movies post for several more shots from the scene.
In "Keanu" (Warner/Fine Line, 2016) We get a look at the Dome after our two stars, Jordan Peele and Keegan-Michael Key, come out of a Liam Neeson movie. On the end panel: "Substitute Teacher." In this film about a lost cat we also see the Palace, Los Angeles and Vine theatres. See the Theatres In Movies post for more shots from the film.
The Dome, dressed as if it were running "Krakatoa, East of Java," is seen in Quentin Tarantino's "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood" (Sony, 2019). It stars Leo DiCaprio and his friend Brad Pitt as an actor and stuntman trying to break into the business in 1969. The Manson murder case also figures into the plot as the guys live next door to Sharon Tate, played by Margot Robbie. See the Theatres in Movies post for several more shots of the Dome dressed for use in the film.
A few more exterior views:
The premiere of "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World." It's a Herald Examiner photo in the Los Angeles Public Library collection. The theatre was built with 3 strip projection in mind but opened with 70mm.
A look at the Dome during its grand opening in 1963 from Marc Wanamaker's Hollywood Historic Photos collection. Also check out more theatre photos on the site.
Thanks to Richard Wojcik on the Facebook page Vintage Los Angeles for this great postcard of the opening of the Dome with "It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World." Roloff de Jeu on Flickr has a version with "Glamourous Hollywood Premiere" across the top in his great "Cinema Postcards from the Americas" collection. The version Roloff has is also on Card Cow.
The Dome in 1963 with its opening attraction on the marquee. Thanks to Alison Martino for the photo on her Facebook page Vintage Los Angeles where it generated lots of comments.
A postcard from the site Card Cow with "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World," the theatre's initial attraction, on the marquee.
A "Mad World" card from Alison Martino's collection that put in an appearance on the Mid Century Modern Los Angeles Facebook page. A version of the same card appears on the Card Cow site.
A sparkling 1963 view looking east with "Mad World" on the marquee taken by George Mann. Thanks to Alison Martino for posting the photo on Vintage Los Angeles.
A postcard view west on Sunset -- another using a photo taken during the "Mad World" run. It's from the Richard Wojcik collection on Vintage Los Angeles.
"Rent a new Car $2.50." This nice "Mad World" windshield shot from JMB Productions Archives appears on the blog The Gravenstein. Thanks to Eitan Alexander for spotting it.
The theatre running "Greatest Story Ever Told." It opened February 18, 1965 for a 43 week run. It's a Los Angeles Public Library photo. Richard Wojcik has a closer shot of the theatre taken during this engagement on Vintage Los Angeles.
A 1966 view with the Dome running "Battle of the Bulge" in "Super Cinerama." The film opened December 17, 1965 for a 27 week run. Thanks to Richard Wojcik for the post of the photo from his collection on the Facebook page Vintage Los Angeles.
A 1966 postcard look east on Sunset Blvd. with a photo taken during the run of "Grand Prix." It's from the Richard Wojcik collection that appeared on the page for the non-public Facebook group Mid Century Modern Los Angeles.
The Cinerama Dome in 1968 during the run of "Camelot." Thanks to Ken McIntyre for the post on the Photos of Los Angeles Facebook page.
Getting decorated for the run of "Mame" in 1974. It's a photo from Ken McIntyre on Photos of Los Angeles.
More prep for the "Mame" premiere. Thanks to Ken McIntyre on Photos of Los Angeles for the shot. It's also been on Vintage Los Angeles.
A shot of the "Mame" getup taken at the premiere for the film on March 26, 1974. Thanks to Kevin Miller on the non-public Facebook group Mid Century Modern Los Angeles for the photo. He notes: "Since it was Easter the film's costume designer, Theodora Van Runkle, designed a gigantic Easter bonnet measuring 550 ft. in circumference to sit a top the dome! Hundreds of guests arrived in vintage cars, wearing 1920s period costumes and Daily Variety columnist Army Archard announced the arrival of each star! Merv Griffin taped his nightly tv talk show from the premiere that night. It was one of Hollywood's biggest & grandest premieres in recent memory."
The opening of "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" in 1977. Thanks to Bill Gabel for the photo, a post on Photos of Los Angeles.
Thanks to John Ford for this summer 1978 "Revenge of the Pink Panther" shot he posted on Vintage Los Angeles. Also see a very pinkish "Panther" view from the west on the same Facebook page from Jake Schmo.
"The Blue Lagoon" in 1980. It's a Roy Hankey photo in Los Angeles Public Library collection.
A look across Sunset Blvd. during the 1981 run of "Zoot Suit." Thanks to Alison Martino for the photo, once on the Mid Century Modern Los Angeles Facebook page. Much of "Zoot Suit" was filmed nearby in the Earl Carroll Theatre. See the Theatres in Movies post on the film for a few shots in the theatre from the film.
A luscious view of Hollywood and, of course, the Dome. Early 80s? It's one of many classic Los Angeles photos from the estate of Barbara Harlen in the Kingsley Collection. The photo has also appeared on the Facebook page Photos of Los Angeles.
A 1988 view in the Los Angeles Public Library collection taken by Chris Gulker during the run of "Who Framed Roger Rabbit."
More exterior views in the Los Angeles Public Library collection: "Mad, Mad World" - another premier night view | "Grand Prix" - 1966 - looking down at the entrance | "1941" signage view - Anne Knudsen - 1979 | looking toward downtown - 1987 - Paul Chinn | dome texture - 1988 - Chris Gulker | parking lot and Dome - undated - Gary Leonard | aerial redevelopment view - 2002 - Gary Leonard |
A 2002 shot from Film-Tech.com with "This Is Cinerama" on the marquee. It was the first three-strip presentation at the theatre. It's on the site's Cinerama Dome page which you can find by going to pictures and scrolling down to the Cinerama Dome listing under "singles, twins, trios, quads."
A 2004 view of the Dome added by Ken McIntyre to the Photos of Los Angeles Facebook page that was taken during during the run of "Shrek 2."
"Spiderman 2" in July 2004. Thanks to Richard Wojcik for the photo on Vintage Los Angeles.
A 2007 look at the theatre. Photo: Bill Counter
The view west on Sunset. Photo: Don Solosan - LAHTF - 2009
The boxoffice windows east of the entrance doors. One now buys tickets inside at the ArcLight boxoffice. Photo: Don Solosan - LAHTF - 2009
The signage at night. Photo: Don Solosan - LAHTF - 2009
The Dome from across the street. Photo: Don Solosan - LAHTF - 2009. Thanks for all your great photos, Don!
A 2013 look up at the signage by Alison Martino on her Facebook page Vintage los Angeles. Thanks, Alison!
The rear of the Cinerama Dome. We're looking north toward Sunset Blvd. At the right is the entrance to the ArcLight lobby. At the left is the portion of the new development containing restaurants and retail. Photo: Bill Counter - 2013
The Dome got all dressed in yellow for "The Minions" in June 2015. Thanks to Lydia Zerne for her photo, which she once added as a comment to a Facebook post. There are more "Minions" views to be seen on Photos of Los Angeles.
The Dome from above, one of many treats on Ian Wood's 6 minute 2015 video "Los Angeles." It includes flyovers of Capitol Records, the Griffith Observatory, City Hall, the canals of Venice, Lake Hollywood and more. Don't miss it!
Thanks to David Silver for this great January 2017 view west across the Dome from 18 floors up. He posted it on the Facebook page Photos of Los Angeles.
70mm "Cinerama" at the Dome: The first film at the Dome was also the first film branded as Cinerama but not in their original 3 projector process. "Mad World" was photographed in Ultra Panavision, a 70mm process which took the 2.21 aspect ratio of TODD-AO and added a squeeze during filming and a 1.25 expansion anamorphic lens during projection to end up with a 2.76 to 1 aspect ratio image.
An ad for the theatre's initial film thanks to Michael Coate on In70mm.com, the website devoted to all things 70mm. It's from "It's a Long Long Long Long List," his 2010 article about roadshow engagements for the film.
For projection on Cinerama screens a "rectified" print was produced with no squeeze in the middle and more and more compression closer to the sides of the image to yield a normal looking image on the deeply curved screen. The resultant aspect ratio was evidently less than the full 2.76 to 1. Perhaps 2.55 measured around the curve while, from the back of the house, looking more like 2 to 1.
See the excellent discussion of 70mm Cinerama on Martin Hart's site Widescreen Museum. He notes that the Ultra Panavision films, when shown in Cinerama houses, didn't use an anamorphic but rather lenses ground specifically for the curvature of the screen.
Other 70mm "Cinerama" films were shot in "Super Panavision," a non-anamorphic process like TODD-AO only with lenses by Panavision. Like TODD-AO, the aspect ratio was 2.21 to 1. Many of these films didn't get special prints, even for Cinerama Theatres.
Three Norelco 35/70mm AAII projectors and Ventarc lamps getting readied for the Cinerama's opening. Thanks to Roland Lataille for the photo from a Boxoffice magazine article. It appears on the Cinerama Dome page of his website InCinerama.com.
Inspecting the theatre's original Ampex 6/4/1 sound system. The photos are from the Boxoffice magazine issue of February 10, 1964. See the full article for more details. It's about the role that "sound experts" should play in new theatre construction.
Other films that played the theatre promoted as "in Cinerama," in a list from Ronald Lataille's InCinerama site include:
“The Greatest Story Ever Told” (2-18-1965) 43 weeks
“Battle of the Bulge” (12-17-1965) 27 weeks
“Khartoum” (6-24-1966) 24 weeks
“Grand-Prix (12-23-1966) 44 weeks
“Ice Station Zebra” (10-24-1968) 29 weeks
“Krakatoa East of Java” (5-15-1969) 23 weeks
Another film at the theatre that was promoted as being in Cinerama was "This Is Cinerama." But for this 1973 run it was a 70mm composite print made from the 3 original 35mm negatives. Not until 2002 would the equipment necessary for three-strip presentations be installed. The ad is from Roland Lataille's In Cinerama collection.
The Screen: The current screen size is 86' x 32' encompassing 126 degrees of arc. It's not the original Cinerama louver style but with the size and curvature of the 1963 original. The first (c.1953) Cinerama screens typically had 146 degrees of arc and (unlike the Dome's) did not have a consistent curvature -- they had a sharper radius in the center and got flatter out to the sides.
The original louvered screen at the Dome was removed and replaced with a flat sheet sometime around 1973. It's a white screen, not silver. For the December 2015 "Star Wars" run, their scope format picture was 65' wide.
The L.A. Times ran a 2002 article "Big Screen Furor-Rama..." when the screen was scheduled to be replaced (again) in 2002 after a remodel. The Times also has a few comments about the article. Purists wanted a louvered screen again. Pacific wanted (and ended up putting in) a big screen but as a single sheet -- claiming their massive new sound system would cause the strips to vibrate excessively.
A view of an original style louvered Cinerama screen -- designed to prevent light on the sides of the screen from washing out the picture on the other side. It's from Greg Kimble's great article "This is Cinerama" on the widescreen site In70mm.com.
A typical early Cinerama sound installation using 5 Altec A-2 Voice of the Theatre speaker systems with double 90 degree HF horns for the stage channels. The photo is in Lee Sound Design's Altec photo gallery. It also appears in a 1953 SMPTE paper on speakers and amps for stereo theatre sound that can be viewed on the American Widescreen Museum site. The Cinerama Dome originally had Voice of the Theatre speakers. That's all been replaced with newer JBL equipment with the screen speakers mounted in a THX-style infinite baffle. There are 44 surround speakers, also by JBL. Sound absorbent material was added in each of the ceiling's hexagons.
Current booth equipment: The Dome got an upgrade for the December 2015 "Star Wars" release with an installation of the dual head Christie 6P laser projector and the Dolby 3D process. This both upped the light level as well as providing more comfortable 3D glasses than the heavier battery powered active glasses used earlier.
Hollywood Reporter had a story about the new equipment. They quote Joe Miraglia, the ArcLight director of design and construction, as saying the gear cost several hundred thousand dollars. He noted screen brightness was about 8 footlamberts for 3D with a 65' wide scope format picture and 14 footlamberts for 2D. It's unknown if this equipment stayed in the theatre or not. One 2017 presentation viewed was not exceptional in terms of brightness.
Except for special presentations, it's all digital projection at the Dome. Previously it was two Christie CP 4230 4K projectors and two GDC digital cinema servers. They were using the XPAND process with active glasses for 3D films.
For the occasional film presentation, there's a Kinoton FP75E 35/70mm machine. A 4Kw lamp is typically used for 35mm, a 7.5 Kw lamp for 70mm presentations. For 70mm, both DTS sound time code synched with the film and 6 channel mag are options. There's Dolby Digital and Dolby analog sound processing. "The Master" in 2013 and "Interstellar" in 2014 got 70mm runs.
In addition, there's the gear for 3-strip Cinerama presentations using 3 Century/Cinerama projectors fed by platters and the separate full coat 35mm mag dubber for the 7 channel stereophonic sound. Selsyn motors keep the 4 units in synch. See the ArcLight website's learn more page for a nice tech summary.
Three Strip at the Dome: Since 2002 the Dome has been equipped to run 3-strip Cinerama, which it missed out on originally. It's hosted revival screenings of "How The West Was Won," "This is Cinerama" and other titles. On In70mm.com see the article about the initial three strip presentations at the Dome: "Cinerama Dome 2002."
"This is Cinerama" finally made it to the Dome in the original three-projector process in 2002. Thanks to the site From Script To DVD for the ad -- it's on their Cinerama Dome/ArcLight page.
An "A" frame from a "This Is Cinerama" scene shot in Venice. It's from Greg Kimble's "This is Cinerama" article on the site In70mm. Note the 6 perforations per frame pull-down. You can click on these for enlarged views.
The "B" frame from the shot.
The "C" frame from the "This Is Cinerama" shot.
The Cinerama projector at the house left end of the Dome's large curved booth booth threaded up for a December 2002 screening of "How The West Was Won." The photo comes from an In70mm article about the event by Rick Mitchell.
Another look at the house left end of the booth. Photo: Bill Counter - 2017
A closer look at one of the Century projectors used for three-strip Cinerama presentations. The photo is from an article on the December 2002 screening of "How the West Was Won" on the site In70mm.com.
A 2002 view of the center of the booth at the with a Kinoton 35/70mm projector beyond the platter and the center Cinerama projector behind that. The theatre was running at the time with a 4000 watt xenon lamp for 35mm and a 7500 watt lamp for 70mm. Regular film runs at the Dome are now digital. The photo is on the Film-Tech.com page on the theatre which you can find by going to pictures and scrolling down to the Cinerama Dome listing under "singles, twins, trios, quads."
The 35mm full coat mag sound reproducer for three strip Cinerama presentations. It's a 7500' reel. For this installation platters are used for the 3 projectors. Originally the 3 film sections were on huge reels as well -- about 34" in diameter and holding almost 12,000 ft. of film. While the picture is 6 perforations per frame, the sound runs at the conventional 90 feet per minute, similar to a regular 35mm format. Visit the Film-Tech site for many more pictures by Mark Ogden and John Sittig. Head to pictures and scroll down to the Cinerama Dome listing. There are also photos of many other theatres to browse as well as equipment manuals and more.
The Dome's crowd in for a Cinerama screening. It's from an In70mm.com article on a 2002 3-strip screening of "This is Cinerama."
On the site Ominous-Valve.com pay a visit to Hugh's article "Cinerama II: The Revival" for his informative review of a 2012 three-strip screening of "How the West Was Won" at the Dome as well as a discussion of the technical aspects of the Cinerama process itself. Bonus feature: aspect ratio chart. Also see the site's Altec page for a discussion of the original sound system at the Dome.
A 2002 view of the center of the booth at the with a Kinoton 35/70mm projector beyond the platter and the center Cinerama projector behind that. The theatre was running at the time with a 4000 watt xenon lamp for 35mm and a 7500 watt lamp for 70mm. Regular film runs at the Dome are now digital. The photo is on the Film-Tech.com page on the theatre which you can find by going to pictures and scrolling down to the Cinerama Dome listing under "singles, twins, trios, quads."
Looking in along the Kinoton machine. Photo: Bill Counter - 2017
The Kinoton FP 75-E. Photo: Bill Counter - 2017
Looking alongside the Christie laser projector. Photo: Bill Counter - 2017
The center Cinerama projector. It's a photo from Film-Tech.
A closer look at the Century head. Straight gate, water cooled. Photo: Bill Counter - 2017
A closer look at the Century head. Straight gate, water cooled. Photo: Bill Counter - 2017
The 35mm full coat mag sound reproducer for three strip Cinerama presentations. It's a 7500' reel. For this installation platters are used for the 3 projectors. Originally the 3 film sections were on huge reels as well -- about 34" in diameter and holding almost 12,000 ft. of film. While the picture is 6 perforations per frame, the sound runs at the conventional 90 feet per minute, similar to a regular 35mm format. Visit the Film-Tech site for many more pictures by Mark Ogden and John Sittig. Head to pictures and scroll down to the Cinerama Dome listing. There are also photos of many other theatres to browse as well as equipment manuals and more.
The house right end of the booth. Photo: Bill Counter - 2017
The Dome's crowd in for a Cinerama screening. It's from an In70mm.com article on a 2002 3-strip screening of "This is Cinerama."
On the site Ominous-Valve.com pay a visit to Hugh's article "Cinerama II: The Revival" for his informative review of a 2012 three-strip screening of "How the West Was Won" at the Dome as well as a discussion of the technical aspects of the Cinerama process itself. Bonus feature: aspect ratio chart. Also see the site's Altec page for a discussion of the original sound system at the Dome.
The Cinerama Process at 60: The Dome had a a 3 strip festival in
September 2012 to celebrate Cinerama's 60th Anniversary. It featured
both new and vintage three strip Cinerama footage as well as 70mm
presentations. See the In70mm.com article for many photos. Also see the photos of the event on the same site from Anders Olsson.
A three-strip Cinerama camera back in action in 2012 -- for the first time in over 50 years. On YouTube there are several shorts by Michael Cahill about film historian Dave Strohmaier shooting new 3 strip Cinerama footage in Los Angeles: "Cinerama 2012" Part 1 | Part 2
A three strip Cinerama camera displayed at the Dome during the September 2012 "Cinerama at 60" festival. The photo on Photos of Los Angeles is by Mark Tipton.
The lens end of the Cinerama camera. It's a 2012 photo by Mark Tipton.
A closeup view by Mark Tipton of the three very tiny Cinerama lenses. Thanks, Mark! See the trailer on YouTube for "The Last Days of Cinerama," a documentary about the 2012 shooting of three-strip Cinerama footage in Los Angeles. And from What Happens Next Productions, the full 24 minute short: "The Last Days of Cinerama."
More theatre information: See the ArcLight Cinemas page here on this site. ArcLight has put together a 5 minute documentary about the building of the Dome. It's on YouTube.
See the page on Cinema Treasures for many discussions about the Dome by enthusiastic fans. Michael Coate has lists of films playing the theatre from the 70s until 2000 in several 2008 comments on the Cinema Treasures page.
The Cinema Tour page on the Cinerama Dome has lots of photos (including booth views) and a brief history. From Script To DVD has a fine Cinerama Dome page.
The L.A. Times had an October 2013 story about the theatre turning 50. Modern Home Theatre has a 2002 article about the complex with a few photos and a discussion of the upgrade to play three-strip Cinerama films.
More 70mm Information: See this site's Egyptian Theatre page for lots of data about TODD-AO, the 70mm process that kicked off the big screen roadshow era in 1955. The Egyptian was the first theatre in the area equipped for the process. For a rundown on 70mm engagements at Los Angeles theatres, go to Michael Coate's terrific site FromScriptToDVD.com. Head for the main 70mm page.
More Cinerama Process Information: For more information on the history of the Cinerama projection process see the Cinerama section on the film and theatre technology resources page. Check out the main Warner Hollywood page where there's lots of Cinerama information. Prior to the opening of the Dome, the Warner was the Cinerama theatre for southern California.
See the page on Cinema Treasures for many discussions about the Dome by enthusiastic fans. Michael Coate has lists of films playing the theatre from the 70s until 2000 in several 2008 comments on the Cinema Treasures page.
The Cinema Tour page on the Cinerama Dome has lots of photos (including booth views) and a brief history. From Script To DVD has a fine Cinerama Dome page.
The L.A. Times had an October 2013 story about the theatre turning 50. Modern Home Theatre has a 2002 article about the complex with a few photos and a discussion of the upgrade to play three-strip Cinerama films.
More 70mm Information: See this site's Egyptian Theatre page for lots of data about TODD-AO, the 70mm process that kicked off the big screen roadshow era in 1955. The Egyptian was the first theatre in the area equipped for the process. For a rundown on 70mm engagements at Los Angeles theatres, go to Michael Coate's terrific site FromScriptToDVD.com. Head for the main 70mm page.
More Cinerama Process Information: For more information on the history of the Cinerama projection process see the Cinerama section on the film and theatre technology resources page. Check out the main Warner Hollywood page where there's lots of Cinerama information. Prior to the opening of the Dome, the Warner was the Cinerama theatre for southern California.
Michael Coate's From Script To DVD site has a great This Is Cinerama in L.A. page with a history of three-strip and 70mm Cinerama engagements in Los Angeles. See Roland Lataille's InCinerama.com web site for lots more data and Cinerama memorabilia. And for lots of fun check out the site about the documentary
"Cinerama Adventure" -- the site also has information about the 2012 Cinerama production "In The Picture."
The site In70mm.com has lots of Cinerama information. See their Cinerama index page and the article on Cinerama pictures on digital. For the latest Cinerama filming in Los Angeles there's the article "Cinerama 2012."
The site In70mm.com has lots of Cinerama information. See their Cinerama index page and the article on Cinerama pictures on digital. For the latest Cinerama filming in Los Angeles there's the article "Cinerama 2012."
And don't miss the six page Cinerama section on Martin Hart's amazing site Widescreen Museum. The
name "Cinerama" and the distinctive zig-zag logo are trademarks of
Cinerama Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Pacific Theatres.
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