Horizontal VistaVision in Los Angeles

 Also see: Stanley Warner Beverly Hills | Paramount/El Capitan | VistaVision at the Chinese |

The logo on the screen at the Chinese, projected by one of the two Century 1954 vintage prototype Century machines installed by Boston Light and Sound for the 2025 TCM Festival. Thanks to Craig Barron for sharing his photo as a comment to a post on the Motion Picture Technology Facebook group. See the VistaVision at the Chinese page for more about the equipment.

"White Christmas" in 8 perf VistaVision at the Stanley Warner Beverly Hills: 

Paramount's VistaVision process involved shooting on 35mm film at twice the normal speed using an double width 8 perf frame with film moving horizontally through the camera. 

The dimensions of the 8 perf VistaVision frame, from the Wikipedia article "VistaVision."

The plan was to exhibit via reduction prints that were compatible with regular projectors. You'd have better resolution and reduced grain. But that idea changed rather close to the release date for the first film in the process, "White Christmas," when executives wondered why for certain engagements they couldn't do horizontal projection with the full 8 perf image. 

Century Projector Corporation was tasked with the job of making prototype machines in about four weeks. Six prototypes were made, designated as Model CV. Two went to the Radio City Music Hall, two went to the Stanley Warner Beverly Hills, two went to the Paramount lot. 

The installation in Beverly Hills was noted in this item in the October 26, 1954 issue of The Hollywood Reporter: 

 It was the "second theatre in the world" to get the horizontal machines.  

 

An October 27, 1954 ad for the "White Christmas" west coast premiere that night at the Warner. The Downtown Paramount (formerly the Metropolitan) joined the run the following day using a 4 perf reduction print. In New York the film had opened at the Radio City Music Hall October 14, also running in the horizontal format.

See a photo of the premiere at the Warner. It appears that "White Christmas" and "Strategic Air Command" (opening April 28, 1955) were the only films shown horizontally at the Warner. The equipment was evidently removed in the early 60s. 

The May 1955 release "The Far Horizons" is on various lists as playing the Warner in an 8 perf print. But it actually opened May 25 at the Orpheum, Vogue, Picwood and a half dozen drive-ins. The Warner did get a long, long exclusive L.A. engagement of "The Ten Commandments" beginning November 14, 1956 and running until September 1957. There's no indication that it was anything other than a 4 perf reduction print.

 

A look down on one of the prototype horizontal VistaVision projectors. With 8 perforations per frame, the film speed was twice normal 35mm -- 180 feet per minute. In the early runs of "White Christmas" they were playing the Perspecta optical soundtrack on separate machines. What looks like a soundhead is just a feed sprocket and several rollers. Photo: Mark Gulbrandsen collection. The shot made an appearance in the November 1954 American Cinematographer article "VistaVision Moves Forward."

 

 

A closer look at one of the prototype VV machines. The ones at the Warner for "White Christmas" were from this batch of six. Thanks to Mark Allen for sharing this as a comment in a post on the 35mm Cinema Projector Technical private Facebook group. He commented: "These projectors fell apart while running because of the pinned-in-place aluminum intermittent sprocket. The pins used to break and/or fall out. The star and cam were just [Century] Model C parts, 1/4 inch shaft. So Century switched to Brenkert intermittents, and replaced most of the movements in the field."  

 

 

A threading diagram for the prototype machines that was given to operators. It appears with "The Century Horizontal Projector," an article by James Morris in the October 1954 issue of International Projectionist. The full year's issues are on the Media History Digital Library site. Go to page 398 for the article.   

A wider view of one of the machines at Radio City Music Hall. They used 4,000 reels so there was a changeover every 20 minutes. Photo: Mark Gulbrandson collection. A cropped version of this one made an appearance in the November 1954 American Cinematographer article "VistaVision Moves Forward."

 

 

A trade magazine ad using "White Christmas" images that touted the virtues of VistaVision. It appeared with a now-vanished Robert Harris article "Motion Picture High Fidelity" that was once on the site The Digital Bits. 

 

 

Another early ad for the process. 

 

An ad for the April 28, 1955 invitational premiere of "Strategic Air Command" at the Stanley Warner. Thanks to Martin Hart for sharing the ad in his American Widescreen Museum VistaVision section. The copy mentions their horizontal projectors and big new screen. In the full horizontal projection format, VistaVision was ideally as wide as a theatre's Cinemascope picture but twice as tall -- a screen size that could be as big as was being used for TODD-AO or Cinerama. 

 

Perspecta Sound:

 

Paramount wasn't big on true stereo sound at this point so the system employed Fairchild's Perspecta Sound, a process using 30, 35 and 40 Hz control tones on the single optical track so it could be directed to any of the three stage speakers in whatever combination was desired. If the theatre installed a Fairchild Perspecta Integrator, that is. These six prototype machines had no soundheads. The Perspecta optical track for the initial runs of "White Christmas" played at 90 fpm, interlocked on one of the theatre's regular projectors. 

 

 

 

A September 1954 ad that appeared in International Projectionist.  

The power supply and Integrator. 

This illustration and the one above are from "Perspecta Sound Operational Data" in the September 1954 issue of International Projectionist. The whole year of issues is on the Media History Digital Library site. Head to page 368 for this aerticle. 

In 70mm.com has several articles on Perspecta including "Perspecta Stereophonic Sound," "Perspecta Sound and the Fairchild Integrator" and a brochure from Stelma Electronics, the company that made the unit, where you'll also find links to various technical bulletins.

The later production model projector: Unlike the six from the prototype batch, these had a soundhead. The story is that Century only built 24 of these, designated as Model DD-2.

 

 

The "Lazy-8" projector with a Peerless Hy-Candescent lamphouse. This was the production model, equipped with a soundhead. Inasmuch as the film started on the bottom magazine, the sound was read before the picture. It was a single optical track using the Perspecta Sound process to simulate stereo. Photo: Mark Gulbrandsen collection.

The illustration can also be seen in "The Horizontal VistaVision Projector," an article by Larry Davee of Century Projector Corporation that's on Martin Hart's great site American Widescreen Museum. For more data on the process see the wonderful VistaVision section on Widescreen Museum and the VistaVision section on In70mm.com

 

Another look at the the front. This image as well as the two below are from a short about VistaVision appearing with the DVD for "Funny Face."  

 

 The operating side. 

 

 

A fine view with the doors open.

A closer look at the VistaVision soundhead. Photo: Mark Gulbrandson collection. Thanks to Mark for sharing his photos in a now-vanished post on the Motion Picture Technology private Facebook group. See images on Film-Tech of a VistaVision projector constructed by Mark. 

Horizontal machines at the Hollywood Paramount: 

 

The second Los Angeles area theatre to get the machines was the El Capitan in Hollywood, then known as the Hollywood Paramount, for the runs of "The Seven Little Foys" (opening June 23, 1955) and "To Catch a Thief" (an eight week run opening August 3, 1955). 

 

"Hear it in PERSPECTA STEREOPHONIC SOUND -- and see it on our NEW CURVILINEAR SCREEN!" It's a September 1955 ad for the 6th week of "To Catch a Thief." Part of that "Curvilinear" bit was that they were using aperture plates filed with a curve top and bottom. With this gimmick, as well as masking installed to match, they conveyed the illusion that the screen was more deeply curved and Cinerama-like than it actually was.

 

 

A faded frame from a horizontal VistaVision print of "To Catch a Thief" with a Perspecta optical track at the top. Thanks to Michael Coate for the image. In his article "...Remembering Hitchcock's 'To Catch a Thief'" on the site The Digital Bits notes that the Hollywood Paramount was one of six theatres nationally to get a horizontal print. 

 

 

The known installations in the U.S. and Canada:

• Radio City Music Hall -- only for "White Christmas" (October 14, 1954) - 30' x 60' screen. See "NY Music Hall Installs Horizontal Projectors," an item from the October 11, 1954 Hollywood Reporter.
  
• Stanley Warner Beverly Hills for "White Christmas" (October 27, 1954) and "Strategic Air Command" (April 28, 1955)
• Paramount New York - 3 machines, 32' x 64' screen for "Strategic Air Command" (April 21, 1955). "Tomorrow...on the World's Largest Screen" + "First Engagements of S.A.C." ads from Variety, April 20. Some of those dates were later changed. They also ran "To Catch a Thief" (August 4, 1955 - 9 weeks) and, possibly "The Court Jester" (February 1, 1956)
• Orpheum in Omaha for "Strategic Air Command" (March 25, 1955) and "To Catch a Thief" (August 11, 1955 - 2 weeks) 
  
• Stanley in Philadelphia for "Strategic Air Command" (May 5, 1955), "The Far Horizons" and "The Seven Little Foys"
• Saenger in New Orleans for "Strategic Air Command" (May 6, 1955), "The Far Horizons" (May 29, 1955), "The Seven Little Foys" and "To Catch a Thief" (August 24, 1955 - 2 weeks)
  
• Capitol in Washington for "Strategic Air Command" (May 12, 1955) and "To Catch a Thief" (August 18, 1955 - 4 weeks) 
  
• State-Lake in Chicago for "Strategic Air Command" - opening day ad - May 12, 1955, "The Far Horizons" and "The Seven Little Foys" 
• Loew's Penn in Pittsburgh for "Strategic Air Command" (May 19, 1955), "The Far Horizons" and "The Seven Little Foys"
• Criterion in New York for "The Far Horizons" (May 20, 1955) - See "Two More Theatres Open With Double VistaVision" from the May 18 Hollywood Reporter. They gave an opening date of the 19th, Variety said the 20th in several items. "The Seven Little Foys" opened June 29, 1955 - See "Seven 'Foy' Moppets" - June 6 Hollywood Reporter, "Hope's Ballyhoola" + "Socko...Entries" part A, "Socko... Entries" part B - Variety June 29, "'Foys' NY Preem" - June 30 Hollywood Reporter. The theatre also had a reserved seat run of "The Ten Commandments" beginning November 8, 1956 but there's no reason to think it was anything other than a 4 perf print.  
  
• Imperial in Toronto for "Strategic Air Command" - 27' x 52' screen (May 20, 1955). Variety reported 1st week's gross as a "Wow $30,000" in their May 25 issue. See "Two More Theatres Open With Double VistaVision" from the May 18, 1955 Hollywood Reporter - but they projected the opening as May 30. Later the Imperial ran "The Seven Little Foys" (July 1, 1955) and "To Catch a Thief" (August 27, 1955 - 5 weeks). See a "White Christmas" ad located by Don Beelik - but it wasn't run there in 8 perf. The machines were still in the booth when the house was 6-plexed. Gordon McLeod comments that several damaged 8 perf reels of "Ten Commandments" were in the booth when he removed the two Century machines. The machines were sold to ILM. "Ten Commandments" actually played the University Theatre, not the Imperial -- and in a 4 perf roadshow engagement.
  
• Hollywood Paramount for "The Seven Little Foys" (June 23, 1955) and "To Catch a Thief" (August 3, 1955 - 8 weeks)
  
• State in Youngstown got horizontal machines according to long-time projectionist Wayne Schotten, who says he was in the booth, saw the equipment, and says they ran "Ten Commandments" in 8 perf. That's not been confirmed.
  
• Colonial Williamsburg - "Story of a Patriot" opened March 30, 1957, initially running 8 perf with 6 channel mag striping in two theatres - they had 4 operating machines and two spares - machines later went to ILM. Currently one theatre there is digital, one is 70mm with DTS on Century JJ2s.  
• Grauman's Chinese for April 26, 2025 screenings of "We're No Angels" and "Gunfight at the O.K. Corral" on two 1954 prototype machines for the TCM Classic Film Festival.  

 

 

An ad for Peerless Hy-Candescent lamps at the New York Paramount for "Strategic Air Command." appearing in the May 1955 issue of International Projectionist. 

 

 

A list of early horizontal machine installations in a June 1955 ad from International Projectionist. Note that the Radio City Music Hall isn't listed -- they didn't run anything horizontally after "White Christmas."

 

European installations of the horizontal machines: 

• Paramount Opera in Paris with Century machines for "Strategic Air Command" (October 7, 1955). Other titles are unconfirmed.
  
• Plaza Picadilly in London with Century machines, Hy-Candescent lamps for "Strategic Air Command" (June 16, 1955) - 22' x 43' screen. See "VistaVision: Big Advance" from the June 16, 1955 Kinematograph Weekly. They also ran "The Far Horizons" and "The Seven Little Foys"
  
• Normandie in Paris with Century machines for "Oeil pour Oeil" (September 13, 1957)
• Odeon Leicester Square with Gaumont Kalee equipment for "The Battle of the River Plate" (October 10, 1956) and, possibly, "Simon and Laura" and "To Catch a Thief"
• Reposi in Turin for "The Montecarlo Story" (December 19, 1956) in 8 perf Technirama with 6 track mag sound on the print, on Micron Lambda machines (with both mag and optical capability) built by the Italian firm Micron 
  

 

4 perf reduction prints: 

 

While many films were shot in the process (perhaps 80 just at Paramount), only a handful were exhibited using horizontal projection -- and these with only a few prints struck. All the others were printed down to conventional 35mm "flat" prints designed to be shown at aspect ratios between 1.66 to 1 and 2.0 to 1. 

 

Framing marks appeared in the upper right corner of the frame at the beginning of each reel.

Frames from the 1958 VistaVision film "Vertigo." Thanks again to Martin Hart -- the image is from his Widescreen Museum's VistaVision section page 5. No, it didn't play the Warner Beverly Hills (or perhaps anywhere else) in the horizontal format.

The process also morphed into a wider aspect ratio version, Technirama, that used anamorphic lenses. Films shot in that process like "Sleeping Beauty" and "The Montecarlo Story," had 35mm prints done in 'scope format. Some were also printed to 5 perf 70mm. 

 

VistaVision was later used for special effects work in many films, such as "Star Wars," due to its use of a large image area on standard film stock. 

 

 

The return of VistaVision:

 

The 2024 film "The Brutalist" was shot in VistaVision but wasn't exhibited that way. Still, you had your choice of several formats including Imax digital and 5 perf 70mm. 

 

Horizontal VV projection returned to Los Angeles with the installation of two machines at the Chinese for the 2025 TCM Festival. It was an installation by Boston Light and Sound using two of the original 1954 prototype horizontal heads and an updated transport system with big reels.

 

 

That's Thomas Piccione, the lead engineer for the project, at the machine. Thanks to Sean McKinnon of  Boston Light and Sound for sharing the photo. He was the manager of the VistaVision project for the company. See the VistaVision at the Chinese page for many more photos.  

Warner Bros. is planning to do a few VistaVision screenings of Paul Thomas Anderson's September 2025 release "One Battle After Another" but theatres and dates haven't been announced. The film was shot in VistaVision and stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Benicio Del Toro, Sean Penn, Teyana Taylor and Regina Hall. See the In70mm page about the film.

 

More information: On the American Widescreen Museum site see the article "Horizontal VistaVision Projector" and "The Development of VistaVision."   

On In 70mm.com see the section devoted to Vistavision as well as "The Paramount VistaVision Process," "Perspecta Stereophonic Sound" and  "VistaVision presented in Horizontal Projections," a list compiled by Alain Dorange of installations and films. Alain also shared his list as a post on the Friends of 70mm private Facebook group. That version: page one | page two |

On Wikipedia see "VistaVision" as well as "Technirama"  a 35mm horizontal process like VistaVision but with an anamorphic lens  and a list of film formats.  

 

Thanks to Michael Coate and Alain Dorange for their research! 

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