Cinerama Holiday (1955)
119 mins | Documentary | 1955
Cast:
Martin Weldon, Betty Marsh, John Marsh [ More ]Directors:
Robert Bendick, Philippe De LacyWriters:
Otis Carney, Louis de Rochemont IIIProducer:
Louis de RochemontCinematographers:
Harry Squire , Joseph BrunEditors:
Jack Murray, Leo Zochling, Fredrick Y. SmithProduction Designers:
Joy Batchelor, John Halas, Herbert G. AndrewsProduction Company:
RD-DR Corp.The working title of this film was The Thrill of Your Life. Cinerama Holiday was the second feature film to use the Cinerama widescreen process. Although the film was not viewed, according to the LAT review, the film opened with a black and white sequence in standard 35mm, during which the Cinerama process, and its development, was featured. The footage continued in black and white during the Marshes’ airplane flight to Switzerland. When the airplane traveled into a cloud formation, the image broadened to Cinerama and shifted into Technicolor. After the plane emerged from the clouds, the Swiss Alps were in view. Sequences mentioned in reviews or news items that are not referred to in the synopsis include the following: in Paris, a visit to The Louvre Museum and the Lido nightclub, a performance of a Molière play, a review of the cadets at St. Cyr military school and a marionette performance of the fairy tale Little Red Riding Hood; in San Francisco, a musical performance at The Tin Angel nightclub, a cable car ride and Chinese-American musicians at a club in Chinatown; in Colorado, scenes of Gore Canyon and the towns Grand Junction, Bond, Kremmling and Glenwood Springs.
The DV review notes that Cinerama Holiday also featured a scene in which John Marsh slips away from his wife for an unexpected visit with former Navy peers, and adds that there was an intermission break that preceded the sequence in Paris. The intermission may have followed a segment in Switzerland; however, the exact sequence of events in ...
The working title of this film was The Thrill of Your Life. Cinerama Holiday was the second feature film to use the Cinerama widescreen process. Although the film was not viewed, according to the LAT review, the film opened with a black and white sequence in standard 35mm, during which the Cinerama process, and its development, was featured. The footage continued in black and white during the Marshes’ airplane flight to Switzerland. When the airplane traveled into a cloud formation, the image broadened to Cinerama and shifted into Technicolor. After the plane emerged from the clouds, the Swiss Alps were in view. Sequences mentioned in reviews or news items that are not referred to in the synopsis include the following: in Paris, a visit to The Louvre Museum and the Lido nightclub, a performance of a Molière play, a review of the cadets at St. Cyr military school and a marionette performance of the fairy tale Little Red Riding Hood; in San Francisco, a musical performance at The Tin Angel nightclub, a cable car ride and Chinese-American musicians at a club in Chinatown; in Colorado, scenes of Gore Canyon and the towns Grand Junction, Bond, Kremmling and Glenwood Springs.
The DV review notes that Cinerama Holiday also featured a scene in which John Marsh slips away from his wife for an unexpected visit with former Navy peers, and adds that there was an intermission break that preceded the sequence in Paris. The intermission may have followed a segment in Switzerland; however, the exact sequence of events in the film prior to the intermission has not been confirmed. Cinerama Holiday marked the feature film debuts of Betty and John Marsh, and Beatrice and Fred Troller, none of whom was a professional actor. According to a Var news item dated 13 Jan 1954, Betty Marsh was located through a University of Kansas City drama class. The pressbook notes that the Stollers were suggested by a Swissair airline representative, who knew Fred Stoller because of his advertising work on behalf of the airline. Both couples were selected by producer Louis de Rochemont after he auditioned numerous others.
The pressbook adds the following information about the production: Shooting began in Paris at Napoleon’s tomb in Les Invalides. The Vista-Dome railroad car was specially modified so that the Cinerama camera could fit, as well as other accommodations, including the construction of platforms for interior and exterior filming, and the installation of clear glass on the dome so that the color photography would not be adversely affected. The U.S. Navy cooperated with the filmmakers for the “Blue Angels” sequence, and approximately 675,000 feet of film was utilized for during production.
HR news items add that Cinerama Holiday cost approximately $2,000,000 to make. Invitational preview screenings were held as early as Jul 1954, according to a news item dated 30 Jul 1954. Paramount Pictures loaned composer Van Cleave for the production. Cinerama Holiday was shot entirely on location in the featured locales. According to an article in AmCin, several skiiers and sledders sustained injuries from various accidents during filming in Switzerland. MPH recorded that Cinerama Holiday was the top-grossing film of 1955 and, according to a 13 Jan 1955 HR news item, the motion picture was exhibited regularly for sixty-one weeks at the Warner Theatre in New York. For further information on the Cinerama process, see the notes for This is Cinerama (below).
Two couples, John and Betty Marsh from Kansas City, and Fred and Beatrice Troller from Zurich, Switzerland, meet at the St. Louis Airport just before embarking on separate vacation adventures. The Marshes are en route to Europe, while the Trollers will simultaneously explore the United States. The Marshes first travel to St. Moritz, Switzerland, where they witness the bobsled run, the “Holiday on Ice” skating show at the Suvretta House as well as local scenery. In the U.S., the Trollers tour the West by motorcycle and experience the entertainment and casinos of Las Vegas, Nevada, a cattle ranch at the San Carlos Apache Reservation in Arizona, and dinner at the Top o’ the Mark in San Francisco, California. They then board the California-Zephyr train on the Western Pacific Railroad and, from the vantage point of the “Vista-Dome” section of a train car, view the scenery of Colorado. The Trollers continue to Chicago, Illinois, then on to New Orleans, Louisiana, where they attend a music-filled service at the Second Free Mission Baptist Church, visit the Lafayette Cemetery where they witness a funeral, and attend a music performance by the Original Dixieland Jazz Band at the Absinthe House nightclub. Their travels in the South are followed by a visit to New England where they attend a Deerfield, New Hampshire, country fair, and tour the Dartmouth College campus in Hanover, the highlight of which is a performance by the glee club. While the Trollers explore the varied cultures of the U.S., the Marshes board the funicular railway to ski the Parsenn slopes in Davos, and later indulge in traditional Swiss food and music. The ...
Two couples, John and Betty Marsh from Kansas City, and Fred and Beatrice Troller from Zurich, Switzerland, meet at the St. Louis Airport just before embarking on separate vacation adventures. The Marshes are en route to Europe, while the Trollers will simultaneously explore the United States. The Marshes first travel to St. Moritz, Switzerland, where they witness the bobsled run, the “Holiday on Ice” skating show at the Suvretta House as well as local scenery. In the U.S., the Trollers tour the West by motorcycle and experience the entertainment and casinos of Las Vegas, Nevada, a cattle ranch at the San Carlos Apache Reservation in Arizona, and dinner at the Top o’ the Mark in San Francisco, California. They then board the California-Zephyr train on the Western Pacific Railroad and, from the vantage point of the “Vista-Dome” section of a train car, view the scenery of Colorado. The Trollers continue to Chicago, Illinois, then on to New Orleans, Louisiana, where they attend a music-filled service at the Second Free Mission Baptist Church, visit the Lafayette Cemetery where they witness a funeral, and attend a music performance by the Original Dixieland Jazz Band at the Absinthe House nightclub. Their travels in the South are followed by a visit to New England where they attend a Deerfield, New Hampshire, country fair, and tour the Dartmouth College campus in Hanover, the highlight of which is a performance by the glee club. While the Trollers explore the varied cultures of the U.S., the Marshes board the funicular railway to ski the Parsenn slopes in Davos, and later indulge in traditional Swiss food and music. The Marshes then journey to Paris, France, where they see the Arc d’Triomphe, hear a mass at the Cathedral of Notre Dame and are visited in their hotel room by renowned journalist Art Buchwald. The Marshes also enjoy a performance of the opera Les Indes Galantes , hear music at the Lido nightclub and attend a fashion show held by designer Jacques Fath. Their exploration of Paris continues with a visit to artist Germaine Richier’s studio and art class, attendance at the traditional Art Students’ gala “Ball of the Four Seasons,” and a stroll in the Luxembourg Gardens, after which they watch the Garde Republicaine performing at the Coeur d’Honneur monument at Les Invalides, among other entertainments. After visiting the nation’s capitol of Washington, D.C., the Trollers conclude their grand tour in New York, where the Marshes have arrived by the Queen Mary steamship. Having traveled for a total of six months each, the couples now reunite to discuss their vacations. Following their meeting, they attend a special screening featuring Cinerama footage of the U.S. Navy’s “Blue Angels” jet fighter pilots taking off from, and landing on, the aircraft carrier Lake Champlain ; a large fireworks display in Alton Bay, New Hampshire; and an incandescent Bessemer furnace at the Bethlehem Steel Company.
Viewed by AFI
Partially Viewed
Offscreen Credit
Name Occurs Before Title
AFI Life Achievement AwardTOP SEARCHES
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