Google Groups no longer supports new Usenet posts or subscriptions. Historical content remains viewable.
Dismiss

Movie "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" AND Perspecta Sound

354 views
Skip to first unread message

Mark Goodrich

unread,
Feb 22, 2013, 3:27:49 AM2/22/13
to
HELP! I have seen Internet sources claiming the film "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" was released in Perspecta Sound and even seen "Perspecta Sound" listed in the main titles of the film. However, I have not seen any newspaper ads for the film mentioning this sound process.. I know all about the Perspecta sound process, but has anyone actually seen a newspaper ad that mentions Persectasound or seen a Perspecta print shown theatrically? Any info would be greatly appreciated.

Scott Dorsey

unread,
Feb 22, 2013, 9:06:56 AM2/22/13
to
In article <a97db0ec-b6d4-45df...@googlegroups.com>,
Mark Goodrich <tooti...@charter.net> wrote:
>HELP! I have seen Internet sources claiming the film "Cat on a Hot Tin Ro=
>of" was released in Perspecta Sound and even seen "Perspecta Sound" liste=
>d in the main titles of the film. However, I have not seen any newspaper a=
>ds for the film mentioning this sound process.. I know all about the Persp=
>ecta sound process, but has anyone actually seen a newspaper ad that mentio=
>ns Persectasound or seen a Perspecta print shown theatrically? Any info wo=
>uld be greatly appreciated.

I have seen Forbidden Planet in Perspecta, as well as a demo reel. It's
pretty dreadful, to be honest. What would you like to know about it?
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

grand...@hotmail.com

unread,
Feb 22, 2013, 6:21:33 PM2/22/13
to
Most newspapaper ads never even advertised stereophonic sound,hi-fi sound ,cinemascope ,superscope or even 70mm in their adverts.
My local cinerama theatre advertised 70mm films being shown on the full sized cinerama screen. It was illegal to use the full cinerama screen for projecting non cinerama 70mm films.A common practise world-wide.In Europe it was also common to advertise 70mm films as being in Dimension 150 ,despite there only ever being 2 films in that process.

Mark Goodrich

unread,
Mar 4, 2013, 6:19:11 PM3/4/13
to
On Friday, February 22, 2013 3:21:33 PM UTC-8, grand...@HOTMAIL.COM wrote:
> Most newspapaper ads never even advertised stereophonic sound,hi-fi sound ,cinemascope ,superscope or even 70mm in their adverts.
>
> My local cinerama theatre advertised 70mm films being shown on the full sized cinerama screen. It was illegal to use the full cinerama screen for projecting non cinerama 70mm films.A common practise world-wide.In Europe it was also common to advertise 70mm films as being in Dimension 150 ,despite there only ever being 2 films in that process.

I was just wondering whether the film was actually exhibited in Perspecta sound--however, according to what has been posted, the newspaper ads wouldn't have mentioned the process even if it was utilized. Does anyone remember seeing it in that process? Thanks, Mark

Martin Hart

unread,
Mar 6, 2013, 2:39:50 PM3/6/13
to
In article <996e7134-741d-477d...@googlegroups.com>,
tooti...@charter.net says...
For whatever reason, it has been found that a great many MGM films that
may have had the Perspecta logo didn't carry the sound steering tones. I
don't specifically remember any non-anamorphic features that offered
Perspecta, but that doesn't mean that there weren't dozens.

I've never understood what would have enticed theatre owners to install
Perspecta. It's cost was not much less than magnetic stereo. The
theatre had to buy the "integrator", three full range stage speakers,
and three amplifiers. There were no surrounds, with the exception of the
unique Cinestage prints of "Around the World in 80 Days". Lots of
theatres installed magnetic stereo but skimped on the surrounds by
eliminating them from the scheme.

Marty
--
The American WideScreen Museum
www.widescreenmuseum.com

Bob Furmanek

unread,
Apr 28, 2013, 8:52:14 PM4/28/13
to
Hearing FORBIDDEN PLANET in Perspecta on a 50 foot screen in a movie palace (through a restored Fairchild integrator) gave me new respect for the system. It sounded VERY good!

From my research, MGM stopped using the system in mid-1957. JAILHOUSE ROCK - released in May - was one of the last.

Ultrascope

unread,
Jul 13, 2013, 3:27:09 PM7/13/13
to
Am Freitag, 22. Februar 2013 09:27:49 UTC+1 schrieb Mark Goodrich:
> ...has anyone actually seen a newspaper ad that mentions Persectasound or seen a Perspecta print shown theatrically?

Recently I did show a rerelease print of CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF printed in the late 1990s. It had the original MGM leaders, and in the soundtrack area there was a handwritten lettering that said "Perspecta". I assume they did not make a new Mono negative without control tones when they reprinted the title.

But I didn't get to watch the film and listen whether there were control frequencies, running changeover projection with 2000ft. reels didn't leave time for that.

Years ago I saw a Perspecta-to-Dolby SVA transfer, it was Vincente Minnelli's LUST FOR LIFE, and I was quite impressed by the use they made of switching in long dialogue scenes. Wouldn't have worked with fast and overlapping talk, of course!

I also remember a single reel from KNIGHTS OF THE ROUND TABLE (CinemaScope/Perspecta) shown during a widescreen festival to demonstrate Perspecta, and it was certainly more impressive than plain Mono. No competition for true mag stereo, but certainly more than just a gimmick. - BTW, over the years I noticed the Perspecta logo on many Japanese movies, they must have used it longer than the U.S. studios.

Stephen Furley

unread,
Jul 14, 2013, 7:11:46 AM7/14/13
to


"Bob Furmanek" wrote in message
news:10bb15ad-47f3-421e...@googlegroups.com...
Bob, that was over 11 years ago now; how time flies.

Something I've never read anything about is how the Perspecta tracks were
actually created. Was it simply a matter of an operator sitting at a
console with three control knobs, or was there more to it than than that? A
single pan-pot wouldn't work because it wouldn't allow independent control
of all three tones as Perspecta allowed.

0 new messages