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Blackboard Jungle (1955)
some technical info
It opened in New York City March 19, 1955 at the Loews State theatre. Newspaper ads said it was presented in "Wide Vision Screen" and "Perspecta Stereophonic Sound". Perspecta was a "fake stereo" process, which sent mono sound to certain speakers on cue. IMDB says the aspect ratio on this is 1.75:1. Of course aspect ratios will be debated forever and will never reach definitive answers. Most likely the Loews State and most theatres ran it in 1.66 ratio. Perhaps a few even ran it at 1.85. The director Richard Brooks has said in interviews that he was at a screening at a theatre when the picture opened and the projectionist turned the sound down, way down, during the titles and "Rock Around the Clock" because the youngsters were going nuts when they heard that song. Brooks went up to the projection booth and demanded that the sound be turned up where it was supposed to be. He had to fight quite a bit with MGM to get the "Rock Around the CLock" song included in the picture.
The Maids (1975)
American Film Theatre
This was part of the 2nd season of "American Film Theater" - producer Ely Landau's idea of filming plays and showing them in theatres for only 2 days and nights and you had to buy tickets in advance a la a night at the theater or a concert . . . I believe they sold tickets at the door only if there were any left (much like theater or concerts)
The first season included the likes of "The Iceman Cometh", and "The Man in The Glass Booth" and "The Maids" were among the 2nd season. This was an interesting idea but I'm sure it was unsuccessful. It seems that these pictures have vanished since their original brief theatrical release.
"The Maids" played in US theatres in February 1975
Of Love and Desire (1963)
it isn't so bad
Although you have to be in the right frame of mind to appreciate it. It is an odd, strange, quirky film but I've seen it at least a dozen times if not more and don't tire of it. Ronald Stein's score is terrific, and there was a soundtrack album for this that was fairly faithful to the film's soundtrack. Of course there is more music in the film, but the soundtrack album is worth buying if you like this score (but it is hard to find). This was Merle Oberon's baby, she was behind the production of it and the homes seen in the film were hers.
The Swimmer (1968)
background information
This is also one of my favorites. `The Swimmer' became something of a cult film long after its original release. It did not fare well with audiences or critics and it had a sporadic release. It also sat on the shelf for some time, being mostly filmed in 1966 and not released until May 15, 1968 (world premiere, at the Cinema I in New York, with the Academy Award winning live action short `A Place to Stand'). It was a very troubled production, and toward the end, Lancaster paid money out of his own pocket to see the filming through. There are many sources for accounts on what happened on this film. The short version is that Sydney Pollack was brought in to direct the Janice Rule scene which was shot in California. Frank Perry was close to disowning this film, and one has to wonder what may have been left on the cutting room floor and if there is anything surviving to make a possible `director's cut' of Perry's version.
Wild Seed (1965)
another underrated pic
Universal released some odd balls during this period, in a faint attempt at developing new talent and making some higher-brow pix.
They tried to give "Wild Seed" the art house treatment by having the world premiere at the short lived Playboy (yes, that Playboy) theatre in Chicago on May 5, 1965. Some dates were in the midwest that summer, and it was often double billed with "McHale's Navy Joins the Air Force". All in all, this film barely had a release and is VERY obscure today. How did you people even see it?
Love & Kisses (1965)
some background information
Yet another strange film in the `oddballs' Universal canon of the mid to late 60's. This will probably be only of interest to Nelson fans; others might want to stay away. It was a based on a play Ozzie Nelson had seen in New York a few years earlier and he bought the property for the screen. The resulting film is a stage-bound filmization of the play. It plays like sitcom of today (NOT like the Ozzie and Harriet TV series) and it is a bit racy for its time. A real curio.
It opened August 5, 1965 in Houston TX (Universal's distribution boys did a lot of weird things then); other dates included Oct 13, 1965 (Minneapolis, MN), Dec 22 1965 (New York, NY) on a double bill with `Pinocchio In Outer Space' in a wide theatre break. Howard Thompson gave it a negative review in the New York Times, 12/23/65.
Of Love and Desire (1963)
it isn't so bad
Although you have to be in the right frame of mind to appreciate it. It is an odd, strange, quirky film but I've seen it at least a dozen times if not more and don't tire of it. Ronald Stein's score is terrific, and there was a soundtrack album for this that was fairly faithful to the film's soundtrack. Of course there is more music in the film, but the soundtrack album is worth buying if you like this score (but it is hard to find). This was Merle Oberon's baby, she was behind the production of it and the homes seen in the film were hers.