The three-projector, very-wide-screen Cinerama process had made its debut in New York in September 1952 with
This Is Cinerama, a spectacular travelogue designed to make the most of the process, and an enormous box office success. The Cinerama Corporation chose the Casino Theatre for the UK debut of the system, and in 1954 architects Frank Baessler and T. and E. Braddock drew up plans for the conversion. This required the installation of three separate projection boxes at stalls level, and a deeply curved screen in front of the
proscenium that was wide and high. Five speakers behind the screen and others around the auditorium supported the system's seven-track stereophonic sound. Many front stall's seats were removed, and others were lost by the installation of the projection boxes. The sightlines from the upper circle were too poor, and it was taken out of use. Seating capacity was reduced to 1,337. film
Search for Paradise The premiere of
This Is Cinerama took place on 30 September 1954. Like all subsequent presentations, the film was shown on a
roadshow theatrical basis, with reserved seats and an intermission, which was required to load the spools for the second half onto the single projectors in each box. Unlike future 'roadshow' practice, there were three shows a day and the film ran until 28 January 1956. From 3 February 1956, the second Cinerama film,
Cinerama Holiday was presented, running until 22 February 1958. From 25 February 1958, the third Cinerama travelogue,
Seven Wonders of the World played, running until 31 October 1959 before being replaced by
South Seas Adventure from 3 November 1959 to 4 March 1961. The final Cinerama travelogue presentation was
Search for Paradise from 8 March 1961 to 4 November 1961. The theatre showed the first four films again during 1962. Over the eight years, the theatre grossed $9.5 million from the films. The Casino was chosen for the world premiere of
How the West Was Won, the second (and final) narrative film in the three-strip Cinerama process. The premiere took place on 1 November 1962, and the film ran for 123 weeks, closing on 13 March 1965. This was the final three-strip presentation at the Casino, for the Cinerama corporation had in 1963 adopted 70mm "single lens" Cinerama as the future standard. The two outer projection boxes at the Casino were taken out of use, and the centre box enlarged to take two Philips DP70 projectors capable of 35mm and 70mm projection. The single-strip system had made its debut in the UK at the
Coliseum Cinerama at the end of 1963, and the first film in the process at the Casino was
The Greatest Story Ever Told, which ran from 8 April to 28 July 1965. The Casino now entered into a period of large-scale 70mm "presented in Cinerama"
roadshow runs:- •
The Hallelujah Trail (29 July – 15 December 1965) •
Battle of the Bulge (17 December 1965 – 8 June 1966) •
Khartoum (9 June 1966 – 8 March 1967), a Royal World Premiere in the presence of HRH Princess Margaret •
Grand Prix (9 March 1967 – 8 November 1967) •
Custer of the West (9 November 1967 – 30 April 1968) •
2001: A Space Odyssey (1 May 1968 – 25 March 1969) •
Ice Station Zebra (27 March – 8 October 1969) •
Winning (9 October – 1 December 1969), a 35mm blow-up •
Ben-Hur (26 December 1969 – 6 May 1970) •
Patton (7 May – 14 October 1970) •
Two Mules for Sister Sara (15 October – 9 December 1970), a 35mm blow-up •
Song of Norway (10 December 1970 – 2 February 1972), a Royal Premiere in the presence of HRH Princess Alexandra For the next two years the Casino found the going increasingly tough, with revivals of old films and premieres of new ones, most of which opened to negative reviews in the UK. The final presentation "in Cinerama" was
Run, Run, Joe! and Cinerama vacated the Casino in May 1974. ==Return to theatrical use==