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“A Deeper Look”: Hollywood’s First 3-D Wave, 1953-1954 – The Festival hits Film Forum in August

“A Deeper Look”: Hollywood’s First 3-D Wave, 1953-1954, a celebration of the 70th anniversary of Hollywood’s 3-D craze of the early 1950s, will run at Film Forum, beginning with the NYC theatrical premiere of the 3-D Film Archive’s new restoration of the cult classic ROBOT MONSTER, considered the PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE of 3-D movies, screening on August 6 at 8:25 and August 7 at 6:00. The festival will continue with select screenings through November, with 3-D features, shorts, trailers, and special presentations. In ROBOT MONSTER, an alien gorilla in a fishbowl space helmet decimates Earth with death rays and soap bubbles. George Nader, longtime friend (and one time lover) of Rock Hudson, stars, with music by a pre-TEN COMMANDMENTS Elmer Bernstein. Critic/historian Leonard Maltin wrote of it, ”One of the genuine legends of Hollywood: embarrassingly, hilariously awful…and dig that bubble machine with the TV antenna!”The series includes the first NYC 3-D screening ever THE DIAMOND WIZARD (1954), starring Dennis O’Keefe as a U.S. treasury agent sent to England to track down a ring of diamond counterfeiters, in a brand new 3-D Film Archive restoration, and Mickey Spillane’s I, THE JURY (1953), a stereoscopic Film Noir starring Biff Elliott as Spillane’s private dick Mike Hammer, restored by the UCLA Film & Television Archive, PKL Pictures, and Romulus Films Ltd. In 1953, seventy years ago, 3-D conquered Hollywood. After years of speculation and experimentation, stereoscopic movies finally caught fire, luring audiences away from their televisions. Within the first few months of the year, every major studio was looking to explore the third dimension in every movie genre: horror (HOUSE OF WAXTHE MAZE), Film Noir (MAN IN THE DARKI THE JURY), big-budget musicals (KISS ME KATE), thrillers (INFERNODIAL M FOR MURDER), monster movies (CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON), slapstick comedy (the Three Stooges’ SPOOKS and PARDON MY BACKFIRE), animation (Bugs Bunny, Woody Woodpecker, Casper The Friendly Ghost and Popeye cartoons), war pictures (CEASE FIRE!), Westerns (HONDOGUN FURYTAZA SON OF COCHISEWINGS OF THE HAWK), and sci-fi A pictures (IT CAME FROM OUTER SPACE) and Z pictures (ROBOT MONSTER).Some of Hollywood’s top directors jumped on the band wagon:  Alfred Hitchcock, Budd Boetticher, William Cameron Menzies, Roy Ward Baker, George Sidney, Jack Arnold. Douglas Sirk, Raoul Walsh, and André de Toth (the latter two each with a single functioning eye that prevented them from enjoying the final effect). Nearly fifty 3-D feature films were produced in the years 1953 and 1954 alone, but the craze soon came to an abrupt end, aced by a newer and more enduring movie vogue: CinemaScope. But those two years can now be looked on as the Golden Age of 3-D Movies and Hollywood’s first great 3-D Wave.Film archivist, 3-D Film Archive founder and CEO Robert Furmanek, one of the world’s leading experts on stereoscopic movies, will introduce select screenings, as well as a special compilation of stereoscopic shorts restored by the Archive called 3-D RARITIES (see description below). Bob Furmanek has played an important behind-the-scenes role in film preservation for more than forty years. Among his achievements, he is recognized for his restoration work with the films of Abbott and Costello and Jerry Lewis. In 1990, he began his ongoing efforts to save and restore our stereoscopic film heritage. Since 2014, the Archive has released over thirty acclaimed restorations on Blu-ray.Top-quality Poloroid 3-D glasses provided!

Public Screening Schedule:Additional titles to be announcedROBOT MONSTER U.S., 1953NYC THEATRICAL PREMIERE OF 3-D RESTORATIONDirected by Phil TuckerStarring George Nader, Claudia Barrett, George BarrowsApprox. 79 min. 3-D Film Archive restoration courtesy Bayview Entertainment.-With-STARDUST IN YOUR EYESU.S., 1953Directed by Phil TuckerStarring Slick Slaven3-D short that accompanied ROBOT MONSTER on its original release. Approx. 7 min. SAVING SLICK, a 2-D documentary on the restoration of the short, will precede it.  Approx. 6 min. Sunday, August 6 at 8:25*Monday, August 7 at 6:00**Introduced by Robert Furmanek, 3-D Film Archive Founder and CEO 
HONDO U.S., 1953Directed by John FarrowStarring John Wayne, Geraldine Page, Ward BondApprox. 88 min. 3-D restoration courtesy Batjac Productions (thanks to Gretchen Wayne).Monday, August 14 at 6:15
I, THE JURY NYC 3-D RESTORATION PREMIEREU.S., 1953Directed by Harry EssexStarring Biff Elliot, Preston Foster, Peggie CastleRestored by the UCLA Film & Television Archive.  Approx. 97 min. 3-D DCP courtesy Studiocanal and Rialto Pictures.Monday, August 28 at 6:00Friday, September 8 at 9:50
MISS SADIE THOMPSONU.S., 1953Directed by Curtis BernhardtStarring Rita Hayworth, José Ferrer, Aldo RayApprox. 91 min. 3-D DCP restoration courtesy Sony Pictures.Monday, September 4 at 6:00
3-D RARITIESRobert Furmanek, founder of the 3-D Archive, presents this eye-popping collection of the Archive’s restorations, including the earliest (1922) extant 3-D film; NEW DIMENSIONS, the first full-color American 3-D movie, first shown at the New York World’s Fair in 1940; Allen H. Miner’s DOOM TOWN, a once-banned anti-nuke movie; “I’ll Sell My Shirt,” a racy 3-D burlesque short unseen for six decades; BOO MOON, a Casper the Friendly Ghost “stereotoon”; animated puppet sci-fi short “The Adventures of Sam Space,” and a stereoscopic Nat King Cole! Approx. 94 min. 3-D DCP courtesy Flicker Alley.  Monday, September 11 at 6:00
THE DIAMOND WIZARD NYC 3-D PREMIEREU.S., 1954Co-directed by Dennis O’Keefe and Montgomery TullyStarring Dennis O’Keefe, Philip Friend, Margaret SheridanApprox. 83 min. 3-D Film Archive restoration courtesy Park Circus. Monday, September 18 at 6:10
EL CORAZÓN Y LA ESPADA Mexico, 1953Directed by Edward Dein and Carlos Véjar hijo.Starring Cesar Romero, Katy Jurado Approx. 80 min. 3-D Film Archive restoration.Monday, October 9 at 6:10
GUN FURYU.S., 1953Directed by Raoul WalshStarring Rock Hudson, Lee Marvin, Neville BrandApprox. 83 mins. 3-D restoration courtesy Sony Pictures.Tuesday, October 10 at 6:10
HOUSE OF WAXU.S., 1953Directed by André de TothStarring Vincent Price, Phyllis Kirk, Carolyn Jones, Frank LovejoyApprox. 88 mins. 3-D restoration courtesy Warner Bros.Friday, October 13 at 6:00Sunday, October 15 at 6:00
CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON U.S., 1954Directed by Jack ArnoldStarring Richard Carlson, Julie Adams, Richard DenningApprox. 87 mins. 3-D restoration courtesy Universal Pictures.-With-SPOOKSU.S., 1953Directed by Jules WhiteStarring The Three StoogesApprox. 16 min. 3-D DCP courtesy Sony Pictures.Saturday, October 14 at 8:50Sunday, October 29 at 11Tuesday, October 31 at 6:20
MAN IN THE DARK U.S., 1953Directed by Lew LandersStarring Edmond O’Brien, Audrey Totter, Ted de Corsia First 3-D feature  released by a Hollywood studio.Approx. 90 min. 3-D restoration courtesy Sony Pictures.Sunday, November 5 at 5:10, 8:40
DIAL M FOR MURDER U.S., 1954Directed by Alfred HitchcockStarring Grace Kelly, Ray Milland, Anthony Dawson, John WilliamsApprox. 105 min. 3-D restoration courtesy Warner Bros.Friday, November 10 at 3:10Tuesday, November 14 at 2:15Thursday, November 16 at 12:15

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4 Comments

  1. Thanks! While I was waiting for Film Forum to post this, I can plan days off from work.

  2. I write Bayflicks, a San Francisco Bay Area movie blog. Can you give me more information? Where will it happen. When will happen.

    • Hi,

      As a previous comment mentioned, the article has all the information you are asking for.

  3. The article clearly states the location and dates

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