Sunday, December 23, 2012

THE SEVEN WERE MAGNIFICENT




Take actors YUL BRYNNER, STEVE McQUEEN, CHARLES BRONSON, JAMES COBURN, BRAD DEXTER, ROBERT VAUGHN and HORST BUCHHOLZ, put them all in the same movie and you have, collectively, THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN.

Released on October 23, 1960 by United Artists, THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN became an instant hit at the movie box office. Loaded with western action and drama, aided by the instantly-recognizable theme by genius Elmer Bernstein, and movie-goers flocked to see this great western time after time.

The movie spawned three movie sequels, and if you look closely, you'll note that a later blockbuster film from the 1960's, THE DIRTY DOZEN, had distinct similarities (they just added five more guys).

THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN played Salisbury / Rowan County theatres eleven times:

October 14 - 20, 1960 - CENTER THEATRE
December 25 - 27, 1960 - 601 DRIVE-IN THEATRE
May 26 - 27, 1961 - SALISBURY DRIVE-IN THEATRE
October 6 - 7, 1961 - 601 DRIVE-IN THEATRE
November 4 - 7, 1961 - CAPITOL THEATRE
March 23, 1963 - SALISBURY DRIVE-IN THEATRE
August 2 - 3, 1963 - 601 DRIVE-IN THEATRE
July 22 - 23, 1966 - 601 DRIVE-IN THEATRE
September 2 - 3, 1966 - SALISBURY DRIVE-IN THEATRE
May 9 - 15, 1971 - SALISBURY DRIVE-IN THEATRE
May 20 - 23, 1973 - THUNDERBIRD DRIVE-IN THEATRE

Friday, December 21, 2012

"COME BACK, SHANE." - HE DID



At the end of this landmark feature by George Stevens, young Joey Starrett (played by youngster Brandon De Wilde) runs through the western frontier yelling at his new friend, "Shane, come back!"

The Paramount Pictures western, made on a then-huge three million dollar budget, would go on to gross over twenty million bucks, largely because SHANE did come back...many times.

Paramount originally released the film in 1953, made a bundle, then sent it around the horn again in 1959. One last release in 1966 (right before SHANE went to ABC television) rounded out its movie theatre life.

Alan Ladd, all 5' 6" of him, played a roving cowpoke who wanders into a territory, particularly the Starrett ranch and is soon caught in the ongoing conflict between  a well-to-do cattleman and the local ranchers.

Seems the cattleman had sent to Cheyenne for the services of one dastardly dude, Jack Wilson, the meanest of the mean, to run off or kill the farmers. Then-billed Walter Jack Palance played Jack Wilson, and no one was ever meaner than Jack Palance.

So the stage was set for one of the screen's all-time clashes between good and evil.

---

SHANE initially played Rowan County in September, 1953, and per little Joey's request, came back seventeen times. Amazing.

September 1 - 5, 1953 - CAPITOL THEATRE
November 18 - 20, 1953 - ROCKWELL THEATRE
December 25 - 29, 1953 - 601 DRIVE-IN THEATRE
February 21 - 22, 1954 - VICTORY THEATRE
April 20, 1954 - VICTORY THEATRE
April 28 - 29, 1954 - 601 DRIVE-IN THEATRE
September 5 - 7, 1954 - HITCHING POST DRIVE-IN THEATRE
January 1, 1955 - SKYLINE DRIVE-IN THEATRE
July 17 - 21, 1959 - CAPITOL THEATRE
December 13, 1959 - SALISBURY DRIVE-IN THEATRE
February 12 - 13, 1960 - 601 DRIVE-IN THEATRE
July 16, 1960 - 601 DRIVE-IN THEATRE
May 19 - 20, 1961 - SALISBURY DRIVE-IN THEATRE
February 2 - 3, 1962 - 601 DRIVE-IN THEATRE
March 31 - April 5, 1966 - CAPITOL THEATRE
August 14 - 16, 1966 - SALISBURY DRIVE-IN THEATRE
September 16- 17, 1966 - 601 DRIVE-IN THEATRE
August 18 - 19, 1967 - 601 DRIVE-IN THEATRE

Thursday, December 13, 2012

IRIS THEATRE ATTRACTIONS

May 13, 1922
The IRIS THEATRE was Salisbury, North Carolina's first full-time motion picture theatre.

Located at 110 North Main Street, the IRIS opened in 1914 and closed in 1929.

The theatre never converted to showing movies with sound.


July 30, 1923

August 19, 1923

September 2, 1923

December 23, 1923

December 27, 1923

March 9, 1924

March 30, 1924

March 26, 1924

July 20, 1924

March 8, 1925



March 12, 1925
March 29, 1925

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

CAPITOL ATTRACTIONS

May 10, 1925

June 8, 1925

March 21, 1926

August 12, 1928

June 24, 1930

November 6, 1932

December 18, 1932

November 11, 1934

November 1, 1936

November 19, 1939

August 4, 1940

May 12, 1943

September 12, 1943

September 15, 1937


Sunday, December 9, 2012

SALISBURY ATTRACTIONS OF THE 1920s

IRIS THEATRE
April 17, 1920




VICTORY THEATRE
January 4, 1925


IRIS THEATRE
January 18, 1925

VICTORY THEATRE
April 4, 1926


CAPITOL THEATRE
September 19, 1926

VICTORY THEATRE
October 10, 1926

CAPITOL THEATRE
October 12, 1926

VICTORY THEATRE
October 17, 1926

CAPITOL THEATRE
December 8, 1926

CAPITOL THEATRE
January 30, 1927
CAPITOL THEATRE
March 20, 1927

STRAND THEATRE
March 21, 1927

CAPITOL THEATRE
September 11, 1927

CAPITOL THEATRE
September 18, 1927
VICTORY THEATRE
October 3, 1927

STRAND THEATRE
December 1, 1927

Saturday, December 8, 2012

THAT MAN BEHIND THE CURTAIN



We were all told to pay no attention to him...but we've ignored that advice since August 25, 1939, the day the movie premiered to mammoth crowds everywhere it played. But, oddly enough, THE WIZARD OF OZ didn't show a profit for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, the film's producing studio, until it was sold to CBS television in 1956 for annual showings.

It cost MGM nearly three million dollars to produce OZ, a humongous amount back in 1938-39. And considering such a large portion of its patrons were children (paying as little as a dime to see it in 1939-40), it took a long time to get back it's original production cost, even with theatrical re-releases in 1949 and 1956.

Because of those annual telecasts starting in 1956, which drew Super Bowl-like ratings, OZ became a legendary movie and today is recognized as being the motion picture seen by more people than any other.

The American Film Institute singles out "Over the Rainbow" as the most recognizable song to appear in any movie.

So put on your ruby red slippers once more and enjoy a visual tour of young Dorothy Gale's visit beyond that rainbow...




























And remember..."There's no place like home."