AMC TV Special TONIGHT

[P3D <doerfler@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

On the '50's 3D movie thread of late:

The Chicago Tribune had an article today about an American
Movie Classics (a cable channel) television special Tuesday night
at 9pm (US Central Time, anyway) that may be of interest to some
on this list.  It's called "Ballyhoo: The Hollywood Sideshow."
Check your local listings--it's a premiere showing.

The article caught my eye because it featured a photograph of a pair
of 3D glasses at the top.  It says the hour-long show
"is a tribute to a bygone era of showmanship, when 3-D glasses,
smell-o-rama, Cinemascope and bogus subpoenas were the rhine-
stones in the throne of Hollywood."  (I can imagine Marvin Jones'
reaction here to seeing the words 3-D and smell-o-rama as neighbors
in the same sentence--it took _me_ by surprise!)

To continue:

"Borrowing inspiration from circus impresario P.T. Barnum, the
movie industry, from its inception, capitalized on Americans'
willingness to be conned, especially if it was entertaining.
Its spin doctors promised patrons 'you ain't seen nothing yet'
and delivered up their unique blend of hucksterism and humor."

Now to be fair, the vast majority of the article dealt with
schlockmeisters of old with publicity gimmicks of various kinds.
The only other mention of 3-D, and a fairly nice one, is in the
following paragraph:

"'Ballyhoo' includes rare archival footage and interviews with
the likes of '50's B-movie goddess Mamie Van Doren, '60's heart-
throb Tab Hunter, critics Roger Ebert and Neil Gabler, and directors
John Waters and Peter Bogdanovich.  Hosted by Frankie Avalon, star
of six bikini movies, the one-hour special sheds some light on
the craft of moviemaking (Alfred Hitchcock's 'Dial M for Murder'
was made to be seen in 3-D).  But for the most part, 'Ballyhoo'
devotes itself to a nostalgic look at the tricksters of hoopla,
including ...Sam Arkoff...Sid Grauman...Hitchcock...William Castle..." 

Anyway, some here may find it entertaining to watch.

Ron Doerfler


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