William Castle did it first.
Posted: February 29th, 2024, 4:46 am
https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/compani ... 9ebf&ei=15. To get people in theatres they're making it interactive so the audience experiences what's on the screen.
https://www.silverscreenoasis.com/oasis3/
https://www.silverscreenoasis.com/oasis3/viewtopic.php?t=7842
Cool old movie theater there, Jim.Detective Jim McLeod wrote: ↑February 29th, 2024, 5:26 pm For House On Haunted Hill (1959) Castle used "Emergo" which put a skeleton on a wire over the audiences. The kids would often throw popcorn and candy at it.
Detective Jim McLeod wrote: ↑March 1st, 2024, 10:42 am I am a big fan of William Castle, I believe my favorite gimmick was The Tingler (1959)
I wasn't around in 1959, but I saw this in revival house in 2010. All the seats were wired.
The part where the Tingler is loose in the theater, several of the ushers start running through the aisles with small penlights saying "don't panic! The Tingler is loose in the theater, just SCREAM! SCREAM FOR YOUR LIFE!"
Then another employee planted in the audience gets up and has a "Tingler" wrapped around his neck! He runs out of the theater screaming.
I would definitely go to another William Castle festival, one of best times at the movies that year.
I *may* have found the theater, after some searching across multiple sites. More on that in a bit. In the meantime, I learned this: The photographer was Arthur Fellig (using the professional pseudonym of Weegee), born in what is now Ukraine, but was part of the Austro-Hungarian empire at his birth. Worked in the US. He was responsible for the still photographs used in Dr. Strangelove..., and was in part the inspiration for Sellers' voice of Dr. Strangelove.Dargo wrote: ↑February 29th, 2024, 7:37 pmCool old movie theater there, Jim.Detective Jim McLeod wrote: ↑February 29th, 2024, 5:26 pm For House On Haunted Hill (1959) Castle used "Emergo" which put a skeleton on a wire over the audiences. The kids would often throw popcorn and candy at it.
(...be even cooler to know which one it was, wouldn't it)
Hibi wrote: ↑March 1st, 2024, 11:25 amDetective Jim McLeod wrote: ↑March 1st, 2024, 10:42 am I am a big fan of William Castle, I believe my favorite gimmick was The Tingler (1959)
I wasn't around in 1959, but I saw this in revival house in 2010. All the seats were wired.
The part where the Tingler is loose in the theater, several of the ushers start running through the aisles with small penlights saying "don't panic! The Tingler is loose in the theater, just SCREAM! SCREAM FOR YOUR LIFE!"
Then another employee planted in the audience gets up and has a "Tingler" wrapped around his neck! He runs out of the theater screaming.
I would definitely go to another William Castle festival, one of best times at the movies that year.
LMREO! Did the audience buy that???
txfilmfan wrote: ↑March 1st, 2024, 11:57 amI *may* have found the theater, after some searching across multiple sites. More on that in a bit. In the meantime, I learned this: The photographer was Arthur Fellig (using the professional pseudonym of Weegee), born in what is now Ukraine, but was part of the Austro-Hungarian empire at his birth. Worked in the US. He was responsible for the still photographs used in Dr. Strangelove..., and was in part the inspiration for Sellers' voice of Dr. Strangelove.Dargo wrote: ↑February 29th, 2024, 7:37 pmCool old movie theater there, Jim.Detective Jim McLeod wrote: ↑February 29th, 2024, 5:26 pm For House On Haunted Hill (1959) Castle used "Emergo" which put a skeleton on a wire over the audiences. The kids would often throw popcorn and candy at it.
(...be even cooler to know which one it was, wouldn't it)
The Smithsonian's holding on this photo didn't list where the photo was taken, but the International Center of Photography says it was taken in New York. Not surprising as he was based in NYC, mostly covering crime scenes. I found more photos of this showing in a blog about the film (and a story about a 2017 showing in "Emergo" in New Jersey).
Looking at the NY Times archive, I found a review of this film, on a double-bill with Legion of Doomed. The review of the offering starts off with "A two-and-a-half hour load of junk from Allied Artists was unveiled at various neighborhood theatres yesterday as a double-billed program." No need to read the details there! But the review did mention that it was showing in Manhattan at the RKO 58th Street Theatre. This theatre, now long gone, was at 58th and 3rd, with an entrance on both streets. It originally sat over 3,000 people, but was reduced to around 2,000 in 1956.
I then went to cinematreasures.org to see if they had photos of the theatre posted, and, though I can't be certain, all the rococo foofaraw decorations seen in the following photo seems to agree with what we can see in the "Emergo" photos. These are photos before they renovated the theater in 1956. I can't seem to find any photos of the renovated auditorium - only the lobby and marquee. The redo of the lobby was done in sleek mid-century modern, I suppose to fit in with the design of all the new skyscrapers being built in post-war NYC and also coincided with the demolition of the 3rd Ave El.
BTW, The Who and Cream made their US live debut at this theatre in 1967.
More "Emergo" photos can be found at this blog:
https://fansinaflashbulb.wordpress.com/ ... th-emergo/
Wow! Nice research done here, Tex. Thanks for doing this.txfilmfan wrote: ↑March 1st, 2024, 11:57 amI *may* have found the theater, after some searching across multiple sites. More on that in a bit. In the meantime, I learned this: The photographer was Arthur Fellig (using the professional pseudonym of Weegee), born in what is now Ukraine, but was part of the Austro-Hungarian empire at his birth. Worked in the US. He was responsible for the still photographs used in Dr. Strangelove..., and was in part the inspiration for Sellers' voice of Dr. Strangelove.........Dargo wrote: ↑February 29th, 2024, 7:37 pmCool old movie theater there, Jim.Detective Jim McLeod wrote: ↑February 29th, 2024, 5:26 pm For House On Haunted Hill (1959) Castle used "Emergo" which put a skeleton on a wire over the audiences. The kids would often throw popcorn and candy at it.
(...be even cooler to know which one it was, wouldn't it)
I don't recall it. I think I'd remember a name like Weegee! The 1992 film The Public Eye is based on his life.Dargo wrote: ↑March 1st, 2024, 12:19 pmWow! Nice research done here, Tex. Thanks for doing this.txfilmfan wrote: ↑March 1st, 2024, 11:57 amI *may* have found the theater, after some searching across multiple sites. More on that in a bit. In the meantime, I learned this: The photographer was Arthur Fellig (using the professional pseudonym of Weegee), born in what is now Ukraine, but was part of the Austro-Hungarian empire at his birth. Worked in the US. He was responsible for the still photographs used in Dr. Strangelove..., and was in part the inspiration for Sellers' voice of Dr. Strangelove.........
Btw and re the photographer Weegee mentioned by you here...I think I recall in the past seeing some documentary (perhaps on TCM?) about the man.
(...might you remember seeing this as well?)
Besides that Joe Pesci starring film in which his character was inspired by Weegee, there's the following documentary about the actual man and the one I referenced earlier...
The historic Capitol Theater in Rome, NY showed House On Haunted Hill and had an adult size "Emergo Skeleton" on a wire slide down into the audience like that-Detective Jim McLeod wrote: ↑March 1st, 2024, 12:02 pm Yes, the audience was in hysterics and most screamed on cue!