Popular 3 – D Films of the Golden Era
Bad looking glasses, but a lot of fun for the viewer, started the golden age of 3-D viewing in movie houses of the 1950s. Actually, the golden age of movies in general began right after WWII, and ended late in the 1950s. Classics were created like “High Noon” (1952), “Rebel Without A Cause” (1955), and “Ben Hur” (1959). The use of 3-D for the audience started a lot earlier than you might have thought and it eventually lead to the proliferation of movies using 3-D.
In New York at Astor Theater in 1915 the first use of 3-D was brought to an audience that was very disappointed with the hyped advertisement of the movie. It was really a set of shorts about scenes from the U.S. and Canada. Even though there were red and green glasses used, there was too much reflection for people to be able to distinguish a 3-D affect. The technology just had not been refined for viewing, but it would not take to many years before it would be.
Seven years later there was a success with the “Power of Love” (1922). The 3-D movie was about the romantic escapades of a captain on the high seas. It was black and white, but audiences loved the affect of the glasses and story line. Later in 1936 the first talkie in 3-D came out, and was followed by “USSR’ 47” that was filmed so you could get rid of the scary glasses. It was the first time that images were seen by human eyes that scent images to the right and left eye at the same time.
The most popular movie, and the one that started the rage of 3-D viewing in American theaters, was “House of Wax” in 1953. It was produced by the Warner Company. What made it all the more unique was the fact it was the first time a stereophonic sound system was used in theaters. In fact many people were shocked by the amount of sound coming at them from the big screen. It took a while for the audience to get used to it, and it is understandable considering monographic sound were what they were used to. Unbelievably the director for it enjoyed the sound more than the visual because he only had vision in one eye.
“Bwana Devil” (1952) pumped up the frenzy of the 3-D movies, even though it was classified as a low budget type B movie. There were a lot of movies made that could be shown to the audience as a 3-D movie, but many studios released them as flat screen because they were unsure about the longevity of the 3-D technology. During the time however of popular 3-D movies, there were productions involving cartoons too. Kids could enjoy at the theater a short with Bugs Bunny in “Lumber Jack Rabbit” in 1953. Another genre of film, the western, was made in 3-D too. Movies like “Stranger Wore A Gun” (1953) debuted too. At the time it was rated a top-notch 3-D film because it had more effects than most sci-fi B rated movies of the time.
For a while 3-D was the popular movie type, but soon it feel out of favor with American audiences. There were a lot of reasons for it. TV was one, more and more people had easy access to at home entertainment, and competition from over seas was another. Film studios contributed to it too. On average there were 35 films of 3-D being produced every year from 1951-1954. People became bored of the new invention of it, and wanted something bigger and better. They found it when studios realized the fading popularity of 3-D, with Widescreen Cinemascope.
Even though widescreen affects are common now, the use of 3-D is still not forgotten. CGI is commonly used to create neat films without the need for glasses. It can be viewed as a good thing that people got bored and wanted something unique again because without their impatience, CGI and green screens would not be a part of the movie industry today. It is a long way from the movie “Power of Love” in 1922, but it is a sure thing that as technology develops, Hollywood will entertain the public like never before.
