The post World War II baby boom, the increase in a greater variety of leisure activities and the phenomenal growth and acceptance of television as an entertainment medium all contributed to the downslide in movie theatre attendance in the late 1940s and early 1950s. To battle the increased variety of available entertainment, the motion picture industry fought back with epic productions, projected on larger screens with louder stereophonic sound and flashy gimmicks unavailable in the suburban living room. Along with the technical ammunition, the studios campaigned for their audience declaring, "movies are better than ever!" and "movies are your best entertainment."
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When Cinerama, CinemaScope, VistaVision, Todd-AO, and other widescreen formats were introduced, in the early 1950s, they were initially regarded as novelties. By the end of the decade, widescreen had evolved from a passing fad into a permanent fixture of motion picture production and exhibition. |
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