General Cinema Corporation: Difference between revisions
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'''General Cinema Corporation''' was founded in 1935 as a drive-in movie theater by Philip Smith, who previously owned a small chain of silent movie theaters. However, the company didn't see much growth until 1939, due to heavy sales of news printed on film. After the World War II ended, the company got into new leadership under Richard A. Smith, who closed all drive-in theaters in order to make room indoor theaters. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, GCC dabbled in financing movie productions, particularly ''Night of the Juggler'' and ''Foolin' Around'', with Gary Busey and Annette O'Toole, which were both distributed theatrically by [[Columbia Pictures]]. In April 1992, the company teamed up with [[Lucasfilm Ltd.|Lucasfilm]] to create mascots for the company. This lead to the creation of the then iconic Candy Band, the band would be followed by two more mascots, Popcorn Bob, and Pepsi Sue. By October 2000, the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, and then Chapter 7 bankruptcy a year later. This lead to the company being acquired and absorbed by [[AMC Theaters]] in March 2002. | '''General Cinema Corporation''' was founded in 1935 as a drive-in movie theater by Philip Smith, who previously owned a small chain of silent movie theaters. However, the company didn't see much growth until 1939, due to heavy sales of news printed on film. After the World War II ended, the company got into new leadership under Richard A. Smith, who closed all drive-in theaters in order to make room indoor theaters. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, GCC dabbled in financing movie productions, particularly ''Night of the Juggler'' and ''Foolin' Around'', with Gary Busey and Annette O'Toole, which were both distributed theatrically by [[Columbia Pictures]]. In April 1992, the company teamed up with [[Lucasfilm Ltd.|Lucasfilm]] to create mascots for the company. This lead to the creation of the then iconic Candy Band, the band would be followed by two more mascots, Popcorn Bob, and Pepsi Sue. By October 2000, the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, and then Chapter 7 bankruptcy a year later. This lead to the company being acquired and absorbed by [[AMC Theaters]] in March 2002. | ||
===1st (known) Open ( | ===1st (known) Open (1967-1984)=== | ||
<gallery mode=packed heights=200> | <gallery mode=packed heights=200> | ||
File:GCC Purple.jpeg | |||
File:General Cinema Corporation - CLG Wiki.jpeg | |||
File:General Cinemas Intro 1964.png | File:General Cinemas Intro 1964.png | ||
</gallery> | </gallery> | ||
{{youtube|id=https://youtu.be/m6uHhUKURYE|id2=https://youtu.be/mzCAJt7HsqQ}} | {{youtube|id=https://youtu.be/m6uHhUKURYE|id2=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01VXZ518Aeg|id3=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yhzJUzanaj8|id4=https://youtu.be/mzCAJt7HsqQ}} | ||
'''Nicknames:''' "Projector 1.0", "'60s GCC", "GCC Projector", "Kaleidoscopic Projector" | '''Nicknames:''' "Projector 1.0", "'60s GCC", "GCC Projector", "Kaleidoscopic Projector" | ||
'''Logo:''' On a | '''Logo:''' On a black background is a light blue GCC logo: an abstract projector made out of the letter G, and two C's representing film reels above and below the G to the slightly aligned to the right. A jazzy drumbeat begins and the film reels (the C's) begin to rotate, as the projector begins to spool out a line of dots. A harpsichord riff briefly cuts in, and the word "GENERAL" comes out of the projector, followed by more dots. The musical trade-off repeats two more times, with the words "CINEMA" and "CORPORATION" spooling out of the projector along with the dots. Then, after "CORPORATION," the brushes finally take it home, allowing the projector enough time to spool out the entire line of dots as either "COMING ATTRACTIONS" or "FEATURE PRESENTATION" appear with the final hit of the drum (The C's also stop when this happens). | ||
'''Variants:''' | '''Variants:''' | ||
* The graphics | * 1970s-1977: The graphics appeared on a purple or blue background. | ||
* | * 1977-1984: The graphics appear on a kaleidoscopic red/purple background (think the Family Affair intro). | ||
'''FX/SFX:''' The film reels rotating and the projectors spooling out the dots that morphed into the titles. This snipe was produced by Pike Productions of Newport, Rhode Island. | '''FX/SFX:''' The film reels rotating and the projectors spooling out the dots that morphed into the titles. This snipe was produced by Selame Associates of Newton Lower Falls, Massachusetts, while the 1977 revision was produced by Pike Productions of Newport, Rhode Island. | ||
'''Music/Sounds:''' A snazzy jazz beat established on a snare drum with brushes, occasionally interrupted on the off-beat by a catchy harpsichord riff. The drums give the feel of the sound a projector makes. A few double bass notes are also heard on the third harpsichord riff. | '''Music/Sounds:''' A snazzy jazz beat established on a snare drum with brushes, occasionally interrupted on the off-beat by a catchy harpsichord riff. The drums give the feel of the sound a projector makes. A few double bass notes are also heard on the third harpsichord riff. | ||
'''Availability:''' Extinct. It appeared only in General Cinema theaters before the start of a movie or trailers | '''Availability:''' Extinct. It appeared only in General Cinema theaters before the start of a movie or trailers from the late '60s to the early '80s. | ||
'''Editor's Note:''' The fanfare of this open would later become popular, so much so that it became a staple for General Cinema. | '''Editor's Note:''' The fanfare of this open would later become popular, so much so that it became a staple for General Cinema. | ||
===2nd Open ( | ===2nd Open (1984-1986)=== | ||
<gallery mode=packed heights=200> | <gallery mode=packed heights=200> | ||
File:General Cinema Theaters (1980, Part 1 of 2).png | File:General Cinema Theaters (1980, Part 1 of 2).png | ||
File:General Cinema Theaters (1980, Part 2 of 2).png | File:General Cinema Theaters (1980, Part 2 of 2).png | ||
</gallery> | </gallery> | ||
{{youtube|id=https:// | {{youtube|id=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6k130KRHPFY|id2=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQItjyzva1k|id3=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DScAK5npy_g}} | ||
'''Nicknames:''' “Projector 2.0”, “80s GCC”, “Blue Projector” | '''Nicknames:''' “Projector 2.0”, “80s GCC”, “Blue Projector” | ||
| Line 45: | Line 45: | ||
'''Music/Sounds:''' A funky flute/brass rendition of the first music mixed with a Rhodes piano. Chimes are heard whenever a star shines. Also, like in the first logo, the animation is supported by reverberated percussion that simulates the sound of a projector. | '''Music/Sounds:''' A funky flute/brass rendition of the first music mixed with a Rhodes piano. Chimes are heard whenever a star shines. Also, like in the first logo, the animation is supported by reverberated percussion that simulates the sound of a projector. | ||
'''Availability:''' Extinct. It was only used in General Cinema theaters back in the | '''Availability:''' Extinct. It was only used in General Cinema theaters back in the mid '80s. | ||
'''Editor's Note:''' The animation and lighting effects make up for a suitable successor to the original projector. | '''Editor's Note:''' The animation and lighting effects make up for a suitable successor to the original projector. | ||
| Line 112: | Line 112: | ||
===6th Open (2001-2002)=== | ===6th Open (2001-2002)=== | ||
{{youtube|id=VF50I8OFFew}} | {{youtube|id=9sqSqg0AUfg|id2=VF50I8OFFew}} | ||
'''Nicknames:''' "General Cinema's Goodbye", "The Finale", "Popcorn Bob's Show" | '''Nicknames:''' "General Cinema's Goodbye", "The Finale", "Popcorn Bob's Show" | ||
'''Logo:''' On a black background, we see the General Cinema logo in silver. The logo starts spinning to the right, and the camera pans down to reveal that the logo is actually a film canister, with another canister underneath it. The canister underneath has movie tickets with the General Cinema logo on them. The tickets spin around to reveal tickets that spell out "General Cinema". The tickets then continue to spin, while the camera pans down to reveal another film canister, this time with small people made out of Twizzlers holding each other, and lifting their legs while moving around in a circle. To the left, Popcorn Bob is walking on a filmstrip while carrying a cane in one hand, and a top hat in the other. We then cut to Bob in front of yet another film canister. He presents all of the dancing concessions on the canister, which consists of candy, pretzels, hot dogs, ice cream bars, and cups with the Coca-Cola script and bottle cap on them. We then cut to a cell phone on the canister moving side to side. The phone starts to ring, causing the concessions to stop dancing, and the canisters to stop moving. Bob then gets angry, looks down at his feet, and notices that the filmstrip he was walking on is coming to a stop. He then jumps to the end of the filmstrip, which causes him to drop the hat and cane. He then takes out a megaphone, and whistles through it. A clapperboard with the General Cinema logo on it pushes it's way through the concessions, and pushes the phone off of the canister. The clapperboard then turns around, to reveal text on it that says "Take 2". It then turns around again to reveal text on it that says "Please shut off all cell phones and pagers". The canister starts to move again, and the concessions start to dance again. Bob then starts to walk the other way on the filmstrip. His hat lands in front of him on the filmstrip. The clapperboard approaches the hat, sniffs it, barks, and jumps behind Bob. Bob slips on the hat, and lands on the filmstrip, causing the clapperboard to fly away, and all of the concessions and canisters to come crashing down. Before falling, one of the canisters reads, "Please throw trash away". Bob, and the concessions fall, and they create a | '''Logo:''' On a black background, we see the General Cinema logo in silver. The logo starts spinning to the right, and the camera pans down to reveal that the logo is actually a film canister, with another canister underneath it. The canister underneath has movie tickets with the General Cinema logo on them. The tickets spin around to reveal tickets that spell out "General Cinema". The tickets then continue to spin, while the camera pans down to reveal another film canister, this time with small people made out of Twizzlers holding each other, and lifting their legs while moving around in a circle. To the left, Popcorn Bob is walking on a filmstrip while carrying a cane in one hand, and a top hat in the other. We then cut to Bob in front of yet another film canister. He presents all of the dancing concessions on the canister, which consists of candy, pretzels, hot dogs, ice cream bars, and cups with the Coca-Cola script and bottle cap on them. We then cut to a cell phone on the canister moving side to side. The phone starts to ring, causing the concessions to stop dancing, and the canisters to stop moving. Bob then gets angry, looks down at his feet, and notices that the filmstrip he was walking on is coming to a stop. He then jumps to the end of the filmstrip, which causes him to drop the hat and cane. He then takes out a megaphone, and whistles through it. A clapperboard with the General Cinema logo on it pushes it's way through the concessions, and pushes the phone off of the canister. The clapperboard then turns around, to reveal text on it that says "Take 2". It then turns around again to reveal text on it that says "Please shut off all cell phones and pagers". The canister starts to move again, and the concessions start to dance again. Bob then starts to walk the other way on the filmstrip. His hat lands in front of him on the filmstrip. The clapperboard approaches the hat, sniffs it, barks, and jumps behind Bob. Bob slips on the hat, and lands on the filmstrip, causing the clapperboard to fly away, and all of the concessions and canisters to come crashing down. Before falling, one of the canisters reads, "Please throw trash away". Bob, and the concessions fall, and they create a pile of concessions and tickets. Bob breaks through the center, and smiles. The clapperboard, which now reads "Enjoy the show!" with the "O" in "show" replaced with the General Cinema logo, falls into Bob's hands. Bob brings the clapperboard close to the screen, and claps it as the screen cuts to black. | ||
'''Trivia:''' Because General Cinema switched beverage providers in 2001, Coca-Cola appears in this opening instead of Pepsi. | '''Trivia:''' Because General Cinema switched beverage providers in 2001, Coca-Cola appears in this opening instead of Pepsi. | ||
'''FX/SFX:''' | '''Variant:''' An alternate variant had Bob emerging from a rectangular frame made out of the concessions near the end. | ||
'''FX/SFX:''' Stop-motion animation with overlaid cel animation, produced by Cinema Concepts. | |||
'''Music/Sounds:''' A jazzy arrangement of the theme from the 1st opening, combined with the sounds of running filmstrips. The music starts to slow down, and decrease in pitch when the phone start ringing. A whistle is heard when Bob speaks through the megaphone, a growl is heard from the clapperboard when it pushes the phone off, and a high pitched sound is heard when the phone is falling. The music starts to get out of control when everything is falling. Finally, we hear 5 final notes, and a clap from the clapperboard. | '''Music/Sounds:''' A jazzy arrangement of the theme from the 1st opening, combined with the sounds of running filmstrips. The music starts to slow down, and decrease in pitch when the phone start ringing. A whistle is heard when Bob speaks through the megaphone, a growl is heard from the clapperboard when it pushes the phone off, and a high pitched sound is heard when the phone is falling. The music starts to get out of control when everything is falling. Finally, we hear 5 final notes, and a clap from the clapperboard. | ||