Hondo 3D glasses

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Thanks to Houston's Michael Bergeron for passing along this shot of a pair of Hondo 3-D viewing glasses left over from the original 1953 release of this John Wayne film. ("Ain't that a Shane?") It was announced last week that the 3D version of Hondo will be screened at the Cannes Film Festival.

These 3D specs appear to be in awfully good shape considering they're 54 years old and made of featherweight cardboard

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Posted by Jeffrey Wells on May 7, 2007 at 5:29 AM

comment #1

royfromage says ...

Are you SURE those are from 1954? I remember Hondo being shown in 3-D on TV in 1990 or 1991 and picking up glasses that looked EXACTLY like that from the 7-11 as part of a local TV promotion.

Posted by royfromage at May 7, 2007 6:27 AM

comment #2

Rich S. says ...

Plus, I could be wrong, but was Hondo a red/green 3-D film back in the 50s? Most 3-D films from that period were not, especially color films. They used polarized glasses. That effect could not in the past be reproduced on televisions, so when a 3-D movie was shown on TV, they had to default back to red/green.

Posted by Rich S. at May 7, 2007 6:51 AM

comment #3

berg says ...

these glasses are from the early 1990s TV showing

Posted by berg at May 7, 2007 6:58 AM

comment #4

ab says ...

Right, those can't be from the original release- it was polarized like all movies in the 1950s. Anaglyphic theatrical releases are largely a myth until recently. (Thanks for nothing, Mr. Rodriguez.) Things like 8mm hobbyist prints were anaglyphic, but I doubt any are full-color- they'd be effectively black and white (shades of red and cyan- you know what I mean).

Nearly every 3-D movie from that era (1953) has been show at the 3-D Expos in recent years. Main exception? Hondo. The Wayne estate apparently wanted too much money to show it.

Hondo was converted to anaglyphic form for the TV showing these glasses are from (by Dimension 3, I'd guess, so they could tell you when). That hasn't been released on video, though people taped it and have copies (I should somewhere). I've had lousy results with full-color anaglyphs on tape though.

Posted by ab at May 7, 2007 8:54 AM

comment #5

gruver1 says ...

Wells to commenters: I stand corrected. From the '90s, not the '50s...makes more sense.

Posted by gruver1 at May 7, 2007 8:56 AM

comment #6

christian says ...

i still have my JAWS 3-D and FRIDAY THE 13TH 3-D glasses...those were the days!

Posted by christian at May 7, 2007 9:03 AM

comment #7

Walter Sobchak says ...

"Friday the 13th III" is still the best (non-IMAX) 3D movie I've seen. Why? Because it delivered the D. I don't like any of the "Friday the 13th" movies and number III is about as bad as the come, but they were smart enough to know that if we were gonna spend two hours wearing those dorky glasses, they'd give us the goods. From popped-out eyeballs coming at us to a dude in a van offering us a doobie, things flew at us non-stop all the way up to the end.
I remember the makers of "Jaws 3-D" proudly stating at the time that they weren't going for "gimicky" effects but rather a solid action film that happened to dimensionally involve the audience. ZZZZZZZZZ. Sucked.

Posted by Walter Sobchak at May 7, 2007 10:03 AM

comment #8

christian says ...

walter is correct. FT133-D was a great time at the movies, and the audience was electric. it's the best 3-D film i've ever seen next to the CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON...

Posted by christian at May 7, 2007 10:05 AM

comment #9

christian says ...

btw, that was the last time i recall an audience SCREAMING all the way through the movie because the 3-D was so freaky...

Posted by christian at May 7, 2007 10:06 AM

comment #10

Pelham123 says ...

Did anybody see and remember something called "Comin' At Ya" from the '80's? As I recall it was an "Indiana Jones" type 3-D movie that was pretty much nothing but action, er, comin' at ya.

Posted by Pelham123 at May 7, 2007 10:36 AM

comment #11

christian says ...

i actually have a VHS 3-D copy of COMIN' AT YA! which is a pretty grim tho apropos spaghetti western. it was also a hit film that kicked off the 80's 3D revival.

Posted by christian at May 7, 2007 10:45 AM

comment #12

Craig Kennedy says ...

Did anyone see "Spacehunter: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone" in the early 80's? That would be an example of one of the bad ones.

Posted by Craig Kennedy at May 7, 2007 4:42 PM

comment #13

christian says ...

it looked so bad even i wouldn't go. and i saw everything.
except that. and the 3-D revival was dying by that time.

Posted by christian at May 7, 2007 6:53 PM

comment #14

Earl Hofert says ...

Pelham, I think the one that you are thinking of is "Treasure of the Four Crowns," which was made by the same people as "Comin at Ya" and was a "Raiders" knock-off. Total crap, as were pretty much all the 3-D films released during that 1980's revival although Friday the 13th was probably the best of a bad lot.

No love for "The Man Who Wasn't There" or "Amityville 3-D"?

Posted by Earl Hofert at May 7, 2007 7:22 PM

comment #15

Walter Sobchak says ...

What about "Parasite" in 3-D......with young Demi Moore.

BTW... back in 2002 went to see "Friday 13th - 3D" at the Nuart for a 20th anniversary thing.... sell-out crowd.... "stars" from the film in person!... enjoyed by all.... great fun.

Posted by Walter Sobchak at May 7, 2007 8:26 PM

comment #16

Earl Hofert says ...

I'll see your "Parasite" and raise you "Metalstomm: The Destruction of Jared-Syn" with Kelly Preston.

Posted by Earl Hofert at May 7, 2007 8:33 PM

comment #17

christian says ...

METALSTORM! holy shit! full house!

don't forget they re-released DIAL M FOR MURDER 3D at the same time. strange seeing it in a suburban mall with teens on a friday night in the 80's -- and the fucking thing wasn't 3D! the audience sat through the whole film wearing glasses and the 3D didn't work! i was the only one who complained...

Posted by christian at May 7, 2007 11:08 PM

comment #18