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The lost film was/is Scent of Mystery, the only film released in glorious Smell-o-Vision (well, there was a cartoon released, too, that played in a couple of its engagements, although not when I saw it at the Ritz Theater here in LA). The film was shot in the Todd Process (70mm), and, due to the large cost of outfitting theaters with the smell machine and brain and the piping to each seat, only played in five engagements (maybe - that is a number no one seems to be able to confirm - the closest we get is three to five theaters). When it bombed, the movie languished, obviously, until it was released by both Cinemiracle and Cinerama in a severely truncated and changed form, as Holiday in Spain. They extracted a three-panel version from the 65mm negative. This, too, flopped. Until its TV showing in the late eighties (MTV and some local stations) as a tie-in with 7-11, who provided scratch and sniff cards, this was totally unseen by the majority of the population. That version ran about seventy minutes (Scent of Mystery ran 125, the Holiday in Spain version ran 102, with narration added to help get you from point a to b, etc, along with having its intermission stuck in a totally wrong and stupid place) and the "transfer" shown was achieved by filming the middle portion of a 70mm screen with a video camera. It was the single worst presentation of a film on TV I've ever seen. What I saw last week was a 70mm version of Holiday in Spain - there is some question now whether elements exist at all on the original cut of Scent of Mystery, which would be a shame, as it is a gorgeously photographed film, with a wonderful Mario Nascimbene score, and fun performances by Denholm Elliot, Peter Lorre, Paul Lukas, and Diana Dors.
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Posted: |
Dec 27, 2004 - 10:45 PM
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By: |
joan hue
(Member)
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(Sorry Mulan98, hopefully the discussion will merge back to the movie.)
In the mean time.... "You see Joe, that is why I don't let up on you."
You see Mr. BK, many of us have frequented this board for years as has Joe,
and we've been here a lot longer than you have.
We've learned a lot from each other and in some ways become cyber pals.
I'd say the majority of us consider Joe a movie music buddy and a fine teacher.
We enjoy his stories, knowledge, and expertise, and we don't give a rip if
he is off on a particular movie by 30 minutes. I'm with Dana's comments on this.
You seem to examine Joe's every post just looking for some minor detail
to attack. It is like you stalk him on this board, and I find that disconcerting and
extremely cruel. You're not winning any FSM fans that way. I think that you too
are a fountain of knowledge, and I was delighted when you first arrived. You
have so much to contribute to our hunger for knowledge about film scores. However,
I have a hard time looking past your verbal jabs at Joe, and I think I speak for
many when I say that I wish you would unhook your jaws from him and instead
join us in friendlier fellowship.
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Posted: |
Dec 28, 2004 - 12:27 AM
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By: |
joec
(Member)
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The lost film was/is Scent of Mystery, the only film released in glorious Smell-o-Vision (well, there was a cartoon released, too, that played in a couple of its engagements, although not when I saw it at the Ritz Theater here in LA). The film was shot in the Todd Process (70mm), and, due to the large cost of outfitting theaters with the smell machine and brain and the piping to each seat, only played in five engagements (maybe - that is a number no one seems to be able to confirm - the closest we get is three to five theaters). When it bombed, the movie languished, obviously, until it was released by both Cinemiracle and Cinerama in a severely truncated and changed form, as Holiday in Spain. They extracted a three-panel version from the 65mm negative. This, too, flopped. Until its TV showing in the late eighties (MTV and some local stations) as a tie-in with 7-11, who provided scratch and sniff cards, this was totally unseen by the majority of the population. That version ran about seventy minutes (Scent of Mystery ran 125, the Holiday in Spain version ran 102, with narration added to help get you from point a to b, etc, along with having its intermission stuck in a totally wrong and stupid place) and the "transfer" shown was achieved by filming the middle portion of a 70mm screen with a video camera. It was the single worst presentation of a film on TV I've ever seen. What I saw last week was a 70mm version of Holiday in Spain - there is some question now whether elements exist at all on the original cut of Scent of Mystery, which would be a shame, as it is a gorgeously photographed film, with a wonderful Mario Nascimbene score, and fun performances by Denholm Elliot, Peter Lorre, Paul Lukas, and Diana Dors.
Perhaps Liz Taylor "owns" the elements as her stepson was involved with the production. Like AROUND THE WORLD, Taylor let the WORLD elements fall into disarray until Warner took control and did a pretty good restoration job.
Has anyone here listen to or own the Columbia Records soundtrack album? At one time, years ago, I atttempted to located a copy. When I did, the price was always so high, I finally gave up.
I do have a copy of the souvenir program with the "flexi" record of samples enclosed. But I never dislodged it from the book.
the "other" Joe
np RETURN OF THE KING
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I purchased a Stereo Copy of the LP to "Scent of Mystery" a few years ago for (would you believe?)$6.00 . It was an Internet Sale from an Old Records Dealer. I did not purchase it to sell but a year later my wife lost her job and I had to start selling some of my sacred cows on Ebay. It is a Very Good Score full of cool, jazzy music...and a Title Song by Eddie Fisher (you know-Producer Mike Todd Jr -Stepmother Liz Taylor- Then/Husband Eddie Fisher) By the way, did you ever try wrapping a Cow for Shipment through the mail ?
The Other Other Joe
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Here is the soundtrack info:
It was not on Columbia - Scent of Mystery was on Ramrod Records, the only release, I believe. The 45 featured Eddie Fisher and is available quite often on eBay. The 45 that was included in the souvenir book is sung by Jack Haskell, but I don't think that version was available on a commercially released 45. There was also another 45 released by some weird instrumental group, which also shows up on eBay from time to time.
To Joan Hue: I feel your pain. I don't purposely look for things in Joe's posts and, in fact, lately I just skip them because I know that to not do so might require a response. I'm sure Joe has a lot of knowledge - some of it accurate, some not, but he presents it all as if it were absolute fact and that is what annoys me because that is how mis-information gets spread and becomes legend. I haven't really come after him in quite a while, and the only reason I responded to him today was because he pulled a full weasel on something that he admitted he was in error about. That to me is not fair play.
But, I'm just going to ignore him and let his occasional mis-information be believed and I suppose that's fine, except it ain't reality. I'm a bit bored of the little cliques here anyway. I just pass on information I happen to have real knowledge about - but nobody really cares, so people know where to find me if they need answers to questions - and if I can provide them I'll be happy to.
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I am with Joan on this one. I always find Joe Capps and Haineshisway very informative, it's a pity about the disagreements, but on the other hand it does make for healthy historical debate, and does provide us 'spring chickens' ho ho ! with fascinating reading and insight's. But let's not fall out at this special time of the year. We need Joe and Haineshisway on this board.
Niall.
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Oh, and Other Joe: Liz Taylor does not own the elements any more - all of it was sold and now resides elsewhere.
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Well I'm old enough to remember THE SCENT OF MYSTERY, enough to remember that there were a lot of jokes about it at the time it was released. I remember seeing ads for it in the paper, but that was probably the New York Times, which my father always bought every Sunday, even though we lived outside of Pittsburgh. (So I was brought up with an awareness that there were other, more literate, newspapers available. In fact, I still subscribe to the Sunday Times, even though I now live in San Diego.)
You're certainly right about its reception. At the time, it was right up there with the Edsel in popularity.
Then maybe it was the idea of Eddie Fisher as a leading man that may have seemed even more hilarious. After the failure of this movie, his career seems to have stagnated, with his chief claim to fame after this being later cuckolded by Richard Burton.
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Eddie Fisher's leading man status ended with Bundle of Joy, when he was married to Debbie Reynolds.
Eddie didn't appear in Scent of Mystery at all -he just did the cover version of the two songs, Scent of Mystery and The Chase, neither of which are actually sung in the film. The cast includes Denholm Elliot, Peter Lorre, Paul Lukas, Beverly Bentley (WEHT), Diana Dors, and, in a cameo at the end of the film, Liz herself.
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