They Knew A Classic When They Saw It ...

Shane Sustains Among Western Greats

1959 Trade Ad for First Shane Reissue

Today's post ties in with a special presentation on Friday night, March 3, at the North Carolina Museum Of Art in Raleigh. They are running an archival IB Technicolor print of Shane in 35mm. Greenbriar will introduce the feature and talk about just-published The Art Of Selling Movies, available now from Amazon.

Shane was something like monumental from Day One. Paramount parked it among great ones, knew that reviews would agree, and henceforth stamped "Classic" on whatever revivals Shane later saw. George Stevens' western had the action, vistas, heartthrob --- all to serve widescreens installed too soon for standard-ratio show this was. If any western took the cake for 50's public affection, it was Shane. Others paled beside it, even The Searchers a comparative come-and-go. Rentals were robust, seven million domestic. High Noon had been big, but Shane was bigger. Both would be imitated by westerns more modest. By 1959 and a first reissue, Paramount laid cards on trade table to call Shane "The Greatest Western Of Them All," words ordinarily hyperbolic, but not where this attraction went. Six short years had made votes unanimous --- if Shane wasn't a greatest of outdoor sagas, what was?

Para put revived Shane in a '59 boxoffice season with Last Train From Gun Hill, but no one pretended Gun Hill could sit Shane's saddle. Bookers knew Shane for an evergreen that could come back for each renewed audience, like a Disney feature. Figures bore them out, Shane walloping other '59 reissues with a fresh million in domestic rentals (also-rans Stalag 17 and A Place In The Sun took $399K and $347K, respectively). Only Samson and Delilah, with $2.1 million in new money, did better. A mid-60's pact between Paramount and NBC for primetime movies on Saturday night was notable for not including Shane, it still regarded as viable for theatrical playoff on regular basis. Only DeMille specials shared such heft. 1966 was seven years later and further occasion to sell revival tickets. By this time, the venerable western was tabbed "Classic," and dared anyone to differ. Paramount would do it right with fresh pressbooks, paper, and new 35mm prints on IB Technicolor stock, visuals not at all diminished. Shane could safely play alone or on front end of a double-feature.

North Carolina got Shane in heavy dosage, all except my hometown. I had to make do with ads for venues surrounding. One was Greensboro's National Theatre, always visionary in terms of selling, and lauded at Greenbriar before. The National's management often went quirky ways --- for instance, there's reference in their ad above to the gun duel between Shane and "evil Stick Wilson." Where else, including the film itself, was Jack Palance's character referred to as "Stick"? And yet it fits, which might be reason I haven't forgotten that name since clipping the ad from a Greensboro newspaper in 1966. Note the National's invitation for patrons to attend in "authentic western costumes" --- and "bring your guns." Is it necessary for me to add !!! in parenthesis here? Let's just say this was among last occasion when customers were invited to carry firearms, even play-toy ones, into a crowded theatre. Imagine flap today if anyone ran promotion like this. I came across a number of ads, by the way, with Night Of The Grizzly in '66 support of Shane. A right-thinking combo? It's one I could certainly have enjoyed, then or now. Shane took $838K for 1966 dates. Only other reissue to surpass it was DeMille again with a fantastic $8.8 million for The Ten Commandments, which outclassed every other Paramount release that year, old or new. Maybe the company figured Shane to be finally played out in theatres, because within a year, it would be sold with other Paramount titles to ABC for network broadcast.

ABC-TV, PAR WARNED ON 'SHANE,' said Variety's 2-14-68 headline. Shane was scheduled for network TV premiere on February 18, 1968, and director George Stevens was putting both web and distributor on notice that he'd sue (again) if Shane was altered in any way from its theatrical form. Cutting would be "at their peril," but trims were a likelihood, added the trade, because Shane was set for 9:00-11:15 airtime, two hours and fifteen minutes to contain a 118 minute feature. Shane was at the least a tight fit with "16 blurbs (commercials) on the ad sked," that plus station breaks, in and out-tros, all of which were par for primetime commercial viewing course. Stevens had appealed an earlier court decision involving A Place In The Sun, another of his that took network abuse (in that case, NBC's). The director was passionate on this issue; he'd even testify to being "less employable today" thanks to "blurb breaks" in earlier films being telecast, and fact the industry no longer paid big dollars for his services and types of pics he made (GS referred specifically to the million he got for directing The Greatest Story Ever Told). NBC stood firm, said their contract with Paramount included assent to cut any film where necessary, Stevens' vaunted works no exception. So far as ABC figured it, they'd have as much editorial right with Shane.

The 2-18-68 broadcast was sad for some, exhibitors disappointed to see a wickets reliable tossed to the tube, and no, the grandeur of Grand Teton locations would not look so grand on 20" home sets, even color ones. Sale to TV meant Shane was done and out in theatres. As if to eulogize, Variety columnist Jack Hellman spoke praise to the oldie and recommended all of an industry tune in and "learn how to make the next one better," referring, of course, to downturn in feature quality since days of  "real classic" Shane. Interim meanwhile gave us a TV series based on Shane, "which conked out after 17 segments and hasn't been heard from since in the off-network markets" (Variety, 12-20-67). Did series Shane leave odor that clung to its feature forebear? You might think so for modest ratings ABC had when Shane premiered. Variety season summary for movies on TV (9-11-68) saw Shane ranked #55 in overall feature viewing, behind things like Palm Springs Weekend, The Brass Bottle, and a number of NBC's Made-For-TV flicks. Syndication was announced in March 1968, Shane offered up with 26 other Para titles, including Sunset Boulevard, Hud, and Papa's Delicate Condition. If George Stevens was alarmed over what ABC might do to his masterpiece, perhaps it is as well he didn't monitor local stations and ravage they'd inflict. A 16mm TV print I got in 1975, albeit on IB Technicolor stock, had some of roughest wear imaginable, more cue marks (for commercial breaks), footage taken out, then replaced, dissolves snipped --- a real junk heap. Such was film collecting, so thanks all the more for Blu-Ray we have now, and at fraction of cost (see HERE for two-part Greenbriar going-over of first-run Shane in "Widescreen")