Walcott-Marciano and"The World's Largest Television Screen"

[Brutu]

The Jersey Joe Walcott-Rocky Marciano heavyweight championship fight
of September 1952,
was screened closed-circuit in 50 theatres in 31 cities from coast to coast.
It was the first closed-circuit fight to be shown live at a drive-in theatre.
The S3 Drive-In, Rutherford New Jersey.


http://books.google.com/books?id=drg4Sf ... g=PA103&dq

[Brutu]

The S3 Drive-In originally opened in 1950 on 21 acres(including a huge playground).
Here is an interesting newspaper story on what happened at the drive-in on the evening of the fight.

http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=2b ... 4578454&dq

[BoxBuzz]

I seriously got one hell of a kick out of that newspaper.....We might have even used that very issue to line our parakeet cage in our Prescott cabin. And I mean that in the most positively sentimental way.

[Caractacus]

read this:

http://www.bergencounty.com/history-and ... -1.1066654

Im not sure how big the Drive-In screen was at the S-3 Drive-In at Rutherford New Jersey back for the lucky patrons there to view the live closed-circuit viewing of Walcott vrs Marciano September-23-1952,
but Im sure it was at least 65 feet wide and 40 feet high.
When Cinemascope was intoduced the next year ,the screens got much bigger such as and 103 feet wide and 48 feet high.
(the screens were usually made of an aluminum fabric)
Some drive in screens got even bigger like the one near Stuebensville Ohio in the late 1960's
were the screen was 120 feet wide and 54 feet high.
and
as a special bonus(just to get a feel for the time),here is a link to a hit song from 1952 that you very may well have heard back then on
the car speaker phones waiting for the feature to start.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JBsu6qjirvE

[Caractacus]

...And now Ladies and Gentleman,live from the Munipal Stadium Philadelphia PA,
our feature attraction
Jersey Joe Walcott vrs Rocky Marciano
for the undisputed Heavyweight Championship of the World!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZaKPg7gXtW4

[Caractacus]

Check the knock-out again in slo-mo
(filmed ringside by RKO from a slightly different angle on 35 mm film stock)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9msELiZKyU

[Caractacus]

I wonder if the Rock ever got a little teary eyed whenver he was driving and heard this song on the radio after he retired?
(get your cowbell out again for this 1965 cover version.....aahh Do it!)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TH62T0ejt5I

[Caractacus]

read this:

http://www.bergencounty.com/history-and ... -1.1066654

Im not sure how big the Drive-In screen was at the S-3 Drive-In at Rutherford New Jersey back for the lucky patrons there to view the live closed-circuit viewing of Walcott vrs Marciano September-23-1952,
but Im sure it was at least 65 feet wide and 40 feet high.
When Cinemascope was intoduced the next year ,the screens got much bigger such as and 103 feet wide and 48 feet high.
(the screens were usually made of an aluminum fabric)
Some drive in screens got even bigger like the one near Stuebensville Ohio in the late 1960's
were the screen was 120 feet wide and 54 feet high.
and
as a special bonus(just to get a feel for the time),here is a link to a hit song from 1952 that you very may well have heard back then on
the car speaker phones waiting for the feature to start.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JBsu6qjirvE

yeah baby,I remember those 100 foot wide and about 65 feet tall Drive-In Screens that were still around in the 1970's.
Sounds like the average size closed-circuit theater screen for the closed-circuit broadcast in the 1950's was about 15 tall x 20 feet wide.
The average motion picture screen at the cinema was about 24 ft high x 53 wide I reckon

[Caractacus]

BTW Just for the record.
64 years ago (today)
The very first live television boxing match that aired 'coast to coast" from New York to California
was Wednesday October-3-1951 on NBC-TV.
Dave Sands vrs Bobo Olson from Chicago Stadium.
That however was obviously overshadowed what happened also live coast to coast on television earlier in the day.
Check this out out for the historical perspective.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EiZuVXYa43E

[Caractacus]

Once Again...And now Ladies and Gentleman,live from the Munipal Stadium Philadelphia PA,
our feature attraction
Jersey Joe Walcott vrs Rocky Marciano
for the undisputed Heavyweight Championship of the World!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZaKPg7gXtW4

[APerno]

The Jersey Joe Walcott-Rocky Marciano heavyweight championship fight
of September 1952,
was screened closed-circuit in 50 theatres in 31 cities from coast to coast.
It was the first closed-circuit fight to be shown live at a drive-in theatre.
The S3 Drive-In, Rutherford New Jersey.


http://books.google.com/books?id=drg4Sf ... g=PA103&dq

Have not heard anyone call is "S" 3 in a long time, but then again the Drive-In is long gone too.

[Caractacus]

...And now Ladies and Gentleman, "live" from the Muncipal Stadium Philadelphia PA,
our feature attraction
Jersey Joe Walcott vrs Rocky Marciano
for the undisputed Heavyweight Championship of the World!

[Wee Tommy]

...And now Ladies and Gentleman, "live" from the Muncipal Stadium Philadelphia PA,
our feature attraction
Jersey Joe Walcott vrs Rocky Marciano
for the undisputed Heavyweight Championship of the World!

Et Tu, Brutu?

[Caractacus]

Check the knock-out again in Slo-Mo
(filmed ringside by RKO from a slightly different angle on 35 mm film stock)
Walcott got it right in the beginning motion of a 'Dipsy-Doo".

[Caractacus]

can you imagine what it may have been like to watch that fight LIVE on
a BIg Screen at the Drive-In back then ?
THE EXCITMENT, THE PANDAMONIUM when the Rock landed his "Suzy-Q" in the 13th round.
Anyone know what is located where the S3 Drive-In in Rutherford NJ nowdays ?

[Caractacus]

live from the Munipal Stadium Philadelphia PA,
our feature attraction
Jersey Joe Walcott vrs Rocky Marciano
for the undisputed Heavyweight Championship of the World!

[Caractacus]

also showing at the Drive-IN back in 1953

[Caractacus]

[Caractacus]

[Caractacus]