Fort Ti

Fort Ti
Theatrical release poster
Directed byWilliam Castle
Screenplay byRobert E. Kent
Story byRobert E. Kent
Produced bySam Katzman
StarringGeorge Montgomery
Joan Vohs
CinematographyLester H. White, Lothrop B. Worth
Edited byWilliam A. Lyon
Color processTechnicolor
Production
company
Columbia Pictures
Distributed byColumbia Pictures
Release date
  • May 29, 1953 (1953-05-29)
Running time
73 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$2.6 million

Fort Ti is a 1953 American 3-D Western film directed by William Castle, and starring George Montgomery and Joan Vohs. Written by Robert E. Kent, the film is the first Western to be released in 3-D and the first 3-D feature to be released in Technicolor by a major studio.[1][2] Fort Ti was distributed by Columbia Pictures in the United States.[3]

The film is set in 1759 at Fort Ticonderoga during the French and Indian War.[4]

Premise

As war is raging across 18th-century colonial America, a band of famed native fighters join British forces for an assault on a French stronghold.

Cast

Production

William Castle says Sam Katzman was inspired to make the film by the success of Bwana Devil. Castle says he "decided to throw every goddamn thing I could think of at the camera" in the movie.[5]

3-D supervision was by M.L. Gunzburg, creator of the Natural Vision 3-D system that had initiated the 3-D boom, previously used on Bwana Devil and House of Wax.[6] The film was shot at Columbia Studios and on location in Utah and Southern California.[7]

Box office

Fort Ti earned an estimated $2.6 million domestically during its first year of release.[8]

Legacy

In 1982, Fort Ti became the first 3-D film to be broadcast on television in the United Kingdom. The following year, it became the first 3-D film to be broadcast on television in the United States and Australia along with the Three Stooges 3-D short Pardon My Backfire.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b Zarzynski, Joseph W. (July 18, 2013). "Fort Ticonderoga: It Plays a Role in Movie History". lakegeorgemirrormagazine.com. Retrieved August 9, 2015.
  2. ^ "Fort Ti: Movie Details". afi.com. Retrieved August 9, 2015.
  3. ^ Martin, Len D. (1991). Columbia Checklist: The Feature Films, Serials, Cartoons, and Short Subjects of Columbia Pictures Corporation, 1922-1988. McFarland. p. 110. ISBN 0-899-50556-2.
  4. ^ Pitts, Michael R. (2012). Western Movies: A Guide to 5,105 Feature Films (2 ed.). McFarland. p. 113. ISBN 978-0-786-46372-5.
  5. ^ Castle, William (1976). Step right up! : ... I'm gonna scare the pants off America. Putnam. p. 124.
  6. ^ The 1953 Film Daily Year Book of Motion Pictures. Vol. 35. J.W. Alicoat. 1953. p. 145.
  7. ^ Hayes, R. M. (1998). 3-D Movies: A History and Filmography of Stereoscopic Cinema. McFarland. p. 206. ISBN 0-786-40578-3.
  8. ^ "The Top Box Office Hits of 1953", Variety, January 13, 1954