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Did You Know? | 10 fun facts about Technicolor

August 19, 2022

With over 107 years of craft, there are many fun facts, unusual insights and project secrets to share. Here are 10 facts that you may not have known about the iconic projects we have worked on.

1. Shirley Temple presented Walt Disney with an honorary Academy Award for Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937), consisting of one full-size Oscar along with seven “dwarf” statuettes. 

2. Technicolor worked on the original Pinocchio in the 1940s, fast-forward 80 years and MPC is a part of Pinocchio (2022) releasing on Disney+ this September.

3. The script for Singin’ in the Rain (1952) was written after the songs, so the writers had to create a plot which fitted the songs.

4. Herbert Kalmus, co-founder of Technicolor, has a star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame for playing a key role in developing color motion picture film.

5. Tiffany’s opened their doors on a Sunday for the first time since the 19th century so that filming for Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961) could take place inside the store. 

6. The Wizard of Oz revolutionized color in cinema with its use of color using the 3-strip Technicolor process. 

7. The Gulf Between (1917) is the first full-length Technicolor feature produced in USA. Sadly, this is a lost film and only a few frames survived over the years. 

8. In 1922, Technicolor made the front page of the New York Times with an investor claiming that in the future 10% of American films might be created in color. 

9. Sir Alfred Hitchcock couldn’t get permission to film inside the United Nations Building for North by Northwest. Footage was made of the exterior of the building using a hidden camera and the rooms were later re-created on a soundstage. 

10. Director Steven Spielberg said that when he first read the Jaws novel, he found himself rooting for the shark because the human characters were so unlikeable. 

Head to our Legacy to discover more fun facts within The Vault.

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