When Hollywood Almost Went 3D: Famous Films Planned for Stereoscopic Release That Ended Up in 2D

The history of 3D cinema is filled not only with pioneering successes, but also with intriguing “what might have been” projects — films that were originally conceived, budgeted or technically prepared for stereoscopic production, yet ultimately released only in 2D.

From classic Hollywood thrillers to modern blockbusters, many productions explored 3D as a creative or commercial strategy before abandoning it due to cost, technical limitations, studio caution or shifting market trends. Today, with advanced depth-analysis and high-quality 2D-to-3D conversion techniques, these near-miss 3D titles represent an exciting opportunity for restoration, re-release and rediscovery.

At an early stage of EYEPOP-3D's evolution this was area I was really interested in investigating with a view to converting. Then last year I was kindly provided an article on this topic by Lawrence Kaufman which I will reproduce below. It makes fascinating reading and although I'm no film historian myself so don't have explicit details on any of these films, bar one or two more famously "unmade 3D" titles, there's quite a few I can imagine would look superb with an added dimension.

Probably the most famous of these films would be "Them!" which was originally conceived to be in 3D and Warner Color. During pre-production, test shots in color and 3D were made.

A few color tests of the large-scale ant models were made, but, when it was time to shoot the 3D test, Warner Bros.' "All Media" 3D camera rig malfunctioned, and no footage could be filmed.

Sadly "THEM!" is not currently available for EYEPOP-3D to convert or it would have been top on our list of conversions!

Why So Many 3D Projects Were Abandoned

Historically, several recurring factors prevented films from reaching the screen in 3D:

• High production costs associated with dual-camera rigs

• Projection incompatibility across cinemas

• Studio risk aversion during uncertain market cycles

• Technical complexity interfering with lighting, editing and visual effects

  
  

As a result, dozens — possibly hundreds — of productions explored 3D only to retreat before principal photography or early test phases.

A New Opportunity in the Conversion Era

Today, the landscape has changed dramatically. High-precision 2D-to-3D conversion using modern depth analysis, manual artist refinement and stereoscopic restoration pipelines allows studios and rights-holders to revisit films that were once considered impossible to present in 3D.

For titles originally conceived with depth in mind, conversion offers:

• Faithful reconstruction of intended spatial staging

• Preservation of classic cinematography

• New theatrical and home-media revenue streams

• Fresh audience engagement with historic films

In many cases, these modern conversions could finally deliver what filmmakers originally envisioned — decades after release.

The Future of “Lost” 3D Cinema

Films planned but never shot in 3D represent one of the most exciting frontiers in stereoscopic restoration. They combine built-in creative intent with untapped commercial potential — especially for classic horror, science fiction and spectacle cinema.

As studios, archives and specialist conversion houses continue to explore these forgotten opportunities, audiences may soon experience legendary films not just as they were seen — but as they were originally imagined.

As with our earlier release of "A Virgin in Hollywood", which was not entirely 3D but contained several 3D sequences, it's interesting to consider these films which had some relation to 3D and then to get an opportunity to see them in 3D, as they "might have been".

So how does a series of "Planned for 3D" films sound to you?

Announced 3D Golden Age Features (Article by Lawrence Kaufman)

3D Still from "THEM!" originally planned to be produced in 3D.

In the early decade of the 1950s, movie theater attendance was way done as compared to the previous decade and the war years. The “golden era” of 3D movie history was ushered in when “Bwana Devil” opened in Hollywood on November 26, 1952. 3D movies were introduced to the masses and the masses showed up. Hollywood thought they had found the answer to the theater attendance slump and every major and many minor producers announced many of their future features would be in 3D. Only fifty features were photographed in 3D, but over three times that many were announced as planned for 3D.

Wide screen presentations and processes also began to roll out in 1953, due to the success of the September 30, 1952, New York premiere of “This is Cinerama.” The shape and sound of cinema was about to change forever. “This is Cinerama” quickly became the top box office film of 1952. Cinerama, with the 7-track sound mix, 2.59 aspect ratio accomplished with three 35mm, 6 perf films all interlocked was like no other film process. A standard academy format, black and white prologue with broadcaster/writer/traveler Lowell Thomas opened the feature, with no opening credits. Thomas announces ‘This is Cinerama’ as the screen opens to its full length and changes to color. In its opening week in New York, it was shown twice per day, with an additional 5:00 pm showing on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. It saw near-capacity (1,250) attendance, grossing $35,000 from 17 performances with a top price of $2.80. The initial eight-week advance sale was increased to 16 weeks after the film proved to be popular. Early matinee attendance was impacted by the 1952 World Series between the New York Yankees and the Brooklyn Dodgers. After one year, the film had played in four cities (New York, Los Angeles, Detroit, and Chicago) and had sold 2,225,000 tickets, grossing $4,305,000, with $2,208,000 in New York alone. At the Warner Hollywood, the film played for 115 weeks, grossing an LA record of $3,845,200. The film played for a record 99 weeks in Chicago.

2D Still from "Red Garters"

In January 1953, Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation reported “acquiring rights to a new French process which permits the projection of a picture with stereoscopic effects two and one-half times the size of the normal screen.” The process was actually patented in 1926 by French inventor Henri Chrétien as AnamorphaScope. 20th Century Fox announced all future productions would be filmed in CinemaScope. In April 1953, "Shane" from Paramount showed that wide-screen was enough of a draw to bring audiences to the theaters. Theater conversions for wide screen and stereo sound increased, while exhibitors started complaining about the increased rental fees for 3D movies. One of the first movies that had been announced for 3D was "Red Garters," shortly following the success of "Shane," Paramount stepped away from 3D for this movie.

House of Wax 3D Lobby Card

Following the wide release of “House of Wax,” 3D showed it could be a draw to theaters. “House of Wax” was the number one movie for five weeks, followed by four other features that played number one for at least one week. These five 3D features played in the number one spot for eleven weeks. Unfortunately the first two CinemaScope features played number one for twelve weeks, starting in September and playing into December. 3D was considered box office poison, even with promised ‘perfected 3D glasses,’single strip projection and Polaroid sending staffers to lend technical assistance, Hollywood had given up on 3D. Very few new 3D features would begin production by the late summer of 1953 and many of the features that had been shot in 3D were released only in 2D.

You may recognize some of the over 100 3D movies which had been announced, but weren’t filmed in 3D:

The 3-D Follies (never completed)

50 Fathoms Deep or Fifty Fathoms Deep (Columbia)

5,000 Fingers of Dr. T, The (Columbia)

African Lost World

Americano, The

Baby-Faced Nelson (Baby Face Nelson)

Barcelona

Battle of Rogue River (Katzman)

The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms

Beneath the 12-Mile Reef

The Big Rainbow (Underwater!)

Bluebird and His Seven Wives (Warner Bros)

Brigadoon (MGM)

Captain Kidd and the Slave Girl

Carmilla (UI, Ross Hunter female vampire)

Cannibal Island (UA)

Carnival Story (Carnival)(King Bros, German 3D process)

Charge of the Lancers (Sam Katzman)

Chubasco

Clowns With Baggy Pants (Mickey Rooney, Columbia)

Conquest of Space (Paramount, 1955)

Conquest of the Moon (became Cat-Women of the Moon)

Cruisin’ Down the River (Columbia)

Drums Along the Santa Fe

East of Eden (Warner Bros)

El Alamein (Columbia)

Escape from Fort Bravo

Far West

Fireman Save My Child (originally with Abbott & Costello, began filming 11/20/’53) Fort Bravo (MGM)

The Franz Liszt Story (Columbia, My Sister Eileen remake aka Wonderful Town)

From Earth to the Moon (William Castle proposed 1950)

Gown of Glory (Warner Bros)

The Great White Way (Columbia)

The Great Green Og (Columbia)

Helen of Troy (Warner Bros)

The High and the Mighty (Warner Bros)

High Voltage (High-Voltage)

Highway Dragnet (filming began 8/17/’53, released 1/20/’54)

Hold Back the Night (Allied Artists, filmed Feb. 16, 1956, released 7/29/’56)

House in the Sea (AA murder mystery, released as “Highway Dragnet”)

Huckleberry Finn (aka Huck Finn, MGM)

In the Clouds (Abbott & Costello)

It Happened in Spain

Kentucky Rifle

The Kid from Left Field

The Kiss and the Sword

The Knights of the Crusades (Warner Bros)

Knock on Wood (Paramount)

The Last Train West (Warner Bros, Alan Ladd)

Leinigen vs. (The) Ants (Paramount, working title for The Naked Jungle, 1954)

Let’s Do It Again (Columbia)

Lucky Me (filming began 11/5/’53, 2.55, Warner Bros)

Mademoiselle Modiste (Warner Bros)

Main Event, The (Columbia)

Man O’ War (Warner Bros, Sid Luft)

Man Who Stole the Sun (20th Century-Fox)

Man Killer

Marry Me Again (filming began 6/9/’53, 1.66)

Matador (John Huston w/Jose Ferrer, producer)

Miss Robin Hood

Mississippi Woman (Warner Bros)

Mr. Roberts (Warner Bros)

New Faces (Warner Bros, filmed widescreen)

Noa-Noa

Pal Joey (Columbia)

Pirate Women

The Odyssey

Quietly My Captain Waits (Warner Bros)

Red Garters

Renegade Canyon (Columbia)

Return to Mars (Return to Earth)(Phil Tucker)

Ring Around Saturn

Riot in Cell Block 11 (Allied Artists, released 2/18/54, 1.37)

Rope’s End, The (MGM)(working title for Escape from Fort Bravo)

Scalpel (Columbia, Charlton Heston-Lizabeth Scott, released as Bad for Each Other)

The Silver Horde (RKO)

Silver Lode

Sam Katzman contemplating all 17 pictures in 3D (Columbia)

Spear in the Sand (Oboler)

A Star is Born (began filming 10/12/’53, 2.55, Warner Bros)

Strongarm (Columbia, planned with Broderick Crawford & Roberta Haynes)

Sweet Chariot (1st Natural Vision feature)

Tarantula (independent from Andy Stone)

Them (began filming 9/29/’53, 1.75, Warner Bros)

Thunder in the North (RKO)

Tell-Tale Heart, The (UPA/Columbia)

Time for Beany

Traveling Saleswoman, The

Tripoli to the Sea (Sam Katzman)

Two-Headed Spy

Ulysses or The Odyssey of Ulysses (filming 5/18/1953-9/1953, 1.66)

Under the Big Top (Warner Bros, Burt Lancaster)

Vicki (Len Goldstein)

Waterfront (20th Century-Fox)

White Christmas

White Swamp (RKO)

Women of Venus

Zimbalist, Al planned 3 titles 3, 4 & 5 (African w/Explorers Pictures Corp.)

Ten planned Mexican 3D features by the Brothers Santiago and Manuel Reachi, in association with Jacques Gelman (one featuring Cantiflas)

NOTE: Thank you to Lawrence Kaufman for allowing me to reproduce the article here.

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