1955-1975

As the film industry rapidly changed throughout the 1950s, Technicolor faced increasing challenges to its market dominance. Eastmancolor and other similar processes were cheaper and more appealing to studios, and the new widescreen systems could not be used with Technicolor’s three-strip process. From 1952, Technicolor began to offer its superior dye-transfer printing for films photographed with other color processes. Productions shot in Eastmancolor, such as This is Cinerama (1952) or Twentieth Century-Fox’s first CinemaScope film, The Robe (1953), were released with Technicolor prints, featuring the credit line “Color by Technicolor.”

The film industry conversion to Eastmancolor happened quickly, and within three years, Technicolor retired the last of its three-color cameras. Rather than decommission its inventory, the company repurposed these cameras for widescreen photography, and in 1957 the Technirama widescreen process was launched. In the 1960s, Technicolor further diversified its options. The company entered the consumer market for the first time, offering photofinishing services, small-gauge film cameras, and rocessing for television.