59: SMELL-O-VISION

Desperate Acts of Capitalism Podcast

Have you ever been watching a movie, and desperately wanted to SMELL the action? Like literally SMELL what was going on in the film? Well, turns out, Hollywood has tried to make that a reality several times. Today we'll examine the bizarre and complicated history of attempting to add scents to the silver screen. Edited and thumbnail by Noah JOIN US ON PATREON FOR EARLY EPISODE RELEASES, BONUS CONTENT, AND MORE: www.patreon.com/desperateactsofcapitalism BIG THINGS ARE COMING Sources: "Another Early 'Smellie'". Variety. January 6, 1960. p. 35. Gilbert, Avery N. (2008). "Hollywood Psychophysics". What the Nose Knows. Crown Publishers. ISBN 978-1-4000-8234-6. "'Smellies' Back in 1916?". Variety. November 27, 1940. p. 21. Retrieved 2021-01-04 – via Internet Archive. Fowler, Albert E. (January 13, 1960). "Fragrance of Long Ago". Variety. p. 6. https://www.latimes.com/business/la-tm-oops6feb05-story.html "Swiss Inventors' 'Smellie' Adjunct To Pix; Other N.Y. Airport Items". Variety. September 11, 1940. p. 2. Retrieved 2021-01-04 – via Internet Archive. Robertson, Patrick (1993). The Guinness Book of Movie Facts & Feats (5th ed.). Abbeville Press. p. 168. ISBN 1558596976. https://www.nytimes.com/1959/10/17/archives/todd-smell-film-may-be-scooped-reade-rushes-own-picture-to-beat.html Hift, Fred (October 14, 1959). "War of Rival Film 'Smellies'". Variety. Vol. 216, no. 7. p. 1. Kirsner, Scott (May 15, 2008). Inventing the Movies. Createspace. pp. 45–46. ISBN 978-1-4382-0999-9. https://www.nytimes.com/1959/12/10/archives/smells-of-china-behind-great-wall-uses-aromarama.html Sragow, Michael (November 17, 2006). "Be forewarned: It's 'Waters' World'". Baltimore Sun Times. Archived from the original on 2007-09-30. Retrieved 2007-04-06. https://web.archive.org/web/20201021044003/https://www.ntt.com/release_e/news06/0004/0411.html https://www.firstshowing.net/2011/spy-kids-4-hitting-theaters-with-an-all-new-form-of-smell-o-vision/ https://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/news/8077455/Smell-O-Vision-TV-developed-by-Japanese-scientists.html https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg21729105-900-smell-o-vision-screens-let-you-really-smell-the-coffee/