Smell-O-Vision was a post-war movie theater gimmick that delivered well-timed scents to the noses of audiences to align with the movie. Did it work? Sort of. Did it ultimately fail? Yes. Does that mean it has gone away forever? No.
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# Stuff You Should Know: Smell-O-Vision
Josh and Chuck dive into the fascinating and ultimately doomed history of Smell-O-Vision, the mid-century technology that attempted to add scents to movie theaters in sync with what was happening on screen. From a Swiss inventor's ambitious debut at the 1939 World's Fair to the infamous 1960 premiere of "Scent of Mystery" featuring the mechanical "smell brain," this episode traces how the entertainment industry's most aromatic gamble became one of Time magazine's worst inventions—though not before creating some genuinely clever murder mystery plot points tied to specific smells. Along the way, they explore how this bizarre concept paved the way for modern 4D movie experiences that still divide audiences today.
Around the World in 80 Days
1956
3h 2m
★ 6.6
"They had a very, very big hit with a movie called Around the World in 80 Days. — Michael Todd Sr. and Jr.'s first film production that won Best Picture Oscar in 1957, beating out Giant and The Ten Commandments."
— Chuck
Behind the Great Wall
1958
2h 0m
★ 7.0
"He bought the rights to a documentary called Behind the Great Wall. It was sort of a travel documentary about China. — Walter Reader Jr. used this travel documentary with his Aroma-Rama process instead of creating a new film."
— Chuck
Black Narcissus
1947
NR
1h 40m
★ 7.5
"He was a cinematographer for Black Narcissists, if I'm not mistaken, and won an Oscar for it. — Jack Cardiff was the cinematographer for Black Narcissus and won an Oscar for his cinematography work."
— Josh
Friday the 13th
1980
1h 35m
★ 6.4
"He was in the third one. He's the guy who does the, I think he's the guy doing the handstand who gets like cut in half from the bottom up by Jason with the machete. — Discussion of Kevin Bacon's possible appearance in Friday the 13th films, specifically as 'handstand guy' in part three."
— Josh
Polyester
1981
R
1h 26m
★ 7.0
"John Waters was very famous for his 1981 film Polyester in theaters coming with a little scratch and snip card that you would use. — John Waters' Polyester featured a scratch-and-sniff card for audiences, referencing the smell-o-vision concept."
— Josh
Raiders of the Lost Ark
1981
1h 55m
★ 7.9
"Daniel Melliot, beloved actor who was Indiana Jones' mentor in the first couple, I believe. — Josh mentions that Daniel Meliot played Indiana Jones' mentor in the early Indiana Jones films."
— Josh
Rugrats Go Wild
2003
PG
1h 21m
★ 6.3
"And then the Rugrats go wild movie as an homage is what they call that did the same thing in 2003 with their film. — The Rugrats Go Wild used scratch-and-sniff technology as a homage to Polyester and smell-o-vision."
— Josh
Scent of Mystery
1960
2h 5m
★ 6.0
"The first movie that they used it on, that we'll touch on later, was called Scent of Mystery. — This was the first feature film to use smell-o-vision, featuring Daniel Meliot as the lead actor."
— Josh
The Artist
2011
PG-13
1h 40m
★ 7.4
"Even if you've seen the artist, it's still tough to imagine, right? — Josh references the silent film 'The Artist' as an example of how difficult it is to imagine movies without sound, even after seeing one."
— Josh
Top Gun
1986
1h 50m
★ 7.1
"She went to 4DX for the Top Gun movie. — Sammy Smart from Too Scary Didn't Watch watched Top Gun in 4DX format and had a positive experience."
— Chuck
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