If you think cinema is just audiovisual entertainment, hold onto your popcorn folks, because today we're diving into an aromatic abyss of olfactory oddity when Hollywood engaged in the battle of the smellies. This isn't just a whiff of the absurd, but an honest-to-goodness tale of when Hollywood tried to tickle our nostrils along with our imagination. So did cinematic innovation cut the mustard or was it all just passing wind?

Imagine going on a date to the cinemas, delighting your senses with panoramic views of Spain and then suddenly getting hit by a waft of, is that shoe polish? Welcome to "Holiday in Spain," a 1959 film that painted a whole new 'scent-scape' in the world of cinema. The film successfully broke the fourth wall, or should we say, the nose wall, by incorporating smell into the cinematic experience. It marked the introduction of Smell-O-Vision, a technology that promised an olfactory rollercoaster ride to audiences.

The idea behind Smell-O-Vision was as audacious as it sounds. It aimed to titillate your smell buds (that's a thing, right?), offering a multi-sensory cinematic experience, basically treating your nose to a buffet of fragrances. But like many audacious ideas, it was easier said than done. Audiences expecting to be immersed in an aromatic plot found themselves amidst a mix of mistimed scents and a bouquet of confusion.

But Smell-O-Vision wasn’t the only stinky boy in town. In a plot twist that could only happen in the '50s, Smell-O-Vision found itself nose-to-nose with its competitor, Aromarama. The late 1950s witnessed a stank-off between these technologies, each promising a sensory experience that would make your nose twitch. The fragrant face-off left audiences bemused, amused, and more than a little bit congested.

Despite promising a revolutionary cinema experience, Smell-O-Vision didn't quite pass the smell test. "Holiday In Spain," the first Smell-O-Vision film, became a testament to the technology's flaws rather than its potential, ultimately evaporating from theatres as quickly as the scents it pioneered. Nevertheless, the idea of scent-enhanced cinema continued to tease the industry, making occasional cameos in films like "Polyester," which used a ‘scratch-and-sniff’ gimmick known as Odorama.

Despite the smell-tacular failure of Smell-O-Vision, the dream of a multi-sensory cinema hasn't entirely vanished. From the whiff of an ambitious 'iSmell' concept in the 1990s to the 'smelling screen' of 2013, olfactory cinema continues to be a holy grail for some brave souls. But as we stand on the precipice of this aromatic abyss, one thing is clear - the journey to successfully integrate smell with cinema is proving to be one tough cookie to sniff out. And so, while we might not yet be able to smell our way through a film, we can at least tip our hats to Smell-O-Vision for the nostril novelty it brought to the cinematic table.

Would you really want to smell everything you see on screen? Perhaps buttery popcorn and your date’s alluring aroma are more than enough to delight your senses.

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Episode description

Lights, Camera, Olfaction: Smell-o-Vision Actually Existed

Episode description