“It Came from the 50s” could be the headline over this article. Another might be “The Thing That Wouldn’t Die.”

In other words, 3D cinema — the “stereoscopic” process that become something of a punchline after being associated with such 1950s B-films as “Creature from the Black Lagoon” and “Cat Women of the Moon” — is back in a big way.

But according to movie industry professionals, 3D cinema is no longer a joke, gimmick or annoyance (remember those funny red-and-green glasses?).

“Journey to the Center of the Earth” with Brendan Fraser, which opens today in digital 3D at two Malco locations and about another 900 theaters nationwide, is the first of more than a dozen three-dimensional features scheduled for release in the next year.

Among those scheduled for 2008: the animated “Fly Me to the Moon” (Aug. 8); Disney’s animated dog tale “Bolt” (Nov. 28).

“The studios are putting a lot of time, effort and expense into producing a steady flow of 3D product,” said Jeff Kaufman, film booker for Malco Theatres Inc.

The expense is passed down to theater operators. Malco had to buy the software and hardware needed to convert projectors at the Paradiso and the DeSoto into digital 3D-friendly equipment. (The Paradiso is utilizing the “Dolby 3D Digital Cinema” process, while the DeSoto is using the rival “RealD 3D” system.)

In addition, Malco purchased the glasses that moviegoers need to wear to “trick” their eyes into thinking the images onscreen are three-dimensional. Unlike the flimsy throwaway glasses used to enjoy such films as “Gorilla at Large” (1953), the new 3D glasses are sturdy, and large enought to fit over the customer’s eyeglasses — and they have to returned after each show.

Explaining the return of 3D, Kaufman said: “The studios believe they need to offer something TV doesn’t.”

That was the rationale for the motion picture industry’s embrace of the once-experimental 3D process in the first place. During World War II, movie attendance was at an alltime high. But in the 1950s, once loyal moviegoers began to stay home with their new television sets.

In 1952, independent producer-director Arch Oboler (known for the spooky “Lights Out” radio program) released “Bwana Devil” in “stereoscopic color.” The low-budget jungle adventure was a surprise smash, and Hollywood took notice. Warner Bros. released “House of Wax”; Universal scared audiences with the “Black Lagoon” movie and “It Came from Outer Space”; 20th Century-Fox produced “Inferno.”

Even some prestige productions utilized 3D, including MGM’s “Kiss Me Kate”; Alfred Hitchock’s “Dial M for Murder”; and “Hondo” with John Wayne.

The 3D process was cumbersome and unreliable, however, and viewers lost interest. Meanwhile, CinemaScope and other widescreen processes were developed to distinguish movies from television shows.

But 3D never died. Released in 1969, the X-rated “The Stewardesses” became the most profitable stereoscopic movie in history, thanks to its promise of three-dimensional activities and objects that never really materialized onscreen. In 1973, “Andy Warhol’s Frankenstein” splattered audiences with dimensional livers and other organs.

3D returned in earnest in the 1980s, after the surprise success of “Comin’ at Ya!” (1981), an Italian Indiana Jones ripoff. “Amityville 3-D,” “Friday the 13th: Part III,” and “Jaws 3-D” followed.

In recent years, digital technology as renewed interest in 3D, thanks to its ability to deliver more reliable and convincing dimensional effects. The CGI films “The Polar Express,” “Monster House,” “Meet the Robinsons,” “Chicken Little” and “Beowulf” all were released in 3D at some theaters, as were the concert films “U2 3D” and “Hannah Montana and Miley Cyrus: The Best of Both Worlds Concert.”

Next year, 3D movies truly will be comin’ at ya, and from several major studios. Titles scheduled for release during the first half of 2009 include: Lionsgate’s remake of the 1981 slasher flick, “My Bloody Valentine”; Focus Features’ weird Neil Gaiman adaptation, “Coraline,” from director Henry Selick (“The Nightmare Before Christmas”); Paramount’s animated “Monsters vs. Aliens”; the next “Ice Age” cartoon from Fox, “Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs”; and the animated “Up” (about a septuagenarian superhero) and the live-action “G-Force” (about world-saving guinea pigs), both from Disney.

Soon to come: a “Piranha” remake; “Final Destination 4: 3-D”; James Cameron’s “Avatar”; and the eagerly awaited “Toy Story 3.”

-- John Beifuss: 529-2394