The Exhibitor (Jun-Oct 1939)

BM-6 BETTER MANAGEMENT A STUDY IN VITROLITE. What can be done with modern decorative materials is exemplified here, where the architect achieved this lovely front through the use of Vitrolite in black, tropic green, and ivory. Striking, compelling, without being garish, the facade becomes one of the theatre’s very best advertisements. All concerned should be proud of the appearance. designed — no exhibitor need fear that his theatre will be marred by the installation of air outlets near the stage. On the con¬ trary, diffusers, by their modern design, often add much to the theatre’s pleasing appearance. • WHEN RENOVATING, not a slight consideration is the matter of seats. In¬ deed, many a complete renovation job has been inaugurated and completed when a theatreman decided that, perhaps, his house could stand new chairs. • IN THE MAINTENANCE of the ap¬ pearance of a theatre, the care of carpets is an important item. As best to illu¬ strate what proper laying and care can do, the Editors give you the story of the gigantic carpet in the lobby of the RKOPalace, Chicago. To any one who has watched a typical day’s throng of thousands pour into the lobby of Chicago’s 2,5 00-seat RKO-Palace, it is a source of amazement that any carpet, no matter how good, could with¬ stand more than a year or two of such heavy punishment. Yet squarely in the path of this cease¬ less traffic is a fine expanse of carpeting. Yet these carpets, so fresh and beautiful today, are original carpets placed in ser¬ vice no less than 14 years ago! Under the carpet lies one of the main reasons for this extraordinary longevity, aside from the due credit that must be given careful and continuous care in cleaning. The original Ozite carpet cushion over which the carpet was laid is as soft and springy as the day it was new. The reason for this exceptional per¬ formance on the part of the carpet cushion is that it is made of real hair which, unlike the vegetable fibre materials used in cheaper linings, neither packs nor loses its resiliance through the effects of age or pounding. • CARPETS IN FOYERS are not the only ones to receive hard usage. That on stairs is particularly amenable to wear, although the degree of that wear — and the quickness with which it comes — de¬ pends on the expertness with which it was laid. Worn spots result quickly in places that may cause a patron to trip. And another place where tripping, even with brand new carpet, is an ever-present dan¬ ger in theatre balconies and galleries, where lighting is never too good. Here accidents are caused by the pa¬ tron’s not distinguishing the limits of a step. To prevent slipping and to make more visible the nose of the stair in dimly lit theatre auditoriums, various carpet and mat manufacturers are offering rub¬ ber nosing. Use of this material, usually in white, reduces the need for frequent replacements due to wear and well de¬ limits the step. While the white nosing is suggested for auditorium steps, or those places in the theatre not too well lighted, the material, which has other uses, comes in black, brown, gray, yellow, terracotta, and green, each of which can probably find utility in almost any theatre. • RENOVATION AND REMODEL¬ ING, to remain spic-and-span, must re¬ ceive constant care. And that means the use of plenty of soap and water, other cleaning materials, together with plenty more elbow grease. Yet here your Editors have learned of new equipment that is said not only to lighten the task, but to do it better as well. Accordingly, we give you remarks of Fred C. Hild, president, Hild Floor Machine Companv. With the Hild Shower-Feed System it is possible to scrub certain floors which heretofore could only be swept or damp mopped. Hild System claims to minimize the risk of damage from water splashing up on furniture or equipment stored on the floor being scrubbed as well as pre¬ venting water from seeping through thin or cracked floors where it might damage the ceiling below or supplies stored on a lower floor. The Hild All-Purpose vacuum machine deserves special attention. Its importance in helping to prevent accidents that re IIOOR SCRUBBER-UPPERS. Here are shown, in a composite photograph the Hild All-Purpo Vacuum Machine (with a close-up of the business end) and the Hild Scrubbing Machine. Both piec of apparatus have many attachments to serve varying uses, all of which have but one aim-the mo thorough cleanliness of all parts of the theatre and its myriad forms of equipment. May 17, 19)9