Exhibitors Herald and Moving Picture World (Apr-Jun 1930)

80 Better Theatres Section April 12, 1930 Complete Line of STAGE EQUIPMENT SPECIALTY Motor Driven Magnescoping Picture Frames New Type Steel Curtain Tracks with Ball Rollers CONSOLE ORCHESTRA STAGE ELEVATORS BRU CKNER'MIT CHELL INCORPORATED 532-540 West 22nd Street New York tual increased box office receipts by transforming otherwise less desirable and less valuable seats to a higher grade of valuation and desirability. Almost equally as important as proper arrangement of the chairs themselves, is the quality, comfort and service they will give. The element of comfort is an especially outstanding consideration as the ability to provide rest and ease for the audience during the performance augurs for more solid enjoyment of the show. Roominess, correct springs, smooth, well upholstered backs, correctly placed arm rests, a perfectly level placing with the floor, serviceable hat holders, smoothly operating and noiseless seat-hinges — these are but a few of the things that go to make up a comfortable theatre chair. Strength, stability, durability must be embodied in every chair. A broken seat, while apparently not of great importance in itself, is nevertheless an annoyance that reflects unfavorably on the theatre as a whole. Talking pictures have injected another element into the problem of seating for higher efficiency, i. e., acoustics. The acoustical properties of the theatre chair are now very important, and for soundequipped houses upholstered seats have become a necessity due to their soundabsorbent quality. Veneer backs and seats are likely to induce sound reverberation of obnoxious character and may easily mar an otherwise perfect acoustical condition. Therefore, in the selection of seating facilities, the subject of acoustics must now be given most serious consideration. Veneer chairs range in price from $3.75 to $6.00. Upholstered chairs are from $6.00 up. AMERICAN SEATING COMPANY, 14 E. Jackson Boulevard, Chicago, 111. The A. H. Andrews Company, 107 S. Wabash Avenue, Chicago, III. Arlington Seating Company, Arlington Heights. 111. Ilemel Seating Company, 704 W. 26th Street, Chicago, III. Furniture Buyers Service, 605 Broadway, New York City. HEYWOOD-WAKEFIELD COMPANY. 209 Washington Street, Boston, Mass. ILLINOIS THEATRE EQUIPMENT COMPANY, 12 E. Ninth Street, Chicago, III. NATIONAL THEATRE SUPPLY COMPANY, 624 S. Michigan Avenue, Chicago, III. E. W. A. Rowles Company, 2345 S. LaSalle Street. Chicago. 111. Steel Furniture Company, Grand Rapids, Mich. WISCONSIN CHAIR COMPANY, Port Washington, Wis. The Wooten-Gedge Company, 7310 Woodward Avenue, Detroit, Mich. ▲ Chair Covers | N addition to giving a pleasing and * inviting appearance to the auditorium, chair covers serve the practical purpose of coolness and sanitation. An interior otherwise drab may be transformed into a cool, clean, cheerful looking place through their use. Theatre chair covers have been used extensively in dramatic and larger motion picture houses but it is only recently that they have been adopted on a greater scale by the smaller houses. No doubt one of the causes has been the belief that they were an expensive proposition. This, however, is not the case. Recently chair covers have been developed which are reversible, effecting an important saving in laundering costs. There are several things that should be borne in mind in connection with the use of chair covers. It should be remembered that auditorium and balcony chairs as a rule require two distinct and different styles of covers. The auditorium chair should be equipped with a cover which covers the entire chair back while the balcony chair need only have a quarter back. This is because of the -lope on which balcony chairs are placed. Working from blue prints provides the most satisfactory way of assuring a perfect fit of the cover for each chair. Chair pads for veneer seats are also obtainable, and there are also special chair materials which are intended to be used as aids to acoustics. Allied Cloth Specialties Company, Greenville, O. Dura-Tex Fabrics Company, 216 Webster Street, Cincinnati, O. Goldie Linen Company, Not Inc., 14 W. Lake Street, Chicago, 111. S. M. Hexter & Company, 2400 Superior Avenue, Cleveland, O. Made-Rite Fabrics Company, 1426 Sycamore Street, Cincinnati, O. Windowcraft Valance & Drapery Company, 328 Superior Avenue, N. W., Cleveland, O. Chairs, Folding THE folding chair, solidly constructed, plays an important role in the theatre today. With presentation and the stageband, and the need for compactness behind the scenes, the folding chair serves manifold purposes. The durability of this type of chair as made today adds to its value as a stage requisite. Many very small theatres likewise find the folding chair suitable owing to the frequent necessity of clearing the auditorium floor for other forms of entertainment. The folding chair combines neatness, durability and practicability. Tucker Duck & Rubber Company, Fort Smith, Ark. Clarin Manufacturing Company, 2456 Crawford Avenue, Chicago, 111. ▲ Change Makers CPEED and accuracy are obtained at ^ the box office through the use of coin changing machines which in addition to their time saving facilities offer a valuable protection against annoying mistakes in making change to patrons. With the coin changing machines a light touch at the keyboard is all that is necessary to deliver the correct number of coins to the patron who easily scoops them up from a cup at the side of the change maker. Coins may be delivered either from the right or left side and these automatic cashiers as developed for theatres have been improved in recent months until now they are available in sizes which occupy only about 81 square inches of space in the box office. In the handling of crowds the coin changer plays a particularly important part in reducing to a minimum delay at the ticket window, and some are equipped with safety locks to prevent short changing when a channel is empty. Fumbling of coins and the dropping of them which is characteristic of the old fashioned method is eliminated. Change makers sell for $125 and up. Brandt Automatic Cashier Company, Watertown, Wis. Hedman Manufacturing Company, 1158 Center Street, Chicago. 111. Hoefer Change-Maker Company, 3700 E. 12th Street, Kansas City, Mo. Mid-West Ticket & Supply Company, 910 S. Michigan Avenue, Chicago, 111. Universal Stamping & Manufacturing Company, 3839 N. Western Avenue, Chicago, III. Change-Overs ^ DEVICE for changing from one projection machine to another or from projector to stereopticon which is accomplished by pressing a button. The list price ranges from $30 to $65, while one is $50 per unit, complete. Acme Engineering Corporation, 810 Capitol Avenue. Houston, Tex. Dowser Manufacturing Company, 225 Broadway, New York City. ESSANAY ELECTRIC MANUFACTURING COMPANY, 2809 W. VanBuren Street, Chicago, 111. GUERCIO & BATHEL, 1018 S. Wabash Avenue, Chicago, 111. H and A Company, 1507 Cass Street, Detroit, Mich.