International projectionist (Jan 1963-June 1965)

UA Opens 'Theatre-Within-A-Theatre in Louisville This sketch of the interior of the United Artists Theatre in Louisville, Ky., shows the relative locations of the 2,000-seat auditorium and the 810-seat Penthouse. Projection Make-ready for Drive-ins (Continued from page 5) ( d ) Projection lenses. Do not attempt to disassemble modern sealedgasket projection lenses. Clean only the two exposed surfaces. First, wipe away dust with a soft camel's-hair brush kept for the purpose, then breathe a film of moisture on the glass and wipe gently with lens tissue, using a circular motion. Lens-cleaning fluid, not alcohol, should be used for removing greasy stains from lenses. Pure grain alcohol is indeed satisfactory if you can get it, but commercial denatured alcohols usually contain oily and tarry substances. Unless you own a still, stick to lenscleaning fluid. (e) Soundhead optics. Without removing or disturbing the adjustment of the optical tube, wipe the exposed lenses with lens tissue wrapped around a piece of toothpick. Wipe the exciter lamps, photocell lenses, and photocell tubes with a clean cloth or lens tissue. Avoid getting fingerprints on the glass surfaces. 7. AMPLIFIERS All amplifier racks and cabinets and sound power supply units should be wiped free from dust. It is very important to avoid getting dust into the tube or transistor sockets, so do not remove the tubes before cleaning. Check all fuses in these units. All tubes and rectifier bulbs should be checked for tight connections. As a rule, it is not necessary to open up rheostats, potentiometers, sound switches, changeover faders, etc. for inspection unless a later sound check reveals trouble. That is properly a job for the sound service engineer, as is also the testing of amplifier tubes. 12 B. LUBRICATION Preliminary. Assure yourself thaf the water supply for lamp and aperture cooling is functioning properly. Recirculators require special attention — flush out the tubing, reservoirs, and circulating pumps according to the manufacturer's instructions before filling with pure water for operation. 1. GENERATORS Fill grease cups half full of bearing grease with a grease gun or other suitable means. If bearings are overfilled, wipe off excess as it is forced out during an hour of "running in'* the machine. Keep grease off the commutator and brushes 2. ARC LAMPS Suprex ( simplified high-intensity ) type ( Peerless Magnarc ) : Introduce a few drops of projector oil into each oil cup or bearing oil hole. Do not overoil. Use no graphite grease. Rotating positive high intensity type {Strong) : Use the manufacturer's heat-resistant lubricant containing metallic powder. Add just a drop or two of the thoroughly shaken lubricant to positive and negative feed-head oiling points. Use no graphite, grease, or projector oil inside the lamp. Caked metallic powder in tne positive carbon drive mechanism, indicated when the manual carbon feed handle cranks hard, should be removed by taking the assembly from the lamp and spinning the drive rollers under kerosene. The motor gear-box is sealed and seldom requires greasing. (Please turn to page 14) The United Artists Theatre in downtown Louisville, Ky., by imaginary architecture and engineering, has been converted to a theatre-within-atheatre. The United Artists Penthouse Theatre occupies the balcony, and the United Artists Theatre occupies the lower floor. Then Penthouse has 810 seats and the United Artists Theatre has 2,000 seats. Fourth Avenue Amusement Company Inc., the lessee from the United Artists Corporation, had direct supervision of remodeling and construction. The Fourth Avenue Amusement Company operates six theatres in Louisville: the Rialto, Uptown, Penthouse and United Artists, and the Twilite and Skyway, both drive-ins. The company is headed by D. Irwin Long. Louis Arru is executive vice president and Robert E. Gross is purchasing director and supervisor. The company relinquished its lease to the Brown Theatre, the film road show house. The Fourth Avenue company has transferred the 70/35 equipment to the Penthouse Theatre, and will operate on a road show policy. Walter C. Wagner and Joseph H. Potts were the architects on the project. They built a wall from the balcony rail to the ceiling, and constructed another projection booth on that same wall for the United Artists Theatre on the lower floor. The Penthouse uses the existing projection room up near the ceiling, and is a stadium type of theatre. The Penthouse booth is equipped with Norelco 70/35mm projectors with Ampex stereo sound system. The 35mm projectors and sound system were moved from the original booth to the United Artists Theatre. The Penthouse screen is 42 ft. wide x 22 ft. high; projection throw is 74 ft. For the convenience of patrons of the Penthouse Theatre, an escalator connects it to the lobby floor. According to president Long, the Fourth Avenue Amusement Company had decided to build a new theatre on the outlying shopping areas. The location of an expressway was a major factor in Long's decision to stay downtown. He said since the opening of a new bridge, people from Indiana will have quicker access to downtown Louisville. The Penthouse Theatre opened with "Lawrence of Arabia." iP International Projectionist April, 1964