Showmen's Trade Review (Oct-Dec 1939)

October II, 1939 SHOW M E N ' S T R A D E R E. V I I'. W Page 31 e Question BOX You ask them, STR answers them with adfice on your equipment problems. If you wrote the question, you'll be most interested in the answer. If you didn't write the question, you'll be interested both in question and answer, because the other fellow's problems may be yours too. Come on — ask your questions about equipment and maintenance. U'RR asks: In hiiyiiig /(rtc carpets for our theatre z^'c have been offered so zvide a range of qualities and priees that zue are nozv rather confused. What Zi'ould like to kiwzv is: zvill the higher priced carpets give longer and more satisfactory service? And also, if you don't mind a second question, z^liat kind of lining is best for underneath the carpet? ANSWER: Not being carpet experts we won't attempt to cover your question technically. But from the practical angle our advice would be for you to buy an inexpensive carpet of a make well known especially for theatre use. But of even greater importance is the fact that if you use an excellent quality felt lining under such an inexpensive carpet you will, in all probability, get good value and service for your money. We would venture a guess that either Alexander Smith or Mohawk Carpets are your best bets, to be laid over a good felt lining. Of the latter there are two well known on the market. Your dealer can tell you more about them. ■'fi ^ ^ GHJ zvrites: JJ'e recently noted your comment as contained in a reply to your Question and Anszver Department on the subject of rubber mats. In this connection zvould you advise the entire standee section being covered zvith mats in preference to carpets? ANSWER: That's a hard question to answer without knowing a lot more about your theatre. From experience we would say that unless the wear and tear if exceptionally great in the standee sections it would be far more inviting to have such sections carpeted rather than covered with rubber mats. However, in addition to your lobby you might try a section of rubber mats on the auditorium side of the lobby doors and also at the heads of each aisle. These are points of hardest wear on carpets and will materially reduce your carpet maintenance costs. * * * KVT asks: Ours is a theatre of seven hundred and fifty seats. All we have in the way of ventilation equipment is two old exhaust fans up in the roof. We are seriously considering air-conditioning and wondered about hozv much a complete installation zvould cost. There are no ducts or anything else that can be used so the installation zvould have to be from scratch. ANSWER: There are available at this time some unusually fine air-conditioning equipments which in our opinion can be purchased and installed complete for a house the size of yours for approximately eight thousand dollars. Considering the extra business you can do during the hot weather with such equipment warrants the opinion that it would be a doggoned good investment and one which should pay for itself many times over during the first few years you have it. Automatic flasher system, which indicates amount registered by cashier is a new feature of the General Register Corporation's sales register. The rear of the indicator is constructed so that the cashier can ascertain that the indicator is working correctly, and the customer can see clearly the amount paid for tickets, which flashes on the indicator above the cashier's window. Additional indicators can be installed in other locations of the theatre. Mimosa Theatre, Morganton, Set to Open in November The Mimosa Theatre, Morganton, N. C, which is to be one of the finest small capacity houses in the South, is sclieduled for completion during the latter part of November. The theatre is being built by the Davis Brothers, operators of the Alva and Carolina Theatres in Morganton. Equipment thus far selected for the Mimosa includes American Seating Company's Bodiform chairs. Western Electric Mirrophonic sound, Motiograph mechanisms, and A^allen proscenium equipment. Rodger Chain Building Work has started on the new L W. Rodgers theatre at Carbondale, 111. The theatre 's located at Illinois Ave., and Cherry St. Estimated cost of the building is $100,000. with a schedule for completion in about six months. Seating capacity is 1,200. The Rodgers circuit now operates a theatre in Carbondale, which will run shows at night only when the new building is completed. Plans call for a stadium type auditorium. The new theatre will be the eighteenth in the Rodgers chain. New Westinghouse Compressor Unit Westinghouse Electric and Alanufacturing Company, this week demonstrated a newly developed ultra-compact 100-ton compressor particularly adapted for air conditioning theatres and other places requiring high capacity equipment. For equal capacities, the new unit is smaller and lighter than previous commercial compressors. It requires but one-third the space and is onethird lighter in weight than conventional compressors of equal capacity. The 16-cylinder, V-type, 1150 rpm unit is liermetically sealed, and due to its reduced size can be fittted into corners or odd spaces ordinarily too small for previous high capacity units, or lacking the ventilation which is not required for motor cooling, which in the Westinghouse unit is tmnecessary due to the new design and operating principles. Returning cold refrigerant gas from the evaporator cools the driving motor. Reduction of maintenance expense is claimed as a result of the hermetically sealed design, in which there is no shaft-seal to leak, the motor being completely enclosed with the compressor. Forest, Inc., In New Location In order to provide more room and faciory facilities for the company's new additional products including projection lamps and a new line of Forest Screens, Forest, Ire. has moved into new headquarters at 203 Mt. Pleasant avenue, Newark, N. J. SIGNS and MARQUEES Electrical Advertising for the AVON THEATRE, Stamford, Conn. CAMEO THEATRE, Brewster, IN. Y. (William I. Hohauser, Architect &■ Encineeb) BUILT ANO INSTALLED BY Claude Neon of Coniieetieiit, Inc. General Office and Factory: 1712 Fairfield Avenue, Bridgeport, Conn. Better sound means better box office— and RCA tubes mean better sound RCA Manufacturing Co., Inc. Camden, New Jersey • A Service of the Radio Corporation of America