Showmen's Trade Review (Oct-Dec 1949)

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E-12 SHOV/MEN'S TRADE REVIEW, November 12, 1949 The Progressive Encyclopedia Of Theatre Operation A Compendium of Conclusions on All Phases of Theatre Design, Construction, Maintenance and Operation, Developed at Monthly Discussions By Members of THE Architects, Projection and Theatre Advisory Councils. ABBREVIATIONS USED AC — Architects Council; PC — Projection Council; TC — Theatre Council; UO— Unanimous Opinion; MO — Majority Opinion; PO — Plurality Opinion. The compendium that follows comprises the conclusions of three different Councils; and represents either unanimous, majority or plurality opinion of each body. To keep the reader informed just which Council or Councils offered the opinion cited, and just how closely the members of that body themselves are agreed concerning it, the above abbreviations are used throughout. Council conclusions are often unanimous on technical matters, as the reader will find on glancing through these pages. In fact, two different Councils may agree, even by unanimous votes of each body, on many technical details of theatre operation. But factors of taste — as for example, m decoration — may be involved, as well as of technology; and therein agreement is naturally not to be expected. On some purely technical points also, especially in mattei-s in which industrial practice is still rapidly evolving, agreement does not always exist. In each case, however, the initialed abbreviations (such as AC — MO, etc.) that follow each conclusion or opinion reported, will accurately inform you as to which Council's conclusion is cited and to what degree the members themselves concurred in it. These abbreviations— as well as the index appearing on this page — ar,e necessary both for your own convenience and for economy of space, because the ground covered by the Councils, in the years in which they have been advising you in these pages, covers an enormous scope. Design and Construction Architects' Services. An architect experienced in theatre work can effect economies to many times his fee — and no theatre should be built or remodeled except under such supervision. — TC, MO. Drive-In Theatres, at current building costs, may 'be a better investment than a conventional house. They have become a permanent part of the industry. — AC and TC, MO. Screen towers and buildings should be architecturally treated for impressiveness, glamor and beauty; grounds should be landscaped (this is not seriously expensive) ; rest rooms, employes quarters, manager's offiice, etc., should not all be grouped in the same building with projection equipment, but some built into the screen tower or scattered among other structures built to house them. — AC, MO. Refreshment sales building should have large picture windows so patrons will not be deterred from buying refreshments by unwillingness to miss part of the show.— AC, MO. Best drive-in location is on a main highway, with screen located back to road. (TC, MO, AC, PO.) Illumination, except for aisle marker lights, is undesirable during the show (TC, PO), but artificial moonlight during the show is desirable (AC, MO). Deep wells are best for water supply, and septic tanks for sewage disposal. — TC, MO. Projection and sound quality in a drivein should be fully as good as in a conventional theatre. Projection room safety provisions should be equally complete, since panic among an automobile audience could prove even more disastrous than in an indoor theatre. (PC, UO). Best screen width for drive-ins is 40-50 feet; best projection distance 120-220 feet. PC, MO. Drive-in screen should tilt forward to minimize keystone effect. (AC, PC and TC, MO). Individual in-car speakers are more desirable than a powerful centralspeaker arrangement. — PC, MO; TC, UO. Admission scale should be such that individual drive-in patron pays as much as, or more than, the local rate for indoor theatres.— TC, PO. Prefabricated and Quonset Theatres. Their use can be expected to increase in the future (AC, PO) but at present they are desirable for some locations only, as THE PROGRESSIVE TXTT^P V ENCYCLOPEDIA IIM-^' OF THEATRE OPERATION Page Acoustical Treatment E-14 Air Conditioning E-16 Animated Displays E-13 Architects' Services E-12 Attraction Boards E-13 "Black Light" Murals E-14 Box Office Location E-13 Carpets E-14 Cellars E-13 Chair Maintenance E-16 Chair Spacing E-16 Chair Upholstery E-16 Chair Widths E-16 Changeable Letters E-13 Design and Construction E-12 Draperies E-16 Drive-In Design Features E-12 Drive-In Screen Location E-12 Drive-In Screens E-12 Drive-In Theatres E-12 Economy in Lighting E-14 Economy in Projection E-16 Exits E-13 Exterior Design E-13 Page Exterior Exploitation E-13 Facade Design E-13 Floor Coverings E-14 Floor Slope E-13 Hearing Aids E-16 Heating ,. E-16 Indoor Lighting E-14 Interior Construction. . .' E-14 Interior Decoration : E-14 Interior Design E-13 Interior Finishing and Maintenance . . E-14 Lighting E-14 Lighting Economy E-14 Lighting Live Entertainment E-14 Live Entertainment E-14 Live Entertainment, Lighting for, E-14 Lighting for Safety E-20 Lobby Furnishings E-14 Lobby Tripods E-13 Lounges and Rest Rooms E-14 Marquees E-13 Quonset and Prefabricated Theatres . E-12 Popcorn Sales E-16 Poster Cases '...E-13 Page Prefabricated and Quonset Theatres .E-12 Projection Angle E-13 Projection Economy E-16 Projection Equipment E-20 Projection Equipment, Life of E-20 Projection Operating Standards E-20 Projection Room Construction E-14 Projection Room Design E-13 Projection Room Fittings '. . . , ,E-16 Projection Room Safety .E-20 Projection and Sound Quality E-16 Projectionists' Inspection Routine E-20 Refreshment Sales E-16 Refreshment Sales in Drive-Ins E-12 Roofs E-13 Safety E-20 Screen Borders E-14 Screen, Drive-In E-12 Screen Image, Size of E-16 Screen Location E-13 Screen 'Width E-13 Seating E-16 Seating Plans E-13, E-16 Sound Standards E-20 Ventilation E-16 Ventilation, for Safety... E-20