Showmen's Trade Review (Oct-Dec 1949)

SHOWMEN'S TRADE REVIEW. November 12, 194r E-13 for example where a long lease cannot be obtained.— AC and TC, MO. Exterior »r Facade Design. The box office belongs on the sidewalk line. (AC and TC, MO). Exterior design should exploit refreshment sales as well as picture advertising; a refreshment counter opening on the street will earn more revenue for the theatre than a poster case occupying the same wall space. (TC, MO; AC, PO). The facade should be functional in design, with little or no ornamentation, except where some special style is needed to keep it in harmony with exceptional surroundings, as in the case of a Colonial facade in a Colonial neighborhood. (AC, MO). Ornate, elaborate decoration has no place on the facade of any modern theatre. — AC, UO. Design for Exploitation Exterior Exploitation. Both marquee and name sign should be built-in as integral parts of the theatre structure, not treated as additions to be hung on after construction is completed. — AC, MO. The marquee should provide large attraction boards for changeable letters. Variety of marquee display is important; monotonous appearance should be avoided. Even visibility should be sacrificed if necessary to avoid monotonous appearance. White space is important; and even information should be sacrificed if necessary to provide adequate white space. White space should be left around all the margins of the copy and between all lines of copy; and either one or two letters of space between words on the same line. Letters should be of different sizes and colors. Red and green translucent letters are the preferred colors. Colored translucent letters may be used either alone or in association with opaque letters; but where more than one color translucent letter is used in the same copy it is not desirable to add opaque letters also. Attraction board background lighting should be white not tinted.— TC, MO. In general tone, the outdoor advertising display should harmonize with the overall design and color scheme of the facade and catch attention, not by clashing with the facade, but by being more brilliantly illuminated. Bottom of the marquee attraction boards should be 9-11 feet above the sidewalk. Outdoor 40x60" poster cases should be mounted with their centers from 4'3" to 4'8" abqve the sidewalk. Poster cases should not be crowded too closely together, but reasonably well spaced. — AC, MO. Cellars and Roofs. Putting a cellar under a theatre is a needles expense. (AC, MO). There should be no steps or ramps in the path of patron traffic; the ground site should be graded accordingly before the theatre is built. — TC, MO. •A flat, sloping "lean-to" roof is best for theatres. Tar-and-gravel is the best roofing material. — AC, MO. Interior Design. Indoor poster cases should be reasonably well spaced, not crowded too closely together. (AC, MO). The 40x60" Size should be mounted with centers 41/2' above the floor. — AC, PO. Animated displays in the lobby or under the marquee are helpful, but only on occasion, not for every program. Lobby tripods, loudspeakers under the marquee and sound trucks are helpful, wherever the law allows their use, but again only on occasion and not for every show. The entrance-way may be designed accordingly.—TC, MO. The reverse slope floor, which slants downward in the rear of the orchestra but slightly upward in the front of the house, IS aesirable. TC, MO. If is desirable only in some theatres, such as long and narrow ones, or theatres witn balconies, or where its use will effect an economy in grading. (AC, PO). A proscenium arch is unnecessary in a motion picture theatre. (AC, MO). In general, single-floor seating is best, stadium-type seating next best, and orchestra-and-balcony least desirable. (AC and TC, MO) ; but in theatres planned for live entertainment the orchestra-andbalcony arrangement becomes preferable.—AC, MO. Hanging ceilings are the most economical form because they provide an inexpensive and accessible location for ducts, pipes and wiring. — AC, MO. Every theatre of over 400 seats should have an exit or exits near the screen in addition to whatever other modes of egress may exist. (AC, UO). In fact, every theatre, regardless of size, should have one or more exits at its screen end. (AC, MO). There should be at least one exit for each 250 seats in addition to means of egress through the lobby. — AC, PO. Where possible, keep the downward projection angle to less than 12 degrees, as recommended by the SMPE. Locate the projection room squarely in front of the center of the screen if at all possible; avoid any side angle of projection whatever if avoidable. Follow the SMPE recommendation calling for a picture width equal to approximately one-sixth the distance from screen to the last row of seats. In planning sight lines, remember that it is more tolerable to look downward at the screen than upward at it; the downward viewing angle may be as much as one-third steeper than the maximum upward viewing angle. (AC, PC and TC, MO). Distance from screen to front row of seats should be not less than 0.87 feet for each foot of screen width. (AC, PC and TC, M;0) . It should not be necessary to increase projection light because smoking is permitted, but ventilation should be increased in such cases. — PC, MO. The Projection Room Projection Room Design. For general layout of the projection suite, the recommendations and blueprints of the Society of Motion Picture Engineers should be followed as closely as possible; they have proved successful and practical in actual use. (PC, UO). Ample floor and wall space siiould be left in the projection room for future changes and additions, including addition of a third projector if only two are installed originally; space for public address equipment and space for unpredictable contingencies. (PC, MO). Also, extra front wall space should be provided for additional spotlight parts to accommodate a possible future policy of live entertainment. (TC, MO). Power lines from meter to projection room should be oversize to take care of possible future requirements. (PC, UO). For the same reason, conduit, switchboards and fuse (Continued on Next Page) These Are Your Advisors THEATRE COUNCIL C. B. AKERS, Griffith Theatres. K. F. ANDERSON, W. S. Butterfield Theatres. J. H. ELDER, Interstate Circuit. EMANUEL FRISCH, Rcndforce Amusement. MELVIN C. GLATZ, Fox Inter-Mountoin. HARRY J. GLENN, Wm. K. Jenkins Theatres. R. P. HAASE, Evergreen Theatres. PAUL HARRINGTON, Ruffin Amusement Co. HERMAN R. MAIER, Warner Brothers Circuit. R. H. McCULLOUGH, National Theatres. HARRY MOSCOWITZ, Loews Inc. SAMUEL ROSEN, Fabian Theotres, FRANK D. RUBEL, Wometco Theatres. LEONARD SATZ, Century Circuit. RALPH C. STEVENS, Western Mass. Theatres. BILL TONEY, Tri-States Theatre Corp. EDWARD TOPHAM, Jr., T. & D. Jr. Enterprises CLAYTON TUNSTILL, Moico Theatres. R. VAN GETSON, Balaban & Katz Corp. JULES S. WOLFE, Famous Players Canadion. PROJECTION council" ' ROBERT P. BURNS, Balaban & Katz Corp. FRANK CAHILL, Warner Brothers Circuit. • GEORGE CUTHBERT, Fomous Players Can. C. A. DENTELBECK, Famous Ployers Can.,, ^ ROCCO DILIONE, Walter Reade Theatres.' ' HARRY J. GLENN, Wm. K. Jenkins Theatres: V IRL GORDON, Skirball Brothers TheatresS. . PAUL HARRINGTON, Ruffin Am usement Co. CHARLES HORSTMANN, RKO Theatres 1 • A. C. INCE, Griffith Theatres. LESTER ISAAC, Loew's Incorporated. I. F. JACOBSEN, Balaban & Katz Corp. NATHANIEL LAPKIN, Fabian Theatres L. E. POPE, Fox Midwest Amusement. HARRY RUBIN, Paramount Pictures. LEONARD SATZ, Century Circuit. J. C. SKINNER, Interstate Circuit. BILL TONEY, Tri-States Theatre Corp. ARCHITECT'S COUNCIL ROGER ALLEN, Qrand Rapids National Bank ' BIdg., Grand Rapids, Mich. LEONARD ASHEIM, 5 Sheldon Terrace, New . Haven, Conn. MYLES E.. BELONGIA, 611 N. Broodway, Mil-'. ' waukee 2, Wise. ARMAND CARROLL,Armand Carroll and Wm. J. Stephenson, 262 S. 15 St., Philadelphia, Pa. •. HORACE G. COOK, RD No. 2, Dallas, Pa GEORGE L. DAHL, 19201 . Main St., Dallas, Texas. COLLINS C. DIBOLL, Diboll-Kessels & Associ otes, Baronne BIdg., New Orleans 12, La. DREW EBERSON, John Gr Drew. Ebersbn 2 W ' 47th St., New York 19, N. Y. LEON M. EINHORN, Einhorn O Toole 93 State .'^ St., Albany 7, N. Y. HUGH GIBBS, 441 E. 1st St., long Beach, Califs '. HUGO K. GRAF, 2825 Olive St., St. Louis, Mo. . , ROLAND TIP HARRISON, Wetherell & Harrison, Shops BIdg., Des Moines, la, WALTER HESSE, Block & Hesse, 18 E. 41 st St New York, N. Y, ' r- TALMADGE C. HUGHES, 120 Madison Ave Detroit 26, Mich. ' : KARL KAMRATH, Mackie & Kamroth, 2713 ■ Ferndale PL, Houston 6, Tex. W. H. LEE, 732 Commercial Trust BIdg., 16 S. ' ■ Broad St., Philadelphia, Po. FRED J. MACKfE, Jr., Mackie & Kamroth, 27 1 3. ■ ' Ferndale PL, Houston 6. Tex. MERLE ROBERT MAFFIT, F. & Y. Building Ser ' vice, 328 E. Town St., Columbus 15, O. v: R. W. NAEF, 536 Eastview St., Jackson 26, Miss. :■' URBAN F. PEACOCK,. 1012 N. 3rd St., Milwau; kee 3, Wise. . ■ CARL W. SCHUBERT, Boyum, Schubert & Soren son, Hoeschler BIdg., La Crosse, Wise. RAYMOND B. SPENCER, First Nat'i Bank BIdg.,. .-; Memphis, Tenn. " -'-.i BERNARD B. SPIGEL, Dickson Building. Nor folk, Va. HAROLD SPITZNAGEL, Sioux Fells S. Dak. ROBERT LAW WEED, 152" Du Pont BIdg., ; Miami 32, Flo. WILLIAM W. WOLF, 919 Sutter St. San Fran CISCO, Calif,