Boxoffice (Jan-Mar 1963)

Reisini Looks Forward to 600 New Cinerama Dome Theatres by 1965 This is the model of the Cinerama dome theatre which was displayed by Nicolas Reisini, president of Cinerama, Inc., at a west coast exhibitor meeting. This radically new design for a theatre is based upon the geodesic dome concept developed by R. Buckminster Fuller, architect-engineer, mathematician and philosopher, whose work is based upon an analysis of the principles of structure found in nature. Built from precast concrete panels, it will be erected at half the cost of conventional theatres, and in half the time. The 1,000-seat model is expected to be built for about $250,000. Cinerama, Inc., has adopted a radically new design for theatres which will cost approximately $250,000, about half as much as a conventional theatre of comparable size, and which can be erected in half the usual time. Nicolas Reisini, president, announced that Cinerama’s goal is to see that at least 300 of these dome theatres are built in the United States and Canada, and an equal number abroad, in the next two years, at a recent meeting of more than 100 leading exhibitors in Los Angeles. A model and plans of a typical Cinerama dome theatre, based upon the geodesic dome principle developed by R. Buckminster Fuller, were displayed. The model was of a 1,000-seat theatre, approximately 140 feet in spherical diameter and 52 feet high. It is assembled from 316 pentagonal and hexagonal precast concrete panels which are bolted together, flange to flange. Resilient anchor plates are used for mounting the dome on the foundation. After assembly, the joints between the panels are packed with an epoxy mortar. This transfers the loads between panels and forms a watertight seal. The interior is sprayed with asbestos plaster to provide thermal insulation, acoustical absorption and fireproofing. Economies are achieved by the use of relatively inexpensive concrete as a building material. Molds for each panel are of Piberglas reinforced plastic, and since the molds set the critical dimensional tolerances of the panels, with proper inspection to see that specifications are followed, satisfactory panels can be produced even with a relatively primitive concrete technology. The theatre designs were produced by Geometries, Inc., architectural and engineering firm, in Cambridge, Mass., in association with Cinerama’s own technical staff and John J. McNamara, prominent theatre architect. Cinerama is making its patented designs and blueprints available to selected exhibitors desiring to build these unique dome theatres. Wrong Choice of Color Has Bearing on Soil-Resistant Qualities of Carpeting Color can have as much bearing on how soiled your carpets look as does too much wear or too little care. So, before apologizing for your housekeeping, check your i-ug’s ‘soil concealability,’ ” advises Ronald Gleeson, a Montreal maintenance manager who directs the housekeeping of a group of large office buildings and plants. “As every maintenance manager knows, certain colors mask soiling while others actually draw attention to it. That’s why maintenance workers usually wear dark blue uniforms and you seldom see a yellow carpet in the lobby of a public building. A technical study made in England has proved scientifically what every maintenance manager knows from practice. But, where we have become familiar with the comparative ‘soil concealability’ of several dozen different carpet colors, this study involved extensive tests with more than 70 shades representing solid-color carpets.” SOIL OPPOSED TO DUST The British researchers defined soiling, as opposed to dust deposits, as the accumulation of dark foreign matter which is not readily removed by mechanical methods. After examining the apparent soilability of a variety of textile fibers, they were of the opinion that differences due to color have a greater effect than differences due to fiber. Since a rug’s apparent degree of soiling is a subjective matter, the complicated optical study employed human observers as well as scientific methods and equipment. “I certainly wasn’t surprised to learn that the dull and dark shades led all the others as the best dirt concealers,” says Gleeson. Although I was familiar with the ‘soil concealability’ of dark blue, I had to revise some of my thinking when I noted that the blue family led all the others as the one least sensitive to apparent soiling. For instance, delphinium blue showed a resistance of almost nine times that of maize yellow. As expected, yellow emerged as the poorest performer with a ‘soil concealability’ only slightly above white. Cornflower, one of the deepest blues investigated, was only one-seventieth as soilable as white. MEDIUM COLORS SOIL RESISTANT “Most medium depths showed a dirt resistance of ten times that of white. However, this didn’t hold for yellow or orange. Even in deep shades they were pretty obvious about their soil content. Bright orange revealed an apparent soilability only slightly above that of yellow. But muted or dulled yellows and oranges obtained a somewhat higher ‘soil concealability.’ It was fomid that when these colors are selected in grayed or flattened tones, their ‘soil concealability’ rises in direct proportion of the degree of graying. “Carpet colors with a satisfactory ‘soil concealability’ are medium or deeper shades of green, greenish blue, violet, brown, beige and grey. Muted or deep reds Continued on page 29 The 1,000-seat theatre conforms to the Super Cinerama concept of having a "wall-to-wall and floor-toceiling" screen with monochromatic color scheme throughout. Graded, single-level seating area is atop the street-level lobby entrance. 26 The MODERN THEATRE SECHON