Boxoffice (Oct-Dec 1938)

Soot and Dust, the Air-Borne Pests of Depreciation By Gordon H. Simmons* **'NM!OVING pic" 1 V 111 tures Are Your Best Entertainment.” I subscribe fully to the sentiment of that slogan. But reading articles in Boxoffice is my choicest form of enjoyment. Honestly, I get a big kick out of the many masterful arguments (my own modestly excepted) carried on herein to convince you theatre owning readers that you’ve got to back up that swell slogan with something besides big swaying banners and movie-quiz contests. As a constant reader of other people’s ideas and opinions in this periodical. I’m becoming pretty well convinced that while ‘‘Moving Pictures Are YOUR Best Entertainment,” the dear public has a different slant on the slogan, because of the sinful conditions under which some of you show them to your comfort-loving customers. But why be too serious about it? Anyway, it’s more your problem than mine. Don’t mistake my point. I like moving pictures. Moving pictures from the pages on which my articles appear either to the front cover or even the rear cover of this book would afford me still more enjoyment. Anyway, I don’t like it as it is, for my picture features mostly “nose.” And thereby gives some of you reason and excuse for calling me “nosey.” Which you do. All right; I’ll be that way. An Orchid for Mr. Shaw On page 66 of the November 12 Modern Theatre issue, I read a masterly article entitled “Cleanliness a Successful Curb to Deterioration.” I read this article by William Shaw with mounting interest until I got to the end of it, where he exhorted you to get a good vacuum cleaner and use it to prevent, among other things, upholstery deterioration. By all means, do this. But carry the thrifty idea a little further and also install air filters *Air Conditioning Engineer, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. to prevent vacuum cleaner deterioration by excessive use. Air filters will not prevent the patrons bringing in dirt on their shoes, peanuts in their pockets, or other forms of extraneous refuse too numerous to mention. But they will prevent the introduction of soot and grime into the theatre as well as fine dust and dirt which discolors and makes carpets and upholstery and draperies shoddy and beyond the possible protection of any vacuum cleaner. Being in the air conditioning business and of an observing turn of mind, I can note the progress of deterioration of carpets, upholstery and draperies even in my own home. But also being like many of you, I put off ’til tomorrow what I should do today. Eighteen months ago, the Little Woman got the “clean up and paint up” idea. From reading billboards, I suppose. Anyway, she got the Spring Renovating fever and I got a big bill from a local furniture company for new upholstered furniture, carpets and draperies for every window. And as well a brand new rugged type vacuum cleaner. So we started out to live in sootless style with full protection against furniture deterioration. At least, that’s what we thought. Well, the only thing that hasn’t deteriorated is the monthly payments on the bill. The carpet is so worn out that it will soon have to be replaced. Frequent shaves by the powerful vacuum cleaner have made it pretty well devoid of nap. Once All Was Well, But Now — The upholstered furniture which originally sported a gay pattern, finally took on a dingy color and has recently been “dry cleaned” so that it looks somewhat better. But the once lovely draperies now hang faded and forlorn at the windows even though the walls and ceilings have just been cleaned. Talk about deterioration? I’ve got it and so have you. Cleanliness is a curb on deterioration, but I’ve got a vacuum cleaner and it is not quite enough. So I am going to take a swig of my own prescription and install filtered air condi tioning in my own home to provide my draperies and furnishings with sootless air even if I have to buy the equipment from myself, on the monthly installment plan and stand myself off on the notes when they come due. Now, I’ve no excuse for being such a dummox — other than to say I can afford new draperies and carpets every two years, which is definitely not the case. But can you afford it? I have a much smaller investment than you have, you know. Please be informed that I sometimes do more serious things than write these unserious articles for Boxoffice. The local tax office knows my name and the frequent “please remit” notices are extremely painful and embarrassing to me. Yes, I’ll admit I’m hard to get money out of even for taxes, but I was thinking of something else, viz: Do you know what the Milwaukee tax office charges off for deterioration on theatre furnishings, carpets and draperies? Just 50 per cent per year! Do you know how they arrived at this figure? By a personal inspection of over 70 theatres in this man’s town by your humble servant as supervising head of a committee composed of ten architects, engineers and other technicians. Draperies and furnishings were only an incidental study. We were interested in ascertaining factual information relative to deterioration of the entire structure as well, in order to modify tax schedules in such a way that they would not only be fair to the theatre owner but equitable so that the city could make them stick. Oh, how you exhibitors squawk when you get a tax bill. How I squawk! But it costs money, even to run a Democratic government. No Big Break At That If you think theatre owners get a break when allowed a fifty per cent per year deterioration on carpets and draperies, well and good. I guess it’s needed. But I don’t think it’s very much of a break at that. Sure, such furnishings usually last longer than two years; but they don’t usually stay that long in their original glory and decorative quality. However, they could. Just as the beauty of my draperies, carpets and what-nots could have lasted longer if I had subjected them to sootless air. I must admit that I live in a sooty, dusty neighborhood, pretty close to the downtown area where the air is not any too pure. But are not most of your theatres located similarly? I have air conditioned homes, theatres and stores handling intimate feminine frilly things that the slightest touch of dust or soot would spoil. Yet I permit the germs of deterioration to take over my own house and play heck with it. “Shoemakers’ children go barefooted,” they say. But you’re no shoemaker and I should know better. The cost of air filters for a theatre is low. Many of you have them, of course. But are you taking care of them, or do you just leave them in place without giving them an occasional cleaning? Why 48 The MODERN THEATRE SECTION