Boxoffice (Oct-Dec 1963)

Clever Method of By PAUL RICKETTS* w e want to give a little account of a seat-spacing project, just completed, for the benefit of any considering such a move. In our theatre we spaced 238 seats from 31 inches to 41 inches back-to-back and were able to do it with drilling a minimum of holes in the concrete floor. Here is the way it worked: Starting at I X 2 s ABILITY STEEL-ABILITY — In screen towers that are built to stay put. STEEL-ABILITY — In the industry’s most beautiful entrance and exit canopies. STEEL-ABILITY —In decoratordesigned box offices. STEEL-ABILITY— In “Lite-Tite” all steel “durability” fencing and wing walls. STEEL-ABILITY— For strength and low maintenance. 'OR MORI INFORMATION AND PRICES WRITE industries, inc. MJJSO GHENT MILLS ROAD — AKRON 1 J, OHIO Area Code 216 MO 6-7211 Respacing Seating the back, Row No. 1 was left as was, Row No. 3 was removed and taken down front. Row No. 2 was moved forward so that the former front row of bolts was now the back row — drilling new holes for the front. Row No. 4 was moved back using the former rear bolts for the front legs and drilling new holes for the rear. Thus we were able to space four rows of seats by drilling two rows of holes plus some extras at the end standards where the holes didn’t match. With Row No. 5 we started over again, the whole project being handled in units of four rows as explained above. We removed 82 seats from a 409-seat house and now have the new spacing about two-thirds of the way down. We were fortunate that our front and rear leg bolts were in a straight line — this is not the case with all seats. This cut down the work immensely. If you have hesitated because of the work, I suggest you check your seats to see if they will work like this. We have a bank of four seats between the outer wall and the aisle and we removed the rear row on each side, tiled the floor, and got tubular metal, wallmounted racks for the rear wall. This provides a place for coats, hats, and packages, and it also removes that corner “necking seat” which is sometimes a problem. We figure that our “slaves” put in about 140 hours of work and this includes some floor repair and some gum removal. We used about $25 worth of lead-shielded bolts *Mr. Ricketts is owner of the Ness Theatre, Ness City, Kas., and also operates a drive-in and other theatres. This article first appeared in Speed-O-Gram, bulletin of the United Theatre Owners of the Heart of America, of which he is president. r v. SAVE ON ELECTRIC CABLE Drive-In Theatre Cable Speaker Cords Heater Cable Stage Cable and other types in stock UNIVERSAL WIRE & CABLE 2937 N. Paulina, Chicago, III. 60657 EA. 7-4777 J and $8 to $10 worth of cement drills. We believe we will get our money’s worth in more seating comfort, easier entry and exit, customer satisfaction, and better teenage behavior by having moved the seats farther apart. We have presented this in some detail hoping it might answer questions for some who have been wondering about respacing their seats. When we reopen in the fall we will give this improvement adequate publicity with newspaper space and a screen trailer that will likely run most of the winter. We believe we have something to sell that is worth talking about. WESTERN ELECTRONICS CO. Dept. B 3311 Houston Ave., Houston 9, Texas FINE EQUIPMENT DOES NOT HAVE TO BE EXPENSIVE In fact, the PERMANENT QUALITIES OF PS SPEAKERS prove them by far the most economical speaker you can buy. A NEW EXPERIENCE IN SOUND, TOO! See and hear why the finest drive-in theatres and large circuits all over America now use PS in-car speakers. 24 MODELS— STANDARD OR L-PAD CONTROLS WRITE FOR BROCHURE AND PRICES PS JUNCTION BOX Quality Product! ^ Assures correct hanging for most speakers. Makes speaker connections easy. Ends large cord loops. Weatherproofed high efficiency transformer, heavy duty terminal block, plus other features assure long, trouble-free life. Wide range of finishes. IF rite for full information, prices today. PROJECTED SOUND, INC. PLAINFIELD, INDIANA (Indianapolis TE 9-4111) Aluminum Die Cast IMMEDIATE DIRECT SHIPMENTS 62 The MODERN THEATRE SECTION