The Exhibitor (1951)

18 EXHIBITOR Skouras Clarifies Swiss TV System New York — Spyros Skouras, president, 20th Century-Fox, ’last week elaborated on the deal closed by him and other officials of the company which would eventually put 20th Century-Fox in the television business. The agreement be¬ tween the film company and a subsidiary of the University of Zurich, Switzerland, gives the former manufacturing rights throughout the world of all types of tele¬ vision equipment, for homes as well as theatres. However, Skouras was not sure whether or not the Swiss television sys¬ tem would be licensed to other manufac¬ turers once it is perfected to specifications to be provided the Swiss by company engineers. Skouras announced that his company has advanced a considerable sum of money to be used over the next 18 months, in perfecting the working model desired by 20th Century-Fox engineers, and it is expected that it will be able to receive both color and black and white images, and it will be able to I’eceive color tele¬ casts from any system presently in use or being experimented with and to throw same on theatre screens without loss of detail or color. He described the television projector as being about the same size as a present theatre projector, and that it will also fit into any standard size theatre booth. Any projectionist will be able to operate this Swiss television projector, he says. Skouras also reported that according to his obser NYSE Basic Minimum Starts On April 22 NEW YORK— Some 75,000 industry employes in New York State will be affected by the basic 75-cent-hourIy minimum wage for the amusement in¬ dustry to go into effect on April 22. The minimum was recommended last August by the Amusement and Rec¬ reation Industry Minimum Wage Board for New York State. Certain types of jobs in certain areas in the state will be excepted under the ruling, so that ticket takers and doormen, for example, will be scaled from 70 cents hourly to 60 cents, de¬ pending on the size of the community. Ushers will receive a minimum of 55 cents hourly in New York City, West¬ chester, and Nassau Counties, hut only 50 cents elsewhere in the state. vations it seems to be the best of the theatre television systems devised to date, and there is no limit to the distance that the projector can be installed from the screen as a regular arc lamp provides the screen picture, and fine brilliance is assured. Skouras explained the Swiss system as a simple one based on electronic theory. Images are not imprinted on cathode ray tubes but rather the images received are imprinted on an oil film over a series of mirrors, and light passes through this. There is no limit to the number of lines that these projectors can receive, and thus any telecasting system whether used here rgest Selling Popping Oil ★ Let these advantages go to work for you ★ Butter-like flavor, color and aroma . . . more volume, fewer "duds" . . . Always liquid — needs no pre-heat¬ ing . . . Convenient gallon can for easy use . . . No wastecosts less to use . . . Made by Ci Fi Simonin’s Sons, Inc . Phila. 34, Pa. POPPING OIL SPECIALISTS TO THE NATION In Los Angeles recently for Variety Club's "Heart Award" dinner and installation of officers. Inter¬ national Chief Barker Marc J. Wolf is glimpsed on the stage of the Boulevard as he addressed a "Brotherhood Week" meeting while in the back¬ ground are F. Greenberg, distributor chairman; Gus Metzger, chairman, Southern California Exhibitor Association, and Dr. W. 1. Young, vice-president, National Conference of Christians and Jews. or abroad can be utilized once the mech¬ anism is set. The oil film allows each frame to be projected, whereupon it fades, and allows the next frame to be imprinted for projection. Presently the machine is using 50 frames per second. No special screen in theatres will be needed. Sound will be fed separately into the projection room sound system, and, by the time the working model is completed, it is hoped that the model will be able to work at room temperature. The experimental model had to maintain a low temperature to keep the oil in a jellied state, but it is hoped that this can be corrected. It was said that the light level can be adjusted to bring it up to the level of projectors pres¬ ently being used in theatres. Skouras predicted that theatre grosses in the not too distant future would be tremendous by virtue of theatre tele¬ vision made possible by the Swiss system, and that a huge and fabulous stage show can originate from the stage of the Roxy, and be transmitted to 500 or more theatres throughout the country in color simultane¬ ously. Charles Skouras Explains Swiss Television System _ NEW YORK — Charles Skouras, head. National Theatres, 20th-Fox subsid¬ iary, last week met with executives of several circuits interested in reduc¬ ing the cost of theatre television equip¬ ment through placing of mass orders. He also explained the nature of the Swiss Eidophore system, in whose de¬ velopment and exploitation 20th Cen¬ tury-Fox will share. It was indicated that the Swiss In¬ stitute of Technology will need from 18 months to two years for further development work on the new system before full swing production could be entered into. 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