The Exhibitor (Nov 1938-May 1939)

BM-6 BETTER MANAGEMENT Under normal conditions, the body is continuously giving off moisture as a byproduct of life itself, the moisture being almost instantly evaporated. When the humidity is high, that evaporation is slowed, manifesting itself as perspiration, because the more moisture there is in the air, the slower it is to absorb more. On the other hand, when the humidity is low, evaporation from the surface of the body is rapid. When extreme dryness is present the rapidity of drying, plus the fact that the skin is truly dry, results in a desiccation that is dangerous indeed if prolonged. Assuming, then, that a theatre is maintained at a temperature that presents the right degree of comfortable coolness (in relation to the outside temperature), the raising of the humidity a few points has the same effect as raising the temperature, and lowering the humidity, lowering the temperature. When one considers that the cooling effect of a fan, even an electric one, is entirely due to the action of the air in motion in the removal of body moisture before it has had time enough to accumulate to the point of becoming perspiration. The air, of course, in motion is precisely what it was before it was agitated. • AIR CONDITIONING is not exclusively a matter of air cooling. It is, rather, the combined processes of taking air and cooling it (in the warmer months) or warming it (in the colder months), cleaning it to remove all foreign matter (gaseous as well as solid), and to dry or humidify it to the proper degree. Accordingly, a third phase of air conditioning ballyhoo seldom mentioned by theatre publicists is the purity angle. Conditioned air is pure: it is air which has had removed all noxious gases and materials such as asthma-producing pollens, soot, and dust. While the medical profession might argue that a couple of hours in a theatre— about 10 percent of a day — is not of great therapeutic value in the treatment of asthma or hay fever, it is not infrequently observed that even 120 minutes in such a theatre have given such a few moments of surcease. But the astute theatre publicist will not be unmindful that here is a fact worthy of his consideration as another peg on which to hang institutional publicity. During the winter months, especially when influenza tends to be more prominent, the publicist can advance the argument that the danger from infection in crowds is minimized in an air-conditioned theatre. • OF COMFORT IN THEATRES much has been written in this and other trade journals — and, probably in years to come, forward-looking journals will continually stress that all-important point. The value of good projection, sound, seating, et cetera, is, or should be, manifest to every exhibitor, but another angle on the comfort problem (which the exhibitor should also recognize, and probably does) is that of the proper conditions of temperature and humidity to be maintained for the greatest comfort for the greatest number. On this point, the exhibitor is, in general, guided by nothing more substantial than his own feelings or "by guess and by gorry!” Such a trial-and-error method might have been all right in the days of yore, before air conditioning; but, in this day of Grace, such slipshod methods should not be tolerated. Although libraries cannot be said to be crammed with the necessary information, there is still a sufficient volume of material on the subject that the exhibitors should not be completely unenlightened. However, it must be said that much of the material on the correct conditions of temperature and humidity is couched in language more readily understandable to heating and ventilating engineers than theatrical laymen. • BETTER MANAGEMENT, accordingly, at this time takes pleasure of presenting to its readers the recommendations of the American Society of Heating and Ventilating Engineers, the accepted authority on these matters. From a long series of experiments, wherein various combinations of temperature and humidity were tried out and the reactions noted of thousands of people to those conditions, the Society has developed what it terms its comfort zones. Stripped of its complexities, these zones are represented on the table presented on this page. Across the top of the table will be found the dry-bulb temperatures; down the left side, the wet-bulb temperatures, and in the body of the table the relative humidities for each combination of wet and dry-bulb temperatures. COMFORT CHART FOR GUIDING THE REGULATION OF THEATRE AIR CONDITIONING Wet Bulb Temp. (° F.) Dry -Bulb Temperature ( Degrees Fahrenheit) 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 71 70 69 68 67 66 65 • — — — 69 69 65 69 65 61 70 66 62 58 70 66 62 59 55 67 63 59 56 52 67 63 60 56 53 49 69 64 60 57 53 50 46 61 57 54 50 47 44 54 61 48 45 42 48 45 52 39 40 37 35 — 64 68 65 61 58 54 51 48 46 43 41 39 36 34 32 30 63 — — — — — — 68 64 61 57 54 51 48 45 43 40 38 36 33 31 — — 62 — — — — — 67 64 60 57 53 50 47 44 42 39 37 35 33 30 — — — 61 — — — — 67 63 59 56 53 50 47 44 41 39 36 34 32 30 — — — — 60 — — — 66 62 59 55 52 49 46 43 40 38 35 33 31 — — — — — — 59 — 70 66 62 58 55 51 48 45 42 39 37 34 32 30 58 70 66 61 58 54 51 48 45 42 39 36 34 31 57 — 61 57 53 50 47 44 41 38 35 33 30 56 — — 53 49 46 43 40 37 34 32 55 — — 48 45 42 39 36 33 31 54 — — — 41 38 35 33 30 53 — — — — 34 32 52 31 COMFORT CHART. Represented hi the body of the table are the humidities ( expressed as a percentage of saturation) over a range of temperatures (as recorded by the dry and wet-bulb thermometers. The area covered by the humidity figures is known as the comfort zone, conditions of temperature and humidity under which 50 percent or more of a theatre’s patrons will be comfortable. The bold-face figures at the right center of the table represent the ideal humidities to be maintained for recommended summer temperatures of 74 to 78 degrees and the bold-face figures at the left centre represent the ideal humidities to be maintained for recommended winter temperatures of 6 8 to 72 degrees. At both these ideal conditions, which the theatreman should strive to maintain constantly, the American Society of Heating and Ventilating Engineers, on whose published works this chart is largely based, has found by actual experiment and questionnaire that between 97 and 98 percent of an audience are comfortable. March 15, 19)9