Exhibitors Herald (Apr-Jun 1922)

lay 20, 1922 EXHIBITORS HERALD 91 DEVISES TRICK RECONSTRUCTED THEATRE ON LENS FOR FILM PAR WITH MODERN PLAYHOUSE nvention of California Man Is Said to Have Big Possibilities An invention, which is said to embrace ew and untold possibilities in motion dure photography, has been devised f Leon F. Douglass, a resident of MenPark, Cal. Mr. Douglass is a former ce-president and general manager of ie Victor Talking Machine Company id is at present chairman of the board : directors of that company. He has •eviously been associated with Thomas , Edison. Saves Time and Labor The perfection devised by Mr. Dougss, it is said, will not only make posble many new things in the way of novel ms along trick photography lines but ill prove the means of duplicating those ready in use at a great saving of time id labor. The new effects are produced by means prismatic lenses. For instance, a picre can be taken of two men at a table, ifty feet away a woman sits in a chair in ie with rays from the prism. In the m she appears a miniature vision — ilid and complete — unlike the "shade" rm common in double exposure work, n image of a player can be multiplied jz or ten times through the new discovy. An idea of its illusion possibilities e seen in an instance cited on a film here a woman is about to be crushed .* the wheels of an oncoming automobile hen in reality she was twenty-five feet tvay. • The question of the feasibility' of remodeling is an interesting one to every exhibitor, especially those who are considering such a move in the near future. When the old house becomes inadequate for various reasons it is either a matter of building a new one or making the present structure fit the new demands. Many things must be considered in this connection. The matter of remodeling is a something in which the factors of the individual case are the deciding ones. Where it would be policy for one exhibitor to remodel his theatre it would probably not be the most efficient thing for another showman to do under his circumstances. Alhambra an Example That playhouses can be remodeled until they embrace all the beauty and comfort of a strictly new theatre has been proven. Large as well as small theatres are being rebuilt. The Alhambra theatre, a First National sub-franchise holder, at Canton, Ohio, is a good example of a theatre that has been made virtually new through the process of remodeling. This was accomplished at a cost of about $18,000. State inspectors who have inspected the house following completion of the work have pronounced it one of the safest and most sanitary theatres in that section of the state, according to John Kessler. general manager of Kessler Theatres Company, which controls the house. Many changes have been made in the Alhambra. Additional seats have been added bringing the seating capacity up to 950. A double way lobby has been worked out. The ceiling of the structure has been raised three and one-half feet. Large steel girders have been put into place to provide the utmost in the way of safety. Interior Is Decorated Special attention has been paid to ventilation and lighting. Twenty-one ventilators have been installed and a new lighting system inaugurated. These two phases of the rejuvenation program were worked out by Mr. Kessler. The interior has been completely redecorated. The result in this case has been a practically new theatre at a cost of $18,000, and the Alhambra is now declared as comfortable a playhouse as ^ould be desired. While many things in the way of beautification can be accomplished in remodeling, the fact that it can be made as comfortable as a new house is the overwhelming consideration. For, after all. the features and equipment that make for the comfort of the patrons are the more important ones. New Metro-Young Film Is Nearing Completion "The Hands of Xara." first of the series of photoplays starring Clara Kimball Young to be distributed chiefly by Metro Picture Corporation, is nearing completion. With the exception of the territories of northern New York and New Jersey, Metro is the booking medium for all of Miss Young's new series of pictures. Camera work upon "The Hands of Xara" is finished, and there remains only the processes of cutting and titling. These last steps will be undertaken by Harry Garson, director of the photoplay. WEST COAST THEATRES PLAN MANY ADDITIONS TO STRING OF HOUSES The present building program and gradual expansion of the West Coast Theatres, Inc., has been progressing with rapidity during the past month. Several links have been already ^dded with the opening of the New Circle theatre at 60th and Moneta avenue, the new Tivoli theatre at 43rd and Central, and the new Hippodrome theatre, a combined photoplay and vaudeville house at Bakersfield, California. Many prospective building sites are in view with continued building and expansion expected. Those in construction at the present time are the new house for San Pedro, and also a beautiful theatre under way in San Diego. REGENT THEATRE SOLD Aaron A. Acorn has sold the Regent motion picture theatre at Xorwalk, Conn., for Samuel Kantor to the Regent Theatre Company for a consideration said to be $250,000. The house seats 1,200. Films and vaudeville will be the program. Lichtman in New Offices Al Lichtman, former official for Paramount and Associated Producers, has moved his headquarters to 576 Fifth avenue, New York. Recent Installations Lincoln Theatre Washington, D. C. Liberty Theatre Youngstown, Ohio Dixon Theatre Dixon, Illinois Senate Theatre Chicago, 111. New Grand Central Theatre St. Louis, Mo. Minusa Cine Screen Co. St. Louis, U. S. A. World's Largest Producers^/ J^otion PictureScreens. The Right Organ Music at The Right Price Employing an organist from the ranks of "drifters" is a hazardous business. You can now be absolutely sure of getting reliable organists for your theatres and know their box office worth in advance. This institution is more than a booking agency as it classifies each organist's talents, training and ability before sending him out on the job. CHICAGO MUSICAL SERVICE BUREAU 20 East Jackson Boulevard CHICAGO '•Let your audience hear what it sees"