Exhibitors Herald and Moving Picture World (Oct-Dec 1928)

December 22, 1928 EXHIBITORS HERALD and MOVING PICTURE WORLD 45 Remodeling That Brought Profits When Great Chains Came One circuit teas Publix, another West Coast. This, then, is a story of competition and of hate tico theatres were saved — and more — by architectural revamping By HOYT BARNETT HAMRICK'S Music Box and the United Artists, two Portland. Ore., theatres once relegated to darkness, have been remodeled and now they compete successfully with two new and larger theatres owned by great corporations. In five weeks, the Music Box accommodated fully half the total population of the city, which is conservatively estimated at 360,000. The United Artists, because of its size, is not furnishing entertainment to as many patrons as the others, but it is doing a good business never-the-less. Here emphatically, is a case in which two large first-run houses with unlimited resources (one is owned by Publix and the other by West Coast) have been forced to give up the practical monopoly they once enjoyed, by remodeling. The owners of the Music Box and United Artists faced a peculiar situation. Both are in the same block and have a combined seating capacity of nearly 3,000. The competition which forced the former owners to close down was furnished by the two theatres several blocks away and across the street from each other, with at least 5,000 chairs. The larger theatres added vaudeville attractions, and finally the old theatres found they could not draw patrons enough to meet expenses. West Coast Theatres, Inc., owned the Liberty, which is now the Music Box, and soon after abandoning it, leased it to John Hamrick, who owns the Blue Mouse here as well as two theatres in Seattle and one in Tacoma. He decided upon complete renovation and redecoration, which he was able to accomplish at a cost of less than $50,000 within six weeks. When Hamrick consummated his lease, he had a theatre in his possession which was ideally located but which failed to have any atmosphere of individuality. The building was only ten years old, and much of the theatre equipment was quite modern. He consulted with the B. F. Shearer Company, specialists in theatre renovation, and it was decided to merely change the drapes, alter the color scheme, put in new carpets and rebuild the marquise. The only structural changes consisted of taking out some antiquated boxes and building two Spansih gardens in their stead To successfully change the atmosphere, it was believed advisable to try for something strikingly different from the old interior. Frank Harris, who was placed in charge of this work, decided to use the Spanish gardens near the proscenium arch as the basis of the entire decorative scheme, which was worked out in the Spanish baroque motif. The walls he made of travertine, and the ceiling is highly ornamented and has large beams of driftwood grain exposed across it. The lobby and lounge, as well as the rest of the theatre, are done in multi-colors. Spanish red, old gold and bronze are the basic ones used, with their derivatives utilized to obtain pleasing blends. New lighting fixtures were installed. These are of wrought iron, and the shades are of cracked glass, held by rustic ornamental iron frames. They give an effect of massiveness. This is in line with the general treatment, which reflects the massive and bold feeling of the Spanish baroque. New drapes were placed, while the carpets were designed so that the color treatment would harmonize with the drapes. The lobby of this redecorated theatre is one of its outstanding features. It is done in hammered gold. This is the first time that a theatre lobby has been finished with this treat The proscenium relegated to the arch of the United Artists theatre after the Majestic had been past. This view, made specially for 'Better Theatres," shows the present modern deluxe effect. ment on the Pacific coast, according to Harris. A new marquise was erected and the box office rebuilt. Besides having huge gas-tube signs telling of the Viataphone which was installed, the front of the theatre carries a large display above the marquise giving the name of the theatre. Added to this, an immense sign has been suspended over the center of the street. Hamrick seemingly has obtained splendid results. At a total cost of less than $50,000 he has turned an unproductive theatre into one which has made a better showing than any other in Portland since he began. He says it would have cost nearly half a million dollars to erect a new picture house equal to the one he now operates. In a city where the usual run of a picture is not more than a single week, he has selected films which have succeeded in filling his house for several weeks. His most successful film, "The Singing Fool," showed to capacity audiences for five weeks. The United Artists theatre, the other remodeled house, offered a problem much more complicated than the relatively new one did. Under the name of the Majestic, the theatre had enjoyed, until a year and a half ago, an era of prosperity and prominence in the city. It had been closed for this length of time when J. J. Parker, president of the Consolidated Portland Theatres, Inc., owner of the controlling interest, started plans for reopening. In the first place, the building was a two-story office structure, which Parker was advised to tear down. Before doing so, he consulted Bennes & Herzog, architects, who studied the problem. H. A. Herzog of this firm, drew plans whereby complete remodeling could be done, giving practically the same results as a new theatre with a saving of at least $100,000 in construction and decoration costs. The stores on the lower floor of the building were allowed to remain, but the offices on the second floor were removed to make room for a spacious lounge. One of the first construction problems was strengthening the old walls and making them fireproof, without tearing down the building. This was done by retaining the old frame of the building and pouring the concrete walls beside the old ones and tying them together.