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

62 BETTER THEATRES SECTION OF December 22, 1928 HAVE YOU RECEIVED YOUR SAMPLE OF SAMUELS HEnTSTEEL CURTAIN TRACK We send it free upon request to any interested theatre owner or executive — Because IT SELLS ITSELF AUTOMATIC DEVICES CO. 737 HAMILTON ST. ALLENTOWN, PA. Also Manufacturers of the A. D. C. Automatic Curtain Control and Stabilarc Generator V7Y7 <g||) Guaranteed Turn over a new leaf for the coming N ew year If you are not now using Arcus Ticket Service, make the new year — all of it — a year of peace-of-mind on the TICKET question. BOD Ticket* — stock and special Strip Ticket* — all makes of machine* Reserved Seat Ticket* — to diagram Season Coupon Books, passe*, rain checks, etc. ARGUS COUPON ttOOKS T'ar-nt* will bur them for their children. Merchant* can uk them for premiums. Order a quantify of these hooka and advertise them on the *cn*en at every performance. Tou'll aell a lot of them ; get your money In ad ranee, and bo sure of good houses. All at the lowest price* at whlrh good ticket* can be manufactured and good service rendered. THE ARCUS TICKET CO. 346 N. Ashland Ave. Ch icago, III. Parking space at the Plaza high spots of color so gaily placed in Spanish homes and gardens. Interesting features of the men's lounge are two guns, inlaid with silver and ivory, selected by Maxwell Blake, formerly of Kansas City and now diplomatic agent of the American government at Tangiers. They are several hundred years old, and were actually carried in battle by Moorish chieftains. The saddle bag, powder horn and daggers over the mantel also were selected by Mr. Blake and have seen service in the constantly recurrent war periods of the Moorish people in Northern Africa. The women's lounge contains an antique fire place which has long seen service in Algeciras. The priest's robe over the mantel is typical of the rare vestments in which the Spanish cathedrals have abounded through the centuries. The Paisley shawls covering the couches in the lounge are genuine antiques, certified as over a century old by authorities in Granada. * * * The theatre is planned and constructed according to the very latest building methods. A Wurlitzer organ, fan ventilating system, and Kroeschell refrigerating system are incorporated in the building. Two free parking stations are conducted in conjunction with the theatre. They are attractive spaces walled in and entered through Spanish wrought iron gates, and will be landscaped next spring with an abundance of trees and shrubbery. The parking areas are paved and well lighted, with attendants in constant supervision. They accommodate 350 cars and cost $25,000. "An exhibitor may spend much money for handsome fixtures or a beautiful lobby, or even super-feature pictures, but after a patron has parked his car four blocks away and has to walk to the theatre, the beauty of those fixtures fade somewhat," Jack P. Truitt, managing director of the Plaza, said of this feature. "There is only one way a large suburban theatre can hope to retain the patronage in its neighborhood. That is by offering equally as good a show as can be seen downtown under more convenient circumstances. A moviegoer in any large city naturally expects to do some walking to the theatre after he has parked his car. If a large suburban theatre in his neighborhood can offer him the same show and free parking station within a stone's throw of the theatre, what is the result? The answer is obvious. "I can say truthfully that the Plaza has attracted patrons from the most remote sections of Kansas City, not to see a larger house than could be found downtown, as such is not the case; not to see a more beautiful theatre or a better picture, but simply because the average theatre patron who drives a motor car is more or less of an individual who dislikes to walk, and the large parking station, free, right next to the Plaza, appealed to him. * * * "The motor car and the theatre are more closely linked than many persons realize. They are becoming more closely linked each year, too. As a general rule the slightest factor can change the decision of a man or a woman concerning the subject: 'What shall we do this evening.' A bridge party with friends, the radio at a friend's house, a theatre downtown — all of these are possibilities, along with the usual alternative of taking a motor car ride out on some highway. A theatre might be showing a picture which the persons in question might like to see, but the thought of having to bother with parking worries changes the decision to something else in the way of entertainment for the evening. "Frankly, I am firmly convinced that the money invested in the Plaza's free parking station will pay dividends as quickly and surely as government bonds." Truitt is operating the theatre under a lease which he holds from J. C. Nichols Companies, the owners and developers of the Country Club district. * * * The house is equipped for both Movietone and Vitaphone. The chairs were furnished by HeywoodWakefield, while Simplex Model M projectors are to be found in the booth, along with a Hertner Transverter. The heating and cooling plant is of a carbonic system, costing $25,000. The carpets were furnished by the Robert Keith Company of Kansas City. The furniture, of special Spanish design, was obtained from Suydam, Inc., of Kansas City. A Brenkert spotlight and effect machine also are to be found in the booth. Independent stage programs will be booked, but not regularly, depending upon the need of a prologue. This theatre occupies a unique position in the theatrical annals of the Middle West, in that it unites all the interesting features of a museum with the most modern features known to theatre designing. The building was designated by Edward W. Tanner, architect of Kansas City, and Boiler Brothers, theatre architects of Kansas City and Los Angeles. All art objects were bought personally by J. C. Nichols, president, and J. C. Taylor, vicepresident, of the Nichols Companies.