Exhibitors Herald World (Oct-Dec 1930)

48 EXHIBITORS HERALDWORLD November 15, 1930 of the local, and also, I believe, by some of the managers. sfc ♦ *¥ AUSTIN, TEX. WE left San Antonio in a good strong drizzle, which later developed into honest-to-gosh rain. The pavement was one of those dear things that, when wet, you skid all over Kingdom-Come on. Friend Daughter drove the first 50 miles, and several times I heard her using what I will politely classify as feminine profanity. However, I'll give her credit, she got away with it without plowing up any corn fields. Then I took the wheel for the rest of the run, and right pronto one of these dear little girly things, driving a big heavy car came out onto my side of the road, whereupon it was smash or ditch, so into the ditch of mud we went. The car following stopped (which same girly girl did not do) and offered to pull us out. Also, a chap driving a big truck did the same thing, and in ten minutes we were back on the road all hunky dory. Austin is, as you know, the capital city of the Lone Star state. It has but three large theatres, two of which are owned by Publix. The weather was so miserable that I only visited these two. A. W. Maufrias, an old-time projectionist and member of Austin local No. 205. did the honors and showed me around. The Queen (Publix) theatre has excellent picture projection and very good sound. It is managed by Mr. Higgins. Its projection distance is 85 feet, and the picture is 15 feet wide. The projection room, however, is only about nine feet square, with a seven-foot ceiling. Simplex projectors are used, equipped with Peerless lamps, in which are Strong reflectors. The sound equipment is Western Electric. Current is supplied by 30-ampere arc rectifiers. The equipment seemed to be in good condition and well cared for. The projection staff is composed of Bay Wilson, Paul Martin, Charles Schubert and Tat Parker. Over at the Paramount theatre I found a brilliant screen illumination and very good sound. The Paramount is managed by Erwin Waite. The projection staff is B. M. Baxter, Lee Bammel, C. H. Barr and E. B. Ischy. Ischy is secretary of the local. Noticing that the legs of these gentlemen seemed well developed, I counted the stairs on the way down to the street. There were 75 of them. Why they didn't put the room on the roof and be done with it, the good Lord only knows. I am told they sacrificed a few seats in order to keep it in the theatre at all. However, it is an excellent room, if you live to reach it. It is equipped with Simplex projectors, Peerless HI. lamps and Western Electric sound equipment. The boys are using 70 amperes, and, as I said, with excellent results. The screen is brilliant. Also, I noticed they are using Philco batteries. Austin has a population of about 53,000. The local has 30 members. Its officials are, president, B. M. Baxter; vice president, Patrick Parker; secretary, E. B. Ischy; treasurer, W. R. Warrick. HOUSTON, TEX. FROM Austin to Houston was a bundle of miles, 15 of which were just about the very worst your editor has tackled in 200,000 miles of pushing the landscape backward in years past. It is a new road, not yet surfaced, and when the wheels were not going down in a chuckhole, they were engaged in climbing out. We broke two snubbing straps attached to the shock absorbers. About halfway through, "The Princess" yelled at me, in her automobilish way, "Hey! What in [deleted by censor] do you think I am, anyhow? A rattle box?" Houston is a top-hole city and has a tophole local of motion picture-sound pro jectionists. The local is not a very large one, but when I talked with the Publix city manager, Mr. Collins, he said: "We have a mighty fine bunch of men in the local here!" And, so far as I could observe, that was true. During our visit to Houston we were the guests of Business Representative Edward Miller, his wife and Secretary F. C. Coogler, at San Jacinto Inn, out on the battlefield where Texas' freedom from Mexico was won and the death of the Alamo victims avenged. We enjoyed the affair hugely. At the Loew State theatre I saw a unique stunt, for which Projectionist Charles A. Smith is responsible. In the center of the light beam, several inches in front of the projection lens — in fact, just where the beam passes through the port opening — he has a tiny mirror held by a small wire attached to the wall. The mirror is about three-eights of an inch long by a quarter of an inch deep, and is, as I understand him, some special thing he picked up in Brooklyn, N. Y., quite a while ago. This tiny affair reflects a beam of light back to a mirror about 12 inches high by, maybe, 16 inches long, hung at a suitable angle from the ceiling about on a line with the projector aperture, as I remember it. It reflects the beam to a small screen painted on the front wall of the projection room and bordered by a band of black one inch wide, and on that screen appears^ a really creditable image of the motion picture being projected. He has one for each projector. Smith also has some sheet metal guards affixed to the projectors. These are excellent. One protects the knurled nut on the end of the Simplex flywheel shaft, which Smith says throws off oil. Another is affixed to the front of the projector and catches any oil which may fall or be thrown from the rotating shutter shaft. He also has a clever, very effective automatic rewinder switch, which cuts off current from the motor when rewinding is finished. Smith seems to me to be a most excellent projectionist, as well as a mighty pleasant chap. Incidentally, he has tapped a small copper pipe into the base of his Simplex mechanisms to carry away any oil which may accumulate. It is carried to a receptacle placed beneath the projector. J. G. Talley is the other projectionist. * * * GALVESTON, TEX. WE now are in this island city, which some years since grabbed itself by its bootstraps and yanked itself straight up six feet. It was almost washed away by a tidal wave, so it built a huge sea wall, raised all its buildings up six feet and pumped sand in until the ground level was hoisted up 72 inches. Some feat, what! At Galveston I did not get around much. There was a 250-mile drive next day and much writing to attend to, so it was that and rest for mine. Galveston has two Publix theatres. Neither are very modern. A really modern, high-class theatre should do well in that city. It has approximately 50,000 people. There are two theatres catering exclusively to colored people. In the afternoon, C. H. Mahlitz, president of local No. 305, and one of its members, W. R. Myers, called at the hotel and we had a very pleasant chat. In the evening M. H. Snow, past-president of local No. 305, came over and we had a really most pleasant confab. Brother Snow is one of the old-timers who was here when I addressed the Galveston men in 1917. He has just paid a visit to Hollywood, and we had quite a pow-wow over things out there. At the lecture we had one Erpi service man, one RCA service man, a full attendance of Galveston projectionists, and some of the exhibitors and managers. Mr. Martin, who operates the Martin theatre, sent his regrets at his inability to be present, as he was under a doctor's care. * * * WACO, TEX. FROM Galveston to Waco is 250 miles, and those miles were more or less filled with excitement. Something like 20 of them were over dirt roads on which a scraper had not been used in weeks. Waco is a thoroughly up-to-date city of about 65,000 people. There are six motion picture theatres. The local has 17 members. Shortly after our arrival, H. J. Fuston, secretary; and H. F. Dunn, business agent of the local, made us welcome. The night before, however, I had had very little sleep, and that 250 miles had worn me just about completely out. I therefore retired into the depths of the hay pile, leaving Friend Daughter to accompany Dunn and Fuston on a visit to some of the theatres. In the Orpheum theatre Western Electric sound has been installed for almost three years. The equipment is 2-SX allbattery supply. The projectors are Simplex, equipped with Peerless lamps, 50-30 amperes capacity. A Hertner multiple type transverter is used. It has given very good service. The men say they found the equipment better than any they have ever used. The projection room is 10x16 feet, with a nine-foot ceiling. Friend Daughter says the batteries and generator are in the same room, and that is something I cannot commend, though since the room is large (if it is well ventilated) it is possible no serious damage may be done. However, as I have told you before, the gases from batteries will attack the insulation of motor generators, and if there is at any time much gas in the room, it will eventually work serious harm. Either the room should be divided, or the ventilation should be very good, indeed. The screen is surrounded by a deep shadow-box of black velour. That is very good, but as soon as the floor is covered with the same color, it will be even better. There are three horns. Two of them are 2-12A, and one is a 13F. The Orpheum is managed by Maurice Rosenfield. Its projection staff is R. J. Hall, who is president; H. C. Fuston, who is secretary; and H. F. Dunn, who is business agent of local No. 597. Incidentally, Manager Dunn is very well liked by the projectionists, which means that there is good cooperation between the office and the staff. At the Waco theatre, the projection distance is 146 feet, on a 21-degree projection angle. The picture is 16 feet wide. The Daughter has it down as being 12x16 feet, but nothin' doin'! It would be 12x16 feet if it were not distorted badly by a 21-degree angle. It must be about 16x16. The Waco certainly needs a pair of McCullough's prisms to correct distortion. This theatre seats 1,360. It is a very narrow house. It has one balcony. J. P. Harrison manages the Waco. Mr. Harrison is also city manager for Publix. The projection staff is composed of W. B. Foster, Eddie Austermuehle and E. F. Roberts. The screen is well illuminated. Hanging from each projector Friend Daughter made note of a cloth on which the projectionist may wipe his hands, and that is a very good thing. The projectors are Simplex. There is a 100-ampere Brenkert spot. The meeting was attended by all the Waco projectionists, plus one Erpi sound engineer, some managers and the city fire marshal and all his captains. Because these latter were present, I spoke at some length on fire hazards, recommending that Mr. Lilley of the Pennsylvania department of labor and industry at Harrisburg be communicated with, in a request that he send a copy of the Pennsylvania safety code. This is in my opinion, the best in existence. mmmmmm