The Film Daily (1935)

THE Saturday, May 25, 1935 1%tl DAILY fftfl E N T :s IH it I UILDERS ISON T his paper by John Eberson, one of America's leading architects, ing BUSINESS BUILDERS for exhibitors. Articles by other requesting information will be answered by this department. FOR THE SUCCESSFUL SHOWMAN Did you ever consider the use of a "convertible" box-office, wide open, like a nk counter, or an open touring car in summer time. Glass enclosed and snug in nter time and night. In spite of what some of my good friends tell me, I do not believe that you will , ifurb the continuity of the show if you use period gongs and period lights. Meaning int torcheres flashing on and off at each side of the proscenium, between each :ture or each part of your regular program. I have noticed that the American public, particularly in the larger cities, has come very film conscious, and the interest of the readers in the large film section our average daily, and the many film periodicals, leads me to believe that it )uld be a matter of due respect and interest if the picture of the director of any rticular moving picture, would be flashed on the screen. However, in this regard might be be stepping on the toes of the producers' policy. I rather value and recommend a sharp small picture instead of a large indistinct d distorted image on the screen. We all know that moving pictures are taken at iB natural scale with the exception of "close-ups" probably, but I think it is short of uel to enlarge the reproduction in such a marked degree as to allow the object i wort'iich usually photographs very well to lose all its character, lustre, punch and contrast ilties j light and shadow, substituting an expanded super-image showing more film grain : an anything else. Many years ago I fell for the sales talk of a drummer, and gave him the photojieiaph of my mother for enlargement. I paid $2.75 and got a large tinted photograph noii: my mother, but I did not know it was my mother when I saw the portrait delivered. i still value my mother's miniature. Iliej Oversize pictures, aside from this, penalize us in the lamp house and meter J om, and we all know there is a limit to the power which we can turn into dependable ;ht in our booth. J A great many of our theater operators allow the shadow performance on the iMtsjreen to 'shout" at the audience, and I find that the sound presentation in the erage theater is too intense and not mellow enough to approach reality. due I furthermore believe that it is a mistaken theory to place the picture too close ssls-j the stage platform. Put it up high, as high up as your house sight lines will permit, y four or five feet above the eye of the man in the first row, with the picture about ; Willi feet away from you. This position of the screen will considerably increase good olkikht lines, and the comfort of the patron both on the main floor as well as in the DtRS.gher tiers. •iJie 6) I All Set to Serve You i National Service never relaxes. It is ready to help your renovation, re-equipment and repair problems. Only equipment of KNOWN QUALITY. Carpets, seating, screens, projectors. Send for catalog. National is PREPARED to SERVE your theatre. NATIONAL THEATRE 92 Gold St. or 0ffice Nearest You SUPPLY CO. New York, N. Y. EQUIPMENT FIELD NOTES Omaha, Neb. — Scott-Ballantyne reports installation of Magic weather cooling plants in the Orpheum at Rock Valley, la.; Laurel at Laurel, Neb., and Star at Imperial, Neb. Larger sound system is being installed in the Royal at Seneca, Kas. New York City — With the installation of new Photophone High Fidelity sound in the Columbia and Central, all of the houses operated by Harry Harris become one hundred per cent RCA Victor High Fidelity equipped. Blum is manager of the 1500-seat Columbia, and George Morrow, manages the Central. Chicago — General Seating Co. is plugging Firmastone designed to permanently anchor loose theater chairs. Cincinnati — The Idle Hour, which will have Western Electric Wide Range Sound, opens soon with the new equipment. Milford, Del.— The Plaza, 1,150seater operated by E. E. Evans, has been re-equipped with new Photophone High Fidelity sound apparatus. Birdsboro, Pa. — The Diamond, operated by the Michael Realty Co. of Oaklyn, N. J., and managed by Joseph A. Murphy, has replaced its old sound with complete new RCA Victor High Fidelity equipment. Wellston, 0. — Wide Range has been signed for by the Virginia. Installation is promised for the middle of June. Augusta, Kans. — The Augusta will open with Western Electric Wide Range in the near future. Julesberg, Colo. — i The 500-seat Hippodrome opens with Western Electric Wide Range before the end of June. Contract was signed last week. Kansas City, Mo. — The Madrid. Main Street house seating 1,200. add,s Wide Range equipment with in the next fortnight, according to a contract signed lately. Newport, Ky. — Western Electric Wide Range has been contracted fo. by the Strand. Newtown, Conn. — Wide Rangr has been added to the Western Elec trie sound system in the Edmonton Hall. (Continued on Page 6) HEADQUARTERS For Reliable PROJECTION EQUIPMENT OF THE. BETTER. KIND THEATRE ACCESSORIES CARPETS— CHAIRS Flew and Rebuilt Equipment 'At way* on llaml ' AMUSEMENT SUPPLY CO., INC. 341 W. 44th St., N. Y. C. LAckawanna 4-7510 "GO INTO YOUR DANCE" Theatre owners may not actually go into a song and dance over the beauty and wearing quality of Alexander Smith Carpets, but they must think pretty highly of them. Otherwise you wouldn't find them in the majority of the country's most successful theatres. ALEXANDER SMITH CARPET mm