The Film Daily (1942)

EQUIPMENT NEWS 0*^iuu Friday, January 2, 1942 PROSCENIUM CHATTER COMPLETE interior remodeling, refinishing and refurnishing of the Sevier Theater in Johnson City, Tenn., is now under way. A bright color scheme will add a modern appearance to the interior. Alexander Smith carpet will be used for floor covering throughout the house. * * * The Alamo Theater, Chicago, has just installed Tri Phonic sound equipment. Sfc + ifc Carroll Morten of the Skokie Theater, Skokie, III., says that some $16,000 will be spent soon on improvements for the 400seat house. An extension will be built to add more seats to the auditorium. All will be on the first floor, as plans call for removal of the stand's balcony. Springer Pictures, Inc., new industrial film producers in Detroit, have moved from their plant on Hubbell Road to a central location in the uptown Fisher Building. & * * Inability to get seats is holding up reconditioning and remodeling projects at a number of Eastern Canadian theaters including the Imperial, Moncton, N. B.; Mayfair, St. John; Community, Yarmouth, N. S.; Garrick, Halifax, N. S. Not in the history of theater operation in Canada has there been such a bottle-neck on seats, with theaters waiting as long as six months for enough chairs to complete reseating. Scarcity of metal for other than war uses, and Governmental regulation of the metals supply, are factors in the dearth of theater chairs. The Grand Theater, Harrisburg, III., operated by Steve Farrar, is installing new Western Electric sound unit purchased through the Exhibitors Supply Co. of St. Louis. * * * B. I. Gonder has purchased Simplex E-7 projectors for his Maryland Theater. Oakland, Md. Pittsburgh branch of National Theater Supply made the installation. A new theater is being erected in Caruthersville, Mo., to be operated by I. W. Rodgers & Co. It will be christened the Gem Theater. * '-* * Clearfield Amusement Co., operator of nine theaters in Pennsylvania, is bringing its Lyric in Clearfield up to date with new RCA Photophone sound and Brenkert booth equipment. W. K. Jackson concluded negotiations for the company. * * * Elias Berenson and Meyer Berenson, brothers who operate several theaters and a department store in Gretna, La., are completing construction of a new 1,100-seat theater to be known as the Tower. * * * National Theater Supply Co.'s Buffalo offices report installation of National Crestwood Carpet in the following theaters: Avondale, North Tonawanda, N. Y. ; Alcazar, Syracuse; Acme, Syracuse; Cameo, Binghamton; Jarvis, Binghamton; and the Hollywood, Syracuse. Year's Happenings Reviewed Headlines Tell Definite Progress Story (Continued from Page 1) $2,000,000 being spent on film exchanges. SMPE crystallizes Spring Convention plans. National Theaters assigned record sum to equipment purchases. Altec asserts modernization trend strong in the U. S. New Irwin chairs placel on market. Elliott Harrington named air conditioning sales manager by General Electric. • MARCH • Equipment field in national upswing, with construction and remodeling intense in several sectors. CE announced plan to open Taunton, Mass., plant to turn out plastics. Metals shortage began to loom, with copper and aluminum scarce, and delays noted in steel. 74 new projects announced as West's total in '40. Motiograph's new sound held boon to Driveins. Equipment opportunities declared big in South America. Theaters acclaimed newest Vallen track. • APRIL • Earle G. Hines, CTE prexy, declared equipment gains to be mounting. Film theater boom evidenced in Canada. Formation of Marquee Services, Inc., with E. Wagner as president and Harvey Roemer as vice-prexy in charge of operation, announced. Drive-In investment hits $2,000,000. Eastman develops revolutionary lens glass. Theater building in Cleveland reported aggregating $750,000. • MAY • Emery Huse, SMPE prexy, expressed optimism on future flow of equipment, but urges exhibs. to embark on a policy of "Buy Now and Be Sure." Altec Lansing Corp. formed with G. L. Carrington as head. Great States opens improvement drive. USAirCo expands to fill theater orders. Motiograph appoints additional distributors. Canada curtailed building of new houses. Wider use of fine grain film given sharp impetus by SMPE. Key DeVry posts go to sons of company's founder. Edward T. Murphy, of Carrier Corp., elected prexy of the Air Conditioning and Refrigerating Assn. • JUNE • Coast studios press their modernization programs to head off possible curbs. Projector manufacturers set to maintain South American gains, and call Nazi-inspired attempt to undermine their position as "clumsy propaganda." '41 new building and remodeling were reported to be holding up well. Army announced completion of 95 theaters. Equipment manufacturers and dealers move to keep equipment supply channels open. • JULY • Trade gets acoustic recommendations issued by Research Council of Motion Picture Academy of Arts & Sciences. Legislation spurs theater building in Cuba. Duplex theater idea revived in Detroit with idea of testing duals. Eastman's "matte transfer film" praised for speeding defense work. John and Drew Eberson inaugurate theater inspection service. Coasts, South and Southwest appraised as best current marts for equipment sales. National plan to replace present projection equipment in Loew houses inaugurated by the circuit. SMPE lists committees for New York conclave in October. Academy issues bulletin on sound standards. AUGUST Equipment manufacturing and sales keep on steady keel. Large demands reported for Kroehler chairs. Film industry widely represented at dedication in Tulsa, Okla., of Will Rogers Theater. Bausch & Lomb employes get Navy "E" pennant for their contribution to national defense. Trade eyes value of "bandbox" stands. '41 expected to show drop in theater obsolescence. RCA announces it will distribute Brenkert products. Ansell Bros, plan $500,000 pic house in suburban St. Louis. IPC announces exec, shifts; H. Barnett appointed director of engineering to succeed George Friedl, Jr., with latter to presidency of Bludworfh, Inc., wholly-owned subsidiary. Projector flow to theaters remains steady. Building of new stands held to face possible curtailment because of national defense demand for materials. Paramount and Erpi sign "sound insurance" pact, Barney Balaban acted for Paramount. • SEPTEMBER • Survey shows few studios feel materials pinch. Tri-States in $215,000 improvement program. John Eberson says new theater construction is assured by Government's understanding of the nation's needs, and also because architects can devise excellent houses with certain substitute materials. National Theater Supply celebrated firm's 15th Anniversary. Priorities worry small equipment manufacturers. Sales pace continues on Four Star sound. • OCTOBER • Washington channels expressed belief that filmland, because of its importance in morale maintenance, has nothing to fear in way of drastic curtailments and restrictions. Excise tax held curbing GE lamp price drop. SMFE holds Silver Jubilee meet at New York's Hotel Pennsylvania, Glenn L. Dimmick, of RCA Laboratories, Indianapolis, receiving the Progress Medal. RCA and Republic Productions revise license agreement to end in 1951. Altec's E. S. Seeley given leave of absence to serve the Government. Confidence grows on materials issue. Acoustical Society of America holds conclave in New York. Agfa Ansco reveals fastest 8 mm. film. • NOVEMBER • Film theater upkeep seen as certain as Warners' Joseph Bernhard acts to assure consistent supplies for whole exhibition field. Lighting executives hold New York meet. New process spurs 3-dimensional pix. USAirCo's theater jobs rocket above the 8,000 mark. RCA named distributor for motion picture rectifiers manufactured by Benwood Linze Co. Heywood-Wakefield earnings show big advance. Ebersons set master Drive-In plans for Park-In Theaters of Camden, N. J. Standards are sought for studio electrical equipment. • DECEMBER • Newly-developed "gold" sound track goes to Eastman on patent assignment. RKO opens thoroughly-equipped, new exchange building in Chicago. Department of Commerce lists substitute materials. First exhibit sponsored by M. P. Academy opens at Warner Studio, Burbank. Trade agreed on keeping business initiative regardless of U. S. participation in the war, and unflaggingly support the national effort for victory. Eastman evolves color pictures for every camera. 1941 theater construction figures for first 10 months show volume virtually as great as in corresponding period of 1940. Remodeled Capitol Bows Oneida, Tenn.— The Capitol Theater, closed for several weeks for remodeling, reopened Dec. 22 as the New Capitol. Manager Leon Webb has announced that a formal opening will be staged in January. The theater operates on a seven-day-aweek schedule. Elects Simplex Equipment Cresson, Pa. — Simplex Four-Star Sound has been selected for the Cresson Sanatorium here. Super Simplex Projectors, Simplex Lamps and National Rectifiers completed the job. Installation was made by the Pittsburgh Branch of National Theater Supply Co. EQUIPMENT FIELD NOTES IP IN CALAIS, ME.— town on the Cana*■' dian border whose citizens pronounce its name in thorough American fashion instead of the traditional French, — the State, Theater of the Lockwood & Gordon chai/ reopened on Christmas Day after a on week's shuttering during which time its interior was completely redecorated, acoustics improved, and new drapes, carpets and projection equipment installed. Renovation was effected by using day and night shifts. State Theater is only one currently functioning in the community, the St. Croix being dark. Work is expected to be completed some time this month on the new Durand Theater, Durand, Wis., a unit of a project which will also give the town a civic auditorium and council rooms. New house will seat about 500. * * * Five Paramount-affiliated theaters in Florida have contracted for new RCA Photophone sound equipment under modernization plans that have included a number of other houses in recent months. Affected by the new contracts are the 1,100-seat Victory, the 800-seat Garden, and the 800-seat Seminole, all in Tampa; the 800-seat Ritz, in Winter Haven; and the 800-seat Roxy in St. Petersburg. * * * . National Theater Supply Co.'s Denver branch reports sale of Walker screens to the following theaters: Fox Inter-Mountain Theaters, Inc., Walsenburg, Col.; Mesa, Clovis, N. M.; Arcade, Newell, S. D.; Roxy, Glasgow, Mont.; Uptown Pueblo, Col. National also reports Alexander Smith Crestwood Carpet installations in the Ramon Theater, Wheatland, Wyo.; Arcade, Newell, S. D.; Luna, Clayton, N. M.; Bighorn, Greybull, Wyo.; and Fiesta, Gillette, Wyo. * * * R. T. Arnold and M. R. Morris of Atlanta announce work will be completed on their new theater in Mulberry, Fla., as soon as materials can be obtained. Machinery is being installed at the present time. Delay in completing the building has been due to inability to obtain certain metals needed in construction. * * * The Fairmont, a new 1,500-seat theater, has been built in the Shaker •Heights section of Cleveland, and operated by the Fairmont Amusement Co., of which Seymor Amster is prexy. * * * Don George, operator of theaters in Alexandria and Shreveport, La., is building a 700-seater in Bossier City, La. Liberty Theaters Corp. has redecor \ ated the lobby of the Strand in Springfield, Mass. The manager's office has been moved to an empty store next door, which was completely renovated. The wall between the lobby and thii old office has been knocked out, an arch built in, and the candy department installed here. A new Burch pop corn machine has been installed and a neiv candy counter has been built to order.