The Film Daily (1943)

Building Remodeling ^<#>j^TO DAILY Equipment Maintenance C2 • • • NEW YORK. TUESDAY. FEBRUARY 16. 1943 * * * • CARPET MANUFACTURING FACES SHUTDOWN Atlantic Coast SMPE Furthers Thea. Protection Feb. 25 Meeting Seen As Vital to Proper Conduct Of Wartime Film Stands Featuring papers presented by the various members of the sub-committee of the Theater Engineering Committee, the general subject of "Theater Protection" will receive further attention and co-ordination at the Feb. 25 evening meeting of the Atlantic Coast Section of the Society of Motion Picture Engineers, to be held in the Hotel Pennsylvania, with Dr. Alfred N. Goldsmith, body's chairman, presiding. Because of its vital consequence to film theater operation in wartime, the session is expected to attract representatives of major and independent circuits, as well as individual exhibitors, because under {Continued on Page 10) Buffalo May Exempt Small Stand Lighting Buffalo — A proposal to require theaters to see that auxiliary lighting systems are in good operating condition at all times is expected to be modified to exempt small houses lacking such systems, before adoption within the next two or three weeks of a comprehensive, uniform and officially-authorized wartime code for the protection of theater patrons, employes and property in an emergency. Preliminary reports of two subcommittees of theater men and civilian protection officials were accept (Continued on Page 10) Uncle Sam Sits Up And Takes Notice Grand Rapids — Lieut. Commander E. L. Johnson presented the Army and Navy "E" pennant to the American Seating Co. at their local headquarters via a colorful ceremony. Harry M. Taliaferro accepted the award for the company and its employes. Plain Talk About Equipment By GEORGE H. MORRIS Equipment Editor of THE FILM DAILY VA/ITH apologies to Will H. Hays for * ™ appropriating one of his colorful expressions, we contend strongly that "it isn't the size of the dog in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the dog." Today on rigorous, far-flung fighting fronts, the motion picture projectors of various types are performing invaluable service to victory's attainment. Without them, all the film in creation would be just so much inert celluloid. And today, on the far-flung, and, in its own way, rigorous fighting home front, where the battle of fashioning weapons and supplies for our armed forces (and the training of the latter) goes on day and night, projectors are just as truly instruments of warfare as guns, munitions and bayonets. And without them, all the film in creation would be merely a Prometheus bound. CO when we say that it isn't the size of *^ the dog in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the dog, — the point is that projectors accommodating any width of film are invaluable units in the global fray. For example, what the relatively pintsize 16 mm. machines are doing is exemplified by the testimony of Lucian Scott, assistant Red Cross field supervisor for the Aleutian area. Uncle Sam's fighting men out on the barren, wind-swept Aleutian Islands know the meaning of the once wide ly-clarioned slogan: "Motion Pictures Are Your Best Entertainment." In tents and barracks from Kodiak to the Andreanofs, movies are not only the best, they are about the only entertainment the men now have. Some 15 mobile projection units, each complete with a generator, for creating power where there is no other source, are being shuttled through the Northern fighting front by both the Red Cross and the Army's field service branch. The projector crews travel to places where men have only their rifles for company. Sometimes, giving a show means a long trip in a small boat and several hours of walking through the mud or snow. Nothing can be permitted to impair the operation of these mobile units. Their functioning MUST be kept at 100 per -ent efficiency. What is true of such maintenance in the Aleutians is just as true of other fronts, including our home sector. o LJERE at home there are tens of thousands " ' of projectors, — including 35 mm., 16 mm. and 8 mm. Irrespective of size, their upkeep is essential. They are all "dogs in the fight." Lower their fight'ng, or operating efficiency, and the war effort suffers. A working 16 mm. unit is incalculably better than a 35 mm. machine which cannot be used. The opposite also holds. No factor in film exhibition, whether at home or overseas, is as vital as projectorcondition. That we are as well off as we are in this respect springs from the quality of the modern American projection machine; the skill of the overwhelming majority of operators; the abil'ty and accessibility of service organizations plus their continual use of promotional channels to drive home the importance of maintenance; and the intelligence of so many showmen in not permitt'ng deterioration to set in. But nothing is so good that it can't be better. Only 100 per cent will do. Copper Collections Strong Reports from South, MidWest Are Typical Herzbrun Methods Aiding Studio Sets Situation Revolutionary ideas and devices for obtaining a maximum of effect with a minimum of expense in the design and construction of sets, pioneered by Bernard Herzbrun, ace art {Continued on Page 10) Local headquarters of the industry's War Activities Committee announces receipt of word from Roy L. Smart, WAC public relations chairman for the Charlotte territory, that copper, brass and bronze matinees staged by 38 theaters there has resulted in a collection just (.Continued on Page 10) WPB's Freezing Order May Become Effective Mar. 20; Supplies Low Manufacture of carpet for civilian use, — which includes film theaters—, will be dealt a death blow for the war's duration, if the War Production Board, as reported, insists upon freezing output of spindles producing course counts as of March 20. There)by the Government will channel cotton yarn into critical war products. In the interim only a very small quantity of rugs and carpets will be turned out, because manufacturers, notwithstanding the regulation permitting 25 per cent of their output for civilian purposes, have been far below this allowance in actual practice during the past several months. As a consequence, inventories are shallow, and when they become exhausted, theaters and other branches {Continued on Page 10) American Seating Net Is $479,610 For '42 American Seating Co. and subsidiaries for the year ended Dec. 31, 1942, show net profit of $479,610, after usual deductions and provision of $100,000 for contingencies, equal to $2.17 a share on 221,062 no-par shares of capital stock. This compares with a net profit of $505,031, or $2.28 a share in 1941. Current assets as of Dec. 31, 1942, amounted to $6,174,785, including $1,345,640 cash, while current liabili (Continued on Page 10) More Eastman Help To The War Effort Rochester-r-The Navy has tapped the employment rolls of Eastman Kodak here for a dozen V-Mail special'sts. The 12 workers selected for the berths were trained at the company's local plant. This unique manpower draft had as its aim the stepping up of V-Mail to U, S. forces serving overseas.