The Film Daily (1931)

THE ■awm DAILY Sunday, April 19, 1931 €> THEATER By M. P. Properly Cared for Equipment Should Entail Less Servicing Service is a most necessary consideration if proper operation of sound reproducing equipment is desired, but compulsory service is basically unsound, in the opinion of Louis Gerard Pacent, president of the Pacent Reproducer Corp. "It is impossible to make sound equipment, or any mechanical or electrical apparatus for that matter, that does not require a certain amount of service during its lifetime,'' says Pacent, "but necessary as it is, service can be overdone. Speaking for myself, I would hesitate to purchase an automobile from a manufacturer who insisted upon i ompulsory service whether I needed it or not, and who at the same time i barged me a substantial fee for such service. The man who drives carefully, and changes oil frequently will have little need for service in comparison to the one who grinds gears and puts a terrific strain upon his car, and it seems unfair that both should be called upon to pay service fees of a like amount. "What is true of the automobile is also true of talking motion picture reproducing systems. Careless operation by the projectionist may often result in unusual service costs, while a reasonable amount of attention will a wire trouble-free operation. Why, then, penalize the exhibitor who takes care of his equipment by charging him for service that he does not require? "Hundreds of exhibitors using Pacent Reproducer Systems report service costs at less than $100 a year. Since we entered the theatrical field three years ago, we have stood by the policy that users of Pacent equipment were the best judges of their service requirements, and since that time we have had no reason to change our belief in this respect. Pacent will continue the sale of the new "Z" series equipment on the same basis that we have been selling for the past three years, and we remain today the only one of the three largest manufacturers of sound equipment in the theater that sells its equipment outright, and does not enforce compulsory service." Pacent now claims to be the only remaining major manufacturer of standard sound equipment selling on an outright basis to the exhibitor. Defending this policy, the head of the company says it would be unsound for anyone to buy an automobile from a manufacturer who merely leased the engine in the car to the purchaser. ALTERATIONS Lynn, Mass. — The Comique, closed since June, 1929, is to be remodeled, redecorated and equipped with new sound. Louis Brown of Danvers, Mass., will reopen the house upon completion of the work. Arkansas City, Kan. — Redecorating and the installation of sound equipment is to be made at the Strand here. The theater, owned by the Fox interests, has been closed for more than a year. Kansas City — The Benton, a Hughes-Franklin house, is installing 700 new seats along with other improvements calling for new equipment. Dallas — Remodeling is being made at the Ro-Nile here by J. B. Salmon. Chattanooga — Improvements are to be made on the Bijou here at an estimated cost of $50,000. Victoria, Tex.— About $15,000 in mprovements to the Princess here are planned by Jefferson Amusement Co. of Beaumont. Carrier Engineering Co. Busy on Installations The Palace, Burlington, la., is the first theater to have installed the totally enclosed fully automatic Carrier plant made for theaters seatin? 1,000 or under, according to B. Kroeschell, manager of the theater division of the Carrier Engineering Corp. The system requres no engineer or attendant and is controlled entirely by the manager from his office. Other theater installations include: Earl Carroll, New York: Trans Lux houses. New York; Capitol, WilkesBarre, Pa.; Capitol, Pottsville, Pa.; Strand, Scranton, Pa., and the Paramount, Muncie, Ind. Draperies Decorations Masnascope Screens 340 W. 41st St tlOVHW /CEtiie yjuoiorf _ai'ii<g'-.»".iic Settings Acoustical Treatments Acoustical Banners New York Ciu r^ON'T spoil your theater front with misplaced posters. One often sees a theater front where no provision has been made for posters, and the management has applied great placards across architectural features, and even windows, to the detriment of the design of the house. Small poster frames and cut-out scenes can be incorporated in the lower part of the elevation, and, if well proportioned and placed, can be an attractive asset to the building as well as a business-getter. * * * The use of baskets or vases of electric flowers offer many possibilities in a decorative way for theaters. Many a nook or corner now barren and unattractive or unsightly can be transformed into a beauty spot by means of an electric bouquet. * * * Have you checked over your theater seats lately to find out if they are in good condition? Remember, a patron comes to a theater to relax and enjoy the show, and if the seats are uncomfortable, loose and untidy the fan will lose interest even in his most favorite star. The comfort of your chairs is without question one of the most important items in maintaining theater patronage, and a regular check-up of seating conditions is most essential. New Projector Put Out By Bell Equipment Corp. Bell Equipment Corp. of New York lias placed on the market a new portable sound-on-film projector to be known as the Bell Junior. The projector has a total weight of 60 pounds and fits into a case 11 inches deep, 18^4 inches wide and 20 inches high. Light source is 110 volts, with 1000-watt lamp, and the optical system employs a 2 3-16 inch lens, with projection of pictures from throws of from 30 to 95 feet. HORN SPECIALLY DESIGNED FOR SOUND-ON FILM USE St. Paul, Minn. — A new theater speaker and horn that is said to have been made especially for sound-onJ film and requires only two minutes to change over to disc reproduction is announced by Wright-DeCoster, Inc., manufacturers of horns and unit speakers. The newly developed speaker, the company engineers claim, eliminates the throaty grumblings so often encountered with sound-on-film, and the acoustical adjustment of the device makes it possible for anyone without electrical knowledge to properly adjust the speaker to the ] theater. Emergency Lighting Folder A new folder on emergency lighting for theaters giving completespecifications with illustration of an A.C and D.C. model, has been issued by the Kohler Co. of Kohler, Wisconsin. ' Installs Largest Cooling Plant New Haven — What is said to be the largest refrigerating plant in New England will be installed in the FoxPoli and Bijou theaters here, according to Arthur J. Benline, construction engineer for the Fox New England theaters. REPAIR YOUR CHAIRS! MAKE YOUR SQUAB SEATS SPRING SEATS Repairing Reseating Upholstering Allied Seating Company GRamercy 303 4th Avenui 5-5833 New York City at 23rd St. 'STAGE LAMPS HIGH intensity lighting units, properly designed, give excellent service — spotlights, floodlights, strip lights, sciopticons, or any other form of lighting apparatus used on the stage — also color frames, connectors, and miscellaneous stage lighting supplies. KLIECL BROS Universal EtECTRic Stage Lichtinc Co., Inc. 321 West 50th Street NewYork.N.Y.