The Film Daily (1931)

?m.f79&if* 8 f7V' DAILV Sunday , May 31, 1931 , _— — ^^_ — — ^^^—^^^—— T H E A T E R i By M. P. EMPTY SEAT INDICATOR PUT OUT BY MAJOR CO. Chicago Known as the Strowger I eli sm and developed and perfected to enable the management of a theater to make as full use as possible of the entire seating capacity by maintaining constant contact between the various parts of the house and the main entrance, a seat-checking plan is being marketed by the Major Equipment Co. By its means the exact number of seats available in every section may be quickly and accurately transmitted to the lobby or foyer, resulting in the seating of waiting patrons immediately as seats become available The system is said to consist of a number of dial sending stations located in the various aisles, and a receiving station at the main entrance or in the main lobby. By operating the did! at the "sending stations, the ushers in any aisle may signal the number of seats available in that aisle, to the usher at the main entrance or lobby, the signals appearing visually in the form of illuminated numbers on a display panel. In the case of larger theaters, several groups of receiving stations may be necessary at strategic points, to control waiting patrons in different parts of the theater, and so relay information on to the main lobby, it is pointed out. No two houses are exactly alike in the floor arrangements or in the flow of patron traffic, so that no standard arrangement of Tele-Chec service can be made to fit all conditions. While the individual units are standardized as to mechanical design, they may be arranged in virtually any desired combination to meet individual sets of conditions, the company states. Novel Underwater Light A water-tight lighting unit said to have been designed for use under water to illuminate objects, water itself, or water sprajrS, in gold fish pools and fountains in theater-, is being offered by the Display Stage Lighting Co, of New York. Made of bronze, water-proof throughout, the device contains an aluminide reflector equipped to take up to a 100watt lamp, the company states. Installs Arctic Nu-Air Arctic Nu-Air cooling equipment has been in-taMed recently in the following northwest theaters: Tone, Minneapolis; Alo, Pipestone, Minn.; Family, North Branch, Minn.; Star, Flandrew, S. D.; Tona, Owatonna, Minn., and the Dakota, Sioux Falls, S D. CMALL electric fans, if not allowed to appear too ostentatious, can be made to contribute much to the atmosphere of freshness around the theater. When some sort of publicity motif employing one or two fans, with flying van-tinted ribbons, can be devised, the running of the fans will add to the coolness of the lobby without appearing to serve that express purpose. * * * Are you keeping a constant check on the sound in. your theater? Good xmnid is equally as important as good pictures, for if the picture is good and the sound reproduction is poor both are condemned and the exhibitor suffers financially. Therefore, a daily check on your sound reproduction will go a long way toward maintaining summer patronage. * * * Theater managers and operators, and particularly those who have not had too good a winter season, are inclined to be pessimistic at this time of the year, and to talk about poor attendances inevitable in the summer months. Experience of the past few years has shown this to be a mistaken attitude. Good business can be done even in the hottest days if showmanship is employed. Wise booking; clean, fresh atmosphere in and about the theater, and good and seasonable service to patrons will often beat the hottest days summer may bring. FILM COOLING SYSTEM Chicago — A new scientifically designed film cooling system that is said to do away with high temperatures on the film, lessen fire hazard, lengthen film life and eliminate sound distortion by preserving the sound track, is being marketed by the Chicago Cinema Equipment Co., manufacturers of booth, stage and orchestra equipment. Cooling blasts of air, it is pointed out are directed around the film by an electric motor-driven centrifugal fan. An auxiliary baffle may be adjusted to direct the blast-air over the entire film trap and shield. The device, adaptable to Simplex and Motiograph projection heads, may be quickly installed without drilling or in any way modifying the machine. It does not require any valuable space, nor will it interfere with, film threading, framing, adjustments or repairs, the company claims. NEW THEATERS Hopkins, Minn. — William Cruze plans the erection of a theater here. \\ ork on the new structure, it is reParted, will be started in the fall. Roanoke, Pa. — A 700-seat house is to be erected here at an estimated cost of $150,000 by the Suburban Theater Corp. Oklahoma City — Contracts have been let for the erection of the 460seat house to be built here by H. G. Waldron of the Film Sneaker Co. Work will be started immediately, the house to be ready for occupancy Aug. 1. Repairing Contracts Let to Allied Seating B. E. Jufre, president of the Allied Seating Co. of New York, specialists in the repair and reconstruction of theater chairs, announces that his company has been awarded contracts to repair chairs in the following houses: RKO Shoreroad, Brooklyn; National, Brooklyn; New 14th Street, Manhattan: Broadway, Haverstraw, X. Y.; Yalley, Spring" Yalley, N. Y.; New Granada, Pearl River, N. Y., and the Broadway, WoodclifT, N. J. Sound Co. Formed in Bombay Bombay — Universal Sound System, Ltd., has been formed here and will soon begin installation and service. Draperies mf SI Settings Acoustical Treatments rtOVRTVf /CFhlCp /TUDIQ/^ Magnascope m. Screens Acoustical Banners New York Gly 340 W. 4 1st Si. I na^i.-.i-vn National to Distribute Projector Safety Device A combination automatic changeover and cooling plate, known as the Senator, and manufactured by the Sentry Safety Control Co. of Philadelphia, has been taken over for distribution by the National Theater Supply Co. The device is designed especially for sound equipment, for installation directly over aperture, and is said to be simple in construction, compact, speedy, noiseless and positive in action. Richmond, Cal.— Plans and specifications for the theater to be erected here by United Artists have been filed with A. j. Hurley, city building inspector. The new house will seat 1.000 and will represent an investment of approximately $150,000. B. A. Minnie Talker Set Ready London — A new miniature talker set, designed particularly for home use was demonstrated recently by British Acoustic. Tobis World Installations 1,405 Berlin — A Tobis-Klangfilm announcement as of May 1 places the total number of sound installations the company has made throughout the world at 1,405. In Germany alone, 930 sets are accounted for. JUST AROUND THE CORNER from every American theatre NATIONAL THEATRE SUPPLY COMPANY Branches in all Principal Cities 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 Electric Stace Lichtinc Co., Inc. 321 West 50th Street NewYork.N.Y. C>^S