International projectionist (Jan-Dec 1946)

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR PROJECTION IN PALESTINE To the Editor of I. P.: On the chance that projectionists in the U. S. may be interested in cinema goings-on in foreign countries, I am appending the following facts relative to Palestine. Many people consider Palestine as old-fashioned, a typical Near East country; but I can tell you that it has very high standards in every respect, and that goes for movies, too. I am a relief projectionist and a member of a Local Union of the Federation of Jewish Labor. In the three major cities of this country — Tel-Aviv, Jerusalem, and Haifa — two projectionists are employed at all times, and in the large theatre there are three projectionists, one of whom is the "chief." Second-run houses utilize only one projector, with one projectionist. In the major cities pictures are changed weekly, and a really popular release runs two or more weeks. The film exchanges are located in Tel-Aviv which, with a pure Jewish population of 175,000, has nine first-run and four second-run houses. First-run houses average 1.000 seats, with one open-air project seating 2,000. Jerusalem, with a mixed population of 161,000 has' only four first-run and four second-run houses; while Haifa, with 129,000 people has three first-run and one second-run theatres. Jaffa has a pure Arabic population of 62,000 served by three theatres. Small towns and rural communities have one or two theatres. German Equipment Predominant Equipment here is varied, although the German Zeiss-Ikon Ernemann projector predominates — more than 70%, in fact. In Tel-Aviv, for instance, nine theatres use Ernemann's: others use B.T.H. and Kalee (British) : Bauer and A.E.G. (German); Philips (Dutch), and Gaumont ( French). In Jerusalem and in Haifa some theatres use the Simnlex E-7, while other localities use the DeVry and other portable models. Concerning trip German nroiectors, for which narts could not be obtained during i-he nast six vears. protectionists here have worked miracles. Frnemann nroiectors 25 vears old still are running satiVactorilv. Ernemann Vs. which have "been running 7 hours dailv for 14 vears without any part renlacements. still are in verv good condition; in fact, the picture still is rock-steady. An outstanding case is that of an Ernemann which has been running for 21 vears, 9 hours daily, as a single projector in a small house: a breakdown recently necessitated replacement of two gears and the mechanism is again in m\ very good working condition. The Ernemann I is very crude, with all its gears showing, front shutter and vertical framing. With the Ernemann II, each mechanism has hermetically sealedin gears, automatic oiling, central framing, and an air-cooled gate. This model has a front shutter. The Ernemann V has in addition to the foregoing watercooled oil and gate, with a rear "barrel type" shutter, like the Motiograph, incorporating a centrifugal automatic fire shutter. High intensity light may be employed with this projector and still the gate is cooler than a human body (damn those Jerries! ) The Ernemann VII B incorporates a soundhead, and it also has an electric picture-and-sound changeover. This mechanism is similar to the Weber Syncrofilm announced by Weber Machine Co. in the U. S., which I read about in I. P. Sound systems used here are mostly RCA, W.E., and Klangfilm (German), with the latter being a bear for ruggedness and work but not so good on quality. Considered the best all-around projection Of course, you insist on keeping your floors and carpets clean and neat. Quite rightly, too, because appearances do count. You should be just as fussy about your booth equipment. It's probably pretty tired after the grind of the last few years and continuous performance is the only thing that really pays off. RCA service will put your sound and projection equipment in top condition — and keep it there — with the same engineering "know-how" that has made RCA the first name in electronics, radio, television. The RCA Service and Replacement Parts Contract is your assurance against expensive overhauling and costly replacements^and at a cost equivalent to only a few admissions a day. For full details, write: PC A Service Company, Inc., Dept. 43A, Camden, N. J. Seven benefits that spell Service Scheduled Checkups Emergency Service Regular Maintenance Valuable Technical Data Insures Peak Performance Complete Parts Replacements Emergency Sound Systems RCA SERVICE COMPANY, IRC. A SERVICE OF RADIO CORPORATION OF AMERICA JANUARY 1946 31