Motion Picture Daily (Apr-Jun 1953)

Motion Picture Daily Tuesday, April 28, 1953 Showings End (Continued from page 1) said yesterday, however, that he would discuss his personal opinion in letters to stockholders. One Green associate, however, said he was impressed by CinemaScope but withheld detailed appraisal. Typical of exhibitor comments were those of a large operator and of a small town theatre owner. Sam Pinanski, president of American Theatres Corp. of New England, declared yesterday that "CinemaScope is what we have been waiting for," adding that "it opens new horizons." Tom Hanlon, who operates a 500-seat theatre in Bridgton, Me., said "20th-Fox really has something. It's wonderful. I've already ordered equipment for my house." Further demonstrations will be held this week in Philadelphia, Chicago and Detroit. A special midnight performance was given last night at the Roxy. Spyros P. Skouras and Al Lichtman, president and distribution director, respectively, will attend the out-oftown showings. Under vice-president Charles Einfeld's direction, publicity staff members will cover the threecity previews. Assignments are : Meyer Hutner, Chicago; Ira Tulipan, Philadelphia ; Eddie Solomon, Chicago and Detroit ; Charles Cohen, Detroit. Rice to Assist Hendricks Hollywood, April 27. — Bill Rice has been appointed assistant studio publicity director of Warner Brothers and top aide to Bill Hendricks, it was announced here. Uniformity of New Media (Continued from page 1) which will be compatible with new and old type pictures and (3) an educational program by the engineers so that there will be no mis-use of the attained goals. "As a member of the motion picture industry," Wolfson said, "I for one am a little embarrassed that outside capital took techniques which we, for years, knew existed — and with them stampeded us into such precipitous action. But mingled with embarrassment is a good measure of elation over the fact that the industry is on the move. Apparently, we have quit wringing our hands in despair and are now using that energy to bring the motion picture up more fully to its potential." Wolfson asserted that exhibitors have been "romanced, cajoled, wheedled, high-pressured and, in some measure, I think deluded somewhat as regards these new techniques." He pointed out that experts who are called in to make surveys for the new media do not know anything about the new process and would not know what to survey if they came to the theatres. "If all this sounds as though I am irked by these happenings, please discard that thought," Wolfson said. "We may be confused but it is a happy confusion because, as I said before, it's a sign that the industry is on the move ; that people in the industry are out to improve it and not just out to bring a lawsuit — which seems to be the favorite pastime of the last decade." Wolfson urged the engineers to use caution in the new medium because "we cannot afford to nor will we change our booth equipment and screen every time the picture changes." Turning to the subject of drive-ins, Wolfson predicted that the trend would be to the "twin drive-in," where different pictures will play on different sides of the lot, so that a patron can pick the picture he wants to see. He also expressed hope for cheaper shipping costs of film, asserting that in this day of synthetics, shipping cases can be made lighter and yet as durable. Wolfson stressed the importance of theatre television, stating that this medium can and will bring culture to Main Street and wider knowledge to the citizens of every town. He said the revenue-producing potential of theatre TV had not yet been tapped and that its importance had been overlooked by many. the right tool FOR THE JOB Using the wrong tools or makeshift substitutes makes any job more expensive because it takes longer and the result may not be up to standard. The Altec Service meters are the right tools for the testing and servicing of your booth and sound equipment. They are carried by every Altec Service Man. These meters were designed in Altec's laboratories after years of experience in theatrical service. They represent an investment of thousands of dollars in engineering and manufacturing — an investment that saves you money because it helps your Altec Service Man to do his job right. Rely on Altec. It's the finest technical service for theatres. 161 Sixth Ave., New York 13. New York CinemaScope Costs (Continued from page 1) jector. It was inadvertently stated in yesterday's Motion Picture Daily that the cost of equipping a large theatre with CinemaScope would be about $12,000. That figure, Lichtman explained, covered the cost of the stereophonic sound for a large theatre. The 20th-Fox distribution head said the complete CinemaScope package for large theatres would not exceed $25,0u0. tor medium sized theatres, seating between 1,500 to 2,000, the cost would be from $15,000 to $17,000, Lichtman estimated, while the cost to smaller theatres would not exceed $12,000 and might be as low as $10,000. Lichtman said it was difficult to offer hard and fast estimates, explaining that each theatre poses particular problems regarding the screen and the sound. He held out the possibility that the costs may eventually come down some as the manufacture of equipment is stepped up. Lichtman added that 20th-Fox has to date received 2,500 applications for CinemaScope and expects many more during the course of the week, with CinemaScope demonstrations slated for Chicago, Detroit and Philadelphia. Buffalo Century to UAT on Friday Buffalo, April 27. — The Century Theatre, operated for a decade by the Max Yellen interests, will be taken over Friday by the Buhawk Corp., a subsidiary of United Artists Theatres. The new operators will immediately install its new ToddAmerican Optical projection process, now being tested in the local Regent theatre, recently leased by the UA circuit for four months. Theatre TV (Continued from page 1) ments in wide-screen and 3-D plus the rush by producers to supply the product necessary for such projection had taken the edge off of theatre television for the time being. However, he said, the showing of important current events on theatre screens via television is just as alive today, insofar as planning is concerned, as it was six months or a year ago. Standardize (Continued from page 1) sounded by Westrex's Eugene S. Gregg on his arrival here from New York. Understandably, Gregg looks upon stereophonic sound as an essential ingredient in any wide-screen development. He claims that stereophony is a technician's headache compared with the relatively straightforward technical problems involved in either stereoscopy or wide-screen. Until standardization is achieved, not only in screen-ratio but sound, the hands of sound-technicians are tied, Gregg said, adding that the industry simply cannot afford two or three different sound reproduction methods. Gregg estimates that the cost of installation of multi-channel sound will run from around £3,000 to £5,000 per theatre. He points out that equipment will require to be tailored to a given theatre's size and acoustic properties, which entails in turn an individual survey of every house. The financial aspect of the change-over makes for "a tremendous problem" to the industry, Gregg concedes. Equipment companies could not be expected to shoulder the whole of the colossal burden. "We consider always the financial position of our customers," he said. "We visualize that equipment will be made available to British exhibitors on rental terms." Gregg told newsmen that Hollywood producers had still to make up their minds whether to use the double or single film method. Some people, he said, favored five tracks and even a nine-track recording had been proposed. Screen illumination posed another problem, he declared. He felt the adequate illumination of a 65-foot screen called for at least 200 amps, which was far in excess of a theatre's orthodox equipment. Whatever standard was set in either field Westrex engineers were prepared for it, but the moment of decision had come for the industry, Gregg said. Gregg left here for Rome where he will report on the new developments to his European and North African representatives. From there he will go to Vienna. the Producer who is a Perfectionist... What you're shooting for, in the long run, is frequent showings of your film and sustained audience interest. But, if your prints are untreated, they are bound to develop defects and thus irritate the audience. To avoid this, the producer who is a perfectionist includes Peerless-treatment in his budget. The cost is negligible the results gratifying. P ft I PRO EERLESS FILM I PROCESSING CORPORATION 165 WEST 46TH STREET, NEW YORK 36, N. Y 959 SEWARD STREET, HOLLYWOOD 38, CALIF.