The Exhibitor (1954)

S. O. S. Offering Low Price Anamorphic Lens l\Ew "yoRK — A survey of small town and neighborhood theatres recently made by S.O.S. Cinema Supply Corporation, uncovered a lack of ready cash tor CinemaScope equipment. In some cases money I'ecently spent for wide screen and wide angle lenses caused a drain on the lamily pocketbook. Yet, the shortage of produce other than CinemaScope makes it impera¬ tive to equip for this wide screen technique. Oscar Lightstone, S.O.S. vice-president, whose family has been in tne exhibition end of the business for many years, feels he has the answer to this problem. An advanced anamorphic lens, Cinematic IV, is being offered by his firm at a new low price, and on time payments for as little as $200 down, it is said. To further reduce the financial burden, Lightstone’s plan includes a special bonus offer. With every pair of Cinematic IV lenses pur¬ chased, the exhibitor gets a $100 credit to be applied against the prime lenses or any other equipment, now or in the future. Cinematic IV, one of the newest variable lenses for all anamorphic systems, is claimed to be of advanced engineering and design. It features Micromatic control for all aspect ratios from 1.33: 1 to 2.66: 1 making it adaptable to Vista Vision and Superscope as well as CinemaScope. Made of lightweight cast aluminum, the lens fits Proscenium Package {Continued from page PT-11) One of the most important features of this system is said to be the fact that the curtain and mask combination is tracked from the top as well as the bottom of the structure. Ihis prevents the curtains and masking from swinging pendulum fashion out of alignment at the bottom, and if the screen is tilted either forward or back¬ ward, it prevents the masking from rub¬ bing between the masking and screen at all points from top to bottom. The efficient operation of this system is said to depend upon maintaining absolute parallelism between the upper and lower tracks throughout the width of the screen. Because of the double tracking feature, the drive cable must be threaded in a loop the full length of the floor track, up behind the screen to loop the full length of the upper track and back down to the motor drive. The drive cable must also be kept under sufficient tension to main¬ tain smooth operation. The design of the package is said to be such that if the proscenium arch is not large enough to accommodate a screen of maximum height and width, the proscen¬ ium frame, since it supports scenic com¬ ponents as well as the screen, can be placed anywhere in front of the arch. The final effect is claimed to be comparable to a structural modernization to the proscen¬ ium end of the theatre whose costs would be far in excess of the proscenium pack¬ age. Some indication of the system’s effec¬ tiveness may be gotten from the remarks of I. J. Klass, operator of the Ames, the theatre with the initial proscenium pack¬ age installation. “. . . Our attendance is running 30 per cent greater than a year ago and we attri all projectors and mounts in front of the objective lens on Universal adapter brackets. A balance indicator and distor¬ tion controls as well as coated, achro¬ matic optics are said to give brilliant screen images with the ultimate in steadi¬ ness and ease. Lightstone states: “For the indepen¬ dent exhibitor to operate successfully, the installation of anamorphic lenses is a must. By eliminating the large initial investment I feel that every theatre in the country can now afford to equip for CinemaScope and profit by increased boxoffice returns.” The cinematic IV anamorphic lens. bute much of this to the good showman¬ ship provided by this installation, and our ability to handle any aspect ratio.” The International Seat Corp., Union City, Ind., recently introduced their Pacemaker line of the¬ atre seats which are said to have deeper, more formfitting and comfortable back and seat up¬ holstery and construction retaining all inter¬ changeable features of former seats. The new line has steel construction throughout with back attached to sideplates by steel wings welded in predetermined position, assuring proper pitch. RCA Product Divisions Honor 25-Year Service Employes Camden, N. J. — Two hundred and sixtyfive employes of the product manufactur¬ ing and service divisions of the Radio Corporation of America who in 1954 com¬ pleted a quarter-century of service with the company have been inducted into the RCA Victor 25-Year Club. INSIST ON Unconditionally GUARANTEED! NO SEAMS regardless of the size of the picture... regardless of the system. MAXIMUM LIGHT RETURN means the best picture to the greatest number of desireable seats in any theatre. EVEN LIGHT DISTRIBUTION avoids hot spots and too rapid drop¬ off beyond useful viewing angles. All that plus resistance to stray light from sources other than the projector. ACCURATE COLOR RENDITION means.a richer, more natural picture. ALL SYSTEMS Regardless of aspect ratio your picture looks best on Raytone. These claims are supported by the manufacturer’s absolute moneyback guarantee . RAYTONE SCREEN CORP 165 Clermont Ave., Brooklyn 5, New York MIDWEST: L. E. Cooley, 408 S.Oak Park Ave., Oak Park, III. January 5, 1955 PHYSICAL THEATRE DEPARTMENT of MOTION PICTURE EXHIBITOR PT-13