The Exhibitor (1956)

GPE's Third Quarter Earnings And Sales Rise Internally Lighted D-l Sign From Ballantyne Omaha, Neb. — For a long time, theatre owners have been looking for a new kind of high intensity sign that would have high legibility both day and night. Re¬ cently the Ballantyne Company, using Plexiglo, came up with a new kind of sign that is said to offer many advantages. It is highly readable both day or night. Lighted or unlighted, the name and message command attention and can be read instantly by approaching motorists. Plexiglo signs are internally lighted, and the plastic letters are combined in a modern design. The strength of the Plexiglo faces and letters give the sign rugged durability, and because the light source is enclosed, protected from the weather, maintenance is kept to a minimum. The signs are available in any size, and cost approximately $20 per square foot single face, or about $40 per square foot double face. Planning The Drive-In (Continued from page PT10) drive-in particularly noticed by the majority of the patrons. Entrances On the matter of entrances, we would like to emphasize the need of providing a maximum distance between the high¬ way and the box office. If you don’t have legislation on this matter now in your town or State, you will have it soon if the area drive-ins are backing up cars on to the street at rush periods. Regard¬ less of the number of cashiers on duty, the cars can’t funnel on to the right num¬ ber of lanes in too short a space after swinging off the highway. On the matter of ticket selling facilities, it should be noted that a drive-in differs greatly from a conventional theatre. Here the cashier is situated a long way from the usual location of the manager or owner. The ticket selling operation, or traffic at the box office, can’t be observed from the inside of the park in most driveins. In our circuit, in order to counteract these dangers, we use a stub rod ticket system exclusively. The cashiers sell di¬ rectly to the auto — a second booth is lo¬ cated 75 to 100 feet behind the box office to house the ticket taker with stub rod box. Maintenance Generally speaking, maintenance prob¬ lems vary with each drive-in. One of the few items that would be universal is the maintenance of speakers. Our biggest problem on that score is the replacing of speaker cones. In New England we find that almost all of cone replacements have to be made in the spring — just after the drive-in opens. The speakers check out okay when first put into use at the start of the season; however, within three or four weeks, we find that we have to re¬ place 10 to 15 per cent of the cones. Ap¬ parently, warping takes place after the speakers are put into use. Varying the winter storage conditions doesn’t seem to alter the percentage of loss. However, we do feel that holding the sound volume on the field down to a minimum, par¬ ticularly at the start of the season, does ( Continued on page PT-14) New York — General Precision Equip¬ ment Corporation reported third quarter sales and earnings ahead of the 1955 third quarter, but nine month figures were behind the same period a year ago. Consolidated net sales for the three months ended Sept. 30, 1956 were $35,579,263 and consolidated net profit was $613,901. After preferred dividends, these earnings were equivalent to 41 cents per common share on 1,125,380 shares of common stock outstanding. Sales for the same period a year ago were $31,456,202 and net profit was $201,594, or eight cents per share on 1,031,644 common shares outstanding. For the nine months ended Sept. 30, 1956 sales were $109,703,459 and profit was $1,768,460 or $1.21 per share on 1,125,380 shares of common stock out¬ standing. This compares with sales of $101,694,946, and profit of $2,375,248 or $2.02 per share on 1,031,644 shares out¬ standing. Noting the “substantial improvement” of sales and profits in the third quarter over the same period of 1955, Hermann G. Place, GPE president, ascribed the falloff in this year’s third quarter as com¬ pared with the second quarter to “sus¬ pension of operation in a number of GPE plants for vacations and interruptions in deliveries resulting from the steel strike. Indications are that for the fourth quarter of the year both sales and profits will be better than for any quarter of 1955 or 1956,” he said. Directors of GPL declared a dividend of 60 cents per share on the common stock, payable Dec. 15, 1956. . . . the SUPER SNAPUTE LENS for the clearest, sharp¬ est, brightest pictures you have ever seen on your screen! Your patrons will notice the difference — Super Snaplite gives greater contrast, bet¬ ter definition, more light on the screen where it really counts. Ask your dealer for Bulletin 222. kmmir ikir kv L/pticoZ «: ii ik ■* O KArriO N NORTHAMPTON, MASSACHUSETTS December 5, 1956 PHYSICAL THEATRE DEPARTMENT of MOTION PICTURE EXHIBITOR PT-11