The Exhibitor (1960)

screen completely unframed, represents a departure from existing designs. The image spills out into the large auditorium creating an impression of envelopment within the image. The design of the auditorium heightens the impression. Auditorium walls are painted in shades of gray, and lack ornamentation or distracting elements. Perfect acoustical re¬ sults have been obtained by using corru¬ gated, perforated aluminum, backed up by three inches of fiber glass. The remaining interior area of the theatre is devoted to a spacious lobby, lounge, and art gallery. The decor in this area is in startling contrast with the gray of the audi¬ torium. Oyster white walls scarlet carpeting, colorful lighting fixtures, highly contempor¬ ary furniture, tropical planters and a decora¬ tive screen highlight the area. The space in this area is unbroken except for the screen. The theatre has a well conceived conces¬ sion stand, used in conjunction with the re¬ cessed vending machine shown in accom¬ panying photos. Exterior landscaped courts and gardens have been provided for patrons during inter¬ mission and waiting periods. The building is of concrete block stucco design with poured structural reinforcing columns as required by engineering design. Roof structure is of 100 foot longspan steel bar joists some five feet in girth supporting steel corruform roof decking with 21/^ inches of lightweight concrete poured into place. The building has ten sets of exit doors located every 20 feet on either side of the building allowing emergency emptying in minutes. The complete interior partition Shown is highly contemporary lounge opposite concession area. The above photo shows the Cinema's maskless 65 ft. screen. structure is made up of steel studs covered by metal lathe, making the building complete¬ ly impervious to fire hazards. The screen area has been constructed with radial and sloping smooth -finished plaster for effective sound reverbration. The Cinema has its own emergency lighting system, op¬ erated by gas engine driven generator, as well as complete rheostat controlled dimmer equipment throughout. The air conditioning and heating system in the Cinema is composed of two separate 40-ton compressors imits for auditorium cooling and one individual ten ton unit for lobby cooling. The system was designed so that failure of any one unit will not com¬ pletely destroy the use of the air condition¬ ing system throughout the theatre. The projection booth is equipped with the latest type RCA four-channel optical and magnetic sound equipment, also used for an RCA public address and three speed record system. The equipment was designed so that it could easily be expanded into a seven chan¬ nel, 70mm system by the addition of power amps and pre arnps. Lamphouse equipment is Ashcraft Super Cinex 165 amp lamps with Bausch and Lomb Balcold reflectors, 12 phase Selinium recti¬ fiers and A.C. water recirculators. The projector, a Century Model HHW with curved gate and water cooled traps, uses B&L Super Cinephor and Cinemascope len¬ ses. Projection and sound equipment was furnished by Capitol Motion Picture Supply Co., N. Y. RCA Service Co., working in con¬ junction with Capitol, engineered and in¬ stalled the projection and sound systems. (Continued on Page PE-14) 85th Street Cinema-Cafe Designer David Barrett is to be credited with embodying in the 540 seat Trans-Lux 85th Street Cinema-Cafe some of the most distinctive and unique effects achieved in indoor theatre design. Work was completed in mid-October on this replica of a Parisian street cafe, which specializes in First run specialty and quality type shows in New York City. The theatre, playing to upper east side apartment and town house dwellers, is the first to purvey wines and liquers, according to Richard P. Brandt, president of Trans -Lux Theatres Corporation. The interior of this novel house holds many surprises, one of them being a typical French weathered brick wall, some 70 feet long, that runs the entire length of the lobby with a mural simulating the River Seine as a back¬ ground. From behind the riverbank, real trees and other foliage sprout along with the distinctive Parisian bookstalls. The lobby of the theatre also houses a Parisian cafe with cobblestone flooring, which serves wines and liquers along with French pastries, tea sandwiches, bon-bons, coffees, and other beverages. A complete row of shop windows, scaled life-size, occupy the wall facing the cafe. A patisserie, a perfumery, millinery and other shops display their goods, also for sale, in windows along the wall. ' The distinctive French street lamps shown (Continued on Page PE-13) December 14, I960 PHYSICAL THEATRE • EXTRA PROFITS DEPARTMENT of MOTION PICTURE EXHIBITOR PE-5