The Exhibitor (1962)

Chattanooga To Get New Cinerama House Wise Colorado Theatreman Puts The Bite On Rowdies The problem of how to keep an orderly house has been the subject of much talk and concern of late. Ken Prickett, executive secretary of the Independent Theatre Owners of Ohio recently wrote: “We seem to have an increasing number of complaints concern¬ ing discipline, or the lack of it in motion picture houses. In checking with possible pa¬ trons, it is our belief that disturbances are the greatest single factor now keeping people away from the theatre. “Maintaining discipline in a theatre is not an impossible task. It does, however, require constant supervision. Probably the best cure for disturbances is to put the offenders out without refunding their money and barring them from the theatre for a certain period of time.” Every theatreman knows that maintaining an orderly theatre is a must. The problem is HOW? Not only the indoor theatres suffer from breaches of discipline on the part of Big Boy and Owner patrons, but many a drive-in owner has been plagued by rowdy customers, especially teen¬ agers. A Colorado theatreman has found an ef¬ fective if unusual way of coping with the problem. He knew that asking rowdy, bois¬ terous teen-agers to leave the theatre would help him keep his patrons satisfied and bring them back to the boxoffice, but he had dif¬ ficulty. The owner, R. E. Vaughan, has oc¬ casionally had to break up fist fights and quell other disturbances. Groups of teenagers would come into the theatre after having a few beers and get loud and unruly. “I would get a complaint from patrons that the people in the car next to them were too noisy,” said Vaughan. “I would go out to tell them to quiet down and they would say ‘Are you going to make us?’ ” Now Vaughan has an answer. He bought a 1-year-old German Shepherd named Big Boy to patrol his Mesa DriveIn Blende, Col., and teen-age disturbances have virtually ceased. “It’s been quieter at my theatre in the last three weeks than it has been in the last ten years,” Vaughan said. Mrs. Marie Markham, a Blende dog breeder, raised and trained the big German Shepherd, who has proven very effective in handling patron disturbances. He was given training similar to that given police dogs and those sent to the Army Canine Corps. Specially trained to handle riots, the dog is disturbed by loud and angry talking. Vaughan said Big Boy is “basically a gentle dog who will not bother people who are behaving themselves.” Vaughan said the dog follows him every¬ where. “He is even with me when I take a bath and he sleeps with me when I go to bed,” said the outdoor owner. Now, when an unruly carload of patrons starts trouble and Vaughan gets the “Are you gonna make us?” business, he no longer has to call the police to force the patrons to leave. “Now I tell them to go to the boxoffice to get their refunds and I get no arguments.” Just recently, the refreshment stand in the Mesa was hit by teen-troubles. Vaughan walked in with his German Shepherd. He had Big Boy sit in a corner. “Those kids quieted down right away,” he said. “I would rather have that dog than carry a gun.” He said he wished that he had bought the dog a long time ago. Formerly, Vaughan had hired off-duty policemen to patrol the theatre to keep order, but this summer he has found it unneces¬ sary. Ken Prickett is right in saying that “Word is soon passed around that a certain theatre maintains discipline.” How much sooner word must get around that a theatre has a peace officer the likes of Big Boy! CHATTANOOGA — Within a few days Chattanooga will become one of a few cities in the United States to have a luxuriously modern theatre exclusively for the exhibition of Cinerama said Bob Giles, managing direc¬ tor of the new enterprise. Complete remodeling and installation of the fabulous Cinerama equipment is now under¬ way at the Brainerd, on Brainerd Road at Germantown in Chattanooga. Plans calls for entire and portions of the two adjacent walls to become the new giant screen made up of 1100 vertical strips of perforated tape, angled like the slats of a Venetian blind that has been set on end. Reflected light bounces off one louvre to the back of the next, which in turn deflects it to the rear. Showing of Cinerama productions will begin with a Hollywood-type premiere on Wednesday, July 11, with the first attraction being “This Is Cinerama.” The Brainerd Cinerama Theatre is owned by Martin Theatres, operators of other theatres in Chattanooga and the Southeast. The thea¬ tre chain was founded in the days of the Nickelodeon, in 1912, by Roy Martin, Sr. In addition to the Chattanooga Cinerama in¬ stallation, Martin is now building new, mod¬ ern Cinerama theatres in New Orleans, Seat¬ tle and St. Louis, and construction will begin shortly in San Francisco. Theatres in Atlanta and Chicago are being completely renovated to the Martin Cinerama specifications and the company is already operating Cinerama in Nashville. Cinerama creates an atmosphere of com¬ plete participation by the audience in the ac¬ tion being projected. Not only has the screen a new shape and dimension, but there are three projection booths simultaneously throwing the image on the screen. The projectors will be grounded in concrete, and locked together by motors that automatically keep the three images in perfect synchronization on the screen, Giles explained. The seven channel all-transistor sterophonic sound system provides hi-fidelity re¬ production through 11 speakers placed be¬ hind the screen on the walls, and rear of the auditorium. There will be 10 performances weekly at the Brainerd every night and matinees on Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday. The seating capacity will be reduced to 640 in order to provide a “luxury seat” for every patron. Special technical men will be sent in to direct the conversion and to give thorough training of local workers and the house staff on the operation of Cinerama. “The tickets will be on a permanent re¬ served-seat basis and boxoffice girls and ushers have to be oriented to this,” Giles said. Scheduled for future showing at the Brainerd Cinerama Theatre are: “Seven Wonders of the World,” “Cinerama Holiday,” “South Seas Adventures,” “Search for Para¬ dise,” “The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm,” and “How the West Was Won.” • BRIGHTER LIGHT • LONGER BURNING • SHARPER PICTURE Free Test Samples' l^TTyrTITTJ»nTTW1TTIW E onnatae CARBONS INC., BOONTON, N. J. AMlAAuKi^iiSii* litiu & • STEADIER LIGHT • LESS ATTENTION • PERFECT COLOR BALANCE Free Carbon Chart PE-22 PHYSICAL THEATRE • EXTRA PROFITS DEPARTMENT of MOTION PICTURE EXHIBITOR August 15, 1962