The Exhibitor (1966)

Seating-Accent On Beauty, Comfort A Review of Equipment Available From Companies With The Knowledge and Experience To Keep Customers Happy An example of Heywood-Wakefield seating at the Windsor Cinerama Theatre in Houston, Texas. January 18, 1967 PHYSICAL THEATRE • EXTRA PROFITS DEPARTMENT of MOTION PICTURE EXHIBITOR PE-5 A list of items that are important to the success of a movie house would include the films it exhibits, its promotion of them, and its location. Another item that deserves to be high on this list, however, is its furnishings. Significant indeed is the influence that a the¬ atre’s interior decor and comfort has on its patrons. Whether a theatre is big or small, first or subsequent run, good quality furnishings invariably cause patrons to think of the house as being “in the better class.” Theatre seating is best judged by these four criteria: Appearance, comfort, convenience, and durability. Like the films it shows, a the¬ atre’s interior apearance should be pleasing to the eye. A motion picture viewed in comfort will have a more pleasurable effect on the audi¬ ence than one viewed under conditions that require any degree of endurance. Convenience, ease in getting to and from one’s seat during the show, contributes to the patron’s comfort and may affect concession sales. Durability of furnishings means much in the long run, inas¬ much as remodeling costs the exhibitor con¬ siderable time and money and should not have to be done often. American Seating Company offers a line de¬ signed to give theatre interiors a dramatic ex¬ citement normally associated with the films shown. Once a basic seat model is chosen, ac¬ cessories and standard elements are offered that will contribute to a tasteful decor and give the theatre a touch of individuality. End panels are offered in four shapes and seven different materials, ft is recommended that end panel designs be coordinated with rugs and other accessories for the desired effect. Remembering that a seating layout must provide comfort as well as appearance, the company equips its seats with spring-arch construction with five serpentine springs. To provide convenience, American’s chairs are conventionally designed to raise to a three-quarter folding position that allows easy passage through the aisles, which, PHYSICAL THEATRE Vol. 22, No. I January 18, 1967 as a company spokesman said, is “a key patron requirement for first-rate theatres.” The seat rises silently and automatically when unoc¬ cupied. In regard to durability, the company spokesman pointed out that the seats’ foamand-spring cushioning is wear-resistant and vermin-proof and provides long lasting resili¬ ency for sustained comfort. Back construction features a solid-molded plastic outer panel encasing a foam-padded and upholstered, heavy -gauge steel inner panel. Also offered is an exclusive plastic soil-guard cuff which cov¬ ers the top portion of the back to protect up¬ holstery when grabbed from the rear. Heywood-Wakefield company’s seating line is offered with a variety of wood, fabric, and ceramic end-panel designs, and a choice of wood or upholstered arm rests. Comfort is ac¬ cented in their special rocking chair design. This item is achieved by having the seat and back in fixed relation to each other, and sup¬ ported to allow a limited rocking action. The Griggs' "Ovation" model 4100 fully upholstered chair with exquisite end panel. Available in wide choice of colors.