Motion Picture Herald (May-Jun 1943)

00 BETTER THEATRES May 2 9, 19 4 3 Exhibitors of America have many duties to perform these war days. You build unity and morale through motion picture presentations— and you promote and support the various government drives that are initiated to spur war production and civilian defense. RCA Service, like exhibitors, is carrying on important war duties: RCA engineers are rendering scheduled service to projection room equipment in thousands of theatres to "Keep 'em Running"—and other RCA Service groups are installing military equipment and instructing personnel, in this country and at the battlefronts. The RCA Service organization is today more than nation-wide ... it is world-wide . . . serving the home front and battlefronts too! ^VICTORY BUY 1TED STATES .WAR NDS up STAMPS RCA SERVICE CO., INC. RADIO CORPORATION OF AMERICA Subsidiary Camden, N. J. PERFORMER T ' * Automatic FILM RE WINDER Sold thruTHEATRE SUPPLY DEALERS READ THE ADS— they're news F. H. RICHARDSON'S COMMENT on PROJECTION F. H. R. Damage to Prints A Wartime Menace our old friend Ed Jones, projectionist at the Ritz theatre in Fernandina, Fla., comes forth with the following: "An article in this week's Herald brings me to the point of writing you on a subject that has been worrying me for some little while, and I know others have been experiencing the same trouble. This has to do with the recent increase of fires in the theatres, perhaps quite a few of them occurring in the projection room. "I have recently had an epidemic of splices which have pulled loose. A few days past, for instance, I was required to repair eight splices in one seven-minute comedy. Now, Dad, you know that this is too much. I have checked into the cause of this and find many color prints spliced without scraping the coloring from the non-emulsion side and, as you know, film cement will not hold to anything but clean film. "In my opinion the cause of this is the great number of new employes in exchanges who have not been instructed enough on the proper way to splice film ; if not this, then it must be just plain carelessness. "I am enclosing a short piece of a film I received recently. This damage went on for about 300 feet, plus five misframes. This film came directly from the exchange with inspectors' seals. "I suggest a drive to have these new employes, if they are the cause of this trouble, schooled thoroughly in the correct way to make a splice on film, and I further suggest they be given instruction on the proper way to inspect film." More Blame for the Exchanges Another letter along the same vein comes from Projectionist Fred H. Tewksbury of Exeter, N. H. He says: "There has been considerable talk about conservation of film and elimination of damage to film by projectionists. All blame seems to be placed upon the projectionist, while it should be placed at the doors of the film exchange inspection departments. "Through years of work on film as a projectionist, as well as in exchanges, I have observed that a large percentage of damage could be eliminated with a checkup at the exchange prior to shipment. "Considerable damage, is caused by the film being wound unevenly on the reels and then being forced into the film shipping cases, crushing the edges of the film and breaking the sprocket holes, making it necessary to cut out from one frame to as high as 3 feet, or possibly more, to make it safe to run in a projector. Careless splices made at these cuts cause more damage, since in a short time they must be remade, shortening the scene just that much more, and the result is unfavorable remarks from patrons, plus a waste of film. "Such damage could be eliminated by having the head inspector or an appointed inspector check every reel for even laying of film prior to shipment, rejecting all reels with film wound unevenly, and returning film to the inspector responsible for rewinding— and a dock in pay ! "The cost of such a service would be very small, if any, and would result in more enjoyable shows, film conservation and a greater degree of safety from fire." The fact that it is exceedingly hard to get competent help these days is creating a problem of which these complaints — and others have come in along the same lines — afford but one example. Yet There's Waste in Projection Rooms, Too While I admit the guilt of the exchanges in many instances, still there is many a case of waste and destruction in the projection room. Some projectionists are just too lazy or indifferent to do anything about it. Others are doing their best to find out the cause of their troubles and to eliminate them as quickly as possible. These men are honest in their mistakes and can be forgiven — if they don't let them happen a second time. The following is one such case. The projectionist who wrote in is honestly puzzled as to what is wrong and is taking steps to place the blame where it belongs and to rectify it. The damage in this instance has been caused in his own projection room, but I am willing to wager he will not be guilty again. He says: "I would like to ask your advice in a matter that has me puzzled. Enclosed you will find a piece of film with torn sprocket holes. Notice that the tear seems to start at the lower edge of the sprocket hole. In trying to locate the trouble I have checked the loops, film track, tension in upper magazine, takeup tension, play in the intermittent, and splices before the break. In no case has there been a splice before the break. This breakage has happened on both projectors and therefore it would seem the equipment is not to blame. The break has happened about four times in the past two months and always happens about 5 feet from the end of the film." "We use Super-Simplex heads with Western Electric 206A reproducer. The problem has me licked." The trouble is caused apparently by