Motion Picture Herald (Mar-Apr 1947)

appreciable odor, for the bacteria which are harmless to the human body but which do cause odor, have been destroyed also. Today there are economical filters for cleaning incoming air substantially, and means of destroying bacteria in fabric, on surfaces, and in the air, chemically, electrically and radiantly. They are as important as fire protection to the business of exhibiting motion pictures in our time.. He Likes Germicidal Lamps Ultraviolet radiation from germicidal lamps for the destruction of bacteria, is still regarded by the U. S. Public Health Service as in an experimental stage, but so far as C. M. Schwabb, owner of the Fort theatre in Fort Gibson, Okla., they are perfectly swell for theatres. Late last summer Mr. Schwabb installed germicidal lamps along the walls of his auditorium, rest rooms and foyer, (in suitable protective fixtures, of course), and in the air ducts. Now he has had some six or seven months of experience with them. Here is his verdict, in a reply to an inquiry about how the installation has worked out : "Yes, as I think back upon some of the remarks I made immediately following the completion of this installation I find I was rather enthusiastic. Sometimes I wonder just how many of my words of praise found believing hearers. I seemed to be approaching the mentality of the fellow who had just bought a new Studebaker automobile. He proclaimed, 'It's de best Studebaker what the Studebaker people efer have built. Dey told me so demselves!' "I don't know how well satisfied that fellow was with his car after six months, but I am very well satisfied with these lamps. Miracle lamps is the best name for them. That is also the opinion patrons hold, and that is really the important thing after all. . . . Just imagine how a theatre manager feels when an 'occasional' patron approaches him with, 'I'll be a regular comer now since you have so generously given our community an innovation which permits an asthma sufferer like myself to attend the movies and be able to breathe better in a crowded theatre than he can in his home alone.' "Another one tormented by hay fever said, 'Now I can enjoy the movies that I so love to see.' Many mothers, too, feel they can permit their children to attend the show oftener and in safety in the days of polio, measles, whooping cough and colds. Neighbor exhibitors lost as much as 75% of their child trade during the recent polio epidemic. Mv loss was short of 10%!" "But," continues Mr. Schwabb, "one of the most material items of evidence of what these lamps really accomplish (and at the time of purchase they had no pub licity to that effect) is the terrific saving in perfumes and deodorants. Since the first week following installation of these lamps, only one of those items has been used, and that item is an odorless disinfectant in the mop water. And now, although our town is not modern and living conveniences are none too good, we have a sweet, freshsmelling theatre the year round." Mr. Schwabb adds that he was once plagued by a musty odor in the lower portion of the auditorium that no amount of deodorants and perfumes could eliminate. "This obnoxious odor," he reports, "has been completely banished by the germicidal lamps." Could be that effectively asepticized mop water, too! Anyway, here are some experience data on radiation as a means of making theatres both safer and pleasanter places to be in. Effect of Ozone on Fuel The application of ozone generating equipment to air sterilization, deodorizing and "livening," was the subject of our February piece concerning the place of such apparatus in a modern air-conditioning system. This has had affirmation in another letter, one from I. M. Rappaport, owner and operator of the large Hippo{Continued on page 32) MOST EVERYTHING SWEET! AND ASPIRIN, TOO? ■ A "drug store" type of merchandise bar is what Frank Pratt, manager of the Paramount theatre in Portland, Ore., calls the refreshment stand in that spacious house. The bar is 35 feet long and is made from myrtlewood. The candy display compartments are refrigerated. The popcorn tray and storage cabinet for boxed popped corn have automatic heat. In this cabinet both bulk corn and ready-to-serve cartons are kept at the correct temperature. The corn is popped backstage, then brought to the bar. Popular bottled beverages are sold, being pre-chillled in a cold storage room on the mezzanine. Mr. Pratt reports that two items recently added, ice cream slices and a Kay nut roaster, have proved successful. All drinks are served in a paper cup. Prior to each show break, attendants start pouring out cold drinks in quantities indicated by experience. Sometimes as many as 500 cups ready to serve have been necessary. Three attendants are steadily employed — a young man, who is in charge, and two girls. During intermissions of heavy patronage, the usherettes assist behind the bar. One attendant on an opening shift reports an hour prior to opening to have the bar completely set up for operation when the doors open. Each Monday morning the entire front and back bar are given thorough cleaning and polishina. The theatre engineer checks and oils all motors and other mechanical equipment. The bar is kept open until the last patron leaves. In the picture above Mr. Pratt is shown, proudly, at center. 12 BETTER THEATRES, MARCH 8, 1947