Motion Picture Herald (May-Jun 1947)

Don't Let Dirt Keep Folks Away Protect your patrons' light summer clothes with a Specialized Super Theatre Cleaner. Delicate colors and fabrics can be ruined in one visit to a dirty theatre. There will be no dirt, dust or grime to come off on light summer outfits if you keep your floors, carpets, upholstered furniture, drapes, and other furniture spic and span with a Super. It's easy. Works fast. Picks up even popcorn. Try a Super 5 days free — all risk ours. Ask your wholesaler or NATIONAL SUPER SERVICE CO 1941 N. 13th Street Toledo 2, Ohio write. Clean your screen with this Super Screen Brush, one ot many special theatre cleaning tools which are standard equipment. 3 MOST FAMOUS TRACKS SILENT STEEL for heavy duty— BESTEEL for medium duty and FENESTEEL for light duty. For dependable service install any of these fireproof curtain tracks. IMMEDIATE DELIVERY AUTOMATIC DEVICES COMPANY 1033 LINDEN STREET ALLENTOWN, PA. Export Office: 220 W. 42nd St., N. Y. C. BETTER ... EASIER SCREEN REFINISHINC Do it the "Arctic Blanch" way. Regular or plastic. Many theatres enthusiastic. Write tor particulars today. National Theatre Screen Refinishing Co. 129 ZENNER ST. BUFFALO II, N. Y. of at right angles. This curve should have a radius of at least 2 feet {that much is required by the New York City Building Code). This prevents a person from being jammed into the platform corner in case of stairway congestion in an emergency. • A PRESENTABLE, EFFICIENT EMERGENCY LIGHT SOURCE for emergency illumination the light available should be at a maximum so as to reduce the number of sources necessary for an effective amount of light. It is therefore inefficient to conceal an emergency light source, covering it with glass or other material. Since it is used only in an emergency, appearance is a minor factor, but it always is a factor. A simple emergency fixture that allows efficient use of a light bulb without, however, exposing it to an unsightly degree, can be made by recessing in the ceiling, set flush, a metal container about 3^ inches deep and 5 inches in diameter. The container is open at the bottom end, and a bulb of average size for such purposes projects out approximately to the extent of its illuminating area. Granite is now available in standard sizes up to 12x8 feet. The various sizes are based on a system of multiples of standard brick sizes. These standard units make it more feasible to consider this fine material for theatre exterior surfacing. DISADVANTAGES OF A NARROW AUDITORIUM a theatre seating 600 was recently completed having a seating plan with a single aisle in the middle and seven chairs on either side. This created a very long narrow auditorium. The shape was not dictated by the plot since that was considerably larger than the theatre. The reasons presented for this design were that narrow auditorium construction was economical, and the single aisle arrangement efficient. This plan might have been warranted some thirty years ago when the cost of the structural shell, relative to that of the furnishings and equipment, was considerably higher than with present practices. Today the minor savings achieved with a narrow auditorium is very unimportant when you consider the disadvantages of such a type of auditorium. Not only is the acoustical quality of the auditorium reduced, but a picture has to be projected to take care of the remote viewing positions that is much too large for the front seats. In addition, the sound amplification must be too great for the front seats. A long narrow room furthermore is a difficult one to treat architecturally, and it has a poor psychological effect on its occupants. 20 BETTER THEATRES, MAY 31, 1947