Motion Picture Herald (Nov-Dec 1948)

marble is used on the box-office, and yellow Formica on the walls. Glass doors lead into the lobby, where verde antique frames a display case on each side almost the full depth. Here rubber mats of relatively small size to facilitate handling form a pattern of squares in the terrazzo floor. Red Formica doors lead into the foyer, where carpeting begins, all of it a relatively traditional patter in tan, brown and red. Walls here are ribbon mahogany plywood, which is used also for facing of a refreshment counter, behind which is contrasted a board and batten panel painted gray. This and the auditorium entranceway are further accentuated by the dark plaster ceiling, which is painted blue-black. Again downlights are used for main illumination. The original lobby of the Strand in Thompsonville, in which a candy counter had been introduced; and at left, the new lobby with its larger, built-in refreshment stand. The present auditorium represents a complete transformation, with deep blue velour laid in panels between blue-gray pilasters and above a dado of the same treatment, in the top of which is recessed a line of blue neon. In the proscenium area the walls converge to frame the screen opening with splayed surfaces that diffuse screen light as well as form a decorative terminal — each is a checkerboard of wood blocks painted blue gray. Running light is supplied by downlights above the aisles. STRAND IN THOMPSONVILLE This modernization project was confined to the entrance and lobby areas, where removal of old-fashioned decorative devices and installation of more effective refreshment facilities were most urgently needed. Thompsonville is a small city; the theatre is a unit of the Perakos Theatre Association which operates in Connecticut. The theatre is housed in a building whose frontage contains stores; one of these was incorporated in the theatre area to provide a commodious and attractive vending installation. In doing this, the front was made wider in effect by extending the marquee over ,the new theatre frontage occupied by the box-office and display frames. With .the lobby-foyer area visible through glass doors, the prominent refreshment stand can be seen from the street, and the rubber mats of the lobby have contrasting lines running diagonally in the direction of the vending installation. Both the front and vestibule is faced in white English vein marble, verde antique marble and gum plywood. The ceiling of both the vestibule and the lobby is sandfinish plaster painted off-white. The new lobby has walls combining the marbles used in the vestibule and mahogany-stained vertical siding. Doors to the standee are of flush plywood painted red. From marquee soffit to the lobby, illumination is almost entirely by downlights. The refreshment counter is faced in gum plywood and has a counter of black Formica. To accent the refreshment location, a panel of gray checkwood extends along the wall, lighted by projector lamps. AUDITORI UM LINE OF BALCONY STORAGE O 10 20 PLAN OF THE BEACON HILL: A, box-office; A1, inside box-office used for occasional reserved seat policy; B, former box-office; D, display. (Other areas identified in drawing.) PLAN OF THE STRAND IN FALL RIVER: A, box-office; B, former box-office; C, vestibule; D, display; E, manager's office; F, men's room; G, women's robm; H, refreshment stand; I, storage; J, janitor's room. 10 20 PLAN OF THE STRAND IN THOMPSONVILLE: A, new box-office; B, former boxoffice; C, storage; D, display; E, former store incorporated into lobby, partly for larger refreshment stand. 2h BETTER THEATRES, DECEMBER 18, 1948