Motion Picture Herald (Jan-Mar 1954)

spired process is not the subject of this article. This reference to it is to call attention to the fact that the number of us, all potential users, who cannot afford, or who could ill-afford to buy it, would constitute a capacity house for two or three of the biggest theatres now playing it. Good, Yes — But the Cost! Whether or not CinemaScope becomes the standard process by which all future pictures will be made and shown nobody knows. Among the small town owners, the cost of it has possibly had some bearing on the opinion that simply a larger, more elongated picture is not worth the asking price. Many small theatres are already throwing a large picture on the screen simply with short focal length lenses. If CinemaScope is going to be the process of the future, and if we are going to get to use it in small towns, it must reach a price level that justifies the investment and prove it can do things which can’t be accomplished with wide-angle lenses. As for stereophonic sound, that is something that is beyond the reach of many really small situations. The price is, and may always be, prohibitive for them. The fact that it adds to the dramatic impact of the picture is subject to the same conditions as that older fact, that a threemanual pipe organ added to the screen presentation. A lot of small houses had to get by with nothing better than a tinny player-piano. We’re Habit-Forming We don’t pretend to be a self-appointed spokesman for the “down-trodden.” We realize that we personally, and thousands just like us, are an insignificant portion of the whole — that we are very unimportant dollar-wise. But we are important as part of the habit-forming breeding grounds for a future generation of movie-goers. Maybe the most important. What vitally concerns us, not only for the sake of our own investments in real property, is the future of this wonderful business that has meant so much not only to us, but to our communities. We hope that assurances of watchfulness over the welfare of the little theatre are sincere words, that our impatience with procurement, policy and prices will be productive in due time. Let it not go unsaid that the Dawn theatre, as an example of the thousands of small town houses, is as important in Elma as the Music Hall is in New York. It just could be that we small towners are as important to the future of the industry as our city brothers. REMODELING'S EASY WITH MARLITE PLANK & BLOCK Save installation time and labor with this beautiful new Marlite prefinished paneling! You’ll save money, time, and labor when you modernize with new Marlite Plank and Block. Quickly installed over old walls or furring strips with concealed nails or clips, this new paneling eliminates division mouldings. Maintenance costs are drastically reduced. The baked Marlite finish needs only an occasional wiping with a damp cloth, stays like new for years. Planks (16" x 8 ) and Blocks (16" square) are available in 10 new 11 companion colors" styled by Raymond Loewy Associates plus 4 distinctive wood patterns. For fast, economical remodeling without the usual muss or fuss, install Marlite Plank and Block in entrances, lobbies, lounges, rest rooms, offices, and other service areas. See your building material dealer or write Marsh Wall Products, Inc., Dept. 169, Dover, Ohio. Subsidiary of Masonite Corporation. The F & Y Building Service is the outstanding agency in Theatre Design and Construction in Ohio and surrounding territory. THE F & Y BUILDING SERVICE 319 East Town Street Columbus 15, Ohio “The Buildings We Build Build Our Business” YOU'LL SAVE TIME and be able to detail your requirements, by writing advertisers direct. Many of them provide coupons specifying literature for your convenience. . . . However, if you prefer to use the service of the Theatre Supply Mart, you need only to indicate the items by reference number on the detachable postcard provided in the Mart insert on page 35. BETTER THEATRES SECTION 17