Motion Picture Herald (Oct-Dec 1956)

What they’re saying about Ballantyne Dub't-Cones QUOTE: ing a fire engine ride and a rocket ship. Free admission is offered to all children under 12 years of age. Parents, or theatre attendants, escort the children to the playground, where two attendants are in consant supervision. TRAFFIC CONTROL With a heavily concentrated influx of vehicles arriving from Memphis in a relatively short time, traffic at the Sunset presented a problem at first, such pile-up not having been anticipated in the original layout. Cars of course had to be moved off the highway as soon as they arrived. The problem was met by setting up a new traffic control system under the guidance of Harvey Carter, field supervisor. During the busy period, highway patrolmen are assigned to the theatre entrance. Two theatre attendants work with the patrolmen, routing cars through the four entrance lanes served by two box offices. Once inside, each car is directed to a ramp by a “flagger,” after which two “parkers” direct the cars into proper viewing position along the ramp. When only one of the box offices is open, cars are parked beginning at the opposite end of the open ramp. With both box offices in use, cars are parked beginning at the center of each ramp and the ramp being filled outwardly toward the ends. PLUG-IN TYPE SPEAKERS Plug-in speakers are employed at the Sunset drive-in. These are Epracl speakers and are issued at the box offices. Field supervisor Carter points out the following advantages to this method of procedure; speakers are not left out overnight and therefore escape damage from adverse weather conditions; they can be conveniently tested and serviced before distribution; and since departing patrons must turn them in, theft has been eliminated. Like other drive-ins in the tri-state area, the Sunset had the mosquito problem to deal with. This has been largely solved through application of a BuffaloTurbine duster-sprayer treatment of the field every night. I he large volume of out-of-state patronage regularly enjoyed by the Sunset drive-in can be traced to early showings of such films as “The Blackboard Jungle,” banned by the Memphis censorship board, which was headed by Lloyd T. Binford. Although Mr. Binford no longer heads the Memphis censorship board, restrictions remain too severe for the tastes of many people, who continue to cross over the bridge to attend West Memphis theatres. “Finest speaker I ever heard.” “Why is this theatre’s sound so much better than other theatres’?” “i have tried other speakers but always come back to Ballantyne.” “The de luxe drive-ins in our circuit all have Ballantyne Dub’l Cone speakers.” “Even the two competitive drive-ins in my town have Ballantyne speakers, too.” “I have had Ballantyne speakers for seven years with a minimum of maintenance.” So it goes. Multiply these quotations by hundreds and you get the idea of how theatre owners and patrons feel about Ballantyne Dub’l-Cones. Have you tried one? That’s the acid test. And we think that after you have tested a group of them in your theatre, you will agree with the hundreds of drive-ins that use Ballantyne Dub’lCones exclusively. Resin Treated Diaphram ' Mounltd Speaker Hanger 6S , <■„ Ai, Spo(e Pressure Equalizing Spring With Neoprene Rubber Cushion Speoker Cone Seoled Agoinst the Weather Write for the information that can show you how Dub’lCones can give you highest quality sound economically. Omaha, Nebr. BETTER THEATRES SECTION 17