Motion Picture News (Nov-Dec 1925)

2708 Motion Picture News Kunsky Opens New Theatre At Detroit, Mich. With the opening of the new State theatre at Detroit, Mich., on Thursday night, October 29th, John H. Kunsky has added another beautiful house to his already powerful circuit. The reported cost of this new house is $2,000,000. Beauty, harmony and comfort have been the keynotes in the construction of the State. Marble pillars rise from the floor and the well chosen drapes that hang from the walls and pillars, harmonize perfectly. Deep carpets, worked in blue on a red background, cover the floors, staircases and aisles and add to the comfort of the patrons. The color scheme throughout the playhouse is blue and gold with a delicate touch of pink. The theatre chairs are particularly restful and have been placed far enough apart to insure plenty leg room. Howard O. Pierce who is in charge of all the Kunsky stage presentations, fairly outdid himself in preparing an elaborate program and stage settings for the first night audience. The State orchestra which is equal in size to that of the Capitol, will be in charge of Herbert Straub, former conductor at the Madison theatre. Edward Werner, conductor at the Capitol was the guest director of the overture. The huge Wurlitzer organ is mounted on a special platform, raised and lowered from view by the means of hydraulic lifts. The orchestra platform is controlled in a similar manner. The picture policy of the State will be the same as the Capitol, that of continuous performances daily from noon to eleven p. m. with the Kunsky scale of popular prices prevailing. Vacant Seat Indicators Proving Help to Exhibitors The Guerin Theatre Seating System, Inc., manufacturers of vacant seat indicators report that their latest model has been received enthusiastically by all exhibitors who have had an opportunity to use it. It is claimed for this seating system that the time required for ushering is reduced seventy-five percent and enables ushers to signal just how many seats there are and whether singles, doubles, etc. in any part of the house, thus, it is pointed out eliminating constant walking up and down aisles by ushers. The feature, it is said, that appeals most strongly to the theatre manager is the fact that through this system a maximum number of seats in the house can be kept filled thereby decreasing standees. St. Louis Building Program Totals 10,000 Seats The new St. Louis Theatre, Grand boulevard at Morgan street, St. Louis, Mo., will be opened on November 23, Clarence Williams, manager, has announced officially. The house will be operated by the Orpheum Circuit as a combination first-run motion picture and high class vaudeville theatre. It was built by the Metropolitan Theatre Corporation at a cost of $2,000,000 and is the third largest in the United States, seating 4,100 persons. Construction has started on the St. Lou'sGravois Theatre at Gravois and Ellenwood avenues in South St. Louis. The project C. Sharpe Minor, nationally known Organist will incorporate his ideas with those of The Link Organ Co. will cost approximately $1,000,000 and will seat 1,850 persons. There will be 450 seats in the mezzanine balcony. This project was promoted by Reuben Levine of Chicago and the Gohman-Levine Construction Company, Chicago, are the builders. Fred Wehrcnberg also plans to start construction shortly on his new house at Grand avenue and Bates street. He also has plans for a new house at Grand boulevard and Meramec street. These houses will have a combination seating capacity of 3,500 rersons. Marr And Colton Organ Co. Report New Sales The Marr and Colton Organ Company of Warsaw, N. Y., have recently installed instruments in the following theatres: The Elk Theatre, Mahanoy City, Pa., Messrs. Oppenheimer and Sweet at Shenandoah, Pa. and Wilmer and Vincent's New State, Altoona, Pa. Other installations include the New Thurston Theatre, Rochester, N. Y.. The Winter Garden at Jamestown, operated by Peterson and Wood, the Zaring Egyptian Theatre, Indianapolis, Ind., and the Xew Hinsdale Theatre at Hinsdale, 111. Link-C. Sharpe Minor Unit Organs Placed on Market C. Sharpe Minor, theatre organist of national repute has recently successfully terminated his long planned initiation into the field of theatre organ manufacturing, as this noted organist has recently become affiliated with the Link Company, one of the oldest manufacturers of musical instruments. This combination of Link and Minor is now manufacturing Link-C. Sharpe Minor Unit Organs which it is claimed incorporate both the features of the Link Company standards and original ideas of Mr. Minor. It is said that this new unit organ is successfully finding its place in motion picture theatres. C. Sharpe Minor, it will be recalled, enjoyed a nation wide reputation, and during his career played practically every type and style of organ manufactured. Mr. Minor started his business career as an automobile salesman at Seattle and decided to join the Musicians' Union and cultivate his love for music. It was not long afterwards that he was engaged as pianist in Jenson and Yon Herberg's Mission Theatre in Seattle. From that start, his interpretation of the photoplay pleased Mr. Jenson and he was soon made chief organist at the Liberty Theatre. It was from this start that his rather meteoric career led him to the enviable position of the highest salaried theatre organist in the country. The motion picture industry will watch with interest, the future career of this well known organist now that he has definitely entered the field of organ manufacturing in combination with the well known musical instrument makers. Trend Toward More Space In Projection Rooms The Hertner Electric Company finds that the old cramped projection room is becoming a thing of the past. In the theatre of to-day it is the general practice to allow much more space and the transverter, itself, has some bearing on this on account of specifications calling for the horizontal instead of the vertical type. Recent installations of Hertner Transverters include the Marshall Theatre, Maplewood, Mo. ; Crown Theatre, Houston, Tev. ; Loew's Burland Theatre, New York City; Xew Linden Theatre, Columbus, Ohio; Keninore Theatre, Inc., Buffalo ; The Princess Theatre, North Little Rock, Ark., and The Orange Theatre, Orange, N. J. ''Simplex Service for Better Projection" Booklet Issued A very interesting booklet entitled "Simplex Service for Better Projection" has just been published by the Precision Machine Company, Inc. This bulletin is exceedingly well written presenting valuable information on Simplex Projectors and also contains dissertations on the importance of !>ood projection and services that distributors of Simplex machines are in a position to render their customers. A copy of this booklet may be obtained by writing to the Precision Machine Company, Inc., 317 East 34th Street, New York City, and is well worth the effort of obtaining.