Movie Age (1927)

SEPTEMBER 3, 1927. PAGE 19 Sentry Safety Controls To Be Marketed By National The National Theatre Supply Com¬ pany will market the Sentry Safety Controls, according to an agreement recently reached by National and the Sentry company. The contract calls for National to take 10,000 machines and handle all installations and servicing. Although the Sentry organization is free to ne¬ gotiate rentals with exhibitors, it will devote its future activities to re-rating the exhibitors’ fire insurance following the installation of a device. The in¬ strument reduces the showmen’s insur¬ ance rates. Although on the market but a short time, the Sentry device has won its rep¬ utation on its ability to prevent the fire hazard. Theatre Larger Than Roxy Is Predicted by Architect Within a few years a theatre will be built that will supersede the Roxy by 1,000 seats, is the prediction of Walter W. Ahlschlager, architect of the Roxy. The Roxy is the world’s largest theatre. In an article by Mr. Ahlschlager in the Buyers’ Guide of the Motion Pic¬ ture News, the architect said: “The wonderful growth of the moving pic¬ ture industry is due principally to the fact that moving picture theatres sell their merchandise on the same principle as a large department store or a chain store business. In fact, almost any large business owes its growth to ever increasing volume, which means lower unit selling prices, lower proportionate overhead and operating expenses, lower unit profits, but greater aggregate profits. Standard Protection Speed Adopted by Society The Society of Motion Picture En¬ gineers has adopted a standard rate of speed for projectors to run in order to get the best results in projection. A minimum of 75 feet per minute and a maximum of 85 feet per minute is the speed recommended by the society. This means the same figures for crank¬ shaft. Although the figures above have been adopted as being the most suitable, the speed that produces naturalness of action should be considered. New Illumination Process in England Ernest W. Fredman, editor of The Daily Film Renter, describes in a recent issue of The Film Daily the new Helophane illumination process which was recently demonstrated at the private London theatre of the sponsors. Pat¬ terns of sound and scene are brought into play and the inventors have ap¬ plied themselves to the problem of sup¬ plementing the natural attraction of the theatre with color chromatics. Mr. Fredman’s description follows: “In view of the growing popularity of the prologue in London, this new lighting scheme is likely to play a prom¬ inent part in heightening the effect of scene and atmosphere. In conjunction with appropriate music, these softly changing illuminations are calculated to create an emotional mass-consciousness which the stage “presentation,” un¬ aided, might be unable to touch. “At the demonstration, only a gramo¬ phone was used, but with a full orch¬ estra, working with the alternating il¬ lusions of light and color, the effect would be even better. The apparatus is capable of instantly transforming any mural design into something totally dif¬ ferent. The light can be so manipu¬ lated as to create a “tint poem” without actually having a colored film.” Detect Counterfeit Ticket With New Dotting Device Protection from stolen and counter¬ feit tickets has been developed by the Cancellograph, an instrument marketed by the Automatic Ticket Register Cor¬ poration. Without defacing the ticket, the ma¬ chine issues the ticket with a ribbed line of raised dots on the back of the ticket. These dots can not be noticed by the patron but the doorman can feel them upon taking the ticket. The protecting device can be attached to the Model 28, Gold Seal Automatic Ticket Register. National Screen Service Will Write Trailer Copy For Busy Theatre Owners National Screen Service, Inc., an¬ nounces that those exhibitors who are too busy to write their own copy for special trailers may send in their ideas and the increased editorial and techni¬ cal staff of the National will convert them into trailer text and return with prices, awaiting confirmation before entering the order. Trailers will be an important factor to every showman during the 1927-28 season and the National’s special de¬ partment has many new ideas in ani¬ mated presentation leaders for feat¬ ures, comedies, news reels and other units of picture programs, including overture and organ announcements. Cloth Product for Wiping Projection Machinery A cloth product known as T-Cloth for the wiping of machinery in the pro¬ jection booth has been found popular by projectionist. The product is made by the Consumers Paper Company, of Detroit. The cloth is laid out flat, like mill ends, approximately 20 inches by 36 inches, washed and sterilized, and is really reclaimed goods. They are made^ up in bales of 600 pounds, and are sold for 16 cents per pound, delivered. Fairbanks Jr. to Play Lead In “Deadman’s Curve” Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., has been cho¬ sen to play the featured male role in “Deadman’s Curve,” a racing story which will go into production immedi¬ ately at the F B O studios. This pic¬ ture will be a screen version of the mag¬ azine story, “The Century Champion¬ ship,” written by Frank Richardson Pierce. Doug, Jr., will play the part of a young racing driver and automobile engineer. Read this page every week It will give you the important new develop¬ ments in the equipment field and help you select the right equipment for your theatre.