Movie Age (1927)

PAGE 18 MOVIE AGE Poor Ventilation Will Ruin Theatre Personnel Another important phase of theatre construction and management is proper ventilation, a subject which has under¬ gone tremendous development during the past few years. Its influence upon the entire personnel of a house is stressed by Harry Doolittle of the Liberty, Fresno, in an article in “Now,” Wesco house organ, which reads as fol¬ lows: “It may seem a trifle unique for an or¬ ganist to wander from the beaten path and harp on a subject that is almost on the opposite end of the theatrical rope from the gentle art of pounding ivories. “Everyone knows the very elementary biological principles of food, water and oxygen for the proper and continued functioning of the houman body and the facts that life could go on for a short length of time with a complete lack of food and water. But oxygen is a different thing entirely. There is nothing that can make you feel more sluggish, or more musically unproductive than to work in a poorly ventilated theatre. And the audience . . . they are equally unable to accept the enter¬ tainment, either screen or musical, no matter how good it may be. “Did you ever go into a theatre seek¬ ing amusement and comfort and imme¬ diately upon entering its otherwise hos¬ pitable portals be greeted by an odor commonly associated with equestrian hostelries and like places? If you did you probably noticed the musician, or musicians, who, with clammy brows and drooping shoulders, were doing their pitiful best to evoke some semblance of music out of their instruments. After several minutes of tolerance you prob¬ ably left, remarking on the density of the atmosphere but cussing the music, little realizing under what handicaps it was being produced. “But enter the modern, up-to-date theatre that is supervised by a modern uptodate manager who is careful and fully appreciates the results that he is able to obtain through his ventilation system. The theatre is sufficiently be¬ low body temperature, sufficiently lack¬ ing in humidity to make it comfortable. As a result the whole staff is comfor¬ table and “on their toes.” The music¬ ians — erect, alert, capable. The organ¬ ist ready and willing, his mind open and his fingers responsive. Tuneful melo¬ dies, seemingly with no effort, flow har¬ moniously from his instrument. All’s Fine Projection Featured in New Indiana Theatre Projectionists of the handsome new Indiana Theatre at Indianapolis are shown above. Reading from left to right: E. C. Latta, chief projectionist; Lloyd Silverthorn, Harry Covert and Forrest Allen. Above is a glimpse of the modern projection room of the Indiana. Completely equipped by the National Theatre Supply Co. well with the ventilation system. “But don’t mistake me. A good ven¬ tilation system does not make a poor musician good while a poor one sure wrecks havoc with the technique and whole general functioning abilities of a good musician.” M-G-M Acquires “Rasputin” Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer has acquired the motion picture rights to “Rasputin,” by Alfred Henschke Klabund, Russian novelist famous for his “Peter the Great” and other stories. This tale of the strange character who won the sobriquet of the “Black Monk” and was assassinated by a Royalist group during the World War is understood to provide exceptionally dramatic screen material. No further announcement has been made yet as to plans for produc¬ tion.