The Moving picture world (February 1920-March 1920)

2124 THE MOVING PICTURE WORLD March 27, 1920 importance of this item to the industry, would you care to include in your columns an illustrated drawing of the Cumberland theatre projection room and sight lines? The drawing would have to be made, as the contract drawings would be unintelligible to the average person who is not familiar with construction detail drawings. If you say the word I will prepare the drawing, with brief description for your consideration." More Than Glad. We shall be more than glad to have the drawing and description, which will have a place in the editorial section of the paper, with the display its importance demands. Mr. Blaisdell, our Editor in Chief, agrees with me in this. I well know that owners and exhibitors do not realize the importance of this matter. They seem imbued with the idea that keystone effect is the only single evil effect of the way-back and up-high projection location, and that that can be easily eliminated. They do not understated that keystone is one of the minor evils. They do not understand that, while they can eliminate keystone, they cannot eliminate distortion. They do not understand that the placing of the projection room up high and far back renders it a practical impossibility for the projectionist to have that clear, sharp view of the screen which is essential to best results, and that this sets up additional, unnecessary eye-strain for the audience through lack of sharpness in focus. They do not know that the far back, up high location calls for enormous waste of light, which means waste of electrical energy; hence adds to overhead expense every hour they run. But all this is fact just the same, and fact must be reckoned with* My compliments to you, friend Geare, and may your tribe increase. Please send that drawing as soon as you conveniently can. Feaster Non-Rewind Being Pushed The Feaster non-rewind, which this department had thoroughly tested years ago, and which it has always approved and recommended, is now being placed on the market on what seems a reasonable business basis. It is made to handle 2,000-foot reels of film and will be rented to theatres for $100 per year for two machines, which will include the upkeep of both devices. That is to say, for $100 per year the company will equip both projectors with Feasters and will keep them in repair. Worthy Consideration. It will be well for theatre managers to give this matter serious consideration. The elimination of rewinding will very largely reduce damage to film and damage to film must, no matter what the source of damage, be paid out of theatre receipts. It therefore follows that if damage to film can be materially lessened the theatre will directly benefit, and in several ways. First, film rentals can be reduced in proportion as there is less damage to film, with consequent lenthening of the useful life thereof. Second, the less damage the less will be the injury to the screen result and the better the "show" which can be put on. This directly aflfects all those thousands ,of smaller theatres which cannot use strictly first run, undamaged film. A large proportion of the "rain" in film is directly due to "pulling down" in rewinding, hence with rewinding eliminated rain would be greatly reduced. From every viewpoint the Feaster, when reduced to the present rational business proposition in the matter of price, is a particularly good one. They Want To Be Projected The accompanying photograph shows two Detroit projectionists who call them selves "movie operators." They evidently were not intended by nature to work with the same observation port. William Burns, the tallish one, seems to have been born on a day when legs were plentiful, and feet not so scarce. George James the Number 8 collar fellow, must have been raised on grape fruit, which comes in small kernels and boxes. Well, anyhow, these two, who style them selves "Nuts and Happy," have tired of shooting men, women, trees, houses, etc., at a screen. They now desire to themselves pass out through a lens. They seek an engagement with some comedy. Their address is 121 Farmer St., Detroit, Michigan. They say they have both been before the camera. We would strongly advise comedy companies to come early and avoid the rush. Excellent Carbon Adaptor The sales department of the National Carbon Company sends in samples of the new Silvertip Adaptor and Columbia Carbon Saver which that corporation is placing on the market as soon as it is able to accumulate sufficient stock, which same may have happened by the time this reaches our readers. From the letter written by Mr. Geib, of the sales department, we get the idea that the Nartonal folks think real well of the two devices, with which view we are happy to say we can cordially agree. The Silvertip adaptor will accommodate anything from 5/16 to 7/16 of an inch. The Columbia Carbon Saver, which is designed to allow the projectionist to consume his carbon stubs down to the last possible half inch, takes anything from ^ to ^ inch. Ample Dimeniion. Both are of ample dimensions and have a powerful clamping arrangement. The dtp*h of the contact surface in the saver is a bit less than an inch and of the adaptor it is a bit more than half an inch. This latter may seem a little scant, but undoubtedly the National folks have very thoroughly tried it out in practice and have found it to be sufficient. The adaptor and saver both have the hearty approval of this department. We would, however, suggest to the company that to each saver and adaptor a card be attached, reading: "Keep clamp screw lubricated by dipping it into powdered graphite occasionally." In fact, such a card should be attached to the lamp of every projector sent out by projector manufacturers. A New Theatre Opens Up in Harlem, at Broadway and 159th street, a new 2,800 seat moving picture theatre has thrown its doors open to the public. The Rio is its name, and David V. Picker is its owner. The projection installation is in itself interesting, both for its excellence and its mistakes. The screen is 148 feet away from and, of course, far below the lens. The projection room is, apparently, without any good reason, hoisted up ten feet or so above the top of the topmost balcony seat, and is reached by means of an iron ladder and a hole in the floor. The projection angle is 17 degrees and the picture, which would, under normal conditions, be twelve by sixteen, is about twelve feet six inches by sixteen. The distortion is not sufficient to be seriously objectionable, though the result would be more pleasing to the audience were the picture normal. The installation was by the Cinema Center. The screen is a plain white surface and gives splendid results. Incidentally, it might be remarked that several of the great Broadway houses have recently gone back to the plain painted screen. The projection installation consists of two Type S Simplex projectors, Robin electric speed indicators, two 2-phase, 220-volt, 60-cycle, 6.75-KW Westinghouse motor generator sets, a special switchboard with two voltmeters and two ammeters and two field rheostat controls. The motor generators are so connected that either may be Used separately or both in parallel (multiple). A circuit breaker is provided, with a no-voltage cut-out to prevent any possibility of either generator acting as a motor when one is stationary, or in case of accident. The switchboards were designed by Mr. Robin. Projection Room Small. There is a spot lamp. Both projectors are equipped with Feaster non-rewinds capable of carrying 2,000 feet of film. Seventy to eighty amperes will be used at arcs, which is conveyed to machine table switches by No. 0 wires. The projection room is equipped with special supply and tool cabinets. Motor generators rest on a four-inch thickness of cork and cannot be heard by one seated directly beneath the room. There is no A C emergency set because of the fact that the dual motor generator renders such an installation unnecessary. Cecil Wood is chief projectionist; J. Howard, second. The installation is most excellent, but the room, with its dead white plaster walls, poor location and small and none-too-well placed observation ports is distinctly bad. Just why an exhibitor will purchase such excellent and costly equipment, and then handicap its efficiency by making everything about the room itself wrong, passeth understanding. On the night of the opening the orchestra lights murdered the picture. So very bad was this that many of those seated in the balcony left in the middle of the show. Some of the titles were so badly light struck that they could not be read at all, at least from the rear half of the balcony. To sum up, the projection installation is very complete, but the projection room is very bad in several points, which render high class screen results difficult, if not impossible and the orchestra lights, if left as they were the opening night, will enable the fiddlers to pose before the audience — allow them to be "seen," but will operate to make the picture unsatisfactory and even invisible in its finer details.