Showmen's Trade Review (Jul-Sep 1941)

August 16, 1941 SHOWMEN'S TRADE REVIEW Page 49 Usherettes to Fore as Military Service Depletes House Staffs Carpet Maintenance 1. Women, who constitute the majority of patrons for most theatres, know the value of carpet and in homes insist upon thorough cleaning for the floor coverings — therefore they notice immediately the condition of carpets in a theatre. No patron will have a high estimate of a theatre which has worn, grimy or torn carpeting. 2. Thorough vacuum cleaning is an absolute DAILY MUST for all carpets in the theatre — to preserve them as well as to make them do the job they were bought to perform; which is to add to the beauty of the theatre. B. No carpet is necessarily clean because dust does not show on its surface — thorough "shampooing" is required periodically (there's a cleaner on the market which does a shampooing job without removal from the floor — and the house janitor needs no special training to do this shampooing job with the attachment to the vacuum). 4. Loose carpet soon wears out — also it is almost certain to trip somebody up and bring on a damage suit. Where bulges appear, the defect should be remedied immediately, by restretching if necessary. 5. Spots and stains call for instant treatment with solvents or other cleaners to remove the blemishes right away. Failure to remove such spots results in rapid deterioration as well as contributing to an unsightly appearance. 6. Ripped seams or tears in the carpets should be mended as soon as possible — they present a hazard to the safety of patrons, and rapidly increase their extent. 7. Moisture, either following cleaning with liquids or through spillage, should not be allowed to remain on the carpet. It will cause permanent damage — therefore see to it that your janitor or porter tends to the job of thoroughly drying out such surfaces immediately upon notification of spillage, or as a result of his own cleaning operations. NTS I nstalls Bodiform Chairs for Parker J. J. Parker, operating the Broadway and United Artists Theatres, ace first run houses in Portland, Oregon, has just signed contracts for $30,000 of new American Bodiform chairs through Heaton Randall, Manager of the Seattle |i Branch of National Theatre Supply Company. Mr. Parker, who is one of the outstanding theatre operators of the Northwest, and an important factor in the Portland theatre business, chose luxurious deluxe No. 12-870 American chairs for the loges in both the Broadway and United Artists, and American Bodiform spring back seats for the other sections of these firstrun theatres. According to Mr. Parker, this seating modernization is part of a larger program of im. proving all his theatres with the newest and ■ finest equipment for the comfort of his patrons. ' All the details of the Parker Theatres modernizations are being handled personally by Mr. Parker in association with the local office of National Theatre Supply Company. Del Mar, San Leandro, Opens The new Del Mar Theatre, San Leandro, Calif., opened with gala premiere ceremonies August first. The theatre is the newest unit of Golden State Theatre Circuit's Metropolitan Oakland Division, which is operated under the supervision of David J. Bolton. • Glenn Caldwell, well known theatreman, is manager of the 1,100 seat Del Mar, which is the 96th house in the Golden State circuit's operations. With the youth of the nation being called into military service, more and more theatres are turning to usherettes to fill the gaps in their staffs. Attractive girls add to the eye-appeal of a theatre, and when attired in smart uniforms they contribute to the glamor of the theatre as well as perform the useful function of ushering. Many of the uniform companies are offering full lines of styles for usherettes. The uniforms come in attractive colors and combinations with both washable and wool materials available. In general, rules for usherettes are quite different than those which are recommended for boy ushers. The difference lies principally in adoption of a code of conduct less rigid and formal than the discipline for male ushers. This easier, friendlier manner of dealing with patrons if permitted for boys might lead to a careless, even disrespectful brand of staff service, whereas with girls, the less formal and more "folksy" attitude is expected and appeals to the customers. Girls Care for Own Uniforms Too much lipstick, nail polish, mascara, rouge, etc., should be frowned on by the management employing usherettes. For the sake not only of uniformity, but so that patrons may better see them as they walk down the aisles, they should wear white shoes. Some shoe cleaner should be kept on hand so that there are no alibis for a girl appearing on duty with soiled shoes. Uniforms will be taken care of more readily by girls than boys. Girls are generally neater and will be more likely to keep their clothing in good order. Arrangements should be made for them to do so. Like ushers, usherettes should not watch the picture unless specifically posted to do so. They should never smoke on duty, not even "sneak a puff" from a friend. At no time while on duty should they fraternize with male employes. Handling "Difficult" Patrons While it is unlikely that they will be molested while in uniform, if anyone should make advances to them, they should be instructed to immediately report this to the manager. While boys might handle many difficult situations, such as "necking," girls cannot do so as well and should instead call the manager. There is another advantage in having girls on the staff — -they can make periodic checks to see that the ladies' room is in good order. When girls are employed, the manager must make it his duty to inspect the men's room more frequently, or have his porter do so, in lieu of a service usually performed by ushers. The usual rules for ushers regarding the actual escorting of patrons to seats are the same for usherettes. When a patron enters the theatre, the girl should say, "How far down, please?" and lead the patron to the desired seats using a flashlight to illuminate the path. When the service staff is large enough to warrant it, a chief usherette should be designated. The girls should be encouraged to vie for this position and also for promotion to cashier, thus giving them the same incentive for good work as boys have, who may ulti mately expect to become assistant managers and later managers. Theatremen to whom the girl staffs are more or less new, sometimes neglect the long-honored custom of having the staff participate in "conferences" on matters of exploitation and the improvement of service. This is a mistake. There are many women who are efficiently managing theatres today, and women in theatre publicity work no longer are a novelty. Staff meetings at which the usherettes are encouraged to suggest ways of improving box office returns for specific pictures or through added services to patrons. MOVIE VACATIONS? A Swell Idea^ But . . . ]VIake sure your Movie "Vacationland" offers patrons a real vacation . . . comfort, relaxation, freedom from distraction. Modern Simplex Four-Star Sound and modern Simplex Projection can add plus enjoyment to any "Movie Vacation." Sell "Movie Vacations" but sell them with the right surroundings. Your National Theatre Supply Company representative will show you how modern Simplex equipment will bring more Movie "Vacationists" to your theatre. Ask him today. NATIONAL THEATRE SU?PLY COMPANY is the pveterred Pro^iection & Sound