Boxoffice-May.03.1952

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REFRESHMENT SERVICE Research Program Produces Corn With More Pop to the Pound by JOHN C. Theatre patrons enjoy tender, flavorsome popcorn and exhibitors earn more concession profits because of greater popout of improved corn ELDREDGE* r OR HUNDREDS OF YEARS pcople have eaten popcorn. But that was not because it was good popcorn. It probably was used because most any popcorn was better than none at all. Even 20 years ago the popcorn consumer had to put up with a distinctly inferior product, measured by modern standards. The popped kernel was coarse and lacking in flavor. It had a thick, rough hull which discouraged many people from eating it. It was indeed a decidedly different product from the modern tender, fluffy flakes which the theatre patron now munches while he enjoys a good picture. Probably few popcorn consumers realize how much patient, painstaking research has gone into the development of the hybrid popcorn of today. This program of popcorn improvement was begun at Iowa State college about 22 years ago. The essential steps used in this method of popcorn improvement are as follows. First, seed of the best available open- 'Dr, John C. Eldredge is associate professor of form crops, Department of Agronomy, College of Agriculture, Iowa State College, where a popcorn reseorch progrom hos been in effect for the last 22 years. pollinated varieties was planted in the breeding nursery. At tasseling time the ear shoots on the best plants were covered with small transparent bags to prevent their pollination by other plants in the field. When the silks emerged and could be seen under the bag, pollen was collected from the tassel of the same plant and carefully placed on the silks. These self-pollinated ears then have controlled parentage, the male and female both from the same plant. The next year, seed from these individual selfed ears were planted, each row from a single ear. The process of self pollination was repeated, always choosing the best plants in the best rows. Controlled pollination was continued for several years, usually five or six, untO "pure lines" of corn were developed. Lines become pure because by inbreeding, the male and female parentage of the seed always came from a single plant. CHARACTERS REMAIN UNCHANGED As long as inbreeding is continued these lines remain fixed or unchanged. Such characters as sOk or tassel color, plant Point of sole odrertising displays and wall signs like those shown below in the Rialto Theatre, Denver, Colo., help increase popcorn sales. Gene Manzanares, manager (right), features buttered corn at 20 cents a box, and at least half an ounce of melted butter is pumped into each patron's box. height, time of maturity, popping volume, and the hundreds of other characters reproduce the same way from year to year. But during the five or six years that the pure lines were being developed by inbreeding many undesirable as well as desirable traits showed up. The desirable lines, insofar as they could be recognized, were saved and the undesirable ones were discarded. Only a very few were good enough in all characters to be saved during the long period of intensive inbreeding. This means that a large number of hand pollinations were made every year. Many lines were grown but discarded because they had some fault such as low popping volume, poor quality of popped corn, weak stalks, or poor roots which caused the corn to blow over easily. A FORMIDABLE TASK It must be obvious that large plots of ground, much hand labor in planting, weeding, pollinating, harvesting and shelling was required each year. The task of making popping tests, on the large number of inbred lines developed, was a formidable one. But this was only the begiiming of hybrid corn. After the inbreeding program had been carried on for five or six years about 200 inbred lines had survived the rigorous selection. But even the best inbred lines were weak and the ears were small. They could not be used for seed to produce a commercial crop of corn for popping. To restore the vigor and yield they lost during inbreeding and to capitalize on the good characters for which they were selected these lines had to be crossed together to produce hybrids. REDUCED TO 20 LINES However, 200 inbred lines are far too many to cross in all possible combinations. Nearly 20,000 could be made with 200 lines. The number was then reduced to 20 by putting the 200 through a special test by crossing each one to the same parent. This test shows which ones are likely to give the most hybrid vigor. These 20 inbred lines were then crossed in all possible combinations, making about 200 single cross hybrids. These 200 single crosses were tested in a yield test to learn which hybrids showed the most promise in making three-way or double-cross commercial hybrids. This part of the breeding work, to find inbred lines that have the best chances of transmitting their characters into hybrids that also yield well, required hundreds of cross pollinations made by hand, and thousands of popping tests to measure volume and quality of the popped corn. It is the intermediate stage of cross breeding to reduce many lines to only a few that met the exacting demands of the producer and consumer of commercial popcorn hybrids. THEN CAME THE HYBRIDS The third step in producing a good hybrid popcorn was to make several hundred experimental three-way and double-cross hybrids from the most promising single crosses. These hybrids also must be tried Continued on page 18 The MODERN THEATRE SECTION
ANADA DRY PROFIT mil^ from Vending Machines ^ RIGHT |l Dispensers— Fountains Syrup Line Ginger Ale Lemon Lime Hi-Spot (lemon) For syrup information call yovr local Canada Dry Ginger Ale, Inc., office BOXOFFICE :: May 3, 1962 17
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I !|i # Vorierir Clubt Intcrnoliono
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TRADE FRBSS Cte^ \\ * tYONO ft UtVI
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RUTH I PICERNI RICHARO WEBB • •
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i Wishington I , BEN i lAMES I I Pu
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JOHNSTON SEES INDUSTRY DUE FOR NEW
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DP CITATION WON BY DAYTON TENT /ARI
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j ste&aca^ MAY REtEASE DEADLINE-U.S
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wing ii'me! HE'S GOING PLACES IN CO
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NCA HOLDS UNIQUE FORUM 150 Press Ex
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B FECIAL , e;/ice for xibitors.. TH
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Bfetiifeen the Sea and the Sierras
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In the Newsreels Movietone News, No
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n^RSi 11! Peak As A 1 T T i 1 D YOU
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YOOR P/CWRBS/ fg^^uT^^^ ^^tk ^ WITH
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The audience walked out! In the las
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CHESTER FRIEDMAN EDITOR HUGH E. FRA
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EYE APPEAL IN LOBBY DISPLAYS DOWN I
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) Merchants Gel Proof That Theatres
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Brandt, Weisman Keep Trans-Lux Cont
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WB) B. B. Kreisler Heads Foreign Fi
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. . Morris . . Tent PHILADELPHIA Be
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. . Grand . . The WEST VIRGINIA At
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. . . Lewis outdoor rally arranged
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. . The B ALT I MORE Maryland MPTO
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t Hollywood NEWS AND VIEWS THE PROD
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. . . because . Appeal Jarrico Case
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. . . Dorothy . . Gibraltar . . M.
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. . . Nate . . . Mr. . . . Among .
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H 1 hamis, : the i ' I for \ monthl
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I Third Warner Meeting Convenes in
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Convention on Train Plans Under Way
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Film Industry Blood Bank Establishe
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1,400-Seat Plaza Theatre Opens in M
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Premiere Carbine' Twice for Crowds
Page 69 and 70: I BOXOFnCE PEEN" YOUR LDQUARTERS T
Page 71 and 72: HARRY HART By pRED McLENDON and Al
Page 73 and 74: U Hoblitzelle to Get Good Citizen H
Page 75 and 76: Tent 17 Distributes Tickets for Der
Page 77 and 78: . . . Corpus M. J. Mullin Receives
Page 79 and 80: 'Convertible' Theatre Started at Un
Page 81 and 82: NORTH CENTRAL ASS'N INVITES COOPERA
Page 83 and 84: . . Arden MILWAUKEE TTnivcrsal and
Page 85 and 86: . . Reno MINNEAPOLIS . . Four drive
Page 87 and 88: . . . Frank . . Roy . . Sam OMAHA
Page 89 and 90: 'HOW TO IMPROVE BUSINESS/ THEME OF
Page 91 and 92: . . Junior . . Bob . . . . Disney's
Page 93 and 94: I light . . Waller Norris Named Bul
Page 95 and 96: . . With he came here seven years a
Page 97 and 98: LYNN f*lem L. McCann, Lynn's younst
Page 99 and 100: . . State . . The . . Rubin . . Mrs
Page 101 and 102: Seek Formula for Maritimes Drive-In
Page 103 and 104: . . The Only Two Pictures Rejected
Page 106 and 107: profit picture! X-.^J," i i Just as
Page 108 and 109: Mq\% Any Other (Z^nlea/tUu Consider
Page 110 and 111: The Accent is on Comfort at the New
Page 112 and 113: LUXURY HOUSE • For Shopping Cente
Page 114 and 115: LUXURY HOUSE • For Shopping Cente
Page 116 and 117: USE SCREEN TO PROMOTE SALES Continu
Page 118 and 119: REFRESHMENT SERVICE Prominence of T
Page 122 and 123: MORE POP TO THE POUND Continued hor
Page 124 and 125: Like everybody else, he's kept an a
Page 126 and 127: REFRESHMENT SERVICE Check the Smoki
Page 128 and 129: REFRESHMENT SERVICE Many Theatres M
Page 130 and 131: HI AVE a motor directly to the carb
Page 132 and 133: The i^onara tu la tionS '9 to HARRY
Page 134 and 135: IT'S A PLEASURE TO PLAY A PART IN P
Page 136 and 137: 32 The MODERN THEATRE SECTION
Page 138 and 139: These views 0/ production processes
Page 140 and 141: Anniversary of Harry Strong and the
Page 142 and 143: j MEMOIRS OF PROGRESS Continued fro
Page 144 and 145: j j PROJECTION AND SOUND Change You
Page 146 and 147: SNAPIJTB USERS CHECK YOUR OIL? Cont
Page 148 and 149: CHECK YOUR OIL? Continued from page
Page 150 and 151: A cleanup campaign must precede a g
Page 152 and 153: MANUAL OF PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE Co
Page 154 and 155: ^ Exhibitors Should Strive to Win G
Page 156 and 157: You Can't Buy A GOOD Rectifier for
Page 158 and 159: A Manual of Drive-In Design and Ope
Page 160 and 161: c e i t, BALLANTYNE'S Completely Pr
Page 162 and 163: DRAW CROWDS WITH FIREWORKS! DRIVE-I
Page 164 and 165: READERS' BUREAU For literature on p
Page 166 and 167: RCA'S Comprehensive As on adjunct t
Page 168 and 169: ARE YOU COVERED? An Insurance Execu
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Removable Film Trap Door P-894 Aids
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KROEHIER Easy ^'"'"^ "^ office! "l^
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PICTURES UNSTEADY 9 No. E-78L Remov
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J. Robert Hoff, president of the Th
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advance was | I The EXHIBITOR HAS H
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Good; REVIEW DIGEST Very Good; ' '
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.C. ! Unknown .CD. I Disc ' ' mymi
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I I Retreat, D. . FEATURE fe I I I
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' ' Mffuy 6-16.52 10-27-51 . . . '
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. . He's . . Carrying . . When . .
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Your projectors . . . your sound sy
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Boxoffice-May.03.1952

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