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Boxoffice-January.17.1953

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New Equipment Big News, Too<br />

Third Dimension Rushing<br />

Toward Movie Screens<br />

Third-dimension motion pictures, bigscreen<br />

projection and other equipment improvements<br />

were big news in the trade this<br />

week.<br />

With the success of Cinerama in New<br />

York, Arch Oboler's "Bwana Devil" in Natural<br />

Vision in Los Angeles, and the British<br />

Tri-Opticon program at the Telenews Theatre<br />

in Chicago, new third-dimensional systems<br />

and big-screen projection plans were<br />

popping everywhere it seemed.<br />

TWO 3-DIMENSION SYSTEMS<br />

Inventors announced two entirely new<br />

third-dimension systems for projecting motion<br />

pictures, neither one of which require<br />

the use of polaroid glasses or other viewing<br />

devices. From almost every angle it looked<br />

like a revolution in equipment was under<br />

way—at least it will be if all the ideas projected<br />

turn out successful.<br />

Here are developments of the week:<br />

1. A third-dimensional system, called Tri-<br />

Dim, was reported tested successfully at Trotwood,<br />

Ohio, and to have been projected successfully<br />

on both a flat screen and beaded<br />

screen. It does not require special viewing<br />

glasses.<br />

2. In Fayetteville, Ark., a semi-retired engineer.<br />

Dr. Edgar Fuller, said he had closed a<br />

deal with a group of west coast exhibitors to<br />

show a third-dimension system he patented<br />

in 1938. It requires only the use of a grid or<br />

refracting mirror between the projector and<br />

screen to create a third-dimension effect.<br />

It does not require viewing glasses.<br />

3. At 20th Century-Fox it was announced<br />

that the company is experimenting with<br />

panorama-type pictures via both theatre projectors<br />

and television and it was planning to<br />

hold a demonstration of its big-screen system<br />

using 50mm film.<br />

4. Twentieth Century-Fox also will release<br />

a third-dimensional feature using its own<br />

process. Tests are underway on the coast for<br />

a large-screen French process which features<br />

a screen several times the size of the ordinary<br />

screen. This process utilizes 35mm film.<br />

TO MARKET NEW TV SCREEN<br />

5. National Theatre Supply Co.. at a<br />

regional sales meeting in Cleveland, announced<br />

it will place a large theatre TV<br />

screen for drive-ins as well as conventional<br />

theatres on the market about March 1. The<br />

screen will cost about the same as present<br />

screens.<br />

6. National Theatre Supply also displayed<br />

its new 3-D Excelite equipment for thirddimensional<br />

pictures. W. J. Turnbull, sales<br />

promotion manager, and J. W. Servies, vicepresident<br />

in charge of sales, said NTS has<br />

148 orders on the books for the equipment<br />

and estimated that about 388 installations<br />

would be made this year. The cost will be<br />

about $1,000 unless booth remodeling is required.<br />

BOXOFFICE :: January 17, 1953<br />

Third Dimension Tested<br />

Without Use of Viewers<br />

TROTWOOD, OHIO—The first successful<br />

test of a third-dimensional system,<br />

called Tri-Dim, was reported to have<br />

been made here this week. The announcement<br />

was made by Robert Gump.<br />

The system was developed by Stu Sheldon<br />

of Trotwood and William Heintz of<br />

Chicago.<br />

Gump said that Tri-Dim does not require<br />

any special screen nor does the<br />

viewer have to wear glasses. The system<br />

works equally well on a flat or beaded<br />

screen although for the test a Da-Lite<br />

beaded screen was used.<br />

The system Is the result of 18 years of<br />

research by Sheldon and Heintz. Sheldon<br />

said that all present cameras can be converted<br />

to take Tri-Dim pictures, which<br />

would enable studios to produce the product<br />

within a very short time. Theatre<br />

installation costs will be reasonable, he<br />

added.<br />

Dr. Henry Goldman, member of the<br />

state board of opthalmology, who acted<br />

as a consultant in the tests, declared that<br />

to the best of his knowledge this is the<br />

first time that a projected image on a<br />

flat screen had a depth equal to what<br />

the human eye .sees.<br />

Turnbull also said that because polaroid<br />

glasses, used to view third-dimension films,<br />

reduce light by about 50 per cent, a new<br />

high-intensity screen and high-intensity<br />

lamps are a must and, to obtain the light,<br />

generators mu.st be new or reasonably new.<br />

Without high-intensity light, the picture will<br />

not be clear.<br />

At the same time, Fox West Coast Theatres<br />

announced it had developed a new-type<br />

screen and was spending $150,000 to install<br />

it in 110 theatres in California and Arizona<br />

Called Polorama, it was developed under<br />

supervision of R. H. McCullough, the circuit's<br />

director of research and engineering. The<br />

screen has been hailed by Charles Skouras.<br />

circuit head, as providing greater depth to<br />

photography, eliminating eye strain, increasing<br />

Illumination and permitting projection<br />

without distortion.<br />

McCullough said the screen is seamless and<br />

perforated for best sound transmission and<br />

is custom manufactured for the width of<br />

the theatre and angle of projection involved.<br />

At the National Theatre Supply sales meeting<br />

in Cleveland, representatives from the<br />

central district were present, in addition to<br />

home office executives and a num.ber of<br />

executives of equipment manufacturing firms.<br />

Servies, Turnbull and John Goshhorn of the<br />

theatre seating department represented the<br />

home office.<br />

California Exhibitors<br />

To Show Arkansan's<br />

3-Dimension System<br />

FAYETTEVILLE, ARK.—A new process for<br />

showing third dimension motion pictures<br />

which uses standard projection and ordinary<br />

film and creates the illusion of depth by<br />

merely placing a grid or refracting mirror<br />

between projector and screen was announced<br />

here this week.<br />

Dr. Edgar I. Fuller, semi-retired engineer<br />

now living here, said he had authorized a<br />

group of west coast exhibitors headed by<br />

M. J. Naify to assume motion picture rights<br />

for the process, and that a demonstration for<br />

theatremen will be held on the coast January<br />

20.<br />

Naify, who is a.ssociated with United California<br />

Theatres, Golden State Theatre and<br />

Realty Corp. and T&D Enterprises, Inc.,<br />

closed the deal last week.<br />

Dr. Fuller revealed that he had patented<br />

his invention in 1938 and it calls for use of<br />

the grid or refracting mirror placed between<br />

the projectors and the screen, "to achieve<br />

the illusion of a third dimension—of depth,<br />

roundness, and softness in images."<br />

The method does not require special glasses<br />

of any kind, and utilizes standard 35mm<br />

projectors and film. Dr. Fuller said the<br />

refraction device is the secret of the system,<br />

and explained that he had worked on it for<br />

a great many years before patenting it. He<br />

bases it on a series of intricate mathematical<br />

equations.<br />

He first applied for a patent in 1935 when<br />

he was employed as an engineer for the late<br />

C. M. Joiner, noted Texas oilman. He has<br />

been perfecting it ever since, but until the<br />

current interest in third dimensional motion<br />

pictures made no effort to place it into production.<br />

The Associated Press contacted Naify in<br />

San Francisco, and the circuit owner said he<br />

was acting as Dr. Fuller's agent in arranging<br />

demonstrations of the system. While not revealing<br />

details of the deal, he said it would<br />

possibly involve a million dollars.<br />

The plan is to charge exhibitors a rental<br />

for using the system in their theatres, with<br />

Fuller getting a percentage of the annual<br />

rentals. If the system proves practical, all<br />

an exhibitor will have to do to provide third<br />

dimensional films is to rent the refracting<br />

mirror and use it on his regular projector<br />

and in connection with any film he books.<br />

The inventor said his patent runs for some<br />

years yet. At present he is working on a<br />

method which will make it adaptable for<br />

television. His agreement with Naify is for<br />

motion picture theatres only.<br />

Natural Vision Will Make<br />

Its Own 3-D Equipment<br />

LOS ANGELES—Natural Vision, the third<br />

dimensional system used for the current<br />

"Bwana Devil," now has an equipment-manufacturing<br />

associate. The company which<br />

created the system has formed a firm to<br />

manufacture booth equipment necessary to<br />

show the product. The aim is to supply exhibitors<br />

with equipment to synchronize projectors<br />

during the current heavy demands for<br />

playdates. A kit with necessary equipment<br />

will be available, for installation by projectionists.<br />

13

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