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 />
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