City in Sound; Chicago Theater

This is Jack Angel with city and sound, stories out of Chicago, city of the greatest movement on earth, city of all things, one among them, the movies. There will be a strike waiting among it for all seats. A new show will begin in a few minutes. Coming into the show? Yes. You haven't seen this before, have you? No, I haven't. What brought you here? Well, we're just in one of the suburbs when we came in to see the show today. It's came in to see the show, did you, sir? Yeah, it's more time going, anything else, but I was glad to find out this was on. Or looking forward to seeing it. Yeah, I read the book. Go to the show as a lot? Oh, no, I tried to get to some of the good ones. You pick out the good ones and see it. Try to, yeah. How about you? You go to the show a lot? Oh, not too often, everyone's going, hello. Well, you're here today. Yeah. When the Balaban and Kat Chicago Theatre was built back in 1921, it stood as the first of the great movie palaces.

It still stands as one of the great marble marvels of the industry. The footprints in the cement of Graman's Chinese would be a curio in the great lobby of the Chicago, where the measurement would better be the millions of footsteps that have passed through after first pausing at the box office. True, the great acts from the stage are no more at the Chicago, which is philosophically let them go to the small screen of television. As in retaliation, it has bared the large screen of its cinema scope on which the so -called blockbuster pictures explode a new era of movie making. And since the people who see pictures have so profound an effect on the people who make pictures, the B &K Chicago continues not alone as a great house, but as a great factor. 2000 miles from Hollywood.

It is the marketplace of the movie. Here's Mr. Nate Platt, who's vice president of Balamin and Katz and is pretty much Balamin and Katz in town here. And in the lobby of the flagship of the fleet here, Mr. Platt, huge, vaulted, donate marble lobby of the Chicago Theatre. Isn't this really one of the great theaters of America? Well, I would think so. The theater from a cost standpoint probably represents the first three theaters in America, including Radio City. And I think as a grossing theater, it ranks as second. How's business been? We hear a lot about the inroads of television and various problems you're confronted with. How's it holding up? Well, we've had a lot of difficulty in the last year or two, particularly since the advent of these producer selling pictures to

television. However, with the studios in California now making these so -called blockbusters big, important epics translating some of the popular and best selling books into pictures. Our business in those instances with pictures of that nature has shown some improvement. A lot of people ask me why we don't have stage shows around here anymore. Would you go into that just a little bit, sir? Well, we would like to every once in a while inject into the program here, a live talent show. But apparently there too, some of the interest as far as live talent is concerned. They get so much of it and they get the best quality of it on television that they find it difficult and can't justify the effort to come out and see a live show in a theater. So did you may know Jack last August. We tried a stage show in the Chicago Theater,

a very popular type show. And August, by the way, is one of the important months of the year where we have go anywhere from four to 600 ,000 visitors in the area. And I might tell you that we just barely got out. This isn't symptomatic to Chicago. This is pretty general all over the country. Pretty general all over the country with one exception and that has become an institution at the Radio City in New York. Otherwise, there are very, very few stage show theaters operating now. We're standing here in this massive marble lobby and I know for you, it's no ivory tower because your business depends not on what the movie industry makes, but what you can sell. Do you find that as the expression goes, movies are better than ever? No question about it. In the last four or five months, I think you've seen an array of, again, let me refer to the term that we're using now of blockbusters, pictures that I think in

succession. Better than what we have had in the last 10 years. Did you see Peyton Place? Did you like it? Yes, it was very good. Is this your sister? No, I read the book and I think it was very good. Did you think the book was RISKAY? Yes. Did you think the picture was? No, I don't think so. Kind of torn it down a little bit. I don't think it's very good for high school children. Well, does this little fellow here see it? He saw it. Do you understand it, son? Yes. You like cowboys a little better? Yes. What do you like on television or radio or movies? Do you like movies? Yes. What do you like best of all? John Wayne? That's one I like is Uncle Buckley. Oh, Woody Woodpecker? Yes. Okay, thank you. Nice to see you. Well, we're backstage, a little off screen and behind screen here. It's a kind of an

area feeling to be standing behind the main attraction. But certainly here is a main attraction. Mr. Ed Mennick, a stage hand. Been here for 30 years? Yes, sir. 30 years. You've seen a lot of them come and go. A lot of big ones come, a lot of them. They have a lot of big shows in here. Do you recall any of them? No, I don't. Right off hand, but we've had a lot of all of the big name stars we've had here. They've come right in and out of these doors. Yeah. And Mary Pickford and all of them. Fairbanks, Al Jolson. All of the big names we've had here. Ed, tell us a little bit about this stage. How big is it? Well, it's 120 feet wide and 30 feet depth. And we have 56 sets of lines for the Carnowade system. And we have a good major board. And we have an RCA sound -out fit that carries 12 mics. And we have an organ in the pit

that's hydraulic. And the pit is also hydraulic. And we have an organ back on the stage that we use on the stage. They're both hooked together, seeing them. How about this panel board here that looks like a complicated situation? It is. It's an awful large board. It's one of the first major boards I was put out, but it's very good yet. It's seen its days, but the new ones have pre -selective type. So many gang switches, 10 switches for every set up, and it's more compact. Yeah. Well, looking up into the black vault here, it just about can't see top top. It's about eight stories high. Eight stories high. And it's about 87 feet to the gridiron. And there's about 12 feet above that. Why that high? Well, you have to have that height so you can take your drops out of sight. Our drops run 70 feet wide, 35 feet high. And you've got to have the height in order to take the drops out of sight when the Carnowade system can fly them up and down. I see. When you've got

the things to do, everything you want to here. Everything, everything. We've got our own carpenter shop mortars and tent machines and saws. And we've built, we can build our own scenery right here. And you used to? Yeah, oh, yeah. You used to build all our own scenery here. Well, it's a beautiful era. Maybe it'll come back soon. We hope so. We're now standing among three massive projectors. They'd fill a good sized room. And these are the means by which the Chicago Theatre projects its image on the screen. With me here is the man who does that. Mr. Art Devent, who's been a projectionist for 30 years. Is that right here? That's right. Imagine the equipment has changed a lot in that time. Oh, yeah. Whole lot. They have used to have just little small lamps. Uh -huh. 60 Amps. Now they've pulled a hundred Navy Amps. Oh, I see. Imagine the machines have changed a lot. Oh, yeah. Just a little small single shutter. Now they have double shutter. Well, I'm a little bit astounded at that arc of film up there. How many feet

do you run on a machine? That's a 75 hundred feet. A 75 hundred feet. Couldn't very well trot that in your living room, could you? No, not very well. How many reels to a production -like piece? Well, this special feature -paid place we got four reels. Four four reels, a 75 hundred feet of horse. Four reels, a 75 hundred feet. That's right. Well, it's a kind of a weird feeling to look out the board hold here. See the steady beam of that projector? Well, that picture is 56 feet wide down. 56 feet wide. 56 feet. Projected from this. The knife that was 23 feet. This is what you call wide screen. This is wide screen. Sentiment scope. Sentiment scope. When you went into Sentiment scope, did you have to change the projectors? No, I'll just, uh, when we first went into it, we had what they called big teeth on the sprockets. So we had a change of small, because they made small sprocket holes. But

outside of that anamorphic lens in the front, that's all they had to do. I see. Well, it's been a long time you've been in the business, and I'll butcher that it's changed a lot. Oh, awful lot. Oh, awful lot, yeah. It's going to have to be a master mechanic to take care of these, don't you? Well, a little bit of everything. Well, thank you very much, Mr. David. I'll be like the show. Thank you. Perhaps a lot of people don't know that ballabin and cats is a major factor in the whole film industry. And, uh, the president of ballabin and cats is Mr. David Wallerstein standing here with me in the lobby, and a man who has a tremendous impact on the film industry here at the Chicago Theatre and everywhere else. And I suppose I should ask Mr. Wallerstein how come movies are getting better than ever? Well, I think Hollywood appreciates the fact that we have to have very fine pictures, very fine stories, and new personalities to entice the people out of their homes and to go to a

moving picture theater. Only top pictures of fine quality, fine casting will get people to leave their homes. And as a result, Hollywood is giving us their best efforts to produce these kind of pictures. I find it very interesting that such an important segment of the film industry should be directed from Chicago. We hear a lot about New York. We hear a lot about Hollywood. Would you perhaps reassure me about Chicago's place in the entertainment business? Well, Chicago, by its very location, is the center of the Great Midwest, and Chicago, and the people of Chicago, have always been great moviegoers. Chicago pioneered in the big deluxe moving picture theaters as we know them today. I think one of the first of the so -called palace theaters was built in Chicago. And Chicago people have always been good

moviegoers. They like to go out. They like entertainment. And as a result, Chicago and the Midwest has always had a great influence on the kind of pictures that are made and the reception of pictures. How about the future of this business? As it goes into the 1960s? Is it going to change much? Why don't you see a head? Well, to a large extent, I think that depends upon the creative ability of Hollywood. We have a lot of theaters in the Midwest and in Chicago, which require top pictures. And if we get them, I think the moving picture business will not only survive, but will flourish to a point where we will have a very sound industry. Does the film industry view television as a rival or does it want to take over television? Oh, how about that? Well, I can't see

any... I mean, there are some compatible factors. There isn't any question that television will help to develop young personalities. On the other hand, from a standpoint of entertainment, I think we can only look upon it as a rival. On the other hand, we can use television to help develop stars and to help bring our message of the kind of pictures we have so that people will know what is playing in these theaters and will be interested in the stories and the personalities. You just cannot compare a movie on a small screen with the large screens that we have in our theaters and the technical advantages of seeing a movie in a theater. Here were the fifth army, yeah? Yes, sir. How'd you like the show? I was a very good show. Do you like soldier shows? Oh, not so much. You like these kind of shows. This is a nice... This is a good show. Do you read the book? No, I didn't. You go to shows very often? No, because I work nights. Oh, I see. Well, that's why you're down here today. That's all right.

Okay, thank you. Well, we've now found Bob Gould who's been finding things here at the Chicago Theatre for how many years? Going on 14 years. Bob, do people lose a lot of things in the theater? Well, as a rule... On a busy picture, there's a lot of things lost, especially women. Women lose an average of 51 to what men lose. That's an interesting and very reassuring statistics. And we've had several things that are interesting. People probably might get a little laugh out of... I had one instance where a lady lost a girdle. It came back, picked it up. Came in three weeks later, lost the same girdle. Came back, got it, and she says to me, you see, I always get it back. I said, what did you do? Lose it the second time to show me that you always get it back? She says, no,

I lost it in the Roxy Theatre in New York and the Radio City Music Hall. And I always got it back. I said, well, why do you keep losing it? She says it bothers me, so I have to take it off. I said, well, then you're without it for two or three days. I just, why don't you leave it home? Well, she says, you know, I couldn't do that. I can't get along without it. Very preoccupied lady. And man walked out of here. He was from Texas. Big, strong, scrawny fella. Walked out of here. We had a snow storm. Got outside. He looked at me, he didn't have his shoes off. He left them in the theatre. And we get false teeth, lower dentures. People complain about their teeth bothering them, so they take them out, hold them in their lap, get up, and they fall to the floor. Bob, I suppose it's a kind of a screwy question to ask you if you can tell how interesting

a picture is by how many articles are left behind. Well, Peyton Place, for instance, is a great picture for women. And lately they pick up on lost articles has increased quite a bit. And you get a western or anything like that with men. You don't get very much return. I see. Well, that's a pretty good commentary in itself on our movie tastes. Well, let's see, now you've had false teeth, shoes, dentures, purses, other stuff. Gloves is the biggest item. The biggest. Ladies gloves. Years back when we really had a lot of holdouts here, we used to get quite a few children. What do you mean, holdouts? Well, when the lobby was full, you know, we were really busy. We get children, they'd walk away, people becoming grossed in the

picture, and the kids just turn around and get up and walk away from them. And they don't know where they are. They can finally wind up with me over the lost and found. And I just tell my, what's the matter? Your mother lost? See, then they don't get so scared. Always find the parents. Oh, yes. Well, we've had several cases where we didn't find the parents. We had to finally find out where the child lived and send him home in a cab or call the police. Well, I can see why this is a full -time job for you. Very nice to talk to you. Thank you very much. Oh, you find everything. I also do. Bye. We're standing here on one of the thick carpets in the lounge of the Chicago, where I guess millions of Chicagoans stood among them, Mr. Ray Thompson, the manager of the Chicago Theatre, who's here with me. And along, you know, I all three, there are thousands of people looking at this movie. How many would you say? Well, the theatre seats 4 ,000 people. Just early in the morning, it's perhaps half a hill now. I

see. How's the picture going? This picture doing very well. Ray, you say this was built in 1921 and at that time was the show place of the world? That's right. They opened up with an organ, a large orchestra, they had overtures. They would run an overture on Sunday morning without a picture. But the main policy was the best motion picture available, less stage show. Could you tell us some things about the physical plant here? This is a tremendous building. It is a large building. It's said before it had 4 ,000 seats. It has air -conditioned three large ice plants, heated by oil and coal. It's seven stories high, and a sixth and seventh floor of the building are executives offices. There's a screening room on the seventh floor where they look at all the pictures before they book them,

so they know what they're going to run. It's a little theatre on top of the theatre. Well, what are some of the other things about this big theatre we should know? Well, it's a tremendous plant. It's a very difficult thing to keep clean, maintain. What kind of a cleaning force do you have? Well, we have 12 men and 8 women at work every night. Come on at midnight through the 8 o 'clock in the morning so that the place is clean when the people come in first thing. Sure, like a plant size anyway. It's just like a big city building. It is, yes. And all of the cleaning, of course, has to be done from midnight to late in the morning. That's the only time that we're not open. So often you replace this carpeting. Well, there's a constant repair on carpeting. We have a man on the payroll that does nothing but work on the carpet. It looks like a whole vista of it, several acres of carpeting. There it is. I suppose that adds greatly to the attractiveness here, to symbolize it as a big theatre house.

Well, Ed Siegman, who handles your press relations, so very ably, told me that, oh, in a year, maybe the whole population is Chicago or it's a statistical equivalent. Let's put it that way. We'll trap through this lobby and this carpet. That's about right. Over a couple of years, that adds up to stating some of people. Well, about these blockbusters, Hollywood can make them and fell as up the line, can book them. But you have to live with them. You're the manager of this theatre. That's right. How do you feel about those? How do they compare with the old system of theatre bookings? Are you happy? Make it easier? The pictures are better than they were years ago. Everything is better, technically. Yeah, but are people really as happy with the movies as they used to be? Well, I think so. People come in and enjoy a movie as much as they ever did. There is a last moment of make -believe in the Ornate 5

Story Marble Lobby as you leave the castle and pass on to the city streets, with the loud ring of reality crowding back into the senses. But there is little make -believe in the industry. There is real mortal competition. And the glare from that small square television -shaped picture tube leaves no space on the big theatre screens for bad pictures. Movies, as it doesn't quite say on the marquee, have got to be better than ever. This is Jack Angel with George Wilson, an engineer, recording these moments of city in sound.