Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-10-21

raging over his l3Sses and bad luck.
He dug his hands into his vest pocket,
and, 10! pulled out the hunted needle.
A STORY is told of the projectionist
whose ears we're so well attuned
to static and undesirable noises that he
was a victim of his own adaptability.
A queer. cracking noise hoated through
the portfolio one performance and he
began a close examination of every
thing about him that might have
caused it. Almost frantic lest the man
ager and audience should grurnble. he
spent half hour going over his equip
ment. He sent his assistant into the
auditorium for possible clues, and the
messenger came back shortly, saying:
Its only a guy in the audience eat
ing peanuts"
Producers as we'll as theater man
ayers are beginning to harbor sympathy
and compassion for the projectionist.
Realizing that the success of their films
and equipment is dependent to a great
extent on the quality of reproduction,
the big companies are bombarding the
booths with such a volley OF printed
intelligence that the recipients are
equipped with enough reading matter
to start library.
How to keep the photo-electric cell In
place. how to put distilled water in a
battery, how to thread a protector, how
to operate the fader. how to clean the
sound gate and how to patch broken
films-there Is no end to the volume and
variety. Latterly it is the custom for
big producers to create in the boSonlS
of projectionistS a kind of college-boy,
rah-rah patriotism.
Talking pictures" says a bulletin,
"have arrested and fired the magma
ton of people. Opportunity for projec-
tionists is limited only to the earnest
ness and willingness to measure up to
the job. Opportunity is knocking at the
door When the call comes those with
knowledge will be among the fortunate.
BE real careful and you won't have
reel trouble
BE on the job while you are in the
projection room. and thus be a real
motion picture projectionist. The show
is in your hands. You can make 1t a
beautiful show or you can make it
pretty bum proposition.
Have you acquired talking picture
consciousness? It's that sixth sense
which makes you feel as contented as
If you had a cat purring away beside
you as long as everything Is going per-
fectly and warns you in flash II any
thing isn't clicking just right. You
are in tune with the mechanical part
and you are in tune with the spirit.
You feel the picture running through
you; you feel the sound waves: you
sense the reaction of the audience-in
fact, you are the picture and you are
the accompaniment. You know what
the show out in front Is as well as If
you are sitting out front.
'Talkie' consciousness Is q bunch,
and surprisingly sure one. It comes
as the result of mechanical knowledge,
careful observance Of details, keeping
apparatus trim and feeling RESPONSE
bility.
For as sure as there's a light on
Broadway the results depend upon the
boys in the booth"
Between warnings, rules and sugges-
tons, the teacher delivers a few wheezes
In order to keep his students in good
humor. He writes. for instance:
"The other week somebody reported
that an enthusiastic projectionist was
cleaning the sound gate with his hand
kerchief. That's all right, unless he
had bad cold"
The great industry has reused itself
from quarter century of silence and
now spouts euphemisms and synonyms
that will shortly make photographers
Continued on Seventh Page,l