Greenbelt cooperator. (Greenbelt, Md.) 1937-1954, 1940-03-07

BY Anne Hull
uProbab1y other theater manager in the country
has many meetings to contend wi til as do, tire
marks Robert Buchele. He does not resent going
to meetings, but hopes we will also consider the
lighter side of life and turn up often at the
theater, especially with the advent Of the seven
nights week schedule. Before the Battsville
theater opened, the Greenbelt enterprise moving
into the black; it's sliding back into the red.
Although have a sufficient popul alton to keep
cooperative theater going, half the present trade
from Beryn, Glen Dale, and Bowie. So it
have obligation to help fill up those 592
seats more frequently.
willie; "Pop, kin have fifteen cents to see the
Pop. MY son, it is your civic duty. Take all
your friends. Here's dollar"
willie: "GoshI"
The Greenbelt theater is the only cooperative
theater in the country. o. Kline Fulmer adds that
it is the only theater he knows which exposed
cinder block in the Interior No concealng plaster
has been used; instead bold bands paint have been
applied directly to the functional bricks. The tricky
outside buttresses are functional, too. In most
theaters, these trsses extend inward, and ed Their
covered by extra walls protrude into the hall,
madng acoustics di fficult. The arrangement of
"inside-out used in building the school.
The credit for planning the school, the theater,
and all the rest of Greenbelts buildings goes to
large group of architects, desi ers, craftsmen
engineers working comparatively together. R. j.
wadsWorth and Douglas Ellington we're the two head
archi
The theater's sound and picture equipment is not
the two projectors-which work in 20 minute shifts
and the sound control bon--which may also be
rugged up to amplify records personis voice
speaking through microphone. In the protector the
film races around the reel at a rate of 90 feet a
minute, Illuminated from behind by light from pow
crfol carbon arc. Running along the border of the
film is the sound track, a strip marked by
continuous Jagged line that resembles diagrammed
heart beat earthquake tremor. photo electric
beam translates into sound the variations light
and shade produced by the moving sound strip.
Tho and MIR
dark green stage curtain were supplied by the
Government. Financed by Greenbelt Consumer Service
Inc. and selected by Coo. citizens commit
tee, were the addt onal stage curtains and the
pet1ng Rollers, which were put on the screen, per-
NIT it to be moved to side and gives the stage
added depth Of six feet. This feature has been
invaluable to the Greenbe1t Players in putting on
their five annual productions theater has also
accommodated lectures and meetings. On Sunday.
1t serves the Catholics as church. The COG.
theater committee hoped to arrange for occasional
concerts by the Chamber Music Group the theater,
and selected site for outdoor teater north
of the electrical transformer station for sumner en-
tertaiments. Neither project has yet
Mr.. Buche1e says that Greenbelt's taste In movies
runs far above the average. According to him,
demand films of high artistic, Literary, mus ca1
sociological Tor what have you) content. Many
gent in town has been puzzled at Mr. Bche1eis
ing down thri1ler-diller which has been packing
then into the h jou for weeks. manager has had
his difficulties with block booking too, that is a
film compary's practice of renting out several in
ferior pictures with smash hit. That he has kept
current showings such high plane of excellence
is q real tribute to his management.
E. Buche1e's assistant manager is John NJ. Picker
who arrived in Greenbelt last fall studied
the cooperative movement in collegeAtr Buchele at
Columbia, and Mr.. Pickering at Washing University
in ST. Louis. They picking up their knowledge Of
theater management along the way. John Freeman is
being trained for relief duty. MRS. Miller Hodges
and Mrs. Dorothy Nepser have been capably serving
as cashiers. Our head projectionist, Herbert Bar.
berte, is member of the Az of L. and, in accord
ance With union regulations he is training appren-
tice Robert Co1lett.
In order for our cooperative teater to become
success, 1t must attract trade, has been
mentioned above. One of the most interesting
vations planned for local patrons is the Greenbe1t
newsree1s monthly presentation Of events around
tn color OF fufio