Welcome to BigScreenBiz.com

Congrats!!!

Can't wait to see you new marquee!

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"Would you like fries with that?"

Well folks. My sign was finally installed today. They have to come back Monday and finish with the neon and a few minor things, but the sign is up and the LED is working. It is beautiful. I will post a picture or two on my website next week.

(Beck, those slugs in H.P. were disgusting. They kid that played Ron said they flavored them for him. Guess they were real. That's just gross.)

Is this Burney's theatre?

And who's MG midget? Boy, do they bring back memories. I had three of them over the years... that is throughout my twenties. I'm surprised that I can still remember that far back.

Yes, this is my theatre, new marquee, and my '62 Austin Healy Sprite, the official Mt. Burney Theatre Austin Powers' Mini-Me car.

Thanks Large for posting it for me.

I wish the photo would have been bigger so I could see the detail of your new attraction sign, but then again my monitor is so old and dark that I can hardly see anything well. Time for a new one I guess. The car really looks like an MG, but again I can only see the outline of it.

Marquee is one of those theatrical words that has been bastardized over the years. A marquee is actually the canopy covering the sidewalk over the entrance. The dictionary says: a permanent canopy often of metal and glass projecting over an entrance (as of a hotel or theater). Early movie theatres, or Nickelodeons as they were called, did not have marquees, but legitimate theatres and vaudeville houses gennerally did. By the 20s movie theatres were using marquees as well, and they were the ones to add the changeable attraction panels to them to give them advertising value. With the advent of shopping center theatres in the 60s the buildings were often to far removed from the street for people to see the marquee, if indeed they even had one, that attraction signs with the changeable letter boards were errected along the street or hiway near the entrance to the shopping center. Since it was the custom to change the movie listing on the marquee attraction panels each time the show changed it became know as "changing the marquee." When the attraction panels were removed from the marquee and went elsewhere the act of changing the letters continued to be referred to as "changing the marquee" and thus the name marquee became attached to the changeable attraction panel wherever it was located.

I will try to get a good picture of the new sign. Austin Healey Sprites and MG Midgets are basically the same car.

Roxy, thank you for going into the history of the term 'marquee.' It is indeed a bastardized (or altered) term dating from the French "marquis" (pronounced the same way in French, though the French for our 'marquee' is "marquise" prounounced 'marKEEZ') though that word can also mean a canopy or tent for a lawn party or wedding, or it be a title of nobility, when it is usually capitalized.

The Theatre Historical Soc. of America has published the quarterly MARQUEE magazine since 1969 and has even had one of their ANNUALS on the subject of marquees. Like you, we always distinguish between the three customary parts of a marquee: lowest was the Canopy, then the Attraction Boards were mounted above it, and the Name Sign topped it all. If there was a Vertical Sign, it rose above the marquee, though in some palaces, it was part of the building itself. Sadly, as you point out, this old form of ornamentation (they became quite elaborate, what with bronze and stained glass in some cases) is disappearing as they become less relevant to today's drive-by patrons. The curb side sign (usually a Pylon, Attraction Board(s), and Name Sign), has taken its place. It is odd that the modern cinemas could not be against the sidewalk like the earlier theatres, but a study long ago found out that people like the parking lot to be in front of a store/theatre/mall, rather than in back of it, so now most such are fronted with huge lots, unlike the early shopping centers which had lots in the rear of the stores.

Coincidentally, T.H.S.A. will be inagurating a new feature on its web site in the coming months: "A GLOSSARY OF THEATRE TERMS." We hope to cover the entire scope of the buildings and physical appurtenances to them, as opposed to mention of the performing arts world of terms. The aim is not only to help the public, but to take a more scholarly approach to 'codifing' the jargon so many hear, but also misunderstand. Keep an eye out for it at: www.HistoricTheatres.org

Hello:

Just discovered this site and have read the conversations about the outdoor signage (I'm afraid to use the word "marquee" now) and I am going through this process myself of looking for replacement signage for our theatres. We are faced with the same weather issues mentioned and I feel also we have a safety issue with going up on our canopy roof to change the marquee especially in the winter months (you can see our theatre on our website roxytheatres.com). I have debated the Led sign and wondered the same results that have been discussed ie glare, visibility in sunlight, etc. and would welcome further updates and information. We deal with frozen letters, ice on the walkway which is sloping by the way, water gathering on the canopy roof and then freezing, dodging pigeons (we've tried everything including owls and spikes but now after 7 years in business we just decided to name them and wear hats!). Any feed back would be appreciated regarding the sign out front. Also, Burney, do you like your new sign? Cheers!

I still love my new sign. It takes about 15 seconds to change movie titles, ratings, showtimes, and whatever else I want it to say and I can do it all from my laptop INSIDE the theatre. I'll send a better picture directly to you, Cathy.

Hi Cathy,

I am the Account Manager for Adaptive Micro Systems that initially worked with Donna at Mt. Burney Theatre on getting an exterior LED display up on her building. I would welcome any concerns or questions you may have regarding exterior LED signs.

Please call me direct at (414) 410-0626 to discuss your application.

If you would like to see some other applications that involved LED, please visit our website at [url=http://www.adaptivedisplays.com.]www.adaptivedisplays.com.[/url]

Christopher W. Wittmann