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Topic: Replacing the old (original) marquee

Mark Lane
Film Handler

Posts: 6
From: Crystal, Mi, usa
Registered: Apr 2019

posted 06-12-2019 03:55 PM

"I think those Sam's Club changeable copy signs are pretty cheap looking. It's not the most flattering type of sign to set out in front of a business unless the message on the board is along the lines of "live bait." We're talking about the kind that has a flashing arrow on top of it with a bare minimum number of bulbs, right? The changeable letters that go in those cabinets are flimsy compared to a Zip Change letter from Wagner or a Pronto letter from Gemini. They can blow out pretty easy in a storm. Given those signs are often placed out in front of a business in a portable configuration the whole thing can be blown over by bad weather (or bulldozed by a truck driver not watching where he is going). There is no locking, vandal-proof cover to prevent pranksters from re-arranging letters to spell out curse words.

As for that $300 price, that might be the time/materials cost for someone doing a DIY job in the garage on a Sam's Club sign. A proper retro-looking movie theater marquee permanently installed above the box office is going to cost considerably more. "

Yes the letters are flimsy compared to the other style letters but the other letters can easily be changed also. I changed that style letters on the Holiday Inn sign back in the 70's. A couple of wires will keep the letter from blowing away.
It isn't the perfect solution as the letter do turn yellow-ish over time and are not nearly as cool as the old fashion style letters.
But with some creativity, a few dollars that kind of sign can have the proper retro marquee look, plus fake frame can be changed for the seasons. The upkeep with be very little.
The local trade school might help with things that are beyond my skill level.
In my mind it will work, it has worked on some internal projects, but the fantasy in my head and real life are often different realities. Once it get it completed (or give up on the idea) I will try and post photos.

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Bobby Henderson
"Ask me about Trajan."

Posts: 10973
From: Lawton, OK, USA
Registered: Apr 2001

posted 06-12-2019 09:19 PM

The changeable letters are turning yellow because they're silk-screened on pieces of Lexan. Lexan is a lot more flimsy than Acrylic. Lexan isn't bad. We use it a lot on faces that are pan-formed, which often have embossed graphics. The big plus about Lexan is that it is flexible. It can stand up to impacts from flying debris, such as objects thrown by storms or objects thrown by drunk assholes. Still, flat changeable copy letters (where it's just a clear panel with a silk-screened character on it) are typically made of more rigid Acrylic. Zip Change and Pronto letters won't blow out of track as easily as those flimsy Lexan letters from Sam's Club.

I don't know how you can dress up a $300-$400 Sam's Club changeable copy sign to look like a legit retro movie theater marquee sign. Perhaps if you're creative enough some unique charm might be able to be built into it. Otherwise, it's still pretty much a cheap "live bait" fishing and tackle shop message sign.

Even though I'm a long term sign industry guy, I still love commercial movie theaters enough to still want the owners of any independent theater to put whatever spare money they have into the projection and sound gear. That's really the most important thing. Not the decor built into the lobby or the store front personality attached to the building's exterior. There are plenty of ways how to design a good looking, yet modest (and not terribly expensive) exterior sign for a theater. It doesn't always have to be a grandiose old-school marquee encrusted with neon and chase lights, even though those kinds of signs can be very very cool. Sometimes a clean and restrained look can help attract a wide variety of customers and also save money to put into beefing up the sound system enough to rattle the air in customers' lungs.

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Gary A. Hoselton
Film Handler

Posts: 59
From: Portland OR U.S.A.
Registered: Nov 2005

posted 06-12-2019 11:51 PM

Google the Luna Theatre in Clayton NM for an neat neon sign. They'd had diagonal parking in front which protected the marquee, then the city changed to parallel and, sure enough, a motor home pulled in too close and its tipping wacked the marquee. After the city was persuaded to extended the curb out a few feet and the theatre was acquired by a community non-profit, the theatre had the sign rebult, and the smile of the luna moving up and down in neon is delightful. Mighty fine for a one-stop light town.

Google the Hollywood Theatre in Portland OR, and see their restored marquee. The sign company also made a modern version for a shorts venue that the Hollywood runs inside security at PDX, the Portland airport. Joseph Platt of Security Signs put both Hollywood Theatre projects together.

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Bobby Henderson
"Ask me about Trajan."

Posts: 10973
From: Lawton, OK, USA
Registered: Apr 2001

posted 06-14-2019 12:36 PM

I go through Clayton on my road trips to Colorado. The Luna Theater marquee in Clayton is decent for a small marquee. The moon graphic is a creative touch.

A bigger retro marquee I see along the way is the Mulkey Theater just off US-287 in Clarendon, Texas. It's just North of the highway on Kearney Street. The venue is no longer a movie theater though; it's used for local civic events.

Not far from where I live, the Liberty Theater in Carnegie, OK has a small neon marquee. The theater used to be THX-certified, but the owner got out of the program.

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