Peerless Magnarc circa 1928 (?) at LYRIC THEATER, Blacksburg VA
I had the opportunity to be in the audience yesterday at the screening of my friend and neighbor, Charlie Thompson’s ROCK CASTLE HOME documentary, about which, perhaps more later.
In the auditorium lobby was this monstrous piece of ancient video technology. It required venting to the outside. See the vent pipe up top. It had a glass window in the side for watching WHAT? I had to know.
Turns out DC current created a white hot arc between two adjustable carbon rods to produce the flickering lights through film projected onto the screen. You may not be as interested as I was, so I’ll just point you in the direction if you’re curious.
Or if you have experience as a projectionist, etc, leave a comment, won’t you?
Fred, I wasn't a projectionist but I spent my early years in a movie theatres. I spent many years hanging out in the projection booths. In the theatre I considered home we had 4 of those monsters lined up behind glass windows. To get the optimal lighting, the adjustment of the rods was an art, with guides marked on that glass window. And as I recall, projectors were noisy.
But my "reel" memories revolve around the film itself... Our projection booth was about six stories up above the nosebleed seats in our upper balcony. And when new films arrived they came in aluminum "cans" of four reels each. These cans had wire handles for carrying. And carrying those cans up the many, many steps to the booth was one of my jobs in my teenage years... Trust me, a movie is (or was) a weighty subject.
Fred, I wasn't a projectionist but I spent my early years in a movie theatres. I spent many years hanging out in the projection booths. In the theatre I considered home we had 4 of those monsters lined up behind glass windows. To get the optimal lighting, the adjustment of the rods was an art, with guides marked on that glass window. And as I recall, projectors were noisy.
But my "reel" memories revolve around the film itself... Our projection booth was about six stories up above the nosebleed seats in our upper balcony. And when new films arrived they came in aluminum "cans" of four reels each. These cans had wire handles for carrying. And carrying those cans up the many, many steps to the booth was one of my jobs in my teenage years... Trust me, a movie is (or was) a weighty subject.
Colorful memories, Gary. Also fine in black and white. <G>