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Author Topic: Longest-tenured 35mm projector? Rick Raskin Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1100 From: Manassas Virginia Registered: Jan 2003 posted 10-14-2019 05:26 PM                     Doesn't the Lowes Jersey have a Super Simplex with the Vitaphone disk? Although not original to that booth, I believe it is still in service. I recall running many supers back in the day that had the hole to insert the hand crank. Unfortunately those theaters are long gone.  |  IP: Logged Tony Bandiera Jr Film God Posts: 3067 From: Moreland Idaho Registered: Apr 2004 posted 10-14-2019 07:17 PM                     Avalon Theatre, Catalina Island, California. Pair of Brenkerts with Brenkert Carbon Arcs and a motor-generator set still in use for silent and nitrate film festivals as of around 2002 (my last visit there). Originally installed in 1929. cinematreasures Page Here's a pic I took around 2000: The Xetron console hold a Century Projector and soundhead fed by a Numade "Neurotic" platter. They ran the daily features off that setup. Still running as of the date of this post, I would guess that the regular features are digital projection by now. Showtimes (dot com) Listing I miss servicing that theatre, always had a great trip to the island and made a day of it with the old IATSE president. Remember (somewhat fondly) having to replace the original booth exhaust fan motor when it burned out. Nasty smell that was on my hands and clothes for days, was an old-school setup with the huge leather drive belt. Had to fabricate a plate to adapt a NEMA motor to the original mount.  |  IP: Logged Leo Enticknap Film God Posts: 7474 From: Loma Linda, CA Registered: Jul 2000 posted 10-14-2019 08:51 PM                        When I was on Catalina a couple of weeks ago, I noticed that they were playing It - Chapter 2. I'm not aware of any 35mm prints having been made of it, so I'm guessing that they must have put digital in. Apart from the New Bev, are there any movie theaters in the USA, still operating a full schedule (as in, open to the public seven evenings a week), that play exclusively 35mm?  |  IP: Logged Martin McCaffery Film God Posts: 2481 From: Montgomery, AL Registered: Jun 99 posted 10-14-2019 10:50 PM                        Rick, I probably ran many of the same theatres in the DC area. I never thought about it at the time, but I wonder now how a theatre like the Shirley Duke had Super Simplexes (on platters, no less). The theatre was built in 1971-- where did the Supers come from? They had to be nearly 40 years old in '71 (had the crankshaft holes), and the theater was still open in the late 90's. They did have spare heads and rotated them on a somewhat regular basis.  |  IP: Logged Mark Gulbrandsen Resident Trollmaster Posts: 16657 From: Music City Registered: Jun 99 posted 10-15-2019 08:03 AM                     All the Supers and E-7's I serviced ran off platters... close to a dozen locations! If you oil them they'll run forever. The booth floor never rusts either... Mark  |  IP: Logged Martin McCaffery Film God Posts: 2481 From: Montgomery, AL Registered: Jun 99 posted 10-15-2019 08:12 AM                        At the Shirley Duke the oil dripped directly onto the film. They ran Misty Beethoven there for years. Every now and then they would have to get a new print because there was so much oil the splices wouldn't hold anymore.  |  IP: Logged Mark Gulbrandsen Resident Trollmaster Posts: 16657 From: Music City Registered: Jun 99 posted 10-16-2019 03:43 PM                     quote: Martin McCaffery At the Shirley Duke the oil dripped directly onto the film. Shirley you can't be serious! That had to be said...  |  IP: Logged Larry Blake Film Handler Posts: 8 From: New Orleans, LA, USA Registered: Dec 2002 posted 10-16-2019 04:20 PM                     Hi Mark: My primary claim to fame, when I finally shed my mortal coil, is that I was a passenger on Airplane!, and am the "upside-down man". Let me know if you're like a signed photo. Larry  |  IP: Logged Stephan Shelley Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 854 From: castro valley, CA, usa Registered: Nov 2014 posted 10-16-2019 06:04 PM                     The Bridge theatre used its originally installed super simplex projectors from 1931 till a platter was installed in the 90's.  |  IP: Logged Leo Enticknap Film God Posts: 7474 From: Loma Linda, CA Registered: Jul 2000 posted 10-16-2019 08:56 PM                        quote: Larry Blake My primary claim to fame, when I finally shed my mortal coil, is that I was a passenger on Airplane!, and am the "upside-down man". A friend told me that he was once introduced to someone at some screening reception or other, who told him that she'd appeared as an extra in Pulp Fiction, as one of the customers in the background during the opening and closing diner scene. She said that she felt a bit embarrassed about it. "Oh well, look on the bright side," my friend responded, "...at least you weren't The Gimp." "That was my husband," she replied.  |  IP: Logged Thomas Hauerslev Master Film Handler Posts: 451 From: Copenhagen, Denmark Registered: Aug 2000 posted 10-17-2019 01:34 AM                        Original Todd-AO install DP70 #1640 in Copenhagen has been running since 3. November 1961. Still running 70mm, including "Joker" at the moment. 58 years of service so far. Since 2012, it has been running 70mm exclusively, as "substandard" 35mm film format has been disabled, since DK went all digital.  |  IP: Logged Larry Blake Film Handler Posts: 8 From: New Orleans, LA, USA Registered: Dec 2002 posted 12-28-2019 09:41 AM                     Hi All: Following up from Jesse's post re: the Mahoning Drive-In Theater in Lancaster, PA, and their continual-use-since-1948 projectors: I looked on their site today and see that they are in the midst of a Gofundme drive to replace their damaged screen. Here's the link to it should you wish to chip in a few bucks. They're getting close to their $10,000 goal. https://www.gofundme.com/f/save-the-mahoning-screen Larry  |  IP: Logged Mark Gulbrandsen Resident Trollmaster Posts: 16657 From: Music City Registered: Jun 99 posted 12-28-2019 12:18 PM                     Hi Larry, I had no idea that was you and YES! I would LOVE a signed photo! I'll hang it up above my desk!! Thanks! Mark  |  IP: Logged Simon Wyss Film Handler Posts: 80 From: Basel, BS, Switzerland Registered: Apr 2011 posted 12-31-2019 12:20 AM                     In Dornach I have reanimated a pair of Zeiss-Ikon Ernemann V from 1938 that were installed there in 1953. That was in 2001. A Dixi-724 from 1944 came back to life there, too. In other places I have run Frieseke & Hoepfner 66 from the fifties, some forty years later, no problems, and a Diksi-Tfp. from 1938. That one wouldn’t run too nicely, the inherent and main problem of its belt variator. An EMEL 8mm projector I have from 1937 functions like new. There are still older apparatus in service all over the planet. There are also machine tools functioning properly that are hundred years old.  |  IP: Logged Mitchell Dvoskin Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1869 From: West Milford, NJ, USA Registered: Jan 2001 posted 12-31-2019 01:54 PM                     quote: Rick Raskin Doesn't the Lowes Jersey have a Super Simplex with the Vitaphone disk? Although not original to that booth, I believe it is still in service. Actually, the Loews Jersey projector that has both the Vitaphone platter and a Western Electric sound gate is a Simplex Standard with the shutter in front of the lens. This projector was fully working with disc & optical sound, but was never used for regular screenings. For regular screenings they use a pair of Kinoton FP20's with Ashcraft SuperCorlite carbon arc lamp houses. The Vitaphone projector is still there but was disconnected and pushed to the side a few years ago to free up the port hole for another project.  |  IP: Logged

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