Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Strange Drive-in story

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Posted by Bruce McGee (Member # 131) on 06-09-2000, 10:03 PM:

Tonight (Friday) in the local news, the only D-I theater left in the mountains of Western NC announced that it was not going to open this weekend as scheduled. Apparently this is supposed to be big news around here.

In the story, the owners of the Waynesville Drive-In dont have enough people employed there to get the place open. I have never met these people. They are an old couple. She has a huge beehive-type hair-do.

I am thinking of riding the 35 miles out there and see what they are trying to do over the weekend.

It was strange seeing the field, some car speakers on the stands, and no shots of the equipment. Our local station has never been one to "get the facts"

Posted by John Wilson (Member # 269) on 06-09-2000, 10:21 PM:

I'd drive the 35 miles if I were you. Being an older couple, they may be in need of a helping hand.

If you go, let us know what happened.

Posted by Ken Layton (Member # 133) on 06-10-2000, 12:04 PM:

Yes, Bruce, please go there and see what can be done. And don't forget to take pictures!

Suggest that they ask for volunteers from the community (local high school?). They could even put a message asking for help on the marquee.

See if they have a tube amplifier for the speakers.

Posted by Bruce McGee (Member # 131) on 06-10-2000, 03:58 PM:

I went to the McGee family reunion this morning. On the way back this afternoon, after eating waaay too much fried chicken, roast beef, cornbread, green beans, and macaroni and cheese, I waddled over to the drive-in. I couldn't find a soul anywhere. There's a HELP WANTED sign on the marquee. I left a note on the doors to the consession stand, and the box office to call me, and I listed what I could do.

I wanted to have a look at the equipment, but they have metal doors over the ports.

I'll try again. I'm going back to Waynesville tomorrow and see what happens then.

Posted by Randy Loy (Member # 112) on 06-11-2000, 08:43 AM:

My wife and I photographed the Waynesville Drive-In a couple of years ago while we were visiting North Carolina drive-in theatres. There wasn't anybody around when we got there, about mid-day, so we were only able to get pics over the fence. It looked like a nice little rural drive-in, however. It is picturesque, also. I can still remember all the adjacent farmland and seeing cattle grazing not far from the screen tower.

Posted by Bruce McGee (Member # 131) on 06-11-2000, 03:06 PM:

EUREKA!

I conneced with the owners of the theater today, and got the grand tour. They are running 6000' reels on a pair of Simplex XL's with Strong 60-B 4000 watt xenon, with the original Ballantyne sound system and amplifiers feeding the 15 rows of speakers.

The scope lenses are B&L with red rings. Unknown prime lenses.

Everything is glorious MONO, including the FM sound from Radio Shack.

About half of the window speakers are bad because he cant find 4" replacements anymore. Many of the speakers (mostly Eprad) have been stolen over the years, but the screen is in good shape, the lamps are new, and the sound optics are clean.

Radio sound is decent. We fired up a reel of something that is used for testing. My car stereo sounded good.

The reason that they did not open last weekend is because the entire consession staff quit, following the lead of one girl.

I am now the relief projectionist there. I am also going to attempt to find the cause of the slight hum in the Ballantyne amp.

HEY KEN!!! ITS ALL TUBES!!! HAPPY HAPPY JOY JOY!!!!

One good thing is that I have many of the tubes that the system uses on hand!!!

I'm gonna have fun this summer.

Anybody got any ideas where we mignt find speakers???

Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 06-11-2000, 03:15 PM:

Not to worry, Ken will soon be around to find your speaker replacements.

Get pics for us please.

Posted by Ken Layton (Member # 133) on 06-11-2000, 03:42 PM:

Bruce:
15 rows! Wow! Must be a pretty big drive in? Our field at the Skyline only has 10 rows.

Hum in the sound? Do the speaker junction boxes have lights in them? If so, try turning off the lights and see if the hum goes away. If it does, then you have bad wiring in the field (light circuit is leaking to ground) or a lamp socket wire touching something it shouldn't inside one of the junction boxes. If the hum is still there after isolating the lamp circuit, then check to see if the Radio Shack FM transmitter could be the cause by removing it from the circuit. If it's still there after all that, then check the amplifier power supply (rectifier tubes and filter caps).
We have mostly Eprad speakers and ALL Eprad "Glo-Top" lighted juntion boxes at the Skyline. I just got finished installing and repairing 100 speakers with parts I got from SPECO (Systems & Products Engineering Company). For the replacement 4" cones order # 9137-C and SPECIFY YOU WANT THE LONG HOLD DOWN SPRINGS WITH THEM TO USE ON EPRAD SPEAKERS.
Here is drivein speaker parts suppliers:
Speco
1-800-633-5913
(913) 321-3978
fax:913-321-7439

Projected Sound
(317) 839-4111
fax: 317-839-2476

Reed Speaker Mfg
(520) 453-0055
(805) 934-1582
fax: 805-934-4992
Ask for Shawn Gran and yes those 2 different area codes are correct!

I wish I could come out and help you at the drivein. We could have a real blast!

Posted by John Wilson (Member # 269) on 06-11-2000, 03:56 PM:

Hey Bruce, talk about hitting paydirt! I am supremely jealous of you. (Ahhh...the view of a Drive In screen at dusk...)

Keep posting updates. How many posts to a row on an average? What's the population it services?

Good Luck!

Posted by Bruce McGee (Member # 131) on 06-11-2000, 09:15 PM:

When I go back to the theater, I will carry a regular 35mm camera and take photos, if it's OK with the owner. I'll tell him about the speaker dudes, Ken. There are no lights in the field. The hum sounds like a bad cap to me. Was told that other than tubes, there's only been one repair on the Ballantyne amps. I was told that somewhere there is a picture of the original Ballantyne projectors and lamphouses just after the installation. The booth is a mess. Old and junky. He uses yellow tape.

I was telling him about polyester film. He said that film is film to him.

There will be lots more to come, I hope.

Posted by Randy Loy (Member # 112) on 06-12-2000, 05:33 AM:

Good for you Bruce! It sounds like they need a professional film handler there, someone with the interest and aptitude to give patrons the best possible image and sound. Definately keep us updated on how things are going. I'm also jealous!

Posted by Dave Bird (Member # 490) on 06-12-2000, 07:31 AM:

Hey, very interesting stash of equipment there. I just bought roughly the same equipment from a theatre to be demolished here in Canada. The magazines are 2000' though, and I've got two arc lamps (Futura 2's) that I can't run (on single phase), but B&L lenses, same "glorious" MONO sound, only AM not FM. My purpose is to learn how to run this stuff by putting 'er all back together. Are 6000 foot magazines enclosed
like the smaller ones (and do they look as cool)?

Somebody contacted me once about this theatre you speak of, heard I was a drive-in
"expert". Well, I'm a real fan for sure, and
I tried to refer her to some people who could help. I'm sure glad to hear that it will survive. You guys will have a lot of fun with it. Thanks for allowing me to participate in your forum.

------------------
Dave Bird

Posted by Ken Layton (Member # 133) on 06-12-2000, 08:50 AM:

Bruce:

If you can, get the model numbers of the Ballantyne tube amplifiers. Also if there is any schematics and/or manuals, photocopy them and send them in for posting. I already have the Ballantyne T-25 amplifier stuff posted here.

Posted by Bruce McGee (Member # 131) on 06-12-2000, 11:24 AM:

I need to get to know these folks a little before I go listing every single piece of their equipment on the net. He has never done business this way. AND I dont want to scare him away from me. After all, I met them Sunday. I suspect that there is a manual for the B's there. There's an original XL manual, and one for the lamphouses. I'm just dying to get into the equipment and oil all of the motors and stuff, clean the volume controls, etc.

I "Mis-Spoke" the number of rows. I believe it is more like 8 rows. When I go back, I will do a complete count of posts. There are several rows that dont work. On looking, its probably just the bad flex cables on the speakers. Some are rotton. Mr CLARK, the owner, said that most people anymore just use the radio sound. BUT I will fix any speakers that I can, after I give him the list of numbers that you sent me, Ken, here at Film-Tech.

I think this is going to be a fun summer.

Posted by Ken Layton (Member # 133) on 06-12-2000, 05:32 PM:

Bruce:
If you plan on working on the speakers, you will need to order the special tamperproof screwdrivers to get inside which can be ordered from SPECO or REED.
What I have found that goes bad with the speakers is these:
1. Cords
2. Cone units
3. Volume controls

Bad cords usually cause a totally dead speaker or intermittent operation. A bad cone will sound bad (rattles, muffled, or distorted). Sometimes a bad volume control will cause a dead speaker, but mostly I just spray the control with some Nu-Trol Control Cleaner. I haven't had to replace many volume controls.
I always check the condition of the transformer in the junction box, too with an ohmmeter as these can sometimes go bad (open).

Posted by Carl King (Member # 398) on 06-12-2000, 09:59 PM:

Hey guys:

All this talk of drive-ins is making me nostalgic. I remember well working in old skytops here in New Brunswick.I live near the Bay of Fundy and we used to get fogged in on occassion. Let me tell you..it's hard to keep a print in focus when you can't see it because of the fog. Those were the days.
Not many skytops left around these days.. Just memories

Posted by Tim Reed (Member # 137) on 06-13-2000, 08:10 AM:

>>Thanks for allowing me to participate in your forum.

------------------
Dave Bird<<

HEY, whatdayaknow! Welcome to the group, Dave!

------------------
Better Projection Pays!

Posted by Bruce McGee (Member # 131) on 06-13-2000, 11:09 AM:

Hey Ken:
Where do we find Nu-Trol cleaner? I used Channel Master "Shield" for eons until they quit making it. I'm just about out of my second-to-the-last-can. Does NuTrol do a good job, and cure those noisy pots?

I think just by going through and at least taking care of the shorted lines and poles I can make the whole speaker system sound at least a little louder. It was fun hearing that far-away sound the other day all over the field while the test reel was running.

The owner and the homeowners in view of the screen are happy. He went to each of them and tuned their FM radios to the right frequency so they could sit on their porches and watch the movies!

Posted by Ken Layton (Member # 133) on 06-13-2000, 08:05 PM:

Bruce:
Nu-Trol is made by M.G. Chemicals in Toronto, Ontario, Canada and is widely available from most local electronic supply houses and wholesalers. The manufacturer can be reached at 1-800-201-8822 (voice) or 1-800-708-9888 (fax) or on the web at www.mgchemicals. com
Nu-trol is cat no. 401B-140g. I have found it to be excellent on volume controls. Just spray into any hole in the pot and turn the shaft a few times. Works great!
If you need help on the internal wiring of the Eprad speakers, let me know as I have closeup photos of the wiring.

Posted by Russ Kress (Member # 461) on 06-13-2000, 08:23 PM:

Hey guys, I use two contact cleaners depending on what is available at any given time. One is called "Electra-Clean" and the other is called "Big Bath". They work great on potentiometers and do good job on grease too. No residue.

Russ

Posted by Bruce Hansen (Member # 281) on 06-14-2000, 05:35 PM:

Be careful about useing some cleaner that you have never tried before. Over my many years or cleaning pots and switches, I have come across several cleaners that will melt the plastic parts inside some pots and switches. Try it out on old parts that are not in use first.

Bruce Hansen

Posted by John Wilson (Member # 269) on 06-23-2000, 04:50 AM:

Hey Bruce,

Any news? Any pics yet? Can't wait to see them.

John

Posted by John Wilson (Member # 269) on 07-08-2000, 07:22 AM:

OK, so I'm impatient... any news Bruce? The sweet old couple haven't hacked you up and stuck you in a large coffin under the screen, have they? If they have, don't bother answering that.

Posted by Bruce McGee (Member # 131) on 07-08-2000, 08:05 PM:

John: I'm not dead, yet.

I have been allowed to visit the theatre twice now for the show. I have not been allowed to do, or touch anything. Mr. Clark does everything. He will talk to me while he works, but wont let me help at all. Its strange.

I located an intermission clock and told him about it. The only answer I got was that he was not buying anything at this time. I never mentioned buying anything. A really nice guy that posts here offered me one to try out on the patrons. Another guy here offered a policy trailer (dont forget to replace the speaker, etc.) again the answer was no.

I'm wondering if I will ever get to do anything.

The list of speaker parts companies that Ken Layton posted is still laying there on the bench. I'll wager that none of them have been contacted.

So far, 2 of the concession people have quit. I'm beginning to understand why they have so much trouble there....

More to come, I hope.

How's the weather in Australia?

Posted by John Wilson (Member # 269) on 07-09-2000, 01:36 AM:

>>So far, 2 of the concession people have quit. I'm beginning to understand why they have so much trouble there....<<

Methinks you may be right there...what a shame. Some folks just can't pick when someone is trying to help them and not there to rip them off.

The weather here in Sydney is pretty crappy for the poor old Drive Ins. We still have two twins in operation in Sydney, Blacktown Twin and Bass Hill Twin, both operated by a major chain...Greater Union. It rained all of last Summer and now it's fine weather mostly but pretty darn cold. I don't know how much longer GU will put up with them. They sure aren't in it for the memories anymore, it's all about the dollar and those sites, Bass Hill in particular, must be worth a small fortune.

My old DI has gone the way of the Dodo which is a bit sad as I spent so much time there. I've just finished helping Buddy with his page dedicated to The Westline Drive In at http://www.drive-insdownunder.com.au/australian/qld_mackaywestline.htm . Take a look. I've sent other photos on its sister DI The Grove but I've yet to send the base of the text. She's a goner too...

Posted by Aaron Sisemore (Member # 145) on 07-09-2000, 07:29 PM:

With assholes like that running the place, I bet it makes it to the end of summer, then 'closes for the season' never to reopen, as this guy will have already sold it to Wal-Mart or Home Depot, et al... Tragic.

Aaron

Posted by John Wilson (Member # 269) on 09-15-2000, 08:13 AM:

As usual, Buddy's doing a great job. Here is the link to the Grove I mentioned 2 posts above...

http://www.drive-insdownunder.com.au/australian/qld_mackaygrove.htm

Posted by Bruce McGee (Member # 131) on 09-15-2000, 03:29 PM:

Just wanted to let you know the latest on the drive-in. After being told that I would be used as the relief projectionist months ago, I was there exactly 3 times, never allowed to do anything, and never called to work there.

I rode through Waynesville today for work. I rode by the theater. It's closed for the season. The gate is up and locked.

I really feel like I just wasted my time and gas going out there. If the place gets put up for sale, maybe I could get into it then.