This is topic Cinema Museum Pics........ in forum Film Handlers' Forum at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.
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Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 06-12-2000, 06:04 PM:
Just a little background on the Cinema Museum pics that I sent into Brad so you can all have a little first hand knowledge about this collection. Carey Williams has been relentlessy collecting projectors from all over the world since about 1980. He has been all over Europe, Austrailia,the US and Canada. I don't know the exact number of complete machnes he has but I would venture to say its around 400 or so. Included in the collection is Simplex Standard Head #1 (actually I think its labeled #100) and one of two surviving Grandeur projectors(not pictured). He collects camera equipment as well as projection equipment.
The museum lasted for about two years and was located on the near north side of Chicago. The City Of Chicago originally accepted the International Cinema Museum as a non profit group but later recanted the tax status. Due to the change, the taxes on the property exceeded 30K per year. This being unacceptable to the operation of this type of museum it was closed down and the building sold. All of this wonderful collection now resides in many large crates in a Chicago warehouse. Hopefully this can all be set up some day for all to see again.
These pictures were all taken shortly before the Museum closed.
Mark
Posted by Tim Reed (Member # 137) on 06-13-2000, 07:51 AM:
That's terrible. I drooled over those pictures.------------------
Better Projection Pays!
Posted by Stefan Scholz (Member # 147) on 06-13-2000, 08:29 AM:
I remember beeing in Chicago, when the museum had just closed. I called Carey Williams, and he said, they were about to crate everything for transportation to a by then unknown future in a barn. It was really sad, that I missed a chance to see his gorgeous collection for only a few days. At that times I was one of those harware nuts, too.
Posted by John Walsh (Member # 168) on 06-13-2000, 10:26 AM:
Let's see.... The US government gives money (and tax-free status) to an artist in NYC who paints a picture of the Virgin Mary with excrement.... but we can't give tax-free status to a projector museum.Something's wrong here. This is the kind of stuff that makes you feel old.
Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 06-13-2000, 11:47 AM:
Hi JOhn,
The problem was with the City Of Chicago, not the US Governmant. 30K of property taxes a year was a bit much for a not for profit museum to endure.
Mark
Mark
Posted by Kyle Smith (Member # 177) on 06-13-2000, 12:49 PM:
That's too bad that they recanted on the tax status. It would be nice to have the museum re-surface somewhere.
Posted by John Walsh (Member # 168) on 06-13-2000, 01:17 PM:
Hey there, Mark;I'm just in a crabby mood. Never mind me!
I think a projector museum would be really cool. Maybe he could "open" an internet web-museum with pictures and written descriptions? Get a collection going or something?
Posted by Jeff Stricker (Member # 224) on 06-13-2000, 06:30 PM:
This is fabulous stuff! Many thanks for taking the time to make these available, Mark. Hopefully someday this stuff will be on exhibit again. Till then, I can always look at the pics.
Posted by Scott Norwood (Member # 30) on 06-13-2000, 07:02 PM:
Isn't there some guy in San Francisco or some similar place who has a cinema equipment museum that's similar to the (former) one in Chicago? I vaguely remember reading something about this in r.a.m.tech a few years ago. I'll have to check Dejanews.
Posted by Aaron Sisemore (Member # 145) on 06-13-2000, 07:58 PM:
Scott Said:"Isn't there some guy in San Francisco or some similar place who has a cinema equipment museum that's similar to the (former) one in Chicago? I vaguely remember reading something
about this in r.a.m.tech a few years ago."
Yes, thats the Dick Bartel Collection of vintage projection equipment at the Cannery in San Francisco. I visited this place a couple years ago (I am not sure if its still around, but i assume it is) and from the Brenkert 80 in full 'racing stripe regalia' to the various small gauge handcrank jobs to every Simplex from the silent days to the 1950s-vintage XL, 70mm fans will appreciate the beautiful Century JJ threaded up and ready to rock, the walls covered with many reference charts and advertisements, the newest thing there ( as of the time I was last there) was a Christie AW2 platter (boo! hiss!) 
If this museum is still up it is HIGHLY recommended that you visit it! Lots of cool machinery...
Aaron
Posted by Stefan Scholz (Member # 147) on 06-14-2000, 03:51 AM:
There is a society, which I am a member of, called Moving picture machine society.
This is a projector collector's thing.
Actually there a quite a lot of private collectors in that field, but most of them collect "sewing" machine type of projectors and maybe cameras with special backgrounds.
To collect motion picture equipment, from the interesting period, ca 1922 to 1980's requires lots of space, and valuable space, as it has to be clean and dry.
I do not want to be called projector collector, but my recent count unfortunately showed over 40 commercial theatre projectors in 35 and 70 mm. Some rare Bauers (Standard Optical sound projector c. 1927(!)) to known projectors type like Ernemann 5, Simplex XL and Norelco AA's.
The property tax thing is something not US exclusive. It applies anywhere. There would have been one way for the Carey Williams guy, to donate the building to the City of Chicago, and then erect a non profit trust. As he paid for the school-building and the collection, this was no feasible way.
If you move this or any collection of this kind to a rural area, where tax may be lower, attendancy will be very limited to those folks like us, willing to see a collection. But actually, I know it might sound rude to those from small townships, who of the metropolitan guys wants to spent his/her future life in, e.g., rural Iowa or Texas?
All sound on film projector collector's I know have this problen, reasonable space in metro areas...
(P.S. I am in love with the Texas landscape.)
Posted by Jeffry L. Johnson (Member # 453) on 06-14-2000, 11:46 AM:
The Movie Machine Society
http://members.tripod.com/MovieMS/index.html
Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 07-01-2000, 11:35 PM:
And the winner of the contest is TIM REED! I actually thought it humorous many of the shots where the machines were clearly labeled on their side were not sent in as submissions. I guess only Scott Norwood, Gordon McLeod and Tim Reed felt they could identify enough of the machines to make it worth their while. Amazingly, between the three of them, they were able to identify all but a few pictures! Check it out.Tim, send me your shipping address.
Posted by Gordon McLeod (Member # 33) on 07-02-2000, 08:08 AM:
There is the Motion Picture Trust in the UK that has a gigantic collection of machines
Also the Kieth Statta collection at the highlands cinema Kinmount ontario is a must seeJust a note on the dresden35/70vs dp75
The dp75 is a column construction similar to the FP20. THe dresdens were like the Photophone machine from japan a knockoff of the dp70(aa2) Only heaveier as I have moved both
Posted by Tim Reed (Member # 137) on 07-02-2000, 08:39 AM:
THANKS, BRAD! I will proudly display the Film-Tech logo on my skull!I yield to Gordon on the Dresden... it was admittedly a guess on my part. I'm pretty sure about the Ashcraft, though.
RE: Projecting Kinetoscope vs Powers 5.. I debated over that one for a while, and decided it must be the Edison machine, because of the low shutter shaft, and the large ID plate being located at the top (I seem to remember this arrangement, from a P.K. I once had the good fortune to see up close). The shutter shaft on a Powers 5 was almost level with the aperture, and its ID plate was smaller, and under the lens.
Thanks again, Brad, it sure was a fun contest!
------------------
Better Projection Pays!
Posted by Gordon McLeod (Member # 33) on 07-02-2000, 10:16 AM:
It would be interesting to get a close up of the edison
This is an interesting link to a german site that has pictures of the 1950's dresden 35mm machine http://kts.bawue.de/kt/kt_pr_dresden1.html
I will try to fing the picture of the crown photophone imperial from Toshiba that was also paterned of the dp70
Posted by John Walsh (Member # 168) on 07-02-2000, 03:13 PM:
I used Babel Fish to translate that page:
http://kts.bawue.de/kt/kt_pr_dresden1.html It works pretty good, but still comes up with some amusing errors. ("If a Freak before such a machine is in silver-grey hammer blow lacquer finish or green execution, its heart strikes more highly.")
(".... I agree gladly!")
It looks like a well-made monster, though.
No wonder Brad is running out of web space; even compressed there are a lot of pictures right here.
I really like those those pictures of the AA-II's modified to take large reels. Someone really did a nice job there.
I want to send in pictures of where I work, but compaired to many of the others, it seems like a boring place...!
Posted by Chuck O'Connor (Member # 127) on 07-02-2000, 11:56 PM:
Re San Francisco Theatre equipment
display of Dick Bartel"s.
The display was removed in March of 2000
due to the building being used for some
other purpose. More history in a closet.
Maybe some day we can see multi-plex's
in storage some where.....
Posted by Robert Throop (Member # 61) on 07-03-2000, 11:40 AM:
Gord,
That's the Projected Picture Trust in the U.K.------------------
Bob Throop