This is topic Common projectors of the 1930's... in forum Film Handlers' Forum at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.


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Posted by Andrew McCrea (Member # 674) on 08-02-2004, 10:12 PM:
 
Hey everyone,

I've seen several articles in the paper lately about an old drive-in that fits 175 cars in a small farming community, and a single screener in a town thats a little larger. In the articles, they both have projectors (original) from "the 1930's"... So I'm wondering, what were the common projectors and lamphouses?

Thanks in advance...
 

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Posted by Tony Bandiera Jr (Member # 2365) on 08-02-2004, 11:55 PM:
 
Andrew:

Projectors: Simplex Standard, Simplex Super, Brenkert BX-80, Western Electric (Simplex copies if memory serves..anyone out there confirm?)

Lamps: Peerless Magnarc, Ashcroft, Brenkert....

Check out the "Manuals" on this site for more...
 

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Posted by Aaron Sisemore (Member # 145) on 08-03-2004, 12:37 AM:
 
They could also possibly be Brenkert BX-40, Motiograph, or Century K (Kaplan) projectors as well.

Soundheads could be Western Electric, Simplex SH1xxx, Motiograph 'Mirrophonic' or RCA.

-Aaron
 

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Posted by Josh Jones (Member # 447) on 08-03-2004, 02:48 AM:
 
BX-80 was not released until the early 40's. BX-40 would be a possibility.

Good to see another bike dude on the forums

Josh
 

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Posted by Jeff Stricker (Member # 224) on 08-03-2004, 06:17 AM:
 
Josh, according to Robert Sprague the BX-40 was introduced to be a lower cost alternative to the dual-shutter BX-80. It was targeted at the smaller theaters with a smaller pocket book. (However the cost was only a couple of hundred bucks less) My BX-40's are serial numbers 5967 and 5968 and were made in 1940.

Jeff
 

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Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 08-03-2004, 07:29 AM:
 
Acording to an ad in an I.P. magazing I have the BX-80 was introduced in 1939 but I don't know how many were sold. The first ones had cast iron main castings and weight a ton. With the availability of alumnium again after WW-2 they changed over to alumnium main castings. Very few if any projectors were made and sold to theatres during the war because of the metals shortage and war allotment program. That was a tough time for theatres which had to keep many old projectors running for the duration.! Perhaps Robert Sprague could tell us how many were made in 39.

Mark @ CLACO
 

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Posted by Gordon McLeod (Member # 33) on 08-03-2004, 12:54 PM:
 
If it is in Manatoba and in the thirties it was probably installed by either Sharpes theatre supply or JM Rice. It would probably be either Standard Simplex (Gardnier and Wenzel were often clones they sold) with RCA soundheads
Both these dealers also supplied a lot of Motiograph and later Ballantyne Since these are independents they probably bought used equipment as both those dealers delt in a lot of secondhand gear and also sold a lot o pedastal Holmes theatre machines as well in many smaller towns
 

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Posted by Andrew Jefferson (Member # 2565) on 08-03-2004, 05:18 PM:
 
In Australia there was a company that was called "Cummings and Wilson" (C&W). They made projectors here between 1920 and 1940 and were on almost every HOYTS screen and possibly many GREATER UNION screens too, PLUS PLENTY of independants. There are many still in use today (70 years on) especially in smaller country independant theatres still running change-over and carbon arc WITH DIGITAL SOUND... Very amusing to see... I have one in my "Backyard screening room". It's a Model "P5-1928". Is there anyone here from Aus or abroad that can shed more light on these wonderful projectors?
 

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Posted by Jeff Stricker (Member # 224) on 08-03-2004, 06:00 PM:
 
Hi Mark, according to Robert Sprague the BX-80 mechanism came out in 1939. The 1948 Brenkert prices were as follows:

BX-40 $882.00
BX-60 $800.00
BX-62 $870.00
BX-80 $1104.00

He told me about a downtown Detroit house that had a pair of BX-80's and ran somthing like 18 hours/day 7 days a week throughout the entire war and never missed a show due to a failure!

I think I have some Brenkert yearly production figues somewhere in my notes from Robert...I'm still looking...
 

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Posted by Aaron Mehocic (Member # 15) on 08-03-2004, 06:41 PM:
 
So does that mean with most of the men off fighting in the war, we have our first recorded incident of a woman projectionist who actually knew what she was doing.
 

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Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 08-03-2004, 06:43 PM:
 
Jeff,
Man what a steal! At those prices I'll take a hundred of each! Its amazing that the BX-60 which is the better machine of the bunch was less expensive. I've never seeen a BX-60 crash. The 80 was also great but the weak link, the shutter gear, was eliminated in the 60. The Brenkerts were fine and still are as long as you had an actual Brenkert made shutter drive gear in them. There is one pair of BX-80's still running in American Fork, Utah.

Mark @ CLACO
 

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Posted by Sam D. Chavez (Member # 1841) on 08-03-2004, 07:06 PM:
 
I welcome Jeff to the Carl Brenkert Society. We meet every year at the Telluride Film Festival. We even have a BX 60 door with a gold plaque. We had a lot of fun with it as Ross Krantz had populated all the film venues in town with his favorite and cheap projector.

We still have at least three sets running, two set of 100's, and one set of Bx 60's in the outdoor venue.
 

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Posted by Jeff Stricker (Member # 224) on 08-03-2004, 07:56 PM:
 
Sam, many thanks for the offer I have three working Brenkert heads...Two consecutive serial number BX-40's (that I got from Mark G.) and a BX-60 (might have been a BX-62 once because it has the front shutter shaft).

I correspond with Robert Sprague on a regular basis. Robert has written the complete history of Brenkert Light Projection Company, and was an employee of the company for a while. Robert does not have email capability, so all correspondence is via snail mail. He is a great guy and a retired union projectionist from the Detroit area.
 

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Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 08-03-2004, 09:08 PM:
 
"Robert has written the complete history of Brenkert Light Projection Company"

Any possibility of getting that all written up and posted on F-T?

Mark
 

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Posted by Will Kutler (Member # 770) on 08-03-2004, 09:19 PM:
 
Andrew

Take a look at the histories of the various equipment manufacturers that are in the Film-Tech Manuals forum.

Tony stated that Western Electric is a Simplex copy. Wrong. The histories that I mentioned above discuss the development of sound. Also see www.widescreenmuseum.com.

As for Simplex. Everyone has not discussed the following:

The Simplex Standard/Regular front shutter versions. Then the rear shutter conversions to these machines. Then the development of the Simplex Super. Also the Simplex Grandeur projectors.
 

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Posted by John Pytlak (Member # 331) on 08-03-2004, 09:49 PM:
 
Mr. Sprague sent me a copy of his comprehensive history of the Brenkert company, which I gave to the technology collection at the International Museum of Photography at the George Eastman House. Todd Gustavson is the curator.
 

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Posted by Tony Bandiera Jr (Member # 2365) on 08-04-2004, 12:07 AM:
 

quote: Will Kutler

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Tony stated that Western Electric is a Simplex copy. Wrong.

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NO SOUP FOR ME!!

Let this be a lesson to you young pups, this is what happens when you get old!
 

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Posted by Leo Enticknap (Member # 534) on 08-04-2004, 01:51 AM:
 

quote: Will Kutler

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Also the Simplex Grandeur projectors.

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