Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: RE: Valley Fair 9 pictures

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Posted by Monte L Fullmer (Member # 2797) on 01-15-2006, 02:28 PM:

This is just a comment on the pictures that was submitted of the Valley Fair 9 in WVC (which used to be Granger, Utah).

I used to live in SLC in the mid 70's and visited this theatre quite often when it was just the Valley Fair 4.

The 4plex was one of the more nicer multiscreen places in this area at the time-being a first run house back then.

The picts of the booth is what really "shocked" me - on the massive change that took place upstairs from what I remember.

Booth was one large square booth with two Kelmar tables in the middle. Booth was fully carpeted with a section of the booth, on the end of the Kelmars having somewhat of a "living room" quarters-sofa, end tables with lamps, coffee table, small kitchenette to the side, et.al. Course, this was a union booth with fully staffed operations.

The front two houses, being the larger houses, used those Cinemeccanica V8r machines with the 13k reel transports mounted inbetween the automation console and the side-shooting lamphouse. Above these units were motorized hoists to lift those 13k reels to the upper spindle of the transport.

The two smaller houses each actally had two Cinemeccanica V4E units running 6k reel automatic changeovers with the Cinemeccanica vertical lamphouse using 1600w bulbs. Obviously, it looked like the V4's were replaced with the V5's when the additonal screens were added (or larger houses split since I haven't been there since the 5 more screens were added).

Thx for the picts, and it's glad to see the Cines are still in use there. The 9 plex is one of the more busier discount places in SLC.

-Monte

Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 01-15-2006, 03:23 PM:

Monte,

Whats left of the VIC-18's(what you thought were 8R's)are comming out in a few weeks and VIC 5's are replacing them(SIC!). The new machines are already in the booth. They just lost a mirror in one of the lamphouses a few days ago from a lamp explosion... odd too as they don't run their lamps past warranty at all. Its a dollar theatre that I wouldn't consider watching anything at, mainly a kids place and always noisy. One of our part time shop techs is the projectionist there. This theatre is the counterpart to the Cinemark Dollar Cinemark located in Sugarhouse. The Sugarhouse location is actually the busier of the two although its smaller.

Mark

Posted by Mike Olpin (Member # 1115) on 01-15-2006, 04:25 PM:

One of the earliest theatre memories I have. I saw "Fox and the Hound" there. Nice to see it's still open.

Posted by Monte L Fullmer (Member # 2797) on 01-15-2006, 07:22 PM:

Thx Mark, I forgot about changing to the V-18's - which I had at the twin in Nampa.

Far as I'm concerned, those V8r's were far much better machine than any Simplex or Christie that I've ran - outside of some slight oddities that import machines can be known of.

Thus, I loved those machines where I've heard that some couldn't stand the V-8r setup.

Wow, too bad that they had one pop in where they were using those glass mirrors, for when I was working at my twin and running 2.5k bulbs in those vertical lamphouses, I could help but being concerned on popping a bulb in there. When I did bulb changes in these lamphouses, I made doubly sure that the bulb wasn't being tweaked in any way or form and was allowed to expand when the bulb was in operation. If one puts the upper clamp on wrong that braces the anode pin, the bulb can easily tweak thus would explode.

Luckilly, we did have a spare mirror (in which my 'boss' has in his storage unit..when he pulled the operations out of the twin..

Yes, the Sugarhouse Cinemark Dollar theatre always looks like it's a nonstop, busy place the times I would go by there - being right where it almost dead center to the residentual area of Sugarhouse and Highland.

That location is perfect for this form of a operation-being in a more compact area, whereas the Valley Fair 9 is more out there in a more open area.

-Monte

Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 01-15-2006, 08:34 PM:

Hi Monte,

I believe the head does say V-8r on it but technically speaking they are VIC-18's. The VIC-8 and the VIC-10 were the only two really good machines they made. The rest are right up there with the ole pot metal Simplex...... I have a number of VIC-8's still running... Twin Falls, West Yellowstone, etc and all of them are 35 plus years old and they still look and run like new. That in itself says something! Hell will freeze over before a VIC-4, or VIC-5(or a Simplex) would go that long......

Mark

Posted by Gordon McLeod (Member # 33) on 01-15-2006, 08:50 PM:

Mark properly maintained the VIc 4 and Vic 5 will run almost forever
The Vic18 was actually not a projector iteself but the combined transport system and it usually had a Vic 8R on the front end

Posted by Richard Hamilton (Member # 321) on 01-15-2006, 10:47 PM:

I was just looking at the pictures, please excuse my ignorance? Why is the lamphouse mounted on the side? I've never seen this model before, so I am just curious.
Rick

Posted by Daryl C. W. O'Shea (Member # 1303) on 01-15-2006, 10:52 PM:

quote: Mark Gulbrandsen
I have a number of VIC-8's still running... Twin Falls, West Yellowstone, etc and all of them are 35 plus years old and they still look and run like new. That in itself says something! Hell will freeze over before a VIC-4, or VIC-5(or a Simplex) would go that long.....

I'm sure Rick could take you on a tour of hundreds of V5's running almost as long, and looking like new, next time you're in the area Mark.

Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 01-15-2006, 11:03 PM:

quote: Gordon McLeod
Mark properly maintained the VIc 4 and Vic 5 will run almost forever

That may be the case where there is proper attention available to them but that is not the case around here. I am not sure that the 5 has been around as long as the 8 or 10 has been Daryl [Smile]

. I wonder how many sets of belts those Vic 5's have gone through? Of course the cost of maintaining the 5 is quite high... like a P-35 is.... belts yearly, especially at remote locations. The 4 was alot sturdier machine but never produced the high quality image the 8 and 10 did and was a bad leaker. You guys can have your 5's! The 5 is a piece of crap no matter what anyone says..... Not even close to what they used to build. All the 4's around here are long gone....... [thumbsup]

I'll take an 8 or a 10 any day though.... they exemplify the meaning built like a brick shithouse.

Richard,

The lamphouse was at a right angle to allow the large reel transport to fit right behind the projector and feed straight in and back out.

Mark

Posted by Monte L Fullmer (Member # 2797) on 01-15-2006, 11:15 PM:

Hi Rick . Here is a pic of the V-18 setup

As you can see, the transport is between the rear mounted automation cabinet and the lamphouse. With the transport as big as it is, the lamphouse was place to the left of the machine and light which fired from the lamphouse, hit a mirror that would angle the light through the machine. One can see the angle in that cover plate with housed that mirror.

Focusing the bulb in this Cin V-18 setup was quite the feat in itself: There were actually two mirrors in that lamphouse-the main one and a very small prefocus mirror that was located in front of the bulb. The prefocus mirror would reflect the light back to the main mirror.

Then all of this light would go out to the mirror, in which itself had azimuth adjustments as well to get all of that bent light out through the machine. When focued correctly, the light output was exceptional.

This was the V-18 setup that I played with for 6 yrs. Later on and before I started here, the owner placed a CHRISTIE AW2 ,gear side of the unit ( and operator side of the unit for the other house - being they had two of these V-18's and you can barely see the other V-18 unit in the background of this pix) since the theatre's "booth clowns" couldn't operate the rewind assembly too well-by which they would absolutely destroy reels of film by leaving the rewind assembly unattended (being an all manual rewind operation without any form of automatic shutoff system attached to the unit) since they had to be downstairs all the time and no proper management training was available.

When I got there, I used the reels from time to time-to keep the system in good operational order. I had these units running exceptionally smooth and knew every inch of these V-18's - where I determined that these were 100 times better than Simplex any day of the year.

-Monte

Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 01-15-2006, 11:41 PM:

Good shot Monte! Isn't that one of the old Odell(of popcorn fame) theatres????

Mark

Posted by Monte L Fullmer (Member # 2797) on 01-16-2006, 12:05 AM:

Yea Mark. This is the booth of the Karcher Mall Twin in Nampa, which is all but empty now.

Each auditorium held 350 seats-quite a good sized count for a twin in the early 70's and the only new theatre in the Nampa area at the time until "Crapaplex Odeon" dropped their 6 screen in the Shopko Plaza in 1989 and where I work at now. Then in early 1990, the Karcher Twin went to discount when the 6 opened up, owned and operated by you know who.

Then, when EDWARDS 14 came into town, goodbye to LCE and the 6 plex and goodbye to this twin as the twin fell off the edge of the cliff in a sudden heartbeat.

Then, the 6 became the town's discount theatre and is presently in operation to this day.Now, I'm playing with 1050's, X-90's, at this 6 plex and wanting my V-18's back.

This exact same setup was also used in the Plaza Twin in Boise, which is also all but empty now. Ths Plaza in Boise had a larger seating arrangement-480 on one side with a smaller 220 on the other. The booth arrangement at this place was almost identical in setup to the Karcher - wide, spacious with big windows and with V-18's on each side...and union operated.

Later on, two years before the Plaza went down, the V-18's were taken out and Simplexes were installed with Drive-In platters - being now a staff operated theatre.

Virgil O'Dell opened all of these theatres (along with the Vista in Boise and the Nampa Drive-In in Nampa, which was located close to the Karcher Mall) and operated his butter topping manufacturing in this area as well. When Virgil passed on in 1979 the Odell's Butterfat went to Reno, then from where, I've lost track of.

-Monte

Posted by Daryl C. W. O'Shea (Member # 1303) on 01-16-2006, 12:17 AM:

quote:
I am not sure that the 5 has been around as long as the 8 or 10 has been Daryl [Smile] . I wonder how many sets of belts those Vic 5's have gone through?

I guess 20 years isn't quite almost 35. I'd rather have to talk an idiot through changing a belt than a gear though and the cost of all those belts probably falls short of one stripped gear in a V8 too.

Don't think I'm knocking the V8s. They're a better machine, of course, but from past experience if they're left to be operated by idiots I'd rather leave them a V5.

Posted by Monte L Fullmer (Member # 2797) on 01-16-2006, 12:44 AM:

After looking at the original booth more carefully, I erred in my original descrition above: I mistook the machines in Nos. 3 and 4 as V-5's, but they are also V-8r's with the added Zenith lamphouses- but using the same pedestals when the paired V-4e's were originally there for these two houses.

Yes, the original square booth is the same, but drastically changed -from a comfortable work place for operators to a more common M/O operation.

Just got thrown a bit wondering on why a Drive-In LP-270 was sitting in the middle of the floor being so far away from a machine, until I noticed the 4 decks for two machine usage.

(and the other booth has one of Charlie's "StupidPlatters" hanging around...lol)

Posted by Don Furr (Member # 1469) on 01-16-2006, 07:28 AM:

In our dollar house chain during the 90's I had Centurys, Pro-35's, XL's, Christie's, a pair of V-4's and several V8R's. If I remember right the V-4's (leaked a lot) and the V8R's were the ONLY projectors I never had a service call on. They are heavy and parts are horribly expensive if you have to purchase them new but they are built to last. [thumbsup]

Don

Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 01-16-2006, 09:07 AM:

Dopn, Any part that has to come from Italy is super expensive. I've never had to replace any geats ina VIC-8 ot 10 Daryl but the one gear that may get replaced in a 20 year period is probably a wash out with the number of belts and gear boxes you feed into a Vic-5. Even the Voc-8's out here are running theor original gate plates..... that says someting for a hard chrome surface! This Vic-8 which did a 25 year stint at a theatre in SLC was then moved to the theatre in West Yellowstone where its been for the last 12 years.

Mark

Posted by Demetris Thoupis (Member # 833) on 01-16-2006, 10:11 AM:

Hey Mark,

Have you ever given a V10 or 8 this angle???

Talk about an angle!!!! But still. We do give special attention to our projectors here in my country and we have customers running V4s and even V6s!! with quite good results. Ok I am not saying is the steadiest picture and all but a well maintained machine with will run forever. Especially the V4s. Thank God BACP made a Reverse Scan Reader for those!

D

Posted by Monte L Fullmer (Member # 2797) on 01-16-2006, 11:33 AM:

Excuse me, but I had to laugh a little bit: on the pict that Mark posted of that V-8r booth with Xenex lamphouse and the Drive-In platter setup - the checklist posted on the lamphouse is "training" the booth clowns how to thread...correctly.

Posted by Gordon McLeod (Member # 33) on 01-16-2006, 10:44 PM:

Lets see the two belts in the vic 5 cost no more from an industrial belt wholesaler than do the two belts needed for a century or simplex 5 star soundhead

Posted by Monte L Fullmer (Member # 2797) on 01-17-2006, 01:35 AM:

For 7 yrs, I worked at a 4 screener with Vic-5's, Xetron X-35 consoles, LP-270 platters and that crappy Cp55 sound that Cine was known for in the three houses, the one house had a Dolby CP-50 which help out considerably.

..and I agree also: the Vic-5, if well maintained is a very surdy machine. Just had to keep the oil up in the intermittent assembly and make sure that scanner drum shaft kept oiled. Then had to watch the belts from time to time and in those 7 yrs, I had two motor belts break on me and not the machine belt.

Also, the Cine V5's and V8's are the easiest machines to lace up in a heartbeat.

When the Christie 35 unit came out and I found out that they were belt driven, I wasn't too crazy about the Christie at the time, solely from my experiences with belt breakage in the V-5. But after seeing what advances were done with belt driven machines, I was proven wrong.

Monte

Posted by Matt Fields (Member # 3211) on 01-17-2006, 08:39 AM:

quote: Monte L Fullmer
Also, the Cine V5's and V8's are the easiest machines to lace up in a heartbeat.

I always felt that Century was the easiest to thread...Always took more time for me to make sure my loop sizes on the Vic 5 where right. Liked V5 better then the V4 though.

Posted by Monte L Fullmer (Member # 2797) on 01-17-2006, 02:30 PM:

quote: Matt Fields
loop sizes on the Vic 5 where right. Liked V5 better then the V4 though.

..I had a little trick that worked wonders with the loop sizes and that is not to worry on making the loop size right at the intermittent sprocket, but pull the film tight around that sprocket, then at the last holdback sprocket, pull the film tight across that sprocket, then back up a frame plus two sprocketholes-this got your loop coming out of the intermittent sprocket the right size every time.

Had that one down to where I knew exactly how much film to back up before securing that film on the holdback sprocket. I could lace up a Cine so much faster this way - why I mentioned of being the easiest machines to lace up.

thx-Monte