Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Carbon Arc Booth

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Posted by Chris Unwin (Member # 3792) on 05-24-2006, 04:01 AM:

Does anyone out there know of a carbon arc booth that is still in operation around my area!? I'm in Vancouver B.C. Canada. I have never seen a carbon arc booth & would LOVE to. I have holidays coming soon & would like to find a theatre that has carbons that I could visit. Would be looking in British Columbia, Alberta, Washington, Oregon and the rest of the western states.......thanks so much to anyone that could help!

-Chris

Posted by Monte L Fullmer (Member # 2797) on 05-24-2006, 02:08 PM:

Here I am in a classic carbon arc booth last month..had tons of fun that night...(haven't operated a carbon arc booth since 1984)..being an actual projectionist was a thrill - none of this platterwinding, xenon bulb striking, button pushing to start a movie nonsense..et.al. This is where you definitely had to use the actual skills of projecting,

email me if you want info on this place.

-Monte

Posted by Sam D. Chavez (Member # 1841) on 05-24-2006, 02:52 PM:

The Ridge in BC may still have carbon arc.

Posted by Dan Zastrow (Member # 3796) on 05-24-2006, 03:26 PM:

I believe The Stanford Theater in Palo Alto is running carbon...bit of a drive:)

Monte-I was working the Plaza Theater in Petaluma in the early 80’s running carbon and it was lots of fun. Your photo brings back the memories-looks very much like that booth did. A decade before my uncle was a projectionist in the same booth running DEEP THROAT for a year straight!

Posted by Aaron Sisemore (Member # 145) on 05-24-2006, 03:46 PM:

quote:
I was working the Plaza Theater in Petaluma in the early 80’s running carbon and it was lots of fun. Your photo brings back the memories-looks very much like that booth did. A decade before my uncle was a projectionist in the same booth running DEEP THROAT for a year straight!

Dan: Here's your booth, ca. June 2005:

The Magnarcs were replaced with Strong X-16s and the system converted to 6000' reels in January 1988. I worked the booth here (the theatre was called the Palace by then) for about three weeks training new booth staff before leaving to join the Air Force later that month.

The last time that booth ran 35mm was in 1990.

-Aaron

Posted by Scott Norwood (Member # 30) on 05-24-2006, 03:55 PM:

I'm presently working on a short documentary film which features lots of footage of arc lamps in operation at a drive-in (hence the photo of me with the camera on the left). I need to shoot some more film sometime this summer, but it should be ready in a few months. At some point, I'll have Brad post a video file of it here, and 16mm and 35mm prints will be available as well.

In the meantime, if you want to see the raw footage and have access to something that will play a Beta SP tape (or know someone who works at a TV station and can dub it to some other format), I have a rough video transfer of the 16mm workprint that I could loan to you.

Posted by Dan Zastrow (Member # 3796) on 05-24-2006, 03:55 PM:

Aaron-
Fantastic photos-Thanks!

I also helped out once in a while during its very short time as the Palace Theater.

I see the theater seat was still by the window-the best view of downtown Petaluma. The smell BBQ oysters would waft up into the booth from McNears and drive me nuts!

Posted by Aaron Sisemore (Member # 145) on 05-24-2006, 05:52 PM:

quote: Dan Zastrow
I also helped out once in a while during its very short time as the Palace Theater.

Then we must have crossed paths several times. I was the booth-meister at the Phoenix 1983-88.

I am currently the booth manager at the Boulevard.

-Aaron

Posted by Dan Zastrow (Member # 3796) on 05-24-2006, 06:12 PM:

I saw my first walk-in film at the Phoenix back when it was The ShowCase Theater about a million years ago (was kind of partial to drive-ins up to that point).
Our paths have crossed several times.
Would love to see the Boulevard booth-you should come down and tour The Rafael.

Posted by Robert E. Allen (Member # 1351) on 05-24-2006, 10:30 PM:

Ken Layton, a tech out of Olympia, Washington who posts on these forums, can give you the name of a theatre in Washington that's still running carbons.

Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 05-24-2006, 10:35 PM:

Monte - wow, that pic looks almost exactly like my booth did in its carbon-arc days. The reels are even the same!

Posted by Phil Hill (Member # 371) on 05-24-2006, 10:44 PM:

Me a couple of years ago at my 1st projectionist job at a changeover booth with carbon arcs... [Wink]

I like xenon and platters better...I'm lazy! HA!

Posted by Monte L Fullmer (Member # 2797) on 05-24-2006, 11:12 PM:

At least Phil had a good looking Simplex XL / "4-Star" booth there - with matching Magnarc lamphouses..

Aaron - the STRONG X-16's, weren't those the vertical bulb units that looks like a Magnarc lamphouse? Haven't seen a pair like that for quite some time..

Posted by Phil Blake (Member # 2012) on 05-25-2006, 01:23 AM:

Here's my memories , BTH arc , good light , bad feed motors and bloody hot in summer! and I don't miss cleaning out that white ash!

Posted by Chris Unwin (Member # 3792) on 05-25-2006, 03:36 AM:

Hey Bob
I know of Ken Layton. Don't think we have ever met. I will email him about the theater in Washington with carbons.
Many thanks to you & everyone who posted. Loved the Pictures!
-Chris

Posted by Aaron Sisemore (Member # 145) on 05-25-2006, 05:12 AM:

quote: Monte L Fullmer
At least Phil had a good looking Simplex XL / "4-Star" booth there - with matching Magnarc lamphouses..

That's an RCA soundhead in Phil's picture.

quote: Monte L Fullmer
Aaron - the STRONG X-16's, weren't those the vertical bulb units that looks like a Magnarc lamphouse?

Yep. Basically a converted Magnarc. Bulbs were a bitch to focus on those.

Here's one of the drive-ins I worked at back when it still had carbons (early 1982). I really loved those Futura IIs!

-Aaron

Posted by Robert Throop (Member # 61) on 05-25-2006, 05:43 AM:

Phil,
Was that a military booth?
Bob

Posted by Kenneth Wuepper (Member # 1174) on 05-25-2006, 07:35 AM:

Here is a photo of Rick McKay as he observes reel #3 of "Braodway ..The Golden Age" at the Temple Theatre in Saginaw, MI.

Carbon light from Ashcraft lamps.

Insert Photo here

Posted by John Eickhof (Member # 323) on 05-26-2006, 12:48 AM:

Dan..The Stanford is still carbon arc.. in fact, I supplied the booth when it was remodeled years ago! The projectors are XLs and are fully equipped for nitrate film! Yes! Nitrate! David Packard tends to run a lot of archive nitrate prints from the UCLA archives! I had to rebuild the XLs ( that came out of the Keystone Cinema in Reno, NV ) for nitrate, including fire shutters and full film compartment and magazine air tight seals ( MASS. requirements) The lamps are Magnarcs with a motorgenerator in the basement! (200ft arc lamp leads!) The genny and back-up rectifiers had to be located in the basement as the original genny room adjacent to the booth was needed for a second fire exit for the operators to meet current UBC & national fire codes! My Long time friend and former employee Mac Wurtsbaugh was the installer for me on the job. Opening nite was fun when David Packard presented an original NITRATE print of Wizard of OZ! ( The local media proclaimed it as the "colorized" version!!! )

Posted by Dan Zastrow (Member # 3796) on 05-26-2006, 11:39 AM:

Yup, that David Packard is my kind of crazy. I had heard he set-up for nitrate. Did you have to put in fire plates for the projector ports, metal fire doors etc? I can hear it now "Alfredo! Alfredo!" [Wink]

Posted by Monte L Fullmer (Member # 2797) on 05-26-2006, 01:18 PM:

Have a friend who was about that little boy's age when he starting to run projectors and just about did the same: stood up on the stool to lace up the machines, change the rods and struck up the lamphouses - only thing, it wasn't the small town's projectionist like Alfredo..it was his father.

We're still great friends and he's the one that really helped me get into this crazy field of work.

Yea, go find and watch "Cinema Paradiso" .. great movie.

-Monte

Posted by Phil Hill (Member # 371) on 05-26-2006, 01:22 PM:

quote: Aaron Sisemore
That's an RCA soundhead in Phil's picture.

Aaron is correct.

quote: Robert Throop
Was that a military booth?

Yes it was a 1000 seat theatre at Ft. Monmouth Army Base in NJ. What tipped it off to you, Bob?

Posted by Gordon Burke (Member # 3370) on 05-26-2006, 05:24 PM:

Is there a photo of the Stanford's booth anywhere? I'm too chicken to bug the projectionist to ask for a tour. All I can ever see peering through the porthole is a CP50 and some patch panels on the back wall.

I always sit in the balcony portion and enjoy hearing the reel alarms go-off, then anticipate and critique (if necessary) the changeover.

There are patches in the concrete wall where it appears the portholes were a few-feet lower than they are now. John, do you have any insight as to why this mod was made if it was done by the David Packard Clan?

Posted by Robert Throop (Member # 61) on 05-26-2006, 06:36 PM:

Phil,
I service an AAFES booth with an identical setup except they have LP xenon lamps. I just replaced the magazines with reel arms last year because they wanted something more "modern".
Bob

Posted by Monte L Fullmer (Member # 2797) on 05-27-2006, 03:49 AM:

quote: Gordon Burke
I always sit in the balcony portion and enjoy hearing the reel alarms go-off, then anticipate and critique (if necessary) the changeover

..one of the sad reasons why projectionist never went to the movies: critique the changeover, critique the mirror alignment and light output between the two lamphouses, critique the sound quality between machines..then finally critique when someone has used the cue marker to make their own cues over the ones that the labs placed on the film when printing.

And when you show someone the cue marks on the screen - in why we have two machines..they will NEVER enjoy the movie again..cuz they will remember and be looking for those cue marks..... and, I do that to this day when explaning someone about cuemarks...

(sorry about that on Phil's pict..had SH-1000 on the mind..just that I've rarely worked with an RCA soundhead..my goof..)
-Monte

Posted by Henry Titchen (Member # 3141) on 06-04-2006, 03:43 AM:

On the topic of Carbon Arc booths...does anyone still run an AC carbon setup?

Henry.

Posted by Frank Angel (Member # 248) on 06-04-2006, 08:40 AM:

Well, not for film. AC arcs will cause pulsing against the shutter. But we had Hi-Intensity AC arcs for the SuperTrouper followspots up until a few years ago. Now they are xenon sources.

Posted by Gordon McLeod (Member # 33) on 06-04-2006, 09:47 AM:

Actually Achcraft made a AC projection arc called the cyclex that had a special motor generator that synced the ac to the shutter frequency

Posted by Jack Ondracek (Member # 1466) on 06-04-2006, 11:45 AM:

Yeah... I worked a booth that had one of those. It took awhile, getting used to the idea that both carbons were the same size... 7's or 8's, I think.

Craters on both?

Decent light, though. Don't remember what the lamphouse was.

Frank, there's a community theatre here that has 2 AC Troupers. Never could get them interested in converting. Maybe, when they run out of carbons.

Posted by Robert Throop (Member # 61) on 06-04-2006, 02:02 PM:

[QUOTE]Actually Achcraft made a AC projection arc called the cyclex that had a special motor generator that synced the ac to the shutter frequency

The Cyclex used a special 96 hz. motor generator for each lamp.
Bob