Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Dismantling "MGM Paramount" screening room in Portland?

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Posted by William Hooper (Member # 71) on 09-05-2003, 03:41 AM:

There's a listing on eBay for the booth equipment from the "MGM Paramount Screening Room" in Portland. What is that?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3346946683&category=1478

Posted by Paul G. Thompson (Member # 655) on 09-05-2003, 04:03 AM:

Looks like mostly junk to me. Super Simplex, RCA-1040 soundheads, ORC integrated M1000 lamps (a nightmare to work on), old B&L anamorphic attachments, and other junk lenses, an old Bogen CHP-100 amplifier, a Navy-issue ashtray, and three-point Western Electric pedistals. The only thing worth anything is the lamphouses. The rest of that stuff I don't recognize, but it probably is also obsolete junk.

3,500 bucks? Only an idiot that knows nothing about projection equipment would bid on it. Of course, there is a "sucker" born every minute, I guess. It would cost more to go and get it (or have it dismantled and shipped) than what it is worth.

Posted by Thomas Procyk (Member # 1170) on 09-05-2003, 08:54 AM:

Hmmm... Wonder if there's any old film in those cans all over the place...

=TMP=

Posted by Gordon McLeod (Member # 33) on 09-05-2003, 10:37 AM:

The MTM dubbers are good equipment a servo drive system so the sprocket is much smoother running than MagnaTec similar to the Westrex sprocket drive

Posted by Dan Lyons (Member # 1454) on 09-06-2003, 04:51 PM:

quote:
Looks like mostly junk to me. Super Simplex, RCA-1040 soundheads, ORC integrated M1000 lamps (a nightmare to work on), old B&L anamorphic attachments, and other junk lenses

Don't be so harsh Paul. We use 1040 soundheads and similar lenses at my theatre. [Eek!]

Those would be great for someone's home screening room. They appear to be in good working order with no rust, but the price is too high.

Can't comment on the lamp though; I'm not sure when/if I'll ever get to fire mine up. [uhoh]

Danny

Posted by Ron Lacheur (Member # 1126) on 09-06-2003, 07:19 PM:

They seem to be using the " It's from Paramount Pictures " as a selling point. Maybe that's why the price is so high.

Posted by Steve Kraus (Member # 476) on 09-07-2003, 12:29 AM:

High? How much would you expect to pay for what appear to be 4 MTM dubbers? It looks like there are 6 preamps installed in each unit so one might guess there are 6-track heads and probably others as well. Shaft encoders on the projectors, too. The lamps are worth a couple hundred each. The rest isn't worth much but might nicely set up a couple of people with home setups.

Posted by Paul G. Thompson (Member # 655) on 09-07-2003, 01:44 PM:

I see there are no bidders yet.

I don't know anything about the dubbers, but that thing looks like something you can pick up at some surplus store for a couple hundred bucks.

Steve, what are they worth if they are worn out? The heads probably are. I would not take a chance on it, that's for sure. Mechanically, that unit looks old and is probably at the end of its mechanical life. The audio console....I took one out of service that was similar to that and tossed it in the dumpster because it was no longer suited for the job intended. Lots of electronic problems, and specialized parts were just too expensive. If that is a 16mm projector in the background, you can find them for 25 bucks now.

The patch panel...well, depends how bad of shape the jacks are in....and what klutz used a Weller D-550 to solder the wires for the interface. 50 bucks.

Look at the dust in the ORC screens. I wonder just how well this equipment was taken care of?

Posted by Gordon McLeod (Member # 33) on 09-07-2003, 10:57 PM:

Those particular MTM dubbers command a fairly high resale price tag to this day

Posted by Will Kutler (Member # 770) on 09-07-2003, 11:30 PM:

Paul

First of all, the Super, E7 and 1040 are all excellent machines. Unfortunately, in operating these machines, it is the multi-plex popcorn handling kids that will screw them up in a heart-beat! These machines in many ways are superior to some of the stuff made today. Unfortunatly, they do not have any $$ market value.

Anyhow, I rescued some "junk" from a few sources. After careful disassembly and cleaning all the crap off of them, some decent equipment was revealed. You cannot judge a book by its cover, as the old cliche goes.

I guess one source of wear on Supers was the fact that the shafts rotated in the main frame casting. Sometimes the casting could be wobbled out and maybe the shaft scored. One good fix, and I gotta get around to mine, is to take the main frame casting, jig it up in a mill or jig-bore (prefered), overbore the casting, press in some solid oil-lite bearing material, then indicate in and rebore to finish size. (basicall sleeving the damn thing). Sounds like a lot of work, but it really isnt. Just patience and time consuming to set everything up straight. I guess one advantage of sleeving with oil-lite bushing material is some of the luberication problems can be solved.

A fix for the e-7 is to overbore the gear hubs and do the same thing regarding the oil-lite bushing material. But these gears will be easier to do since they can be indicated in a 4 jaw chuck on a lathe. That oil-lite maaterial (or brass/bronze or whatever ya use) will reduce shaft wear and possible scoring.

Posted by William Hooper (Member # 71) on 09-08-2003, 01:33 AM:

Actually, I was wondering if anyone knew where/what this MGM/Paramount screening room was & had any more info about it!

Hey, that Bell & Howell 16mm projector & the wood box with a hole in it must be worth something too!

Posted by Paul Trimboli (Member # 1509) on 09-08-2003, 07:59 AM:

Not that I want to bid on this setup but I am getting a Simplex Standard and was wondering how avaliable parts for these things are? I know in Australia parts are non existant but in the US? I am rebuilding a 1050 soundhead at the moment, just finhing the paint job now, as you say Will it is amazing what you can acomplish with this old stuff. Does anyone have a 1mil or 0.8mil slit lens to suit the 1050?

Posted by Ken Layton (Member # 133) on 09-08-2003, 09:01 AM:

Dick Prather ought to know where this screening room was. Maybe even Scott Hicks at American Cinema Equipment (www.cinequip.com) in Portland.