Bracket on front of projector

[Adam Liberman]

What is this bracket above the lens on the front of my Century C projectors? Is it to hold a cinemascope adapter?

century_c_bracket.jpg

[Phillip Grace]

The bracket is used to hold a Panavision Super Panatar variable anamorphic lens. The anamorphic attachment is quite heavy, and doesn't lend itself to close coupling to the backing lens. The mount has quite a lot of adjustments for precise and repeatable positioning of the anamorphic. Another version of the bracket was made to fit the curved top of a Super Simplex projector.
You can find a manual for the Super Panatar in the F.T. Warehouse which has pictures of the assembly.

[Adam Liberman]

The bracket is used to hold a Panavision Super Panatar variable anamorphic lens

Thank you!

[Tony Bandiera Jr]

What is this bracket above the lens on the front of my Century C projectors? Is it to hold a cinemascope adapter?

century_c_bracket.jpg

My first projectionist job was at an Air Force Base Theatre, and my Simplex XL's had those brackets and the Super Panatars.

On one particular memorable day, I found out what happens if you don't hook BOTH of the top hooks on that bracket correctly.

I ran my flat trailers on the first machine, did a changeover to the 'Scope feature..... only to have the picture hit the side wall of the auditorium! I stopped the machine, and the manager, in a panic, ran upstairs to see what was wrong. As I was inspecting the projector to try and figure out what I did (I had thought maybe I hadn't put the aperture plate in all the way), he had taken the reel off the machine and was frantically rewinding it (his thought was I had the film wrong side out). I started the projector, opened the dowser to see where the light was going...and noticed I had the Panatar cocked on the top hooks. I shifted it over, the white light magically moving back on to the screen... And got the reel back reverse-wound. So I threw it up on the top spindle (realizing the reel end alarm wasn't going to work with backwards rotation) and finished the show.

Good times.

[Jim Cassedy]

Definitely a Super Panatar lens mounting bracket. Back in the late 70's I worked at many
venues that still had them, and thery were 'standard issue' at several military theaters I've
worked at. Actually, I never thought of it as a 'lens' , per se, because to me it was just a big,
heavy box with a couple of large prisms inside, one of which could be rotated through a certain
arc which allowed you to vary the horizontal 'squeeze' ratio by turning that big knob on top,
although I never had occasion to try that.

For the technically curious, there's an installation & operating manual for one here:
https://www.widescreenmuseum.com/wid...tar_manual.htm

Here's a photo from a recent e-bay listing, and it shows the brackets well.
SuperPanatar.jpg

The original price for one of these in 1954 was $895 per pair, which is over $10,000 in 2025 dollars.
The e-bay listing I stole this picture from was selling for $444.00, which, I think is overpriced for the
condition it's in, but I suppose it's a bargain compared to the inflation adjusted original price.
( I've seen better ones on e-bay listed for less)

[Tj Hopland]