When I visited the Stillman booth in the 60s I found 3 Century 35/70mm projectors. The lamps were Ashcraft Super Cinex. I remember tube-type RCA power amplifiers.
When I visited the Hipp booth in the 60s, I found 3 Super Simplex projectors and a very old RCA Photophone sound system. I believe the lamps were Peerless HyCandescent, but I’m not sure.
Not the greatest equipment for a first-run theatre downtown.
I was in the Ezella booth in the 50’s and found a Simplex “4-Star” sound system. Since the Ezella opened some time in the 30’s this was probably “original equipment.”
The “Panatar” anamorphic attachments were made by the company that became Panavision. They had the unique capability of being adjustable as to the amount of “spread.” Actually, they weren’t all that bad.
DC for the Peerless MagnArcs came from a motor-generator set that was mounted just outside the projection room.
There was a slide projector that could be used for “announcements.” The operator could write a person’s name on a slide and super it on the bottom of the movie screen.
The Ezella was never equipped for stereo sound.
The main projectionist at the Ezella during this period was Emerson Fitzgerald. I went to high school with his daughter Gail.
All in all, the Ezella put on a pretty good show for a nabe.
When I visited the Stillman booth in the 60s I found 3 Century 35/70mm projectors. The lamps were Ashcraft Super Cinex. I remember tube-type RCA power amplifiers.
I take that back about the Peerless lamps. My memory is coming back. They were Ashcraft lamps.
When I visited the Hipp booth in the 60s, I found 3 Super Simplex projectors and a very old RCA Photophone sound system. I believe the lamps were Peerless HyCandescent, but I’m not sure.
Not the greatest equipment for a first-run theatre downtown.
The manager was Jack Silverthorne.
When I visited the Garfield Theatre booth in the 60s I found two Motiograph AA projectors and a Motiograph Sound System. I can’t remember the lamps.
The manager told me he had replaced his Super Simplex machines and was disappointed at no improvement in quality.
I remember that the first dozen or so rows had hard bottomed seats. Very uncomfortable.
When I visited the booth in the 60s, I found two Philips/Norelco 35/70mm projectors and a 35mm Century projector. The sound system was by Century.
Lamps were Ashcraft Super Cinex.
There was a B&W RCA Theatre projector also.
I was in the Ezella booth in the 50’s and found a Simplex “4-Star” sound system. Since the Ezella opened some time in the 30’s this was probably “original equipment.”
The “Panatar” anamorphic attachments were made by the company that became Panavision. They had the unique capability of being adjustable as to the amount of “spread.” Actually, they weren’t all that bad.
DC for the Peerless MagnArcs came from a motor-generator set that was mounted just outside the projection room.
There was a slide projector that could be used for “announcements.” The operator could write a person’s name on a slide and super it on the bottom of the movie screen.
The Ezella was never equipped for stereo sound.
The main projectionist at the Ezella during this period was Emerson Fitzgerald. I went to high school with his daughter Gail.
All in all, the Ezella put on a pretty good show for a nabe.
I started going there in the late 40’s.