Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

MOTIOGRAPH AA PROJECTOR

Date Range From

1940

Date Range To

1950

Materials

STEEL, GLASS, PLASTIC

No. Pieces

4

Height

202

Length

57

Description

A. PROJECTOR, FILM. GREY METAL BODY FIXED AT FRONT WITH MOTIOGRAPH AA PROJECTOR MECHANISM. BACK OF THE BODY HAS POWER (“ON/OFF”) AND IGNITE SWITCHES; BACK HAS GAUGES WITH GLASS COVERS MARKING HOURS (“16270”) AND 0-100 MV. BACK HAS SILVER LABEL WITH BLACK TEXT “STRONG X-16 TWO-SIDE LAMPHOUSE, D.C. VOLTS 28-32, D.C. AMPS. 60-95, TYPE NO. 76002-3, SERIAL NO. 65196, MFD. BY THE STRONG ELECTRIC CORP., TOLEDO, OHIO, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, 76100” AND A BLUE STICKER ON LABEL “CSA SPECIAL TESTING LABORATORIES, S108124, ACCEPTANCE”. BACK HAS THREE BLACK DIALS MARKED “V”, “H”, “F”; FRONT HAS THREE BLACK DIALS MARKED “V”, “H”, “F” ON BLACK METAL PLATE WITH WHITE TEXT “VERT”, “HORTZ”, “FOCUS”. BASE HAS A WHITE SWITCH BENEATH THE MAIN LAMP HOUSE. LAMP HOUSE SIDE HAS HINGED COVER WITH SILVER AND RED PLATE FIXED TO COVER, “CAUTION, USE FACE MASK, OBSERVE SAFETY RULES, ALLOW LAMP TO COOL 10 MIN BEFORE OPENING DOORS”. FRONT HAS REEL MOUNTS FIXED TO TOP AND BOTTOM; TOP REEL MOUNT IS MARKED “A-675” AND HAS SILVER SHIPPING REEL WITH 35MM FILM ATTACHED (B); BOTTOM REEL MOUNT IS MARKED A-676 AND HAS EMPTY SILVER SHIPPING REEL ATTACHED (D). BENEATH REEL MOUNT IS MOUNTED ELECTRIC CHANGEOVER MECHANISM; UNFINISHED STEEL WITH SILVER SCREWS AND INSERTS; SILVER PLATE ON FRONT OF MECHANISM HAS RED TEXT READING “ZIPPER” AND BLACK TEXT READING “ELECTRIC CHANGEOVER, PATENT 1796970, OTHER PATS. PEND., MODEL 14-14, SERIAL 2537, VOLTS 117 A.C., AMPS 2, MFD. BY ESSANNAY ELECTRIC MFG., G.G., 1438 N. CLARK ST., CHICAGO 10, ILL.” MOTIOGRAPH AA PROJECTOR MECHANISM HAS LENS ATTACHED AT FRONT (C); MOTIOGRAPH AA PROJECTOR MECHANISM HAS RED DIAL BESIDE FRONT CHAMBER COVER WITH WHITE TEXT “FRAME”. MOTIOGRAPH AA PROJECTOR MECHANISM HAS HINGED CHAMBER COVER WITH FRONT FIXED SILVER PLATE WITH RED TEXT READING “MOTIOGRAPH” IN RED, AND YELLOW AND BLACK LABEL READING “SHARP’S THEATRE SUPPLIES LIMITED, FILM EXCHANGE BUILDING, PHONE M-4076—CALGARY, ALBERTA.” INSIDE HINGED CHAMBER COVER IS WHITE LABEL “UL, MODEL AA, FRAMING LAMP 120V 25W, MOTIOGRAPH INC., CHICAGO”. BENEATH IS LOWER CHAMBER WITH STEEL AND GLASS HINGED COVER. BASE OF LAMP HOUSE PEDESTAL IS SCRATCHED; INSIDE OF MOTIOGRAPH AA PROJECTOR MECHANISM TOP CHAMBER IS DETACHED BLACK METAL SLIDE WITH CENTER CUT OUT AND RED KNOB AT THE END. OVERALL PROJECTOR AND COMPONENTS IN GOOD CONDITION. B. FILM REEL, 37.2CM DIAMETER X 4.3CM DEEP, INCLUDES 35MM FILM. SHIPPING REEL; UNFINISHED PRESSED STEEL; FIXED WITH UNMARKED WHITE TAPE. REEL IS HANDMARKED WITH RED “T”. C. LENS, PROJECTOR, 41.7CM LONG X 11.5CM DIAMETER. CINEMASCOPE/ANAMORPHIC (LONG LENS) FORMAT. BRASS END COMPONENT IS STAMPED “SUPER SNAPLITE”, “KOLLMORGEN OPTICAL CORP”, “BX 241 F:1.9 3 ¼ IN.” SILVER LENS COMPONENT IS MARKED “MADE IN JAPAN, 19313, PROMINAR ANAMORPHIC”. LENS FRONT IS BLACK; LENS GOES TO 350 FEET. D. FILM REEL, 37CM DIAMETER X 5.3CM DEEP, SHIPPING. UNFINISHED PRESSED STEEL, EMPTY, HANDMARKED IN RED “2” AND ON MASKING TAPE IN BLACK “7”. FIXED TO LOWER REEL MOUNT ON PROJECTOR.

Subjects

VISUAL COMMUNICATION T&E

Historical Association

BUSINESS

LEISURE

History

ON APRIL 11, 2018, COLLECTIONS TECHNICIAN KEVIN MACLEAN INTERVIEWED LARRY AND ANDREA BECKER, OWNERS OF THE FORMER WATERTON THEATRE IN SOUTHERN ALBERTA WHERE THE PROJECTION EQUIPMENT WAS USED. DURING THE INTERVIEW, THE BECKERS ELABORATED ON HOW THEIR THEATRE CLOSED, HOW THE EQUIPMENT WAS USED IN THEIR THEATRE, AND HOW AL ANCTIL CAME INTO POSSESSION OF THE THEATRE PROJECTION EQUIPMENT. LARRY BECKER SPOKE TO HOW ANCTIL BECAME THE OWNER AND DONOR OF THE EQUIPMENT, STATING, “THIS EQUIPMENT IS BUILT AND DESIGNED TO EXHIBIT 35 MM MOTION PICTURE FILM. IN 2011, WHEN WE DISPOSED OF THE EQUIPMENT, FILM WAS BECOMING OBSOLETE. IT WAS NO LONGER AVAILABLE TO US AS AN EXHIBITION MEDIUM, SO WE WERE FACED WITH THE CHALLENGE OF CONVERTING TO A DIGITAL PROJECTION, IF WE WANTED TO CONTINUE SHOWING MOTION PICTURES. WE HAD TO GET RID OF THIS, AND AL [ANCTIL] THOUGHT HE HAD A USE FOR IT. AT THE TIME, HE WAS SELLING US COFFEE. WE WERE RUNNING A COFFEE SHOP IN THE THEATRE, SO WE HAD THAT RELATIONSHIP WITH AL; AND I’M NOT SURE WHY AL WANTED IT…I DON’T KNOW IF HE EVER INTENDED TO USE IT. I THINK, UNDER CERTAIN CIRCUMSTANCES, IT MIGHT BE USEFUL, IF SOMEBODY COULD ACCESS SOME 35 MM FILM TO RUN THROUGH IT. WHEN WE HEARD THAT AL WANTED IT, WE SAID “SURE, YOU CAN HAVE IT AL. WE NO LONGER HAVE ANY USE FOR IT.”” “IT WAS THE COST OF THE CONVERSION [THAT INFLUENCED OUR DECISION TO CLOSE]. INITIALLY, WHEN ALL OF THE THEATRES WERE FACED WITH THE CONVERSION, WITHIN A VERY SHORT WINDOW, THE DEMAND FOR THE EQUIPMENT WAS VERY HIGH; COSTS WERE VERY HIGH, AND IT JUST WASN’T FINANCIALLY VIABLE IN A SEASONAL OPERATION, SO WE DECIDED NOT TO PROCEED, AT THAT TIME, WITH THE DIGITAL UPGRADING/CONVERSION. WE WERE WORKING QUITE HARD, BECAUSE WE WERE RUNNING A COFFEE SHOP, AN ICE CREAM STORE, AND A MOVIE THEATRE. THE MOVIE THEATRE WAS THE FUN PART OF IT.” “WE WERE AT THE END OF OUR LAST SEASON IN 2011, AND WE HAD WORKED OUT AN ARRANGEMENT WITH THE TENANT, TO TAKE IT OVER, TO RUN IT AS A ‘STAGE AND GRILL’ KIND OF OPERATION. THEY WERE GOING TO PUT A KITCHEN IN, AND SERVE MEALS, AND PRESENT MUSIC ACTS ON STAGE.” ON THE PROJECTOR, LARRY BECKER INDICATED, “IT WAS OLD [IN 2011]. IT WAS VERY WELL-DESIGNED, AND BUILT EQUIPMENT, WHEN IT WAS NEW. THE PROJECTOR IS…THE HEART OF THE OPERATION, AND IT’S A MOTIOGRAPH PROJECTOR WITH THE MOTIOGRAPH SOUND HEAD…AND THAT WAS PROBABLY NEW IN THE LATE '40S OR EARLY ‘50S, WHEN THE MOTION PICTURE INDUSTRY WAS IN AN ABSOLUTE HEY-DAY. HUGE INVESTMENTS WERE MADE IN DEVELOPING HIGH QUALITY EQUIPMENT FOR THE MOTION PICTURE EXHIBITIONS. THIS PROJECTOR, EVEN THOUGH IT WAS VERY OLD, BENEFITTED FROM THAT DESIGN PERIOD, AND WAS STILL WORKING REASONABLY WELL.” “WE REPLACED THE LAMP HOUSE [FROM AN OLD CARBON ARC LAMP TO…A ZENON BULB AS A LIGHT SOURCE]. [WE PICKED UP BULBS AND EQUIPMENT] FROM ‘TEN STORIES’. “[THERE WOULD BE A] BELL HERE, BEFORE WE PUT THE PLATTER SYSTEM IN… [THE BELL] WAS ATTACHED TO THE PROJECTOR, AND THIS WAS WHEN THESE SMALL 20 MINUTE REELS WOULD BE LOADED ON TO THIS REEL LINE, AND WHEN THERE WAS ABOUT 2 OR 2 1/2 MINUTES FILM LEFT ON THE PAY-OUT REEL…[THE] BELL WOULD START TO RING; START TO TURN AT A SPEED, AND THAT WAS TO SIGNAL THE PROJECTIONIST TO GET READY, BECAUSE HE WAS GOING TO HAVE TO DO A CHANGE-OVER. WHEN THAT BELL RANG, THE PROJECTIONIST WOULD LOOK THROUGH A PORT IN THE PROJECTION ROOM, AND LOOK FOR A LITTLE DOT UP IN THE RIGHT HAND CORNER OF THE FILM. THERE WOULD BE TWO OF THEM. WHEN YOU HEARD THE BELL, YOU’D STRIKE THE LAMP WITH THE OLD CARBON ARCS; GET THE LAMP HOUSE RUNNING. THEN YOU’D SEE THE FIRST DOT, THAT WAS YOUR SIGNAL TO START THE PROJECTOR, THEN, WHEN YOU SAW THE SECOND DOT, THERE WAS A PEDAL ON THE FLOOR, OR A HAND SWITCH, THAT YOU WOULD ACTIVATE, AND THAT WOULD CLOSE THE SHUTTER ON ONE PROJECTOR, AND OPEN IT ON THE OTHER ONE. IF THE PROJECTIONIST WAS GOOD, IT WAS SEAMLESS. THE AUDIENCE WOULD NEVER KNOW THAT THERE WAS A REEL CHANGE.” “THERE WOULD BE TWO PROJECTORS RUNNING SIDE-BY-SIDE. I DID OPERATE IT FOR A WHILE, WITH THE CHANGE-OVERS, BUT THAT WAS ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I REALLY WANTED TO CHANGE ABOUT WATERTON. I WANTED JUST TO MAKE MY JOB A LOT EASIER. [THAT WAS] THE INTRODUCTION OF THE PLATTER SYSTEM, AND THE ZENON LAMP.” LARRY BECKER DISCUSSED THE PURPOSE OF THE LENS IN USE WITH PROJECTOR EQUIPMENT, STATING, “FILM WAS STILL AVAILABLE IN BOTH FORMATS, AND WHEN IT CAME IN, WE HAD TO KNOW WHICH FORMAT IT WAS, BECAUSE THEN WE WOULD USE THE APPROPRIATE LENS. [THE LENS] WAS STILL IN USE. PRODUCTION COSTS WERE PROBABLY…A LITTLE HIGHER IF THEY WERE SHOOTING IN THE CINEMASCOPE. I THINK THE FLAT LENS, THE 185 ASPECT RATIO WAS A BETTER RATIO FOR TELEVISION. I ALWAYS THOUGHT THAT, IF THEY THOUGHT THAT THE MOVIE WAS GOING TO HAVE A SHORT RUN IN THEATRES, AND THEN A BROADER AUDIENCE ON TELEVISION, THEN THAT FORMAT [185 ASPECT RATIO] WAS MORE SUITABLE. WE REPLACED [THE ORIGINAL LENSES].” THE BECKERS SPOKE ABOUT THEIR ARRIVAL IN WATERTON AND THEIR HISTORY WORKING IN THEATRES, WITH LARRY BEGINNING HIS CAREER WORKING IN THE PALACE THEATRE IN CALGARY, ALBERTA. IN 1975, THE BECKERS BECAME INTERESTED IN PURCHASING THE THEATRE IN WATERTON, AND BY 1976 THEY WERE RUNNING THE WATERTON THEATRE. LARRY NOTED HOW THE BECKERS BECAME INVOLVED WITH THE WATERTON THEATRE “I WAS TRAVELING TO WATERTON. I HAD NEVER BEEN TO WATERTON. I HAD AN OCCASION TO GO TO GREAT FALLS. IT WAS ON…A BUSINESS TRIP, AND IT WAS OVER A WEEKEND. I LOOKED AT THE MAP, AND I THOUGHT, “IF WE LEAVE AROUND DINNERTIME ON FRIDAY, WE CAN SPEND A NIGHT IN WATERTON…AND THEN WE CAN CONTINUE TO GREAT FALLS THE NEXT DAY.” GOT INTO WATERTON, AND, BY THIS TIME, THE SUN HAD SET, AND I STILL DIDN’T REALIZE I WAS IN THE MOUNTAINS. I SORT OF LOOKED AROUND. I DIDN’T HAVE A ROOM BOOKED, AND GOT A ROOM IN ALLEN’S LAKESHORE BUNGALOWS, WHICH WERE ON THE SHORE OF WATERTON LAKE, AT THAT TIME, AND WHEN I GOT UP IN THE MORNING, AND LOOKED AROUND, I COULDN’T BELIEVE WHERE I WAS. I MEAN, IT WAS JUST THE MOST BEAUTIFUL THING…IT WAS STUNNINGLY, GORGEOUS! THEN I THOUGHT, “I’LL TAKE A STROLL AROUND TOWN”, AND THERE WAS A MOVIE THEATRE. OF COURSE, BEING IN THE BUSINESS, I’VE GOT TO STOP AND YOU…FIND OUT WHAT’S GOING ON THERE. I CHATTED WITH A YOUNG FAMILY THAT WERE LOOKING AFTER THE PLACE FOR LOTTIE BREWERTON. LOTTIE, AND HER HUSBAND, GORDON, HAD BUILT IT BACK IN ’35. LOTTIE WAS GORDON’S WIDOW. SHE WASN’T INVOLVED IN THE OPERATION, BUT SHE HAD SOME YOUNG FAMILY THAT WERE HELPING HER OUT, SO, IN THE CONVERSATION, THEY SAID, “YOU KNOW, I THINK LOTTIE WANTS TO SELL.” I WENT BACK TO CALGARY, AND NEVER REALLY THOUGHT TOO MUCH ABOUT IT UNTIL SEVERAL MONTHS LATER, AND IT WAS SORT OF ON MY MIND, AND I THOUGHT, “WELL, I’M GOING TO GET AHOLD OF LOTTIE AND SEE WHAT THE DEAL IS HERE?” “IT NEEDED WORK. IT’S NOT A BIG MONEY-MAKING OPERATION IN WATERTON, SO IT WAS…HARD TO DO THE THINGS THAT NEEDED TO BE DONE. OVER THE YEARS, WE KIND OF KEPT IT GOING…BUT IT WAS ALWAYS…AN EXPERIENTIAL THING. IT WAS KIND OF AN ANTIQUE IN ITSELF. IT WAS NEVER INTENDED TO BE LIKE THE CITY THEATRES – IT’S A MUCH MORE CASUAL ENVIRONMENT.” “I LIKE THE STYLE OF THE BUILDING. IT’S A GORGEOUS OLD BUILDING – TUDOR-REVIVAL. IT’S GOT AN INTERESTING HISTORY. BACK IN THE MID-‘30S, PARKS CANADA WAS ENCOURAGING DEVELOPMENT IN WATERTON, AND WAS GIVING OUT THE COMMERCIAL LEASES, BUT THEY ALSO WANTED SORT OF AN ARCHITECTURAL THEME TO THE TOWNSITE. THEY HAD AN ARCHITECTURAL DIVISION, AND THEY HAD ARCHITECTS ON STAFF, AND IT WAS THAT BRANCH OF PARKS CANADA, THAT DESIGNED THAT BUILDING, AND MANY OF THE OTHER BUILDINGS IN WATERTON. IT’S GOT SOME CHARM. IT’S NICE THAT WAY.” ANDREA BECKER ADDED, “IT’S…A PRIVILEGE TO BE A WATERTON BUSINESS OWNER. IT’S A VERY SMALL COMMUNITY, AND IT’S A LIFESTYLE KIND OF ENVIRONMENT, AS WELL, FOR THE BUSINESS PEOPLE THERE. WE…FEEL THAT IT IS A SPECIAL THING TO DO…” LARRY BECKER SPOKE TO HIS TRAINING WORKING IN THEATRES AND HIS EARLY START IN THE WATERTON THEATRE, “WHEN I STARTED DOING PROJECTION WORK, IT WAS A LICENSED TRADE IN THE PROVINCE OF ALBERTA, AND, IN THE EARLY DAYS OF MOTION PICTURE EXHIBITION, THE FILM STOCK WAS A SILVER NITRATE FILM STOCK WHICH WAS, LITERALLY, EXPLOSIVE. PROJECTION ROOMS, INCLUDING THE ONE IN WATERTON, WERE BUILT LIKE A BUNKER. THEY WERE CEMENT ROOMS, WITH FIRE SHUTTERS, THAT WOULD SLAM SHUT IF SOMETHING WENT WRONG IN THE PROJECTION ROOM. THE APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAM TO BECOME A PROJECTIONIST WAS A 3 YEAR PROGRAM, AND THERE WAS DIFFERENT CATEGORIES OF LICENSING. WHEN I STARTED IN [1977] I OWNED THE THEATRE IN FORT MACLEOD AND I HAD TO DO AN APPRENTICESHIP, IN MY OWN THEATRE, BEFORE I WAS ALLOWED TO OPERATE THE EQUIPMENT. I BECAME A CERTIFIED PROJECTIONIST. I MENTION THE EARLY DAYS WITH THE SILVER NITRATE FILM, WHICH WAS HIGHLY FLAMMABLE, AND DANGEROUS. THAT HAD BEEN REPLACED BY ACETATE FILM, LONG BEFORE I BECAME INVOLVED, AND SO THE FILM STOCK WAS NO LONGER…COMBUSTIBLE, AND SO IT WAS A MUCH SAFER ENVIRONMENT. NONETHELESS, SOME OF THE OLD REGULATIONS SORT OF CARRIED FORWARD, AND SLOWLY CHANGED.” I WAS NEVER A PROJECTIONIST IN MEDICINE HAT AND CALGARY. I WAS JUST IN MANAGEMENT, SO I WASN’T THAT FAMILIAR WITH ALL OF THIS [WHEN WE BOUGHT THE WATERTON THEATRE]. IT WAS A BIT OF A LEARNING PROCESS FOR ME. I ENDED UP DOING AN APPRENTICESHIP IN MY OWN THEATRE IN FORT MACLEOD. I HIRED A PROJECTIONIST THE FIRST COUPLE OF YEARS IN WATERTON, AND I HAD TO BRING SOMEBODY DOWN FROM CALGARY TO RUN THE PROJECTOR. WHEN I GOT INTO FORT MACLEOD, I WANTED TO DO MY OWN PROJECTION WORK, AND THAT’S WHEN I DID THE APPRENTICESHIP.” [THE PROJECTIONIST WE BROUGHT TO WATERTON] WAS A FELLOW BY THE NAME OF DOUG COOPER…HE WAS FAMILIAR WITH THIS EQUIPMENT. THE CHANGES HAD STARTED IN THE CITY, BUT HE WAS FAMILIAR WITH DOING THIS KIND OF WORK. HE HAD LEARNED ON IT TOO, SO IT WASN’T A MYSTERY TO HIM. HE WAS ABLE TO MANAGE IT QUITE WELL. [WE HIRED] A DIFFERENT GUY EACH YEAR. DOUG WAS THE FIRST YEAR.” “ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WAS INTERESTING ABOUT THE THEATRE WHEN I TOOK IT OVER IS THAT, FOR LIGHT SOURCES IN THE PROJECTION ROOM, THE LAMPS THAT ILLUMINATED THE SCREEN WERE BURNING CARBON ARCS. CARBON ARCS CAME IN A BOX; YOU INSTALLED THEM IN THE LAMP HOUSE. WHEN YOU STARTED THE MOVIE, YOU’D STRIKE THEM TOGETHER, AND THEY WOULD CREATE AN ARC AND FLAME BETWEEN THESE CARBON RODS. THAT WAS WHAT PRODUCED THE LIGHT. IT WAS MAGNIFIED BY A MIRROR DOWN THROUGH THE LENS, AND WITH THE SCREEN. WITH THAT KIND OF A LIGHT SOURCE, YOU HAD TO BE IN THE PROJECTION ROOM…ALL THE TIME. YOU COULDN’T LEAVE THE PROJECTION ROOM WHILE THE MOVIE WAS RUNNING. AS A MATTER OF FACT, PROJECTION ROOMS HAD TOILETS IN THEM DURING THAT PERIOD. CHANGING THAT OUT WAS ONE OF THE FIRST THINGS THAT I DID, BECAUSE IT MADE IT A LOT EASIER TO GET OUT OF THE PROJECTION ROOM. THE OTHER THING – THE FILM WAS RUN OFF OF 18 20-MINUTE REELS AT THAT TIME, SO THERE WERE 2 PROJECTORS. WE WERE CONSTANTLY CHANGING BACK AND FORTH, FROM ONE PROJECTOR TO THE OTHER. GETTING RID OF THE CARBON ARC LAMP HOUSES, AND INSTALLING A PLATTER SYSTEM, WHICH ALLOWED…THE PROGRAM TO BE SPLICED TOGETHER ON THE SINGLE REELS.” FOR MORE INFORMATION INCLUDING FULL INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPT AND HISTORIES OF THE WATERTON THEATRE, PLEASE SEE THE PERMANENT FILE P20120038001-GA.

Catalogue Number

P20120038001

Acquisition Date

2012-10

Collection

Museum

Less detail