From time to time I will post interesting items that I see on eBay that would be of interest to a LVC fan. These are not endorsements of the sellers, just merely my observations of interesting or rare items.This is an interesting item. No idea what a glass slide is used for, but here it is!
http://www.ebay.com/itm/390477883124?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649
They use to slide them down in front of the projector back in the day & it would project on the screen. They would play hit records on the speakers. I remember watching a series of glass slides in 1961 at one of my regular visit downtown theaters when I heard "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow" for the first time. "Peppermint Twist" was also played on the speakers. In the projection room of the theater at the top of the first balcony, they had a 45 rpm record player attached to the wall near one of the two projectors.
ReplyDeleteThe big projectors would burn some kind of carbon rod. There was a deep red colored window the projectionists would look through to make sure the flame was just right. When a reel of film was about over, a bell would start dinging in the room. He would fire up the other projector and watch the upper right side of the screen and when he saw a white circle up there, he would start the other projector running. The moment of the second white circle flashed on the screen, he would press a button on the floor near the projector that would switch that projector on the screen and disconnect the one that was running. Most films at 5 reels of film. Cartoons were one reel and short subjects such as a Three Stooges comedy, were TWO reels.
The would also show trailers of coming films & during that time, they still had the news as part of the show. Often Lowell Thomas was the narrator of the various news stories on film.
Sometimes at this theater, a stage show (maybe a band playing songs or a magician or a juggler) would alternate with the movie. When the stage show was over, the main curtain would close in front of the footlights & they would lower the screen which was up in the fly area and roll the speakers in place. Raise the curtain again and start the film portion of the show. Those were the days!!