Simplex

YEAH!!!! That's what I'm talking about!! Wonderful. I want one of these monsters, but until then I just have to admire these pictures.

Awesome, a pic just for you, eldokid!

Didn't these things use carbon-arc rods for light?

Beautiful peice of art.

Motts, did you notice what the t things under the right window were?

those don't look simple.

phiftybuick - yes, they did burn carbon rods for light, which is why they have the hoses coming out of the top for venting the heat and gasses.

makes you wonder if there is still film inside of it

The newest most advanced tecnology of yester year.

Yes, carbon arc lighting looking at the size of the can.

The boxes under the window are controls for the sound. The projectors are Super Simplex model -- 1930s vintage. Some theaters still use them. The box under the upper magazine is a magnetic soundhead. These were used for 4-track stereo that came out in the 50s with the introduction of CinemaScope.

i've been in many of these old theaters most of them were not abondend but still cool. These old type projectors worked like a mig welder useing a carbon arc to prouduce a light scource and required a tremounds amount of amps and volts to power them

I wonder what the last film was that was run through this...

Rick is entirely correct , of course, about the boxes beneath the windows (portholes)., Each projector had such a control box containing a switch for transferring power from the photocell lamp on one projector to the other (along with some type of indicator light to show which soundhead was active), as well as a pot for regulating the sound level on each projector. The other half ot the changeover procedure involved stepping on a pedal attached to the base of the projector pedestal, which quickly closed the fire shuitter on one machine while simultaneously opening the fire shutter on the other machine. It was all in all a faily crude procedure, but very effective.

I left the theater projection business just before the advent of digial sound, platter systems, xenon lamps, and so forth.

This old guy who lives near me once owned a drive-in theater in the 60's. Last year, he and his wife auctioned off a bunch of farm equipment and stuff he had at the drive in. He had a Simplex just like that, with a bunch of projector supplies and many 35mm films he'd kept. The whole lot sold for $250 (MEGA STEAL) I sort of wish I could've afforded to bid on that stuff...

Holy cow! I wish I had bought that stuff. I'm facinated with technology both old and new.

mamills - if you want to fill someone's ears with stories about the projection business, I'm your person, just email me! Thanks.

PopCorn anyone?

I want to know what the hell they watched.

When I see your pictures I am in awe seeing the past.
I am apreciative you are saving images of these items so something can be seen before the real things are lost to time.

I am also just as angered at federal, state, and local agency/goverment at the blatent waste.

I am willing to bet dollars to donuts all that movie equipment (given it still looks in great/working condition) is worth some serious bucks.


Given they just abandoned it., there most likely still are old time movies in those film cases. They would be worth a small fortune.

Fantastic. Turn it on. I'll make the popcorn.