3-Voice of the Theater A5
- Thread starter Midwest Theater
- Start date
RussinOhio
Super Member
That very fast-disappearing spot that you sometimes see up in the right hand corner of the frame while watching a movie.....IS the cue-mark. I believe it is pressed into the film with that tool.
Russ
Russ
pmsummer
simul justus et peccator
markdi said:
The film is threaded through a holder/splicing block. The holder/splicer has a hole that aligns with the upper right hand corner of the frames (four frames as I recall... it's been thirty years).
The cue marker is pressed into the holder and spun. It scrapes the emulsion off the film, leaving white circles that you see for a fraction of a second on the screen.
First set, you start the second projector. Second set of cues (about 20 seconds), you "change over" the projectors to the next reel.
Next: Carbon Arc lighting, "Oh boy!".
pmsummer
simul justus et peccator
I also kept as a souvenir a pair of Altec "extension speakers" for stereo sound in the theater. These had single 15" drivers and mounted on the sides of the theater walls. Brown boxes covered in gold toothpaste. I traded 'em for my food/bar bill at Austin's "Texas Chili Parlor" in the mid-seventies, where they may still be in use today.
They might be a custom built one-off.
Installed by Altec.Who knows?
I'd be junking the new stuff and finding a way to somehow utilise the drivers.The amps could be incorporated,but may not be as important to the end result as the drivers.
I don't think informed opinion would pick too many new drivers to beat the old Altecs.
Ya gotta feel sorry for someone who's taken them out of service only to find that they've flushed gold down the toilet. :tears:
Installed by Altec.Who knows?
I'd be junking the new stuff and finding a way to somehow utilise the drivers.The amps could be incorporated,but may not be as important to the end result as the drivers.
I don't think informed opinion would pick too many new drivers to beat the old Altecs.
Ya gotta feel sorry for someone who's taken them out of service only to find that they've flushed gold down the toilet. :tears:
pmsummer said:
If you're not changing reels every 20 minutes, you're hopelessly bored. It gives you something to do. I didn't mind it at all. You can watch the picture just so many times.
My biggest pet peeve was getting prints in that were last run on a automation system and that some HS kid, usually the son of the Ma & Pa theatre owners, hadn't cleaned the film before putting the leaders back on with splicing tape. Needless to say as soon as the heat from the lamp hit the film, the splice would open up. I finally got to the point of automatically re-splicing all of the leaders and tails back on with an old fashioned cement splicer. I had a tape splicer but never used it. A properly made cement splice could outlive the film stock itself. :thmbsp: While I was at it I checked the cue marks and replaced any that needed it. I had two cue markers, one 35mm and one for 16mm. I had masking tape marked in seconds for both formats across the front of my cutting table so I was able to mark a piece of film in just a few seconds.
Ya know, I really miss doing that now that it's gone. The group I worked for went out of business about 15 years ago. :sigh:
Clyde
jackbean
New Member
thank you dgwojo for the link i spent many an afternoon in that theater, brought back some many fond memories. there were 3 theaters similar in jersey city loews, state and stanley located on journal sq. the stanley was the first to be renovated if i remember correctlly by a religious organazation. the state was demolished and the loews still stands my wife and i are planning on attending next weekends shows. maybe we'll sit in the balcony and fool around like we did 30 years ago and i won't tell what went on there 40 years ago
Midwest Theater
New Member
The compression drivers are most likely Altec 288s or 288Bs. IPC was the brand Simplex slapped on their Altec drivers.
The woofers are Altec 515s or 515Bs. If the woofer surround is a paper roll and the suspension at the outside base of the cone is a phenolic spider they're 515s. If the surround is a corrugated cloth and the base suspension also corrugated they're 515Bs.
These are valuable drivers and collectors will pay dear for them if in nice condition. Later Altec drivers often sound better but the oldies have a certain cachet.
Any "made in Hollywood" stickers? That adds to the value, guys like the Altecs made in Hollywood before the move to Anaheim.
The woofers are Altec 515s or 515Bs. If the woofer surround is a paper roll and the suspension at the outside base of the cone is a phenolic spider they're 515s. If the surround is a corrugated cloth and the base suspension also corrugated they're 515Bs.
These are valuable drivers and collectors will pay dear for them if in nice condition. Later Altec drivers often sound better but the oldies have a certain cachet.
Any "made in Hollywood" stickers? That adds to the value, guys like the Altecs made in Hollywood before the move to Anaheim.
Another first-poster demanding valuation.
7 posts,all on this thread.Getting sick of our discussion.God forbid that we should find this subject interesting. :nono: We should stick with the agenda here folks.
Okay,the woofers are worth $20 each and the high frequency drivers are worth $10 each. :yes:
You can advertise them here on AK,and I Guarantee they'll sell within the hour.
7 posts,all on this thread.Getting sick of our discussion.God forbid that we should find this subject interesting. :nono: We should stick with the agenda here folks.
Okay,the woofers are worth $20 each and the high frequency drivers are worth $10 each. :yes:
You can advertise them here on AK,and I Guarantee they'll sell within the hour.
Justen
Send Lawyers,Guns & Money
Okay, you may only be interested in raising money for your group... to me that is fine, there are worse things than making money from something you've got. If you aren't really interested in them, for gosh sake just put them on ebay and let them rip... we've told you they have some value, what the h*ll else do you want from us? You can sell them to someone here, giving us first dibs in exchange for information, or you can see what they'll bring on ebay and take your chances. Must we hold your hand through the process? Yes your Altecs have value! Keep them, sell them, who really cares?
Goodwill_HiFi
Super Member
As noted by a few here, the system you have was a Simplex installation. They used Altec components in, I assume, there own cabinets. The old style A5 would probably be the closest all Altec system to your Simplex configuration. From doing some online research, I believe the cabinets are referred to as a Simplex W.
Unfortunately, I don't think Simplex systems have been documented the way pure Altec systems have been, so my research online has yielded very little information. I encourage you to try the Lansing/audio heritage web forum, or the Unofficial Altec Usersboard when it comes back online.
Definitely
Goodwill_HiFi
Michigan, USA
Those old woofers "should" have a date stamped with "OK" on them by the magnet where it mates with the speaker basket, or, on the mounting ring where the bolts are installed to hold the woofer to the cabinet, LU-1081 is the 515 predecessor, Dave. :yes:
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