The Blob Carbon Arc Lamps. Colonial Theatre

[Th3Bouncer12]

I have 3 working Peerless Magnarc lamp houses, well they were converted to xenon in the 70's but taught you might like to see them so have a look at my two videos on my projection room.

[101HeyNow]

Were those Strong Super Lumens I saw in the video?

[crazybobdj]

@101HeyNow Yes. I think that they run around 1500 watt xenons. There is an old Christe platter behind the booth. They probably ran the platter & single projector during the 70's & 80's.

I have 2 booths at my twin drive-in. I converting the original booth back to two projectors, & change over so that I can run archive prints on 20 minute reels. While theatres are getting rid of film & are now show digital video files, I'm going old school!

[sgtpepper1138]

@crazybobdj NICE, I wish we had a theater around here that ran old films. We have a great theater called the Rogue Theater (Grants Pass, OR) that was built in the 30s. It closed down as a first run theater in around 2000. But they reopened it as a performing arts center. They removed the film projector sadly, though it has a nice video projector (not the same IMO).

[azqrlaf]

To my knowledge there were two different types or styles of Peerless lamps with the light up sign on the top. Do you know when each of them was made? Perhaps the projectionist was eaten because he neglected to keep the oil tubes in his E-7 clean.

[crazybobdj]

@azqrlaf These are type F. I knew that when I saw the Blob years ago, because we had a type F Peerless Magnarc at the Mayfair Theatre in Trenton, NJ for the third machine (with an E-7). The other two were X-L's & Core Lites. The type F's have the two chrome strips. Type E's, have a strip with vertical louvers. The type G have a fancier chrome strip with three chrome strips. The Greenwood theatre in Trenton had a pair of Strong Cine Arc's that looked exactly like the Peerless.

[Ampex196]

Well done for saving this equipment from being junked!

The lamps appear to be very early versions. Peerless Magnarcs were also manufactured under license in the UK. I operated a pair for many years (to 2006) that were made by Mc Auley of Chicago. The general build quality of the Mc Auley arcs was far better than British made versions.

I can't quite make out the makers plates on your lamps but I'm guessing that they may be Mc Auley ???

[bradhig]

Wasn't the projectionist in the movie getting ready to do a change over when he got eaten? Are those the original projectors from the Blob in the theater?

[crazybobdj]

Yes, The Blob came through a vent on the booth door to eat the projectionist as he was watching for the change-over cues.

The original door is still there, but I can't see that it ever had a vent on it? .. I think that it was added in with special effects?

At 1:15 you can see a Simplex E-7 projector head on the floor in the back room. Theese were in service in 1957 with XL penthouses, & the Peerless Magnarcs.

I have both Lamps stored. They are available to anyone interested. Thanks.

[alianalohan]

Really great video!!!!

The projectors that currently run in that theatre (towers and pallets) (Xenon lamps not included), are the machines' s Blob age?

Alessandro Italy

[crazybobdj]

E-7 projectors were used at the Colonial back in the 1950's era. You can see one of them sitting on the floor behind the booth @ 1:15. Thanks!

[278371]

This is a great video. It brings back memories of working at the local movie theater when I was in high school. I spent a lot of time with those Peerless Magnarc lamps. We even ran "The Blob" at a midnight sho one time. I decided to have a little fun with the audience, so I let the reel run out after showing the scene of the projectionist being "eaten". People all over the theater started screaming, and the manager came up to the projection room to see what happened. Lots of fun!!