Carbon Arc Lamp

A Literal Blockbuster In Film

Last week, PJ coined the term "cellulose trash" only to remind us that the film is no longer from the substance or, more accurately, the nitrocellulose.

So what is the movie these days?

Well, to help explain why not go back, and travel to the Floral, that great old theater that once stood so proudly in the Parc Floral.

What a house it was. Vaudeville to silent films, then the talkies. It was the jewel of Nassau County entertainment.

Balcony. Mezzanine. Lodge. Boxes on the sides kind of like where Lincoln was shot. Dome. The murals.Mahogany. Thousands of seats. Stained glass. Frosted. magnetic sound.

Phew!

Now there is a dining room. sites on a single screen with no cavernous parking can not even close to balance today.

But PJ raves.

There were two areas in the Floral does not flow with elegance. The office manager, who was about forty feet square. And the projection booth. Hot in summer and cold in winter, the "cabin" was named Spartan with only the basics.Indeed, it has been a saving grace: two small windows overlooking the Parc Floral and especially Jericho Turnpike. These twelve days milling time does not seem that long ago where you could watch the outside world.

Anyway, we'll travel back to the 1940s, the golden age of Floral.

He is the uncle of PJ's Joe. He was the projectionist.

The flower is a theater century. Remember them? They are the ones with the matron. It was the same person in all theaters century. About five feet and no one hundred and 90 pounds. You do not play with the matron.Dressed in white, she was always vigilant in maintaining acceptable conduct film. Put your feet on chairs or talk during the show were capital crimes.

My God, PJ ends up digressing again. He can not help it though. These memories are so rich.

Back to Uncle Joe ...

It shows the way to films in the projection booth at the seams. And, uh-oh, 35 mm film back in the early forties is still composed of nitrocellulose.

Now a word or two about this stuff. Nitrocellulose, you see, is chemically reminiscent of the stuff they use to make bombs.Extremely flammable, nitrocellulose film is very dangerous. Incendiary dangerous. Especially around white lights hot carbon arc ... and cigarettes.

The Blob Carbon Arc Lamps. Colonial Theatre | Modern Floor Lamps

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 ???

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.

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!

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