The Paramount Theatre In Colombus Ohio

Orpheium Theater in Phoenix Arizona

The Byrd Theater Right Here in Richmond, Virginia! It's still running movies!

Behind the Scenes

On the technical side of things, much has changed since the early days of movies.  About the only thing that hasn't changed is the fact that film is used...hopefully THAT won't change in the future!

     Back in the days when these theaters were built, there was no soundtrack on the movie.  Not only was not much in terms ofmedia, like a tape or record that could be played in sync with the movie.   But there was the problem of syncronizing sound with the pictures, and amplifying the sound enough for 1000 or more people to hear it.  It's hard to imagine in this world of PA systems, surround sound stereos, and music everywhere we go,  but Amplifiers, speakers, and other such sound renforcoment just wasn't around back then.  Check out the movie TITANIC, all the music played on board was live!
      Just the mention of  the term "Theater organ" today leaves most people scratching their head.  When they think of a movie theater, they think of the little place in the 'burbs that seats about 100 people or so, and wonder exactly why a place like this would need a pipe organ!   Silent moves were accompanied by the sounds of live pianos, organs, full orchestras, and even live voices.   The pipe organ was the most efficent and cost efficent, believe it or not.  With a pipe organ, one musician could play the music of an entire orchestra with the flip of a stop tab.  He could even create sound effects to accompany the film as well.

     On the picture side of things, the job of projectionist was a little more than just hitting PLAY and letting the film run.  Back then, most movies were made on nitrate film, which was highly flammable.  Because of this, only 20 minutes of film could be kept in the projection room at a time, near the hot lamps and electrical equipment.   There was two projestors to make changing features and reels in the middle of features seamless.   The projectionist had to keep his eye out on the top right corner of the screen for a small black mark that signaled the end of the reel.  This was his cue to start the other projector.  This changeover was usually done so seamless that the audience can't even tell another projector started.  Much of the time spent while the 20 minute reel was running was consumed in rewinding the previous reel, threading the next reel, replacing the carbons in the lamps( more on the lamps below),  and tending to any other technical problems that may have developed.   This holdover still remains today as film is shipped to theaters on 20 minute reels, but then they are spliced together and run all at once.

Movie houses used to have all kinds of high-intensity spotlights and projectors.  They Byrd theater has a Brenograph slide projector, and a follow spotlight along with it's 2 35mm projectors, and 1 16mm projector.   The Brenograph slide projector is used to display advertisments before the show, and as a secondary spotlight.  How did  movie houses make that much light to fill those big screens?  It was done with a giant spark!  Up until the early eighties, large movie houses, projected film with what's called a carbon-arc lamp.  Inside the lamp are two carbon rods about a foot long, and about 1/4 inch in diameter that are about a half inch apart or so.  The lamps operate very similar to a welder's  tool.  The rods are brought together and a spark is started.  The white hot spark produced heats up to several thousand degrees and eventually consumes the carbon rods, which is another reason for the 20 minute reels mentioned previously...the carbon rods were also changes out between reels.  Carbon arc lights produce the purest white light for movie showing.  Most movie houses use about 4000 to 8000 watts in their arc lamps to show the picture.

A period boot at the Loew's Paradise, these are carbon-arc follow spotlamps.

various popular projectors built from the 20's to the 60's
 

Inside one of the Peerless Magnarc lamps on the Byrd Theater's projectors.
The carbon rods are the copper-colored pieces

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