This impressive black-and-white promotional sales film was produced by Bell & Howell to explain the features of their 16mm Filmosound projector and its advantageous construction as compared to other projectors. Many considerations are discussed including design for durability and rugged operation. The film explains the technical aspects of the projector and provides the necessary context for the average viewer to grasp each part’s importance. The short film made in 1940 and produced by J. Eugene Huber and Lloyd F. Ryan, and dates to an era when American industrial manufacturing and design dominated the world market.
(00:11) Title: Secrets of Superiority
(00:56) Headquarters of Bell & Howell Company in Wheeling, Illinois
(01:26) Close-up of the Filmo 16mm film projector’s springs
(01:27) The projector’s sound device
(01:44) The incandescent projection lamps
(02:03) Examples of different filament
(02:16) A man inspects the lamps
(02:25) The lamp is placed in an aligning machine in order for the filament to center perfectly
(02:45) A ring is electrically braised to the lamp base
(02:53) The result of the lamp whose ring allows it to fit every Filmosound projector
(03:16) A man replaces the lamp
(03:20) The condenser concentrates the light onto the film
(03:26) The projectionist cleans the condenser
(03:52) The projection lens is shifted to focus
(04:03) Side angle of the Filmosound projector in its aluminum housing
(04:45) A demonstration of the barrel shutter and its flaws related to uneven illumination
(04:53) Close-up of the Filmosound shutter
(04:56) The close-coupled single-blade disc has a 60 percent open section to allow maximum light, uniform illumination, and minimum flicker
(05:06) Demonstration of the shutter’s three revolutions per picture
(05:18) Close-up of the projector’s motor
(05:31) The electric governor maintains speed
(05:46) The ball bearings
(05:55) The fan on the armature shaft
(06:10) The fan protects the film and the lamp
(06:17) The Filmosound uses precision gears instead of belts or chains
(06:32) The aperture moves the picture into position. A claw is shown (6:43).
(06:54) Demonstration of a claw aperture and a drunken screw, models used in other projectors
(07:27) The Filmosound however uses a steel shuttle to ensure steady projection
(08:04) Drops of oil lubricate the projector
(08:30) The felt piece assists the lubrication by harboring and filtering oil.
(08:50) Steel sprockets move the film to the aperture and to the sound drum
(09:01) The sprocket guard protects the film
(09:15) Cross-section of the Filmosound projector
(09:48) The oscillatory stabilizer protects against any variation
(10:07) The constant tension take-up adjusts to each reel size
(10:37) Footage of the entire Filmosound 16mm projector
Founded in 1907 by two projectionists, Bell & Howell built its name making products for the motion picture industry. The company built the first all metal, commercially available motion picture camera, and it dominated the market from 1919-1958. It also contributed to the movie industry through various inventions and patents that improved the quality of the projected image in the movie theater and in home and amateur use. It also developed a continuous printing process and effectively set the standards for 35-mm cameras, projection, film printing, and perforation for the entire industry.
Motion picture films don’t last forever; many have already been lost or destroyed. For almost two decades, we’ve worked to collect, scan and preserve the world as it was captured on 35mm, 16mm and 8mm movies — including home movies, industrial films, and other non-fiction. If you have endangered films you’d like to have scanned, or wish to donate celluloid to Periscope Film so that we can share them with the world, we’d love to hear from you. Contact us via the weblink below.
This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD, 2k and 4k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com
