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Author Topic: Century 35mm Only Mag Penthouse? Phil Hill I love my cootie bug Posts: 7595 From: Hollywood, CA USA Registered: Mar 2000 posted 02-13-2008 08:12 PM                  Is there such an animal? I know the 35/70 ones are common. But I have never seen a 35mm only one.  |  IP: Logged Louis Bornwasser Film God Posts: 4441 From: prospect ky usa Registered: Mar 2005 posted 02-13-2008 08:56 PM                        I don't know how many they sold, but I do remember that they were available. (Looks just like the bigger 70/35 one.) Louis  |  IP: Logged Gordon McLeod Film God Posts: 9532 From: Toronto Ontario Canada Registered: Jun 99 posted 02-13-2008 09:23 PM                     Century provided the Westrex 35mm penthouse for 35mm use on C or H or SA machines picture of the Centurys at the Royal toronto  |  IP: Logged Steve Guttag We forgot the crackers Gromit!!! Posts: 12814 From: Annapolis, MD Registered: Dec 1999 posted 02-14-2008 08:29 AM                     Ampex made a drag-through type penthouse that was compatible with Century or Simplex. Note the Ampex heads were standard on the Century R30/31 penthouse. Whereas I have seen the Ampex head on Simplex XL projectors too, I would think that a Simplex penthouse would also work on a Century. Steve  |  IP: Logged Mark Gulbrandsen Resident Trollmaster Posts: 16657 From: Music City Registered: Jun 99 posted 02-14-2008 08:50 AM                     The Simplex Mag Penthouse had the 4 hole layout that allowed it to be directly screwed down to the top of an X-L in place of the upperX=L style reel arm or X=L reel arm mounting plate adapter... Kind of an oddball design made it difficult to mount to other machines but it has been done. Worst penthouse by far the RCA... Best Penthouse... Ampex...certainly the heaviest of the bunch too!  |  IP: Logged Steve Guttag We forgot the crackers Gromit!!! Posts: 12814 From: Annapolis, MD Registered: Dec 1999 posted 02-14-2008 10:03 AM                     After working a bit with both the Ampex and the Simplex penthouses...I actually preferred the Simplex...not to just be contrary to Mark...though that has been fun on some subjects...but I feel that the Simplex afforded the best ability to get the head alignment dead on without messing up other adjustments...that is, you could work on tilt (zenith) without messing up azimuth. One could precisely set up the tensioning on the Simplex well too. Steve  |  IP: Logged Gordon McLeod Film God Posts: 9532 From: Toronto Ontario Canada Registered: Jun 99 posted 02-14-2008 10:25 AM                     The same adapter plate used for a Simplex E7 mated the Simplex penthouse to a century nicely The Motiograph was a common penthouse up here on century but the most common was the Westrex I can't remember the R number for it RCA and Ballantyne were the hardest penthouses to align Simplex was one of the easier ones  |  IP: Logged James Westbrook Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1133 From: Lubbock, Texas, Usa Registered: Mar 2006 posted 02-14-2008 01:38 PM                     I recall the mag penthouse on top of my SA-35 at the UA in Lubbock was a Simplex. Ben Kehe removed it in the late 80s (before he left UA) as he determined the penthouse was a source of scratching as one of my fellow crew members was skipping a roller when they threaded through it. "When was the last time you ran mag here?" "1981...Fantasia." "I'm taking it off." We never did need it again.  |  IP: Logged Ron Funderburg Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 814 From: Chickasha, Oklahoma, USA Registered: Nov 2007 posted 02-14-2008 02:03 PM                        quote: Steve Guttag Ampex made a drag-through type penthouse that was compatible with Century or Simplex. Note the Ampex heads were standard on the Century R30/31 penthouse. Whereas I have seen the Ampex head on Simplex XL projectors too, I would think that a Simplex penthouse would also work on a Century. Steve, The first projectors I ran had the Ampex heads they were XL's vintage 1955 - 1958 not sure the exact date on the projectors! I know the theater had the sound added in 1958. It was 1973 when we tried to fix up the stereo system it was an RCA Vacuum Tube System as I recall and my boss wanted to start to run in stereo when he could possible get a print that was equipped with such. We worked for days he had a reel of film, I think it was Ben Hur the big Race scene. We would get it running sounding good and a Tube would run out. He would go threw his personal stash of tubes and off to the race were again and about 3/4 of the way though the reel another would burn out. He ordered tubes and still we burnt them out. After a long time (several weeks of several hours a day) he gave up. He only rented the theater in that location and couldn't see putting more money in to their system that he didn't think would ever work.  |  IP: Logged Louis Bornwasser Film God Posts: 4441 From: prospect ky usa Registered: Mar 2005 posted 02-14-2008 06:16 PM                        Back to the topic: the Century ones were the "brainchild" of Bob Fidel back about 1975-76. They were actually made by Century when there was a minor resurgence of 35mm-4 track. I recall that they had a driven sprocket like the JJ. Apparently no one else actually made 4-tr new at that time. (Plenty of one ones around here; mostly Simplex & Ampex.) Too bad they could not forsee Dolby. Louis  |  IP: Logged Steve Guttag We forgot the crackers Gromit!!! Posts: 12814 From: Annapolis, MD Registered: Dec 1999 posted 02-15-2008 07:49 AM                     Why Louis? In truth, SVA was a pretty piss-poor alternative to 4-track. Had VKF been the standard sprocket, sendust heads (Teccon) and Dolby NR rather than some stupid pilot tone...4-track could have had a much longer life. Unfortunately, the pieces did not come together until after 4-track had a bad name for being expensive and somewhat problematic. Steve  |  IP: Logged Mark Gulbrandsen Resident Trollmaster Posts: 16657 From: Music City Registered: Jun 99 posted 02-15-2008 08:24 AM                     But alas, optical sound was and still is the world standard... which is why the industry really went away from 4 track and embraced sva... an sva print will still play anywhere in the world on any 35mm projector. Had 35 mag gotten as widespread a 70mm did then just like 70mm... 35 mag would have seen the same demise anyway. Mark  |  IP: Logged Louis Bornwasser Film God Posts: 4441 From: prospect ky usa Registered: Mar 2005 posted 02-15-2008 07:52 PM                        I loved 4 tr. Instead of interlock, I had my premieres printed to fox hole film, striped and sounded all four tracks as mono.I carried a CP-100 with mpu and an XL mag head instead. Less trouble, less worry for the average projectionist. Louis  |  IP: Logged Ron Funderburg Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 814 From: Chickasha, Oklahoma, USA Registered: Nov 2007 posted 02-15-2008 10:28 PM                        Just a little question here! I assume that glue splices were used but if they weren't if tape were used would the sound have an interrupt when the tape went through the reader?  |  IP: Logged John Wilson Film God Posts: 5438 From: Sydney, Australia. Registered: Dec 1999 posted 02-16-2008 12:49 AM                     You lost a bit of the highs, not great. That happened of course before you saw the splice go through so it wasn't quite the distraction it would have been were it the other way around.  |  IP: Logged

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