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WWII era slide projector

Discussion in 'Other Militaria' started by JeffinMNUSA, May 6, 2012.

  1. JeffinMNUSA

    JeffinMNUSA Member

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    This belonged to my father in law who served in the South Pacific Army Air Corps and no it's not a Buck Rogers death beam, it's a slide projector. Can anybody tell me anything about this? It takes huge slides and throws a powerfull beam designed for auditoriums.
    JeffinMNUSA
     

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  2. TD-Tommy776

    TD-Tommy776 Man of Constant Sorrow

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    It looks a bit Steampunk-ish to me. :cool:

    Any manufacturer name and model or serial numbers?
     
  3. JeffinMNUSA

    JeffinMNUSA Member

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    "Gold E manufacturing Co, Chicago USA Anistigmat." And "All purpose Projector 35 mm film strip." There is a serial number but I would have to unscrew the base plate from the case to make it out. AND I found out my Father in Law bought this used some time in the 50s after the period in question. It LOOKS WWII era though-and I am wondering if anybody out there knows anything about it. Then you turn it on and it roars and throws one heck of a beam!
    Thanks
    JEffinMNUSA
     
  4. DocL

    DocL Member

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    I saw a lot of these back in elementary school in the 50s. Used for "educational" filmstrips. I think something similar was used in the military in WW2, but don't know anything about this particular model. Doc
     
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  5. JeffinMNUSA

    JeffinMNUSA Member

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    So it's a film projector then?
     
  6. Biak

    Biak Boy from Illinois Staff Member

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    Jeff, just google - Gold E film projector - and many come up. Some on ehbay $400-$1000. Looks like they could use 3x4" slides and 35mm film. Still looks like a laser weapon out of a Flash Gordon movie :)
     
  7. JeffinMNUSA

    JeffinMNUSA Member

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    Chuck;
    Sure does look Flash Gordon allright. What pranks I could have pulled had I had access to that as a kid-"HEY GUYS!! Wanna burn down Mr Keepoff's garage?!" Kathy says it's an auditorium slide projector and that Louis used to give shows for the neighborhood kids back in the 50s.
    JeffinMNUSA
     

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  8. DocL

    DocL Member

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    Filmstrip, not film. These were short pieces of (usually 35mm) film with varying numbers of still photos on them to project. No moving pictures. Notice that there is no film take-up reel on this one, which makes it pretty definite this is not for movie film. Filmstrips were sort of like an early version of very crude (and not modifiable) power point presentations. Usually fewer than 30 slides on a strip, and stored in small canisters like 35mm film used to come in. The teacher would show the first photo, talk about it, then progress to the next one. As I remember, there were filmstrips on Venereal Disease used in the Army as late as the 1970s, though mostly we had moved to 35mm slides by then. This particular machine looks like it was usable for both large glass slides (rear slot) or filmstrips (front slot), though most of the filmstrip machines I have seen used a vertical feed system for the filmstrips. Doc
     
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  9. TD-Tommy776

    TD-Tommy776 Man of Constant Sorrow

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    Now that you mention it, Doc, I remember those short film strips. This goes way back to my youth. My father was an education director for a church and would bring home a projector (much more plain looking as I recall) to review those type of short strips. It was kind of like a series of slides all on one strip of film. IIRC, the projector had two adapters: one for the film strip and one for the individual slides.
     
  10. LRusso216

    LRusso216 Graybeard Staff Member

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    I was a teacher and remember filmstrips quite vividly. We used them quite frequently, although ours were much simpler than the one Jeff showed.
     
  11. TD-Tommy776

    TD-Tommy776 Man of Constant Sorrow

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    Yeah, Lou, the one I recall was much more pedestrian looking. I suppose the ribbed design on this one is for cooling.

    Jeff, If you ever decide you don't want it any more, send me a PM. I'll be happy to take it off your hands. I'm getting sentimental in my old age.
     

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