Page 9 - RD_2021-06a

Left: The working side. Note
the inverted motor.

Phillip Grace on the
phone: He had contacted a
Bell & Howell collector in
Chicago and had traced
the original owner of my
2709 Serial No. 991. A
photo copy of the
documents was in the
post. The papers show that
the camera was finished
on 4/3/31 and sold on the
same day to Major Dooley
of 3333 Belmont Avenue,
Chicago. Listed were the
Yes!" Keith Kanaar on the phone: "Kev, look camera details and accessories supplied,
you won't believe this; I was visiting a mate's including I oz. of watch oil and a one drop
place the other day and in his garage I noticed oilcan. No price was shown. The papers also
a little black wooden box with a Bell & Howell show that the Major returned the camera 12
shield on it, and knowing your interest in Bell days later to have the optical sound recording
& Howell gear I asked him what was in it. "It's system installed in the camera with associated
just an old camera motor, from a 2709 I think. modifications. And there the trial ends. Who
Why, are you interested in it? "No", I said, was the Major and how did he use the camera?
"but I know someone who would be, and he I would love to know. How the camera got to
would be very happy to pay you for it". "No", Australia and its history since then also
said my mate. "Tell him he can have it!" "So remains a mystery.
it's on its way up to you ." Again the Gods
were smiling. In May of last year I spent two days in
Canberra as a guest of the National Film and
The "Thank you" notes and the pack and post Sound Archive. I had located two reels of our
costs were sent by return mail. Yes, it was a missing cinema heritage and was given the
variable speed Cinemotor for a 2709, but grand tour of the Archives in appreciation. The
something was wrong, it did not want to attach last hour of the visit was spent in the film vaults
to the camera in the normal way - the at Mitchell and for the last 15 minutes we did a
attachment fittings were wrong, and the motor hasty tour of the old equipment store-a
was also hitting the sound recording assembly. wonderland of Sound and Cinema history. I
Then the penny dropped. The fittings on this could have spent a month there! Row after row,
motor were made to attach it upside down on
the camera in order to clear the sound
recording assembly. I doubt there's another
single system 2709 in Australia, so this had to
be the original motor that came with my
camera.
Right: The Prizmatic focusing viewfinder from
NFSA. The knob on the right is for parallax
adjustment and the dovetail wedge on top could
have held a direct open-frame viewfinder for fast
moving sports
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