Page 5 - RD_2023-03

The idea of creating a worldwide market for THEN CAME THE GREAT
home movies was vigorously pursued by DEPRESSION - A devastating drop in sales.
George Eastman and his Kodak Company
with rapid improvements in their camera and But now a new technology in the form of
projector design and the precision equipment Talking Pictures offers new hope to the
needed to meet the ever increasing demand for industry – if they can afford it. By the early
Kodak film. 1930s the two big companies – Western
electric and RCA are leading the field with
The cost of all this progress was reflected in excellent optical sound systems to record and
the price of the end product, so home movie reproduce sound – at a price. In 16mm – Bell
making was generally regarded as a rich man’s
hobby – with vast quantities of film consumed
on world tours.

A cheaper range of 16mm equipment was
being produced by other manufactures and this
created a broader market that still boosted
Kodak film sales like the new 16mm colour
film called Kodacolor released for the
American market in 1928. (This was replaced
by Kodachrome in 1933).

This early Ampro Sound Projector (c. 1933) proved
to be a very robust design with this machine giving
sterling service for over 40 years.
Below: The Speaker Case Grill proudly carries the
AMPRO badge in the New Vogue style of the 1930.

The HAND CRANKED 16mm Keystone Projector was
cheaper again and although a “Silent” projector, it
has a single row of teeth on the feed and take-up
sprocket and a single twin vertical claw that would
enable it to run Sound Film. Perhaps they were
planning for a sound conversion kit in the future –
mmm – interesting.

REEL DEALS June 2023 5