by Monica Chamness
Staff Writer
In the days preceding World War I, a new form of entertainment was sweeping the country. People were flocking to movie theaters to see silent films or newsreels on the big screen.
Now, Jacksonville native Caren Sandusky wants to preserve a small piece of history from that era. She is trying to find a home for a vintage movie projector with parts dating to 1909.
With a zest for antiques, Sandusky bought the projector 18 years ago, but has run out of room for the bulky piece. She is hoping to preserve the history of the projector and the prolific local filmmaking era it represents by making it available to a local museum or public building.
“This piece can’t be put on a shelf,” said Sandusky. “It needs a bigger space than what I have. I would take a fraction [of the asking price] to have it where it would be seen and enjoyed.”
During World War II, Sandusky’s father worked as a projectionist, stimulating her interest in the industry.
“I love old cameras,” explained Sandusky of why she acquired the projector. “As a video producer, there is not much antique equipment you can use. I bought it with the intention of using it. We cleaned and restored it, incorporating it into our inventory. It’s impressive the way older things are designed.”
Dubbed Betty Boop by Sandusky, it is a Simplex 35 mm projector. She spotted the disassembled projector at an auction with pieces split into two piles. After winning the bid, Sandusky set about restoring it. It took years for her to collect the missing pieces.
Despite its age and use, the equipment is still fully operational. When silent films gave way to sound, the projector was fashioned with sound heads to run more modern films. The equipment can even show current films by adding a platter to accommodate lengthier pieces.
“It takes 20-minute reels,” she said. “This can run any movie out there except 70 mm. The most understandable use of the thing would be private screenings.”
Betty Boop has served Sandusky well in one primary capacity: it has been converted to run heart catharization films. Legal videos, training tapes, construction and government films are some of Sandusky’s other projects.
Her intention for the projector is not to put it back in production, though. Because the antique parts would eventually wear out, there would only be a slim chance to replace them. A placard on the side of the projector indicates that it was rebuilt in 1944.
“There are models from the 1920s and 1930s that are heavily in use today,” she said. “The designers added parts to improve them.”
Well before giant multiplexes became the trend, single movie theaters functioned as both a source of entertainment and information long before television become a staple in American homes.
Today, America’s love affair with movies continues, but in a different way. Forgotten is the role that antique film projectors played in the fabric of American lives and the former glory of Jacksonville’s film making history.
In the early 1900s, producers were drawn to Florida’s agreeable climate to film movies. Oliver Hardy [of the comedy team Laurel and Hardy] got his start in Jacksonville, portraying a character in “Outwitting Daddy.” He learned his craft at the producer’s Riverside studio. A shift in regional public policy prompted movie producers to relocate to California.
Sandusky wants to recapture the spirit of Jacksonville’s early movie days by keeping the projector in town.
“It would be a shame for it to stay in storage,” she said. “It would look beautiful in the new library.”
To help preserve the past, she has been marketing the projector to library associations, city governments, museums and large corporations worldwide. The Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History has expressed an interest in the piece.
“I’ve heard from all over the country but I haven’t heard from anyone in Jacksonville,” she said. “It’s smart for a city to protect its heritage. I’ve seen this city level just about everything of historical significance. As I’ve driven through downtown and watched what’s going on, I noticed Jacksonville planners will knock down the old and make way for the new. Jacksonville’s idea of preservation is saving one corner and building a new building and having the audacity to call it renovation. It’s a disgrace.”