Magnaphonic 35mm projectors like these were used as a pair. During a screening, the projectionist seamlessly changed film rolls between projectors, loading all ‘even’ reels on one projector and ‘odd’ reels on the other projector.
This one was used in the small town of Tumbarumba, nestled in the shadow of the Snowy Mountains. From around 1959 until 1965, it was operated by William James Burnell Newman, who ran Valley Theatres. It’s representative of early 20th-century Australian cinema equipment and would’ve been used before TV kickstarted the demise of country theatres in the mid-60s.
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Collection
In ACMI's collection
On display until
16 February 2031
ACMI: Gallery 1
Credits
Collection metadata
ACMI Identifier
E000259
Curatorial section
The Story of the Moving Image → Moving Pictures → MI-04. Materiality → MI-04-C03
Object Types
3D Object
Projection equipment/Film and television equipment