Oddity Archive: Episode 246.1 - Ben’s Junk: Sears Whisper-Matic IV Slide Projector
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- čas přidán 14. 09. 2022
- ...and Victorian-era movie theater slides (Ladies Remove Your Hats, etc.).
Hey Buddy, wanna see some early 20th century movie theater slides? Didn’t think so.
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16:24 - Slideshow
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That remote control needs a wire that you don't have. Which is why the pins are male on the bottom side. Was pretty common on VCRs and TVs of the era.
Yeah, it's since dawned on me--just using a cable with the same pinout.
Love your show btw.. I didn't mean my comment to be nitpicky, sorry. Have a great day. 73
I was asleep at the wheel with regards to that one.
"Wear your historian hats, Kids."
But I thought we were supposed to take our hats off. NARF!
I checked and the Whisper-Matic IV was new in the fall of 73' and was gone by 78'...
It started at $108.95,, peaked at $124.50 in 77' and was $109.50 at the end.
It's mostly the Edwardian Era 'cause the Victorian era ended when Victoria died 1901, but that feels like splitting hairs, tbh.
So the Early Aughts?
"Loud Rumbling." IT'S WHISPER QUIET!
Whispering through a 500-watt P.A. system, I guess.
That was a great episode and a great find. After watching it I passed out...and woke up two hours later
Hi, Ben: Having worked with both the Kodak Carousel projectors and projectors similar to this, I can say definitively that the slide trays are *not* interchangeable. Among other differences, the tray that you have is meant to be used vertically and retains slides through the use of tiny springs; the slides are then pushed into the gate by a motorized plunger. The Carousel trays, in contrast, work horizontally, with the projector using gravity to lower the slides into the gate; the slides are retained in the tray by a rotating metal plate that has an aperture over the gate.
the controller probably was wired with a detachable cable, not a wireless remote.
I think Bell & Howell had the "slide cube" system which was much more efficient (volume-wise) for storing slides, but it didn't catch on. An uncle was the only person I knew who had that system.
20:07 When Ben endeared himself to all of us by not hitting us over the head with a good reference.
Happy Oddity Thursday, another week is almost over.
I have have the Montgomery Ward slide projector and it still works, and it’s a rebadged Sawyers 500R slide projector which was made for Montgomery Ward.
The film you see in this video came from a Blackhawk Films slide release on one of the intermission slides, and it features a collection of slides that it was shown during intermissions at a movie theater from 1900 through the 1920’s which was the silent era.
Once again, Benny regales us with another fine display of obsolete technology. 😁
Ben the remote for the Sears Whisper Matic 4 slide projectors remote is not wireless. The unit originally came with a cord about 15 feet long that connected the remote to the the base unit when the remote was not in its dock.
I also recall my first-grade teacher with a similar projector when she brought in the slides from her vacation to Washington DC. I recall it was one where you pushed the button, but at some point I remember one of the slides jamming in the system, and eventually she had to jerry-rig it and move the slide changer manually to get through the rest of the slides.
it is a cabled remote no battery needed so you need to either make a new cable or find one on eBay. also all slide projectors get hot as they have a real light bulb in it. light bulbs get hot. The 'grumpy noise' you hear is the auto focus.
Looks like an Airequip or Sawyers/GAF styled machine, with jam a matic vertical trays. Yes, Kodak Ektagraphic ( pro Carousels) was the av standard back in the day. I used to make six projector shows with those ( pre power point slides)
Ben, I have almost this exact projector in my closet. Down to the vinyl wood details. Mine can take straight or carousel slide trays. I also have a stack loader which allows for putting a stack of untrayed slides in, about forty at a time. More importantly, regarding the remote control: there was an included cable that extended the five pins. You would remove the remote, then plug its pins into the female end and the cable’s male end into the projector.
Now I have to go dig in the closet.
I'm going to hazard a guess that this projector was made for Sears by Nikon, as many aspects of its design are identical to the Nikkormat Autofocus unit that I have. The Nikkormat is slightly fancier, with a thick metal chassis, doors that flip or slide open instead of popping off, and a fancy spring-loaded cord retractor built into the bottom of the unit. It also ditches that old-style lamp for a type FBD lamp, which is more like what you might find in a stage light. But other than that, the remote, advance mechanism, slide editor, autofocus, etc. work basically identically to yours, with differences only in styling and the placement of a couple of the controls.
The "grumpy noise" you're hearing is the autofocus mechanism - the idea is that after you set the focus manually once, the projector will try to fine-tune it for you so that each slide is focused the same way as the first one. That's what the board with the capacitors on it and the little "eye" thing in front of the gate is for.
Regarding the slide trays, Kodak was the odd one out with their carousel trays, which didn't fit anyone else's projectors (as far as I know). Most other manufacturers' projectors, however, could accept each other's trays, either of the carousel type that you have or the older straight type (I have a bunch of Yankee straight trays that I use with my Nikon).
It reminds me of my Kindermann Autofocus slide projector that accepted straight and circular trays, it had a wired remote to control advancement and focus...
The Kodak Carousels are, as you suspected, dead simple. The most difficulty I have with them is forgetting what way to insert the slides. It is a pain, however, to pull all the slides out of the tray to scan them into the computer.
I agree that a Kodak tray is probably compatible. It seems that your remote is missing an extension cord. Does the timer work when it's seated in the tray?
Yes, as seen (well, heard) in the last minutes of the episode.
There was a theater in Downtown Phoenix called FilmBar (which, sadly, became a casualty of the pandemic) that used to show a few of those before movies started.
There is a non zero chance that my mother sold these to people, She worked for Sears from the late 1950s until the late 1980s. (Often in the camera department when not explaining fridges and such, LOL). This looks to be a Circa 1972-1975 item (I guess poring thru the catalogs would pin it down). As was pointed out, there needs to be a hard-wired cable for the control to be "remote". Wireless remotes of the era were acoustic (Hence, the name "clicker") but this one is clearly electrical, so it would have at that time been wired.
3:29 - That font looks like the VHS logo/Charlie's Angels font. Pure 70s!
Here's a Sears catalog page from 1977 showing the Whisper-Matic IV: christmas.musetechnical.com/ShowCatalogPage/1977-Sears-Fall-Winter-Catalog/1206
Well, that kinda sinks my theory that it's from the early '70's. Of course, it could've been on the market for a few years already by '77.
Hey Ben, still here,Thanks for the work...
My parents had this exact same projector and it is from the early 70s. The remote was wired.
19:30 that's a Mark Twain joke - an actual one, not a misappropriation.
It came from a comment Twain wrote under a hotel sign "don't smoke, remember the great Xxxxx fire" - he added that "don't spit, remember the great Yyyy flood"
*watches video*
*passes out*
*makes room for those waiting* don't mind me I passed out
*scrambles to take off my hat*
*hears scramble, sees you taking your hat off right behind me, ducks my tall self lower in seat*
“Bring the children.”
Please, don’t.
You kids, think all remotes are wireless.... :) This was a WIRED remote and needed a cable to attach it to the slide projector! I have one very similar to this one...
See the pinned comment. Total brain fart on my part.
There is a 5 pin connecting chord for the remote
He said these slides were from the years 1900 to 1925. Since Queen Victoria died in 1901, it could JUST BARELY be from the Victoria Era. 😅
Running on the crappy, U.S. slang definition here.
Did Blackhawk simply "restored" those slides from some dead theater somewhere?
"Bring the children," wow that didn't age well
Well, in the early days, kids usually didn’t go to the movies-even though there was little being shown at the time that would’ve been a problem. It was just some theater manager trying to get some extra butts in the seats.
I have the same one but it won’t stop trying to autofocus, and when it’s doing that the remote isn’t able to work. Any ideas on why?
There is no auto focus. The focus has a way of drifting on consumer-grade projectors.
@@OddityArchive mine has an autofocusing motor on it
these slides seem to be hand painted.
Hope today's kids understand that long time ago about the black history. I'm an early gen z which we were taught about how things were different for black people and how the cartoons made things let just say, very strange.
As an X'er, I knew as a little pup that stereotypes were wrong. I also knew very early on that cartoons were never to be taken as reality, and the funnier ones were going to extremely exaggerate everything.
This is how I got into comedy history, and can put up with 100-plus year old records of Vaudeville routines, which are often overloaded with stereotypes. Funny jokes can still be funny, despite the characterization directions it comes from. The cringiest stuff survives more as "lessons for the future" rather than entertainment, exactly like the most obviously problematic cartoons of the past.
💙Just love people, eh!🐶
@@djhrecordhound4391 exactly! ☺
@@GabrielleCenter2000 So true, but strange that some taboo terminologies came back. (i.e. Saying "black" was a swear word until the last couple years, when more extreme "wokeness" took over.)
@@djhrecordhound4391 Yes, I wish some people would stop being sensitive and have a little fun. And speaking of old technology, it makes me feel alive. I respect those who like newer technology but watching Oddity is like freedom. New technology causes radiation but I might eventually need a phone for emergencies or if my mom needs something. :)
Critically re-examine your social conditioning. Different people are different. It's perfectly normal and natural and morally fine to notice and even have fun with that.