ROSS GC with PEERLESS MAGNARC converted Arc Lamp and RCA Photophone Sound Serial No. 5839

The GC projector was a popular projector produced by Ross Ltd. of London. These machines could be found in many ABC cinemas, Granada Theatres and Essoldo cinemas. This exhibit is particularly important as it shows the versatility of the Ross with the expansion of cinema technology experienced in the 1950’s. With the introduction of 3-D those employing the Ross FC and GC could easily adapt to 4000ft. spool boxes (as this one illustrates) for the longer running left hand/right hand prints. On the introduction of CinemaScope with its four-track magnetic sound the fitting of the magnetic cluster below the upper spool box was possible without much alteration to the projector.

The exhibit shows this arrangement (the magnetic sound head has yet to be fitted) as with Anamorphic lens (all so to be fitted). The Peerless arc lamp fitted to this machine is standard as many FC’ and GC’s had to have a greater intensity light source than the usual Ross lamp that came with these projectors. This Peerless rescued from the Gaeity Cinema, Bristol before demolition and is a xenon conversion.

 

ROSS GC PICTURE & SOUND HEADS
Optical Sound head Model LM1 Ser. No. 2378
Magnetic Sound head Model LM1 90164 Ser.No. 80528

From the top spool box downwards the first item (not pictured yet) was the four track magnetic sound head. Within this head were film smoothing rollers and from there to film passed over the magnetic cluster head which had four 'pick-up' heads corresponding to the four tracks on the film (LH-Centre-RH and ambient or 'effects' track). From the magnetic sound head the film passed as normal through the film gate and onto the optical Sound head. At this time (1953/4) cinemas fitted with Cinemascope would also be showing the occasional 'Academy' ratio films, the more recent 'wide screen' films and of course Cinemascope. Each ratio had it's own aperture-plate and this had to be changed according to the film to be shown. On the Ross GC this required the side runner to be removed via two small screws, the plate changed and side runner replaced. Simple yes, but you try it when a reel had just come off and the film gate was more than warm. One had to have asbestos fingers.

The optical sound head was a standard RCA Photophone which was the normal set up one would usually find with Ross GC's and were an excellent unit as of course was RCA sound.

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PEERLESS MAGNARC Xenon Converted A5-57AA
Converted from Carbon Arc to Xenon by Thorn Lighting Ltd. circa 1980

This particular Xenon is not originally part of the Ross GC on which it is mounted but has been used to show how the GC looked in the early days of Cinemasacope.

This xenon was rescued from the Gaiety in Wells Road, Bristol after the cinema had closed and has been lost forever. Apart of preserving something from that well-loved cinema the lamp has enabled an authentic GC to be exhibited correctly.

It is thought the Lamp was converted in the early 1980's though no record exists. The advantage of course was a totally different light projected more powerful and some say more true but of course others have differing views. Xenon is mostly used today and one can see that basically the principle is the same as that of Carbon Arc except the current is now passed between Anode and Cathode and it is incorporated into a glass envelope. Extreme care is required when handling Xenon lamps and they are never viewed directly with the naked eye.