Here are some of the finer theatres in California and Nevada. Some are still with us, some are not! Most are faithful NTE customers! 12-01-05 I had to close guestbook due to spammers, sorry!
Date(s): January 9, 2002. Album by Northwest Theatre Equipment Co. Photos by John Eickhof. 1 - 145 of 145 Total. 24718 Visits.
1 Colfax Theatre, Colfax, Cal. Beautifully restored by Wendell Jacob of Davis, Cal.
4 Colfax sound system has DTS, DOLBY, and SONY digital sound plus Ultra Stereo analog sound! Peavey amps.
5 A small display of antique projectors greet customers as they enter the lobby.
6 The auditorium is stadium style (as originally built in 1939) It seats 235 and has Heywood Wakefield deluxe rocking chairs!
7 The waterfall drape covers the large screen!
8 Wendell Jacob, Owner of the Colfax Theatre standing in front of his display.
9 Original Western Electric 1A sound on film / disc projector. Circa 1927 with operating 4 watt sound system!
10 Simplex / RCA portable 35mm arc projector. Circa 1930s
11 Powers 6B projector with Powers incandescent lamp. Circa 1918
12 Simplex Regular (or Standard) with Simplex incandescent lamp. Circa 1921
13 General Electric mercury vapor rectifier unit for low intensity carbon arc lamps. Circa 1911 loaned from collection of John Eickhof
14 A closer view of the Western Electric 1A projector.
15 Early Western Electric theatre sound system. 4 watts total output!
16 Entry into the lobby of the Crest Theatre, Sacramento, Cal.
17 Inner lobby and lounge area at the Crest
18 The Crest booth before upgrades by NTE.
19 They had two Brenkert BX-80 on Motiograph SH-7500 soundheads, and Strong Excelite 135 lamps.
20 Two projector changeover with a bonified IATSE Union Operator!
21 Guy Eriksen, IATSE operator and technician standing next to the upgraded Strong Highlight consoles installed by NTE.
22 The Motiograph soundheads were replaced by Simplex SH-1012 XL soundheads as part of the upgrade.
23 They still have reel-to-reel operation as well as a platter!
24 Crest #2 Projector now with a Simplex XL originally from the booth at Malmstrom AFB, in Montana.
25 Crest #3 with an XL now! This on is from Malmstrom AFB as well.
26 The Delta Theatre, Brentwood, Cal.
27 Delta booth #2 with Dolby system installed by NTE.
28 LP-270 in booth #1.
29 Delta booth #1 sound system before adding DTS digital sound to the recently installed Ultra Stereo system
30 Delta projector #1 is a Simplex XL with Simplex SH-1000 soundhead, CK-20 lamp and LP-270 platter.
31 Equipment installed by NTE and Guy Eriksen at the Magic Theatre, Nevada City, Cal. Simplex E-7, SH-1000, ORC M-1000 Xenon and Kelmar mono sound system.
32 This sytem replaced a worn out 'Mignon' portable 35mm machine! The theatre has 45 seats and specializes in art and foreign films.
33 Guy Eriksen at the controls at the Magic Theatre.
34 Demonstration of digital cinema and digital server unit for world press held at the Colfax Theatre in 2001.L-R Wendell Jacob, Owner, Colfax Theatre. Representative from JVC digital imaging, and Lew Dobbins, Grass Valley Group.
35 JVC D-ILA digital projector set up at the Colfax.
36 Grass Valley Group digital server unit set up for demo.
37 Dolby digital / analog converters and other items used in demo of digital cinema.
38 Lew Dobbins of Grass Valley Group in charge of the demo.
39 Restored front of the Tower Theatre, Roseville, Cal. Originally a Bluminfeld house.
40 The Spangenberg Theatre, Gunn High School, Palo Alto, Cal. NTE re-installed two projector 35mm in the booth after a 25 year absence!
41 The namesake of the Spangenberg Theatre. Theatre was built in 1965 and was equipped with 35mm projection!
42 Looking on stage. The auditorium seats about 550!
43 Looking toward the booth.
44 Looking at the lighting booth under the projection booth.
45 We removed a spotlight port to enable lifting the equipment into the booth!
46 John Eickhof working the tough end of the block and tackle to lift equipment into the booth, the stairway was circular with no room to carry equipment up!
47 Phil Housh attaching lines to equipment to be lifted up to booth.
48 Lifting a lamphouse!
49 Lifting part of a RCA base!
50 Equipment all loaded in, ready for assembly.
51 Looking at the Ultra Stereo processor between the machines
52 Non operating side view
53 Closer view
54 Operating side view, Century C, RCA 9030 soundheads, RCA bases, CH-20 2KW lamps, 6000ft reel capacity, manual changeovers!
55 Jorgen Wedseltoft, Manager of the Spangenberg Theatre with his new equipment!
56 Varsity Theatre, Davis, Cal.
57 Classic 'Varsity' sign!
58 Varsity projector, Century SA, Century R3, CH-20 console with AM-5 automation. One projector, NO platter! Just 6000ft reels with an intermission! It also rolls out of the way for spotlight use!
59 The equipment was moved from the Cinema 2 across the street!
60 The sound system includes DTS digital sound, Dolby CP-65 analog sound, QSC amps!
61 Mark Morgan, Manager of the State Theatre, Woodland, Cal.
62 State Theatre auditorium #1. (original house)
63 State #1 projector before upgades by NTE.
64 State theatre booth #2 (old storefront alongside the outer lobby)
65 Projector #1 after upgrade.
66 Upgraded to 3KW Strong Highlight console, using original Simplex XL, and XL soundhead, and AW-3 platter.
67 State #1 has Dolby digital and analog sound!
68 1940s picture of the booth at the Loyola Theatre, Los Angeles, Cal. Simplex E-7s with Peerless Hy-Candescent condenser type high intensity arc lamps, and two projectionists always on duty! Note the Brenkert F7 master brenograph special effects projector in the forground!
69 Colonial Theatre, Sacramento, CA. Used mainly for live boxing matches on stage, still equipped for film.
70 You don't see marquees like this anymore!
71 Guild Theatre, Sacramento, CA. One of the oldest theatres still standing in Sacramento. It is presently undergoing a multi million dollar renovation back to film use!
72 Built in the early 1900s! The Guild was a showplace!!
73 the Mondavi Centre for the Performing Arts at U.C.Davis, Davis, Ca. Opened Oct. 3, 2002
74 Looking at south side of the center.
75 Wendell showing simularity of 'chip board' to the stone wall panels imported from India!
76 Main lobby
77 Namesake of the main auditorium
78 Main auditorium from stage right. Total seating is approx. 1900
79 Main floor with sound booth at rear under first balcony
80 First & second balcony levels with film projection room on first balcony level.
81 View of the stage from house left
82 View across the auditorium showing box seats
83 View of the stage area
84 Imported sandstone panels including old fossil impressions! Cut out is for surrround speaker
85 Projection is Simplex PR-1014 w/ 5-star reverse scan soundheads, Strong 4kw. consoles, reel to reel operation.
86 Wendell Jacob, of Davis California, donated the film projection equipment for the Mondavi Center. NTE Co. was the dealer / installer.
87 Kelmar rewind unit in place. 6ooo ft. Goldberg Reels will be used for showing film. Not shown is the sound system, it is a Ultra Stereo JS-200 processor, and USL Monitor, feeding into the house sound system.
88 Gear side of projector #1
89 Projector #2
90 View across the front of the projectors
91 Longer shot of projector #2
92 View from the auditorium
93 Parking garage for the Mondavi Center
94 TheSacramento Memorial Auditorium, Built in 1927 Originally seating 4500 people! Only one film was ever shown, 'Old Ironsides' a silent 1927 film shown on Powers #6 projectors on opening night! (accompanied by the existing 50 rank pipe organ!) NTE was employed to install a permanent 35mm sound projection system in Sept. 2002! The building covers the better part of a whole city block!
95 Outer main lobby
96 Inner lobby
97 House left looking from stage
98 House right looking from stage
99 House center rear, seating is now about 3500!
100 Main proscenium from house left, NTE installed a 24ft by 48ft flying screen too!
101 looking from projection room to stage
102 Motorized chime roll unit. (plays Star Spangled Banner)
103 Motor generator set for tower Chimes
104 Time clock unit for the tower chimes
105 l-r Noelle Young, Guy Eriksen, Wendell Jacob and Andy Field in background in the pipe organ blower room.
106 one of the pipe chambers
107 The main floor (115ft wide by 160ft long is able to 'tilt' from level to approx. 7 degree slope towards stage!! Huge steel undercarriage supports the all hardwood florr! The floor is tilted by huge hydraulic rams! Quite a feat for 1927!!
108 Hydraulic rams (four total)
109 massive support beam with stabilizing jackscrew in center. (This keeps the two hydraulic rams synchronized)
110 Hydraulic control panel for raising & lowering floor
111 Spotlight / projection room
112 Original script on projection room wall documenting the opening night and the film as well as projectionists who ran it!!
113 1920s motor generator in the room next to the booth.
114 Some of the equipment in the booth during installation
115 Finished booth! Two Simplex E-7s, RCA MI-9030 soundheads, Peerless Type F 'Magnarc' lamps fitted with 8mm Negative x 9mm Positive carbons running ath 90 amps DC!
116 The booth equipment was donated by Guy K. Eriksen & M.K. (Mac) Wurtsbaugh, both old time projectionists in the Sacramento area. (Local Union #252, now #50) The sound is a mono Kelmar AS-8200 50 watt system driving an Altec A-4 'Voice of the theatre' Speaker
117 Heres a candid shot of Guy at the controls!
118 l-r Noelle Young, Chairperson of the 'Friends of the Memorial Auditorium' and John Eickhof, President, NTE Co., Inc. Noelle was instrumental in making this job go to completion!
119 l-r Guy Eriksen and Nolelle Young
120 Up in the attic over the main auditorium.
121 Little Theatre entry. The Little theatre is a rehearsal theatre as well as a seperate entity for smaller productions.
122 Little theatre main doors
123 View from stage right in little theatre
124 The Little Theatre seats approx. 275
125 Very tall proscenium! in the Little Theatre
126 Hall of war memorials
127 Sign along Greenback Lane at the entrance to the Sunrise Drive-In theatre, Citrus Heights (Sacramento) Cal.The theatre is still operating (without snack bar!)
128 The box-office has been stripped of it's entry roof!
129 The snack bar & booth building looking from the box-office
130 View of the screen from the box office
131 Booth and former snack bar & restrooms
132 Most of the drive-in is surrounded by a cemetery!
133 The screen is 88 feet high by 104 feet wide, scope pix is 50ft high by 104 ft wide!
134 The lot was designed for 1150 cars!!
135 Fuad P. (Fred) Gabriel, Owner of the Drive in since 1965!
136 This was the snack bar untill roof leaks closed it in 1995!
137 More of the snack bar area!
138 Guy rummaging through debris in the snack bar!
139 The booth has a Xetron 4kw lamp, Century DAW on a RCA 9030.
140 Main power panels and the Xetron Rectifier.
141 Old 'Best' Automatic rotating slide projector
142 John trying to stave off the sweat! He had just replaced the bulb igniter in the lamphouse. It was 102 degrees that day!
143 This is the 'homemade' FM stereo sound?????
144 Guy Eriksen holding a thoroughly rusted century intermittent! Another casualty of the leaky roof!
145 Guy holding another rusty part! The Sunrise Drive-In was demolished in summer of 2005. Only one Drive in left in the Sacramento valley..The Marysville Drive in will be gone by December 2005.
