Michael's post inspired me to provide a link to this rather odd looking projector from the 1970's:

http://www.retrothing.com/2009/09/tondo-...uh-curvier.html



The photo (and article) are courtesy of the Retro Thing website. A very cool place that focuses on vintage gadgets and tech. They have some film related posts that I think will be on interest to our members.

That's too cool! Would have to have some episodes of Mork & Mindy if you owned that one!

Not a bad looking retro TOY projector.

How about these ...

Or this classic ...

Granted the Tondo was more of a toy than anything but maybe it inspired a youngster of that era to begin film collecting (and maybe still so to this day.)

We had toy projectors in this country, I bought my nephew one; on the box it said 'Bob Monkhouse's Mad Mad Movies. If I remember correctly it was a TV show he did. The projector was very poor, battery operated. Standard 8, came with a 50ft film of 'Bugles in the Afternoon' from the Mountain range.

We had a few toy type projectors here in the States as well Robert. One brand sold would usually come with a cartoon or sports reel (American football highlights.)

This was my very first projector back around 1970, it's a non singing non dancing CASDON standard 8mm. It came with 50' spools of Keystone Cops/ Charlie Chaplin/Laurel & Hardy/Tweety Pie etc. My Dad worked for Casdon in Blackpool at the time, he even got me the 12" plastic freestanding screen that went with it. It sounded like a bus and interfered with the TV but it's what got me hooked

That's great Del; I had to make do with slide projectors, it was still great to see a huge picture projected onto the wall; it was all leading up to the time I could buy my first projector; the realisation of a long held dream.

Robert, my dream in the 70's was being able to watch the Wizard Of Oz and King Kong on a screen, I bought a 200' silent King Kong from Mountain films around 1979 and when it came it was super 8mm, obviously it didn't work on the Casdon, however I used to pull the film through with the light on just to see the images on the screen. I had just started work so then decided to buy a Super 8mm projector from my mum's Littlewoods catalogue and there the obsession started, although how because my first super 8mm projector was a Cinerex and it destroyed my beloved King Kong

Robert I too had slide projectors before I got my first film one.
Was yours something like this ?

My first TOY FILM projector was something like this ...but a Black one.

Those ELMO's haven't improved much have they?

Hugh ... How could you ? Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That little machine that Doug shows, the "horrible" Horipet projector, it had a light output, the equivalent of a lit cigarette
and was just better than many at putting hundreds of scratches on your films, it was like trying to watch a movie through a
fly curtain, but it led the way for me to a great hobby.

Del had the very same one I had first in early 70's!! Amazing!!! Ha ha ha.

Somewhere on here I posted I photo of it. No rewind facility, you had to turn the reels around.
6v motorcycle bulb and the equivalent brightness to a torch.....I loved it!!! Ha ha ha.

Mine came from Kay's catalogue for a Xmas pressie from mum and dad and initially I had 2 x 50ft silent shorts to go with it Woodpecker from Mars and Do You Like Snow, both b/ w.
In the box the projector came with was a 30ft short of Tweetie Pie in colour!!!!!, WOW! Ha ha ha.
I wish my dad had worked for Casdon instead of being a printer in the days Sogat had clout. Ha ha ha.
Anyhow Casdon should have been paid a kings ransom by the likes of Elmo and Derann.
Here we still are, Del and I, buying cine gear to this day, still keen as ever!

Incidentally, it was noisier than the Beaulieu, the Casdon could handle 200ft of film, the Beaulieu 2200ft! ..go figure??

It was my Dads brother, my uncle Fred that pointed it out to me in the catalogue. Before that I was showing him one of those kids slide projectors with cartoons on a strip of card.
"Here you go r Andrew," he said. "This is what you want, a cinematograph!" He termed it as.
And the rest as they say, is now history. I do hope somehow he's watching down on me now with the films, he'd have loved to have seen a few I'm certain.

My Dad told me of the time my Uncle Fred had brought a top title home from the cinema where he had been working! Ha ha ha. He took it back the next day somehow without anyone realizing what he'd done but apparently he showed that film somehow in my Gran and Grandads house to my Dad, his other brothers and a few of his mates! A rum old bugger was my Uncle Fred!
Ah happy days eh.


It were very very late last night sorry when Speed ended. I will put SS's on here today though sorry.

Andrew your Uncle Fred was right they are ALL CINEMATOGRAPHS regardless of who
makes 'em !!!

Your right with the light output on the Casdon Andrew, I could pull King Kong through it with the light on and it didn't damage the film Dad got me a few 50' reels although at times I bet he wished he hadn't, I sat hour after hour transfixed to the small plastic screen loving the Keystone Kops and Tweety Pie, wasn't that keen on Charlie Chaplin, can still picture them now

I finished up with around 10 x 50ft silent films for this before getting the dual gauge silent Cinerex 707. Ghidrah The Three Headed Monster was my favourite as it was a 200 footer and my mates thought it was great!

Already by the time I had the 707 in the mid to late 70's, standard 8mm films were becoming hard to find from the places I shopped for films in and around Manchester.

I like the sound of your Uncle Fred Andrew, he was steering you in the right direction.

He was a real character Hugh, a big hearted hard nut, a bit like yourself Hugh. The Brothers (of which there were five of them..big families in those days) went around like the krays ha ha. Did no one any harm though...unless you did any to any of them or their women! The Woody's were a great great family to grow up amongst!

I will dig out an old b/w photo of them all together tomorrow, you'll see instantly what i mean!
The one I'm thinking of is of them all on a night out with their girls (my mum included of course) and my dear old Dad for some reason is laughing with a parrot sat on his shoulder. Belle Vue Ballroom it was taken in.

It was my Gran & Grandads golden wedding anniversary in 72. 50 years married, Fred organized the buffet apparently, smoked salmon, Moet the lot. No bugger had any money in those days but he somehow managed to "obtain" this silver platter buffet fit only for royalty from the airport I believe. Ha ha ha ha.

That was fred for you, a proper rum bugger if ever there was one!

If it was fit for royalty, then it was right for his Mam & Dad!

Being a fan of Fantasy & Horror, the publications like Monster World and Famous Monsters of Filmland had the Capt. Co. ads for
various masks, films and projectors, my favourite being the "Thunderbird", which was actually a Brumburger projector that ran on
electricity and wasn't really a toy, it had a capacity of 200', but I loved this machine. My Mother at the time ran a catalogue, it was
the '60s equivalent of Amazon then for many people, but the catalogues were full of Kodak projectors that I drooled over, there was
no way I could afford one as a school lad, but I could dream.

I was the same in 81 when I saw the latest Minolta sound camera and deluxe projector in my Mums catalogue back then. i had paper round including Sunday mornings. I put a market stall away after school for £5 a week....but still ...in my dreams Hugh, in my dreams... sigh

At least now, we're all living the dream!!

Based on your last comment there Del, regarding being "transfixed".., that my friend, is why we are still here today! ...Loving every single minute of it!!