Alexander Barnett's letter - October 12, 2001
Hi Alan,
A funny thing happened today on the way to lunch. I was walking along a sidewalk in LA when I spotted
a man and woman selling things in an empty lot by the side of their car. Most of their things appeared
to be junk but something caught my eye, a Bell & Howell projector. I passed by and thought nothing of
it, but then I thought about you and your collection and that incredible book you wrote. So, later that
day I walked back and took a closer look at the projector, not something I would normally be interested
in, but your book gave me cause to think that a projector like that is a part of American history in the
way it changed how families recorded their everyday activities to treasure years later. I can remember
my parents showing my brother and me home movies of their time together before we were born, and
of course, after. My first Christmas, my first trip to Hungary, my first haircut, etc.
It occurred to me that no one passing by in that part of LA would see any value in that little projector
and because of you I felt like I should at least rescue it from possible destruction when the current
owner might not find a buyer and simply tire of its useless bulk.
Knowing that I had the edge in bargaining since I'm probably the only one to give it a serious look in this
age of VHS and 8 mm, I examined it closely and was amazed to find that it was in excellent, frankly,
mint condition, but of course given the location, there was no way to know if it actually worked, but the
exterior case and inside showed not even a scratch! It was even in its original box with like-new owner's
manual, not one page had so much as a crease or fold, just slightly faded over time.
The woman wanted $15.00, I said I only had $8.00 (which was true and I figured if it didn't work when I
got it home, I was only out a few dollars). She even admitted she wouldn't get another offer, I knew
she'd accept, and she did.
I hauled the box back to my car and eventually set it up in my kitchen giving it a cleaning with a damp
cloth. I was amazed at the fact there were no scratches, dents, no damage at all, as though it had just
come from the factory. Using a brush, I cleaned the slight dirt/dust from the inside, but that took less
than a minute. All the while I was impressed with its pristine condition.
Then came the moment of truth, I plugged it in and held my breath as I flipped the switch.
WRRRRRRR, the fan motor worked, a promising sign. From the mid-position, I flipped the switch
upward and the light illuminated the far wall and I was smiling. Pushing the forward/reverse lever, all the
parts moved.
It's as if this projector had been kept in a time capsule somewhere. The woman had said it was only
used once, but I thought she was just being the "used car" salesman. I believe I still have a Super 8 film
I had to make for a film class in college, haven't watched it 13 years. I'm going to dig it out of a box and
watch it. The next time I to travel to Boston, I'll dig through some boxes I have there at my Mom's
nearly completed house and find that film I was in (remember I made it with a talented friend in 7th
grade). I know that's on Super 8. That'll be fun to watch a younger me.
I wanted to share today's unusual find with you because you inspired me to look at the projector in a
way I wouldn't have had I not seen your collection a few years ago and more importantly, seen the work
and dedication you put into your fantastic book that covers so well the role of the home movie camera in
American culture. I will take great care of this projector as I have my manual typewriters, check writers,
and adding machine. I also have some old still cameras.
Now when I invite a friend over to watch a new DVD, I'll have the projector in the middle of the living
room and watch the look on their faces when they think I'm going to use that instead!
By the way, how much would this projector have sold for when it was new? What year would that have
been? And what would its value be now?
Hoping all is well with you,
Alexander