Tag Archives: Chicago

brother, can you spare $2.98 US?

Posted on October 24, 2023 by Robert

Toronto. Post WW2, any miniature camera was usually called a ‘spy’ camera. Many American marketing companies brought in finished cameras from Occupied Japan and flogged them State-side. Usually the cameras were claimed to be ‘precision’ or ‘precision-made’ although most were … Continue reading →

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ya seen one …

Posted on September 5, 2022 by Robert

Toronto. …ya seen ’em all! Or so a cynic might say. And with reason. Broadly speaking, cameras, cars, computers – and any other mass produced thing  begins to look the same as its stable mates. To a critical eye, they … Continue reading →

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hey, Stewart – let’s make a movie

Posted on March 6, 2022 by Robert

Toronto. I always thought Stewart-Warner made meters and gauges. But no, they also briefly made movie cameras before the company was reorganized and transformed into a winner from a loser. The gory details of the company and its rebirth are … Continue reading →

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a weighty solution

Posted on February 26, 2022 by Robert

Toronto. This advertisement in the May 1933 issue of American Cinematographer touted an amazing sound system by DeVry – less than 150 pounds of camera, film, and sound equipment! All available just five years after the ‘talkies’ burst on the … Continue reading →

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will that be 8 or 16?

Posted on January 18, 2022 by Robert

Toronto. Bell & Howell was a respected name in Hollywood movie equipment. For home movies, they used the “Filmo” brand. In the March 1940 issue of Popular Mechanics, B&H advertised both the 8mm and the 16mm versions of their Filmo … Continue reading →

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De Cry of a desert victory

Posted on December 30, 2021 by Robert

Toronto. When America joined in against the Axis in WW2, the Hollywood studios and British studios made movies to support government involvement (and keep some actors at home).  The scene at left is a still promoting the movie “Desert Victory” … Continue reading →

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all aboard the gravy train

Posted on November 4, 2021 by Robert

Toronto. In the post WW2 years, photography grew in leaps and bounds: new amateurs, colour, slides, movies, etc. and all with easier, better ways to succeed as a photographer. The Chicago company, SVE, too wanted to profit from the enthusiasm … Continue reading →

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a shot in the dark

Posted on September 20, 2021 by Robert

Toronto. In Chicago of 1949, execution of notorious, James ‘Mad-Dog’ Morelli, made newspaper head lines because contrary to American law, the man’s execution was captured on film. This was about two decades after a similar incident in New York State’s … Continue reading →

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if at first you don’t succeed …

Posted on August 8, 2021 by Robert

Toronto. … try and try again! And that is what Spartus did. A new name?A new town? A new camera style? The company began around 1934 in NYC as the Utility Manufacturing Company. It moved to Chicago in the 1940s … Continue reading →

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it’s a date – don’t be late

Posted on July 25, 2021 by Robert

Toronto. Home movie cameras were offered before, during, and after WW2. The top end models were the Bolex line from Europe and the Bell and Howell (B&H) line made in Chicago. Cheaper models were made and sold by Kodak. A … Continue reading →

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