THE BELL
& HOWELL 2709
Bell &
Howell Company, Chicago, Illinois 1912 - 1958
The
Bell & Howell Company was formed in Wheeling, Illinois in
1907, by Donald Joseph Bell, a motion
picture promoter and projectionist and Albert
Summers Howell, an engineer and machinist. Both had previously worked
together, repairing motion picture machines and this would continue under the
new company. During this period,
Chicago, New Jersey, New York and to some degree Jacksonville, Florida, became
the earliest areas of motion picture production before the migration of
filmmakers to Hollywood.
Albert Howell made patented improvements to the frame
registration mechanism on George K. Spoor's Kinodrome projector (Patent No.
862,559 dated August 6, 1907), which had originally been built by Donald Bell
for Spoor about 1897/1898:
Source:
U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
Source:
U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
Per an article in The
International Photographer, April,1929, the company's first
hand-cranked 35mm motion picture camera was referred to as their "Box
Model Camera". Equipped with 200-foot internal magazines, it was built in
late 1907 and sent to Essanay Studios.
Essanay, founded that same
year in Chicago by George K. Spoor and Gilbert M. Anderson, was originally
known as the Peerless Film Manufacturing Company. On August 10, 1907, the name
was changed to Essanay, the name derived from Spoor's and Anderson's first
initials "S" and "A".
Constructed with a wooden body typical of professional cameras of
the day, only eight were reportedly built:
Bell & Howell's first 35mm motion
picture camera, the Model A from 1907
As to why the camera's construction changed, Jack Fay
Robinson's book, Bell & Howell
Company, A 75 Year History states that "The first Bell &
Howell cinematograph camera was produced in 1910. It was made entirely of wood and covered with
black leather. The following year, moving picture explorers, Martin and Osa
Johnson, wrote that their camera had been destroyed by termites and mildew in
Africa." This version of the story has been challenged, by the suggestion
that the Johnsons hadn't traveled to Africa before 1920. Whatever the real truth, this first model was
short-lived and Bell & Howell was determined to build a more indestructible
camera. As seen below, Martin Johnson
would go on to use the new 2709:
From The American Cinematographer,
October, 1931
The
new 2709 B was made of cast aluminum weighing about 27 pounds, with the now
familiar "Mickey Mouse ears" shaped film magazines. The silhouette of
these style magazines, whether mounted on a Bell & Howell or a Mitchell, is
and forever will be Hollywood's most iconic symbol.
Below,
Jackson Rose, ASC, is shown with one of the very first 2709's. The first 2709's (reportedly twelve) were produced
with heavier turrets and a number of other design differences that would change
on subsequent cameras. This heavier
turret is evident in the clipping below:
From The International Photographer, April, 1929
Introduced
by 1912, the 2709 incorporated such state of the art features as a 4-lens
turret, permitting the quick change of lenses simply by rotating the desired
one into position. It also featured a film registration system whereby each
frame was drawn in by a claw mechanism and held steady by the gate during
exposure. Equipped with its standard Unit-I shuttle movement, it was also
offered with an Ultra-Speed
Attachment (high-speed movement). Later on, the 2709 DD model made specifically
for high-speed work, came standard with this movement which was capable of 200
frames per second. Reportedly, only
twelve of these Model DD's were built.
The
2709 was also equipped with a unique sliding-rack tripod mount. This feature permitted the camera to be slid
over, so that critical focusing could take place through the selected taking
lens in its filming position. The selected lens was then rotated 180 degrees,
now being set in the taking position when the camera was slid back.
From The American Cinematographer,
February 1, 1922
Through the years, many changes were made to
the 2709 by Bell & Howell and by others, all aimed at improving the camera
in a variety of applications. With the
advent of the Mitchell Camera and the Mitchell Standard 35mm's, many of
Mitchell's components such as viewfinders and matte boxes were found to be
easier to use and many were adapted to fit the 2709 over time. One example was Bell & Howell's original
viewfinder for the 2709. When viewing through it, the image was inverted as one
would experience when using a still view camera. Introduced later on,
Mitchell's Erect Image Viewfinder reversed the image to correct this problem
and it became very popular with 2709 cameramen.
Charlie Chaplin used the Bell & Howell extensively, eventually
equipping his 2709's with Mitchell viewfinders and other components.
The 2709 was hand-cranked at 16 frames per second, which
was the industry standard at that time. In 1920, Bell & Howell introduced
their Cinemotor as an option to
hand-cranking. The Cinemotor attached at
the camera's rear, as seen below in a 1923 advertisement:
From the American
Cinematographer August, 1923
With the Cinemotor and the Ultra Speed Attachment, higher
frame speeds could be realized. Later
on, improvements were also made to the lens angle indicator. Bell & Howell's original footage counter
with tiny graduations, was difficult to read and of limited use. With the advent of Veeder counters that could
be mounted in conjunction with the crank handle or to the motor port at rear,
film production and documentation was greatly enhanced. Special effects, such as a double exposures
in transitioning from one scene to another, could now be achieved with a higher
degree of accuracy. This saved time, reduced costs and resulted in less wasted
film. Larger capacity 1,000-foot
magazines would also become available.
Most 2709's contain Bell & Howell's trademark badge
with the company's name, serial number and model number, sometimes accompanied
by another plate noting additional patents.
Today, these two plates help in establishing the date of manufacture,
and to whom the camera was originally sold.
The camera's serial number can also be found stamped on
the camera's top, beneath where the film magazine mates to the body. Having the serial number in several areas
helps to reaffirm a camera's identity and provides at least one number should
the factory badge be missing.
Reproduction badges for Bell & Howell equipment are available,
although some lack the refinement of a factory original:
Reproduction Bell & Howell
manufacturer's tag
Original
Bell & Howell manufacturer's tag
(note the more refined lettering)
The 2709 quickly became the new Hollywood standard around
1916, having eclipsed the equally famous Pathe Professional 35mm then in
widespread use since about 1908. By
1919, almost all Hollywood production was being undertaken with the 2709. It was said to have cost about as much as an
average home in 1918, making it available to the select few wealthy enough to
afford one. Charlie Chaplin was among
those that purchased the 2709 (No.
227) and his Charlie Chaplin Studios (1919-1953) would go on to own at least
four of them. Famous actress, producer
and studio owner Mary Pickford purchased No. 230. The 2709's reputation and
reliability was second to none, but with the introduction of the Mitchell
Standard 35mm and the transition from silent movies to "talkies", the
2709's inherently noisy film gate became a problem for sound production. Efforts were made to silence the 2709, either
by encasing it within a sound-proofed booth, or by wrapping the camera in
blankets referred to as "barneys". Eventually, most studios
transitioned to the Mitchell 35mm which had a quieter movement. Later on, some Bell & Howell and Mitchell
cameras would substitute metal gears with phenolic (laminated resin composite)
gears to further reduce the sound. Many
Mitchell's were "blimped" by encasing them
within a sound retardant metal clamshell.
Even as the 2709's popularity waned in Hollywood, it still remained in
use for animation and special effects work well into the 1980's. For all its improvements and modifications,
the camera's basic design remained virtually unchanged over the course of its
approximate 46-year production run.
The example shown here, Bell & Howell 2709 B, Serial No.797, no longer retains its
original footage counter. It's equipped
with the Unit I shuttle movement, a 170-degree shutter, a Mitchell viewfinder
and a 2709-compatible motor that is unidentified as to maker. As shown in Bell & Howell's sales record
for Serial No. 797 shown below, this 2709 was sold to Paramount Famous Lasky, Times Square, New York, New York, on
September 29, 1927:
My Sincere Thanks to Michael Madden of handcrankcameras.com
for providing a copy of the factory record for this 2709
The Paramount
Famous Lasky Corporation had just been established in September, 1927, when
this camera was purchased by them. The
studio would operate under this name for three years, after which time the name
changed to Paramount Publix Corporation. By 1936, the studio would be known as Paramount Pictures, Inc., known today
as Paramount Pictures Corporation or
just Paramount.
Paramount
Famous Lasky Corporation's West Coast Studios....the
building still stands today
Paramount
Pictures Bronson Gate
A plate affixed to the 2709 featured here, has patent
dates of September 17, 1912 ("Motion Picture Machine") and February
13, 1917 ("Film Magazine for Cinematograph or Motion Picture
Cameras"). These patents covered
the 2709's movement and a safety gate that automatically closed, when the
camera's side door was opened, preventing the exposure of film in the magazine
or the entrance of dust.
This 2709 B
seen in the opening photo with a 400-foot magazine, is mounted on a
period-correct Bell & Howell tripod from the 1920's. Shown below is the same camera mounted with
three different film magazines to illustrate their size differences:
200' Film
Magazine
400' Film
Magazine
V-Type
Bi-Pack Adaptor with two 400-foot Film Magazines
1000' Film
Magazine
Approximately 1,225 cameras of all models of the 2709
were manufactured, and very few exist as originally built. Whether original or modified, the total
number of survivors is unknown. But the
2709 in any form is very scarce, with the earliest models being extremely
rare. Prices in the 1990's remained
high, with the camera being both usable and collectible. Today, the 2709 is used more as a movie prop
or in a very limited production capacity. Some 35mm motion pictures continue to
be made, but with the film industry's transition to digital, the 2709 has
become one of the last vestiges of Hollywood's "Golden Age".
Bell & Howell letterhead 1915
From The
International Photographer, May, 1929
1000' Film Magazine
Bell & Howell manufacturer's tag from the 1000' film magazine above
Source: U.S. Patent and Trademark
Office
Source: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
Footage (Veeder) counter
(earlier production)
Footage (Veeder) counter
(later production)
Ultra-Speed Attachment
(high-speed movement)
Unidentified cameraman with a Bell
& Howell 2709 and what may be the earliest version of Bell & Howell's
tripod and head, probably taken in the mid-to-late teens or the early 1920's
Mack Sennett with his mother,
Catherine Foy Sinnott, June 27, 1923 standing next to
a Bell & Howell 2709
Door-mounted maker's tags are
generally seen on earlier models, versus mounted to the back of the camera's
body on later production cameras
Bell & Howell 2709 on the set of La
Boheme 1926, with left to right, Cinematographer Hendrik
Sartov, Director King Vidor, Producer Irving Thalberg
and Lillian Gish
Charlie
Chaplin filming The Gold Rush in Truckee, California, 1925 with a group
of Bell & Howell 2709's. Chaplin's
primary cameraman Roland "Rollie" Totheroh with the beard, dark sweater and knitted cap is
seen just to the left behind Chaplin
Charlie
Chaplin with a Bell & Howell 2709. The camera is equipped with a 1000-foot
magazine, a Mitchell matte box and is mounted on the first version of
Mitchell's Friction Head with a Mitchell Standard Tripod Base. Cameraman Roland Totheroh
is seen directly behind the camera to Chaplin's left.
Although
undated, the photo may possibly have been taken on April 22, 1935. It bears strong similarity to another photo
taken of Chaplin from the other side of what appears to be the same 2709, also
equipped with a 1000-foot magazine, a Mitchell Friction Head and what's
believed to be the same Art Reeves motor drive. The other referenced photo was
captioned "Actor Charlie Chaplin looks through a movie camera on April 22,
1935. He is directing, as well as acting in, a comedy tentatively titled
Production No. 5."
The
above photo is believed to have been taken on the set of Modern Times, during filming which took place between
October 11, 1934 and August 30, 1935.
Rudolph Valentino (seated at center)
on the set of The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, 1920, surrounded by
cast, crew, a number of Bell &
Howell 2709's and one Pathe Professional at the far left
Probably mid-late 1930's panoramic photo of a cinematography
school, presumably students and instructors with what appears to be 29 Bell
& Howell 2709's. Many Mitchell Friction Heads (introduced 1928) can be
seen, along with some earlier crank heads. Most of the cameras are equipped
with only one or two lenses, which wasn't the typical 4-lens studio set-up. By
the late 1920's/early 1930's as sound pictures were now being made, the Bell
& Howell 2709 had been eclipsed by the Mitchell Standard which was quieter
and equipped with features that were either easier to use or more progressive.
As a result, the 2709 was relegated to second-unit, animation or other
specialized work. This made the 2709 much more affordable for a school teaching
the basic principles of cinematography, as by the late 1930's, a used
un-silenced 2709 could be had for about 40% of the cost of a used Mitchell
Standard.
Camera
crew for the Fox Film western Riders of
the Purple Sage (1925) with two Bell & Howell 2709's and an Akeley
Camera. The photo is posed against the peaks of the Sierra Nevada mountain
range with Mount Whitney in the center background. Pictured is cameraman Daniel
B. "Big Dan" Clark (leaning on the truck) with his assistant Roland
Platt to the right of him. Clark was cameraman for most of Tom Mix's 1920's Fox
movies and would also serve as President of the American Cinematographers
Society (ASC) from 1926-1928.
The
Tom Mix name and circle "M" logo can be seen on the Bell & Howell
2709 with the leather magazine cover. Also pictured is cameraman Norman Devol, with camera second from the left. This picture has
no still code and was probably not used for publicity.
Bell & Howell
Authorized Dealer Merit Award
Please bear
with me while I set up the next shot!
SIDE
STORY
This
Bell & Howell 2709 was purchased on eBay, probably having been posted just
minutes before I began a search of vintage photographica.
Purchased as a "Buy-It-Now", it was essentially a hulk, having no
crank, magazine, viewfinder or lenses. I didn't even know whether the mechanism
inside was still present. But its price was a bargain and I knew it wouldn't
last long. As it turned out, the camera's mechanicals were all present and in
working condition.
And,
just when I thought this story couldn't get any better, I already had an
original 2709 hand crank and an Astro-Berlin f2.3 75mm lens for a 2709
mount. Both these items had been sitting
on a shelf, having been acquired with some 16mm movie cameras and other
miscellaneous items from an estate sale some five years earlier. I had no idea at the time, that the crank or
the lens fit the 2709. In the years
since, I've been able to acquire a Veeder (film)
counter, high-speed movement, various magazines, several lenses, a viewfinder,
a compatible motor and a Bell & Howell tripod. Acquiring this camera was
just an unbelievable find, and the beginning of what has become a great
learning experience.
Interestingly,
this 2709 was offered by a recycling firm located less than 50 miles from
Hollywood. They picked up this 2709, along with a Mitchell camera and numerous
other items, from a major motion picture studio. Likely misplaced over the
years and relegated to junk, this camera narrowly escaped being processed for
its scrap value.
Sadly,
most of Hollywood's early motion picture equipment has ended up this way. Hopefully, with a greater appreciation for
preserving our cinematic past, less history will be lost going forward. Sometimes, timing is everything, and finds
like this are still out there waiting to be discovered.
For more information on other professional motion picture
cameras, projectors and accessories, click on the "Professional Cinematography" link below: