© Mark Ollig
In 1888, George Eastman coined the name “Kodak” and established the Eastman Kodak Company in Rochester, NY.
On June 5, 1928, Eastman Kodak Company obtained US Patent 1,672,845 titled “Motion-Picture Projector.”
Shortly after, the company began manufacturing the affordable Kodatoy 16 mm silent movie projector, originally marketed to younger folks.
On Oct. 30, 1930, the Buffalo Evening News newspaper in New York advertised the Eastman Kodatoy 16 mm film movie projector.
“Presenting the new Eastman Kodatoy, a real moving picture projector for only $11.95,” read the J.N. Adam & Co. store ad on page six.
When adjusted for inflation, $11.95 in 1930 equals $217 today.
“The complete projection unit includes the Kodatoy with two 100-foot metal spools and one [cardboard] Kodaplay Theater with ‘silvered’ screen surface,” the advertisement said.
The cost of a Kodaplay 16 mm film, advertised as “Little movies carefully selected for juvenile audiences,” ranged from 30 to 90 cents.
“You’ll find Felix the Cat, Charlie Chaplin . . . thrilling air pictures . . . actual battle pictures of the World War [WWI] . . . interesting scenes in strange lands,” the Kodatoy documentation says.
With a maroon-colored metallic body of aluminum and steel, the 10-pound Kodatoy film projector used a burnished metal reflector to increase the light intensity from the lamp towards the moving film, ensuring the images were projected clearly and evenly on the Kodaplay Theater screen.
The projector used a “No. 110 double filament 21 CP Auto Headlight Lamp.”
Candlepower, or CP, is a unit used to measure luminous intensity. A lamp with a 21 CP rating emits light equivalent to 21 candles in a particular direction.
But I digress.
A 16 mm film is threaded through the projector and onto a take-up spool with the emulsion side facing inward so the image is projected on the screen correctly when the film is played.
“Connect the plug at the end of the cord attached to the Kodatoy to an electrical socket that uses 105 to 125 volts and 60 cycle AC only,” said the instructions for turning the projector lamp on.
If all goes well, the lamp lights once the cord is plugged in.
The Eastman Kodatoy projector operates using a single-claw intermittent mechanism that moves the film forward. This process engages one side of the film and two sprocket rollers.
The projector has a three-bladed shutter and a heat filter that operates with centrifugal force. This filter effectively shields the lamp from dust and other particles. Also, the projector’s top cover is vented to release the heat produced by the lamp.
When using the 16 mm projector, the film runs at a speed of 24 frames per second, meaning each frame is shown for 1/24 of a second.
The hand crank must be turned at two revolutions per second to maintain the correct speed to ensure each frame is projected for the appropriate duration.
According to Kodatoy’s documentation, it is recommended to position the decorative cardboard screen of the Kodaplay Theatre five feet away from the Kodatoy projector lens.
The Kodatoy lamp projects the moving film images onto the screen. One obtains improved visual clarity by adjusting the lens position forward or backward.
After the movie was finished and the film needed to be rewound, the hand crank used to advance the film was removed and attached to the shaft of the upper hand rewind spindle of the projector.
The Kodatoy does not have an audio speaker; however, it creates a soothing mechanical “clickity-clickity-clickity” whirling sound as the film advances through the projector, and the small cogs or sprockets engage with holes in the side of the film as the reel turns.
To many, this sound adds to the enjoyment of watching an old silent movie.
In 1931, a 115v 60Hz AC motor allowing for automatic film advancement could be attached to the projector instead of using the hand crank.
The following year, the Eastman Kodatoy projector could be purchased with a built-in motor for $18.50 ($423 today). An optional 400-foot spool extension arm attachment also became available.
On May 4, 1933, the Kodatoy projector was advertised on page 10 of the Minneapolis Tribune newspaper, saying, “Projects any 16 mm movie film – including the hundred-foot Cinegraphs that we sell or rent.”
The ad was from the Eastman Kodak Store at 114 South Fifth Street in Minneapolis.
Eastman Kodak ended production of their Kodatoy projector in 1939, partly due to the effects of the Great Depression and the arrival of home movie projectors such as the Kodak Ciné-Kodak and the Bell & Howell Eyemo.
I am fortunate to own a 1932 Eastman Kodak Kodatoy 16 mm film projector (hand crank) with its original cardboard cover, user manual, and a few 16 mm movie reels.
If you’re feeling nostalgic and want to listen to the sounds of film running through an old-fashioned movie projector, you’re in luck.
Eight continuous hours (yes, eight) are available from the @MonotonyTV YouTube channel at https://tinyurl.com/BBprojector.
