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In an earlier post I wrote about my father’s super cool Cine-Twin, a movie camera and projector in one. Well, it turns out that wasn’t the only piece of home film equipment that he owned. In addition to having a way to shoot and project the 8mm film, he had a way to edit it too.

Allow me to introduce you to the Kalart Editor Viewer Eight. A portable film editing studio.

This, like the camera, sat in the garage for many years, still in its original box. So imagine my delight when I recently took a good look at the unit and found that parts of the editor were molded out of my beloved Bakelite and contained a hint of style which was not required in such a utilitarian device.

The Kalart had one purpose, to edit film. This was no fancy showpiece to be put on display for all to view in a parlor or living room. No, this would be hidden away on a fellow’s desk or workshop, only to be seen by the editor using it.

Yet the plastic wasn’t ordinary and bland. The Bakelite was embossed with a series of horizontal lines to make it attractive to the eye. The silver letters of Kalart and Editor Viewer Eight complimented the deep, rich brown of the Bakelite. The molded plastic that surrounded the viewer added to the beauty of the unit.

A touch of style and class lacking in similar items manufactured in later eras and it was built to last. I knew I would have plenty of time to play with my Kalart, since my cat immediately claimed the box as his own so I couldn’t put the unit away!

I didn’t expect much to happen when I plugged it in, but to my joy it lit up immediately. It still worked, and it was relatively easy to use, at least according to the diagram printed on the inside of the box lid. It promised that seeing your movies in action it was as simple as 1-2-3.

1, plug the cord into the outlet, check. 2, thread the film through the unit as shown in the diagram, check. 3, turn handle to “See Your Movies,” check.

That’s assuming you still have a movie to show. Dad had wisely converted all our home films to digital long ago, but I still itched to run a strip of celluloid through the unit to see for myself if the promises on the box top were true, or just exaggerated boasts. Thanks again to my dad, I knew what to do.

Back in the 60s when dad had bought all this film equipment, he had more than home movies to project. In the mid part of the 20th century a company called Castle Films took copies of cartoons and old film features, stripped off the sound, then edited it to fit one reel and offered them for sale to anyone with a home projector. Scott MacGillivary wrote an excellent book (1) on the history of the company.

Anyway, my dad bought me a Chilly Willy cartoon and a version of an old Batman serial. I remember Batman and Robin getting into the Batmobile, but that’s about all. There wasn’t any sound, but it didn’t matter. We could watch these films whenever we wanted to, at home!

Before the days of VHS, DVD or downloads you couldn’t really control what you saw. You could decide what movie to go to see in the theater, of course, just like today, but at home you had the choice of three whole channels on TV offering up a not-so-wide selection of viewing pleasure for the evening.

That was it, unless you threaded up one of these films into a projector. I loved watching with my folks. Even now, many years later, it’s still fun, or it would be if I could remember I put my stash of films.

I know I had them in the early 2000s, because that’s when dad gave me all his old, cool, equipment, along with reels of movies. I remember powering up the ole Kalart and running Chilly Willy through. It worked just fine back then, but would it now, nearly two decades later? My original Chilly Willy couldn’t help me answer this question. I moved a few years ago and while I was, thank goodness, able to locate my Kalart editor and Cine-Twin camera, the films are M.I.A.

So there’s only one thing left to do in such a situation, head over to eBay where there are lots of Castle Films to choose from, resale of course. I bought a couple and when they arrived I ran them through the Kalart and found that the lid diagram was right. It was as easy as 1, 2, 3.

I threaded the film around the rollers, making sure the sprocket holes lined up correctly, put the leader end of the film on the take up reel and turned the crank! Lo and behold there was “The Night Before Christmas” rolling across my screen, complete with subtitles.

Sure the image quality was lousy, but this was a unique experience you can’t find in modern electronics today. A hands-on connection with the past. The film wouldn’t advance until I turned the crank. I made it work, nobody else. History came to life before my eyes in a way I couldn’t have imagined when I aligned the sprockets of the film to the roller.

What fun still to be had from a gadget built nearly sixty years ago!

I still have loads to say, but this post is getting a little long. Tune into GVS next time to find out more about the world of film editing. Such Glorious Vintage Stuff! See you then!

(1)”Castle Films. A Hobbyist’s Guide.” By Scott MacGillivray. Forward by Ted Okuda. iUniverse, Inc. 2004