Donald Bell and Albert Howell incorporated their company in Chicago in February 1907. They began almost immediately to focus on the standardization of film perforations, and their first product was their Film Perforating Machine.
Continuous Printer and Motion Picture Camera Were Early Products
With the success of the perforator under their belt, the partners next focused on creating machinery which would make high film production volume possible, and their Continuous Printer was the result. It appeared in 1908 and displaced the market’s existing step printer. This equipment increased production from between 17-20 feet of film per minute to 60 feet per minute or more.
The Bell and Howell Company next devoted itself to developing a motion picture camera. Since steadiness of the image on the screen was an issue, they developed a way to register each frame of the film in the camera and called it “Unit I” or shuttle movement. This was a radical departure from what the rest of the industry was doing. It stabilized the film with two stationary pilot pins, thus accommodating any minor variations in perforations. This insured not only steadiness but the ability to perform intricate multiple-exposure work.
According to Jack Robinson in Bell and Howell Company: A 75-Year History, when they “learned that their camera had been damaged by termites and mildew during an exploration trip in Africa, they designed the first all metal camera. Introduced in 1912, the Design 2709 soon garnered the reputation as the most precision film mechanism ever made"
Film Splicing Machines and Laboratory Equipment Developed in the 1920s
The Bell and Howell Company took it next major step forward in 1915 when it introduced the first professional film splicing machine. Other machines and their attachments and accessories followed, and by the time the Great Depression started in 1929, they had a full line of both professional and amateur cameras and equipment. They also established the first motion picture mechanical research and engineering laboratories in 1929.
A list of Bell & Howell’s standard 35mm equipment, 16mm laboratory equipment and amateur camera and projector equipment is given below. This list is accurate as of September 1941.
Standard 35mm Equipment
- Film Perforating Machine
- Studio Camera
- Hand Portable 35mm EYWMO Camera
- Photo and Projection Lenses
- Continuous Contact Printer
- Developing Machines and Control Instruments
- Film Splicing Machine
- Film Measuring Machine
16mm Laboratory Equipment
- Picture, Optical Reduction Printer
- Sound, Optical Reduction Printer
- Contact, Continuous Printer
- Film Developing Machines
- Developing Control Instruments
- Film Splicing Machine
- Film Measuring Machine
8mm Amateur Cameras
- Filmo Companion Eight
- Filmo Sportster Eight
- Filmo Aristocrat
8mm Projector
- Filmo Master
16mm Amateur Cameras
- Filmo Auto Load
- Filmo Auto Master
- Filmo 70-DA
16mm Silent Projectors
- Filmo Diplomat
- Filmo Master
- Filmo Showmaster
- Filmo Auditorium
16mm Sound Projectors
- Filmosound Commercial
- Filmosound Academy
- Filmosound Utility
- Filmosound Master
- Filmoarc
Early Years of Bell and Howell Laid a Sure Foundation for Success
Bell and Howell was a well-established corporation by the time America entered World War II. It had weathered the storms of the Great Depression, and its equipment had become immensely popular, especially for its lifetime guarantees and dependability. Hollywood is indeed indebted to Donald Bell and Albert Howell for their vision and their determination to succeed in a fledgling industry.
References:
- Morgan, Willard D. (ed) The Complete Photographer, Issue 7, Chicago: National Educational Alliance, Inc., September 1941, p. 412
- Robinson, Jack, Bell and Howell Company: A 75-Year History, Chicago: Bell and Howell, 1982
Marie Brannon - Experienced writer Marie Brannon hails from Texas. She is a detail-oriented writer who approaches article research with meticulous care.
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