video by UTTARA VALLURI
In the early 1900s when motion pictures first came about, theaters weren’t commonplace, especially in towns and villages. To make films more accessible, groups of individuals dressed in magician-like garb, carried projectors and reels in caravans, set up tents and screened these films. Because of the nature of their work, these people were called “Itinerants”.
Joe Rinaudo has been a connoisseur of silent films ever since he was a child, collecting 8 mm reels for 99 cents at the local department store. As he got older he started to collect silent films on 16 mm and 35 mm. Now, he has over a hundred films (some dating back to 1905), a hand cranked projector and a player piano. Rinaudo screens his collections himself – and in costume – at theaters and schools across the country. This video is a quick glimpse into his life as a projectionist.
[Featured Image is in the PUBLIC DOMAIN via Flickr]