This Mitchell NCR began its life as a Mitchell NC when it was sold to Associated Filmakers Inc. on May 28, 1946. Mitchell introduced their NC model in 1932 as an improvement on the earlier Standard model. Later on in its life, NC 345 was converted for reflex viewfinding and rebranded as an NCR.
The original owner of this camera, Associated Filmakers Inc. was a producer of commercial, industrial, and educational films. The company was founded in New York in 1940 by Stanley Neal. In 1947 they opened an office in Los Angeles to better serve their west coast clients. Interestingly, during the course of our research, we found a number of articles from 1946 that discuss their plans to build a large studio complex in Yonkers, NY. Associated Filmakers Inc. briefly changed their name to Colonial Pictures Corporation during this time.
What became of their studio project is unclear, and the name change seems to have been short-lived. Advertisements indicate that they continued doing business as Associated Filmakers Inc. at least through the early 1950’s. We would love to know what became of their studio project and why it seems to have failed. Are you familiar with this company and their history? Let us know!
