As an update to BNCR #224’s restoration, here is where it currently stands: I was able to get the camera itself back into working order and reinstalled in the blimp. Since nothing here gets thrown away, I pulled parts from old stock and pieced together a front lens housing and matte box. The lens housing still needs to be reupholstered, as does the magazine blimp, but it is consistent with this type of camera from Universal. Unfortunately, the Cinema Products crystal motor refuses to turn on. I have never tried to fix one, but there’s a first time for everything! And yes, I did hold in the buckle trip switch on the motor to test it. There are still a bunch of missing parts that I will have to source: the main follow focus assembly; the operator’s focus knob and linkage; the steel latch plates for the blimp door; and the mechanical buckle trip assembly. Once I’ve sourced those parts, the blimp will need to be painted so it is all one color. Then it will be a fully functioning BNCR once more, with a very interesting history. My friend Mark Pollio found pictures showing that BNCR 224 was the principle camera on the feature “To Kill A Mockingbird” (1962) starring Gregory Peck.
