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  Pathe Baby was the trade name for a 9.5 mm home movie system introduced in France for Christmas 1922. An extensive catalog of existing Pathe Freres films were issued in this new format. The first were only 30 feet long -- about 90 seconds of cranking. But the innovative freeze frame mechanism lengthened the showing time by not wasting footage on title cards. In 1924, film length was increased to 60 feet. In 1928, Super reel films that were 300 feet long were introduced. 9.5 mm persisted as the 'standard' format in Europe thru the 1950's.
 
   Pathex was the trade name of Pathe Exchange, Inc., Pathe's US subsidiary. In America, film exchanges distributed movie releases to theaters. The 9.5 mm format was introduced in America for Christmas of 1925 (Model D projectors). A lot of money was spent but Kodak, with 16 mm and then 8 mm, blew Pathe 9.5 mm out of the North America market. The Great Depression did not help, by 1932 it was over. In 1935 the remaining Pathex 9.5 inventory was sold to M.H. Schoenbaum of Plainfield, NJ who carried on a film/parts business thru the 40's. Does anyone know of him or his descendents?
 
Note
: The slot for the American flywheel-drive motor (far left in the photo) was cut in New Jersey -- often they nipped the medallion soldered on in France.
 
At the right is W.C. Fields shooting a home movie with a Pathex Camera (his hand position and the strap on top show that his camera had the add-on, clockwork motor). My grandfather (Guy Milner aka "Milner the Great") was a vaudeville magician on the Keith circuit (the K in RKO) and knew him well. Before his movie career, WCF was a world-class vaudeville juggler.
 
My silent movie pages:
.. Coming Attractions, click Glass Slides
.. Books, click Photoplays
.. Exhibition License #1, click Plumas County, CA
.. 35mm projector, click Model 1909 (Pathe New York)
.. 35mm projector major competitor, click Powers # 5
.. my guy, click W.S. Hart (Pathex released one 3-reeler)
.. my gal, click Theda Bara (Pathex released one 2-reeler)
 
My Pathex (Pathe Baby) pages:
.. Some of my PB collection, click photographs
.. U.S. released films, click Pathex Films
.. Sample U.S. film, click Our Gang
.. Early French films, click 1923 Pathe Baby
.. British films, click Pathescope
.. the catalog, click Pathe 9.5mm Equipment
 
   Links to other 9.5 sites are listed below:
(Felix was a favorite in Europe)
 
  

To convert 9.5 movies to VHS, contact:

For replacement shutter / flywheels contact:
Warton Parfitt in the UK
    (originals are potmetal and are often swollen or broken)

Visit Group 9.5 (the 9.5mm club in the U.K.) at www.Pathescope.freeserve.co.uk/Pathe95.htm

Learn about 100 years of film sizes (history of film formats) at www.xs4all.nl/~wichm/filmsize.html
    (click the link at the bottom of the page to see much more)

Don't miss Grahame Newnham's homepage at www.Pathefilm.freeserve.co.uk/
    (sells fresh 9.5mm film as well as misc. and collectible films)

Visit Pierre Gauriat's homepage at www.pierreg.free.fr/cine95/index.html
    (bilingual with charts for comparing 9.5mm to other formats)


Bore yourself silly with Jerry Wagner's hobby pages at www.libertyship.com
 
For info, parts, equipment or films, click wagner@ourtoolbox.com