OutdoorKing Repair Forum Forums Collectors Corner Collectables VICTA - 1950s Picture Theatre Slide

Hi ODK members,

This is a recent addition to my vintage mower memorabilia.
It's a slide that was used in picture theatres to advertise the 'new' Victa Rotomo.

The context: G.M. Smith Motors, St Arnaud, a small town about 250kn north-west of Melbourne.
I guess it would have been used at the town's picture theatre.

In amazing condition, it measures about 80mm square and it is made of glass with a thick border.
It is quite heavy and the colours are incredibly vibrant.

This slide is important because it shows a very early Victa Dealer in Victoria.
It was not unusual to appoint motor vehicle dealerships as Victa dealers in small towns at that time.
This was before specialised mower shops (as we know them) became the norm.

Note the early slogan: "Victa pampers fine lawns eats through jungle growth".
[I don't think that was a Victa one (ed.)]

All very interesting.
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JACK

The old theatre slides I've seen were a double layer glass 'sandwich', with the film ad layer in the middle.

They did need to be quite robust. Among other considerations, the theatre slide projectors of that era [along with most of the film projectors] used a DC carbon arc light source. So the glass would filter out the UV and IR components of the light, and prevent them affecting the film, as well as physically protecting it.

Hi Gadge,

I appreciate that information. It makes more sense now.
There must be a double layer on the slide I have - it is not on the outer face of each side.

I am surprised you have this knowledge - of slide projectors and the like!
For me, the fascination is that this slide - from Victa's earliest days - was projected
to a small audience in a small-town during Victa's halcyon days.

I guess it's a Woody Allen The Purple Rose of Cairo thing for me . . .

p.s. if you have any collectables, please feel free to share them in this forum.

All very theatrical.
----------------------------------
JACK

Well, you have to remember that your slide is from the pre television era, in that sort of rural location. So the graphic advertising channels were limited to the local newspaper, and the cinema/drive in!

I once owned one of these slide projectors. Dunno just how old it was, but it was salvaged from a closed cinema in Tocumwal, NSW in the '70s. The slides I picked up along with it were early '60s vintage - I recall one of them was for the FB Holden car. No mower slides though. Ended up donating the lot to a museum in the area.

Hello Collectors

When I got this slide I was curious about the slogan:
"Pampers Fine Lawn; Eats Through Jungle Growth"

It does appear to be a variation on a Victa advertisement from late1956:
"We keep our lawns velvet smooth.."
"We cleared our land of jungle growth"
I covered that advertisement in this post HERE.

I have found another variation from another dealer from early 1957
"Cuts fine lawn to perfection"
"Eats through tough jungle growth"

This gives me confidence in dating this slide to late 1956 or early 1957.
It was a dealer variation on the original 1956 Victa advertisement.

What is also of interest is the second dealer's advertisement comes from a
Sydney (Fairfield) dealer who also sold ... pet foods.
I guess it was a place where Rover could meet Victa

I have included a downloadable pdf file at better resolution.