Me an' my toys - GAF 2000S projector

1978 - GAF 2000S sound Super 8 projector

It all began back in 1977, when, as a 12-year old, I still lived in the Ralph J. Rangel (nee Colonial) projects in New York City, specifically Harlem in building 70. Stephen Joshua (whom we called Josh) used to have people over to his apartment to show them Super 8 movies, or he’d show them in front of building 38 on a huge sheet during the summer. Man, it used to be so cool to be able to watch all 17 minutes (!) of a very edited movie like Jaws or Demolition Alley. When he showed us the cartoons he had, especially Marvel Men (even as bad as they were) or the Mighty Heroes, the spark was lit at that point. I had to have a projector, and nothing would do other than the GAF 2000S Super 8 sound projector!

I used to look at the Alexander’s ads and tell Ma and Pop that this is what I wanted for my combination birthday/Christmas present for 1977. Right off the bat, they told me no. I didn’t understand why, but Pop told me that if I wanted a $139 projector, I had to earn it. He also said he thought I was too young to get something like that, although I was highly proficient in electronics. So instead of the projector, I got some Marvel Comics-based books and some other stuff, but the projector was still on my mind.

I used to visit Willoughby's, a huge camera store in NYC to check out what was out on Super 8mm film for purchase. I would dream about owning episodes of the Flintstones, or having a 17-minute Star Wars showing in my own house! Granted, being a 13-year old with no job meant that those would only remain dreams (I think the larger reel (12-inch) films cost $50 a pop!), but there were smaller 7- and 3-inch reels that were black and white, soundless, or discounted that I eventually would pick up. What's the use of having a projector if you have nothing to watch on it?

Fall of 1978 was fraught with portent - 8th grade had started, and the second girl ever in my life (at that time) to like me was introduced to me in October of 1978. The campaign for the GAF 2000S still continued, and I kept saturating my brain with images of it. I even went so far as to use my free periods on Friday to ride the bus down to McAlpin’s Photo on 34th street just to look in the window! The day finally came when I got home from school, and lo and behold in Pop’s room, a big box was there – the GAF 2000S was finally mine!

I used to use either the back room or my room to watch stuff on a sheet pulled out of the closet. It was too cool to have my friends over to watch some of the reels I picked up - Heckle & Jeckle, Marvel Superheroes (I had a Captain America and Iron Man reel), and some other stuff as well. I held on to the projector until 1982, when I sold it to my high school for $80 to buy a module for my ColecoVision (Blog coming soon)!