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RIP Charlie Ajar, Jr.

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  • RIP Charlie Ajar, Jr.

    I've already shared this news with some Film-Techers privately, but I see now that it's in the public domain, and so feel comfortable making a post here.

    This was a big shock. I've only worked in and around Hollywood since 2014, but knew of the Ajar dynasty pretty much from day 1. Tom and Charlie Jr. looked after the booths in Bel-Air Circuit theaters, and Charlie in particular was a go-to person if you needed a part for a long EOL film projector. Charlie was a character - frustrating, irritating, lovable, and admirable (especially for his political incorrectness), all at the same time. What makes the news of his passing such a shock was that I last worked with him twice, very shortly before he went into the hospital. The first time was to install an SP4K in a Bel-Air Circuit house that he looked after in early July; the second was to fix a DSS200 in another, on August 6, which was the last time I saw him. I was explaining to him why a flat CMOS battery would prevent it from booting if it lost mains power (the BIOS "boot up when the power comes on" option is not checked by the motherboard's factory default, and so is forgotten if the battery discharges), when Charlie interrupted me and asked me my age. After I replied, he said "Well, I got 22 years on ya. That's why I can't stand this computer shit!"

    Anyone who did Crestron programming was a fucking asshole who wanted to fuck you up the ass (by which he meant overcharge you) in Charlie's book, and he referred to the millionaires and billionaires whose home theaters he looked after using language that, if revealed here, would violate several NDAs that I've signed. But at the same time, bore no ill will to any of them and fought like a tiger to prevent them from having to overpay to keep those theaters going. I'm really going to miss him.

  • #2
    I guess from the lack of replies to this thread that not too many of the others on here knew Charlie Jr. very well, or just couldn't stand him. I was one of the private notification that Leo sent out.

    I started with the Ajars back around 1985 at Universal Projector. Charlie Sr, Tom, Dorothy and Sally were all at the shop, along with me and other random guys hired to help out. It was, interesting working for Sr., as just like Charlie Jr, he was very vocal in how he felt about people and things. Sr's catchphrase was "snatchface" which he used for those he liked and those he hated. You had to figure out which one you were if he addressed you that way. It was obvious that Charlie Jr. followed his father in his personality as well as technical acumen.

    Yet, as abrasive as he seemed, as Leo said, he fought to do the right thing for people constantly, and was an outstanding technician and projectionist. I did not get to talk to Charlie Jr much during my time at UP, as he worked for one of the studios as his main job back then. Those few times we did converse he was always nice to me and even then lamented the direction the industry was headed.

    One of the true characters of our little industry, his skills and unique personality will be missed.

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    • #3
      boy, another reel projection man is gone...i first met Charlie in the late 70s and serviced many universal simplex machines in home screening rooms and a handfull of his modified simplex regulars in high speed 16mm and 35mm lab qc rooms, he was always coming up with interesting opinions and a very quirky sense of humor! it was amazing to see how well a 1920s simplex would hammer out film and a steady picture at 72 frames / second! i never had a chance to ask him, but i still think that his fixed shaft arrangement in those regulars gave simplex the idea for the design of the E7. I definitely miss him and my best to the family.

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      • #4
        Originally posted by Tony Bandiera Jr View Post
        I guess from the lack of replies to this thread that not too many of the others on here knew Charlie Jr. very well, or just couldn't stand him.
        I do read the death notices here and at other places but rarely respond for personal reasons.
        There's a lot of TMI in the explanation but, suffice to say, funerals and related often dredge up bad feelings, even if I didn't know the person. Maybe it seems rude or insensitive but that's the way it has to be for me.

        I usually just say a silent prayer then move on.

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        • #5
          Randy I hope you know I didn't mean to imply that anyone is being rude or insensitive. I have a painful anniversary coming up in a few days (passing of my father 22 years ago, it still is difficult), so I can totally understand why many would not want to acknowledge these kinds of threads. As I said above with " ...or just couldn't stand him" there were people who hated both Jr and Sr for their personalities. (Just as I am sure there are many out there who hate me for mine.) As for prayer, for personal reasons I am no longer of any faith so I only offer condolences.

          The Ajars were very unique in the industry, they were a prime example of a "love 'em or hate 'em" opinion base, one of the strongest in the business. Not only personally, but in the designs and operation of the equipment they built. I have met many who really loved their products, and a roughly equal number who regarded it all as total crap.

          Personally, and not just because I worked for them (and built some of it) I thought most of it was quite good, especially for the main uses of home screening rooms and location projection. (after all, it was Sr. who came up with, and sold the design to, Christie for the P35 series projectors.)

          Oh they had some clunkers though ....early projectors had motors with poor starting torque, you had to give the inching knob a spin to get them running, the HORRIBLE Kniesley rectifiers that had the exposed transformer coils on the bottom that burned many booth carpets in the Bel Aire circuit, and the cheap option of a slide projector lamp that only lasted 25 hours and ALWAYS blew out when you turned it on to do a reel change. But flaws are true with all brands of all kinds of equipment, even the best make blunders.

          As John said, sadly we have lost another reel projection man, there are far too many left of us OLD SCHOOL guys. (AND I am one of the youngest of that generation, what a depressing thought.) Maybe I should try to get a teaching job at a college, and focus on film presentation.

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          • #6
            Don't think any harm was intended by Tony, or Leo for that matter. The Ajar's were/are uniquely outrageous, mostly in a Hollywood way and they lived their drama out in public, so fair game. Charlie Sr's funeral has been described to me in hilarious terms by more than one person. BTW, no less than Jack Cashin worked with Ajar back in the day.

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            • #7
              RIP Charlie! Never met you but I sure met up with some of your equipment....

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