Akeley Pancake 35mm Camera
Akeley “Pancake” 35mm Camera No. 102
“Carl E. Akeley, explorer and big–game photographer, has obtained final patents on a clickless, rapid-fire, moving-picture camera. The new device, which its inventor says will make possible the photography of hitherto unphotographed forms of wildlife, is always ready for action and requires no elaborate adjustment on a tripod. It was devised by the explorer so that he might record ‘a supreme moment.’ ”
Carl Akeley- The Father of Modern Taxidermy
Carl Akeley revolutionized taxidermy. His lifelike dioramas transformed museum exhibitions and many remain on display over a century later, including in the American Museum of Natural History's Akeley Hall of African Mammals. Known as "the father of modern taxidermy" for groundbreaking work like the fighting African elephants in Chicago's Field Museum and his gorilla exhibit in the Natural History Museum, Akeley's talents extended far beyond preservation. He was a naturalist, sculptor, writer, cinematographer, and inventor whose restless creativity led to his most notable invention: the camera that would bear his name. The Akeley Professional Motion Picture Camera, or "Pancake" as it became known, was a radical departure from existing designs, offering advanced features that no other camera of its era could match.
From 1896 to 1909, Akeley was the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago's chief taxidermist. In 1909, he moved over to the American Museum of Natural History in New York. He joined the Field Museum's first two expeditions to Africa, studying animals in their natural habitats and bringing back specimens for educational display. Looking for a way to capture the natural world in motion to aid in his work, he brought the latest motion picture cameras on his next expedition. The results were disappointing for Akeley due to the cameras' design and limitations. Akeley's obsession with his work led him back to his workshop to create a better solution. In 1914, he created a prototype for a new and unique camera that would address many of the shortcomings of the cameras available at the time.
“The Akeley motion picture camera is now used extensively on scientific and photographic expeditions as well in aviation. Carl gave it the supreme test in 1921 when among the Kivu volcanoes of the Belgian Congo he secured with it the first motion pictures ever made of wild gorillas. He was now intensely interested in witnessing the performance of his own camera in photographing the contest that had prompted its invention.”
The Akeley Pancake
The Akeley "Pancake" was years ahead of its time, a radical new approach for a motion picture camera. This unusual, rugged camera was designed specifically for field use and was built to survive being used under harsh conditions.
November, 1915 Patent for Akeley 35mm Motion Picture Camera
Akeley first patented his camera in 1915, and after several variations and investors, he finally landed on a design ready for production a few years later. As America entered World War I in 1917, the military recognized the need to document the conflict. On July 21, 1917, the Signal Corps was designated the bureau responsible for obtaining coverage of American participation in the war. The Akeley's rugged design and advanced features made it ideal for combat conditions, and the Signal Corps purchased the entire manufacturing capacity of the new camera, including training for military cameramen. Carl Akeley himself participated in the initial training sessions
Records from the Akeley factory have not survived, making it difficult to determine exactly how many cameras were produced during the war years. What we do know is that in total, only about 400 Akeley cameras were ever made, making them rare today.
Signal Corp training with the Akeley ‘Pancake’ Camera
The Akeley was used throughout the world, from the Arctic to photograph Robert Flaherty's pioneering documentary Nanook of the North to the wilds of Kenya with explorers and filmmakers Osa and Martin Johnson.
“We no sooner had entered the smoke when the bottom seemed to drop out of the plane. The motor stopped and we commenced to descend very fast. We just managed to straighten out at about thirty feet from the ground and were heading for a tree. I threw the Akeley out of the plane and then we hit the tree. Fesneau, who was taking ground shots, came up soon after and found the Akeley O.K. He then took pictures of the wreck with it. If I had had any other camera, it would have been smashed to bits, and we would have had no pictures. Hats off to the Akeley.”
Due to the unique shape of the camera, the Akeley had a 230-degree cloth shutter that wrapped around the body, allowing it to be used in lower light. It was the first camera to offer an articulating eyepiece, a standard today but unavailable on any other camera of its era. Akeley also invented a unique gyro head and tripod for the camera. Due to these features, the Akeley was frequently used in Hollywood for specialty action work, like the extensive aerial cinematography of Elmer G. Dyer, ASC, Faxon Dean, ASC, and many others in the feature film Wings (1927). Over 200 cameras were used on Wings, and nearly as many cameramen. Many of the top films of the era featured Akeley cameras, including Hell's Angels (1930) and Only Angels Have Wings (1939). It was also used to capture specialty shots for The Ten Commandments (1923) and Ben-Hur (1925).
Cover of Scientific American- March 29, 1919
Carl Akeley built an amazing machine. It could easily shoot with longer telephoto lenses and could be fully operated by one person, both requirements for Akeley's work shooting wildlife in Africa.
Akeley cameras made a specialty class of camera operators possible. They were the action camera operators of their day. Starting in the mid-1920s, American Cinematographer magazine had many "for hire" classified ads placed by "Akeley Specialists" who were owner-operators and specialized in action shoots. For decades it was considered the camera to use to upgrade your production with unique cinematography.
Advertisement in American Cinematographer January, 1929
“There is a remarkable camera in Hollywood. No, it is not a “new gag”, but a camera with a long history of efficient service to its credit. It is the most difficult motion picture camera to operate successfully now in professional use in the Hollywood studios, but with it have been photographed some of the most thrilling action scenes on the screen today. Its name is “AKELEY”.”
Akeley Gyro Head
The Akeley gyro head was also a leap in the available technology. The operator could shift pan and tilt gears with the push of a button. The pan and tilt used gears spinning a gyro flywheel, which made incredibly smooth pans and tilts by simply applying pressure to the pan/tilt handle on the back of the camera. All other heads of the day had separate cranks for the pan and tilt. In order to follow action, a cameraman had to operate three cranks simultaneously—one each to pan and tilt and the third to crank the camera. The Akeley head changed this dramatically and was one of the reasons for the camera's success.
The head was also designed with a quick-release mechanism that allowed the camera to be mounted on an vehicle or airplane within seconds. Its leveling head, another first, allowed the operator to quickly balance the camera and start shooting. This made the camera an indispensable tool in the 1920s.
This is the earliest version of Akeley's tripod and head design. The unit is serial No. 17 and is probably from around 1916. This style head is very difficult to find, and both the head and tripod went through several revisions over the years. Its manufacture would continue into the mid-to-late 1920s until Akeley's Universal Gyro Tripod replaced it in 1929.
Akeley Promotional Photo.
The entire unit is a radical departure from the standard heads of the day. Its gyroscopic movements for both the pan and tilt allowed for extremely smooth motion following fast action. The incorporated ball and socket design also permitted immediate leveling of the camera, allowing the operator to quickly set up for an action shot. Commonly referred to as the "Akeley gyro head," the correct names are listed in Akeley's price list as "Panoramic Arm, with pan control mechanism," "Tilting Arm with tilt control mechanism," and "Ball and socket with quick leveling unit and base."
Akeley cameras were so popular with cameramen that they were used for almost all action shots. An Akeley operator could follow fast action better than any other cameraman. From the chariot races of Ben-Hur to combat aerials and fast-moving westerns, any shot where the camera needed to pan and tilt quickly and accurately, an Akeley was the first choice. Read more about the Akeley Tripod and Panoramic Head here.
The first design of the Akeley tripod for the Pancake model incorporated these unique locking mechanisms on the leg extensions.
Akeley first generation tripod and gyro head.
Akeley No. 70 (ca. 1918)
This Akeley still has many of its original accessories and factory options. The original factory-supplied camera case with original hand tools has a cradle mounted in the bottom and a clip in the lid to securely hold the camera in place during transit. It is unusual to find original accessories with most motion picture cameras over a hundred years old.
The original magazine case contains six magazines. Several magazines have serial numbers that match the camera, and the others were added over the years.
The lenses are contained in a factory case fitted with wood rails to secure the lenses by the mounting dovetails. A previous focus tape is still on one of the lenses with handwritten focus marks intact. All the lenses are stamped Akeley on the dovetail plate. Three have matching No. 70 serial numbers to the camera. There is also an original Akeley bakelite plate to cover the camera's lens mount when no lens is attached. I've never seen one of these before on an Akeley.
There are two cranks on this Akeley. One is the main shooting crank and the other is a single-frame crank. The main crank is turned at two times a second to get 16 fps. The single-frame crank is for time-lapse—one turn of the crank is one frame. But this package is special as it also includes a very rare 30:1 adapter for slow motion work, which is included in the magazine case.
The Akeley brochure states that the camera can be fitted with an adjustable shutter, which is installed on this camera and allows the operator to adjust the shutter angle from 0 degrees to 225 degrees, a very rare factory option that I have only seen a few times before.
The original gyro head and tripod are also included. It is the very early style, 2nd variation (with the added handles on the three legs). The tripod is stamped No. 216. The unique head was very advanced for its time and includes the Akeley patented quick-removal locks for quickly attaching the camera and gyro head to an airplane wing. The Akeley head can quickly and simply move from an airplane wing to tripod in seconds.
Carl Akeley with his invention
Faxon M. Dean, ASC and Akeley No. 70
Akeley No. 70 was originally owned by Faxon M. Dean, ASC, who was one of the earliest members of the American Society of Cinematographers. Faxon was a combat pilot in WWI, and this experience helped him become known as one of the top aerial cinematographers after the war. He shot his first film in 1917, and throughout the 1920s and 1930s he principally worked for Jesse Lasky Productions.
“According to William Clothier (who became his assistant) he was the principal cinematographer on Paramount Pictures “WINGS” although many attribute the Akeley camera work to him. He remained an active member of the ASC and director of photography until the mid 1930’s when he began building sound blimps and camera accessories that were very popular.”
1937 American Cinematographer
Akeley Promotional Photos
Akeley Film Magazine
Akeley Pancake No. 102 Image Gallery
Akeley Pancake #70 Image Gallery
Learn more about Akeley Cameras in our blog posts on the Akeley Junior and the amazing Akeley Tripod and Panoramic Head.
REFERENCES:
Instructions for the Operation and Care of The Akeley Camera [1919]
Scientific American- Vol. CXX. No. 13- March 29, 1919
The Akeley Camera, The Camera of Superior Accomplishment [1921]
American Cinematographer [1924-1929]
What is an Akeley, Ira Hoke, ASC. American Cinematographer April, 1928
The World's Work, volume LII. [1926]
Carl Akeley's Africa, Mary L. Jobe Akeley [1929]
The Wilderness Lives Again; Carl Akeley and the Great Adventure, Mary L. Jobe Akeley [1940]
Beyond Adventure, Roy Chapman Andrews [1952]
Ariel Cinematographic Register, Peter Ariel [1989]
Kingdom Under Glass, Jay Kirk [2010]
Cameras into the Wild: A History of Early Wildlife and Expedition -Filmmaking, 1895-1928, Palle Bogelund Petterson [2011]
Three Bad Men, Scott Allen Nollen [2013]
Through the Plexiglass: A History of Museum Dioramas, Bridgitte Barclay [2015]
The Great War in Hollywood Memory, Michael Hammond [2019]
The Cinema as Taxidermy: Carl Akeley and the Preservative Obsession, Mark Alvey [2020]
