Re: The Fester Addamms Trick . . .

["Tesla list" <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>]

Original poster: "John Williams by way of Terry Fritz <twftesla-at-qwest-dot-net>" <jwilliams-at-edm-dot-net>

Dan,
	A friend of mine had a lightbulb that would light in the mouth like
that.  It was a clunky thing with a AA battery inside and a button on the
screw base.  It was made of translucent polyethelene and obviously not a
real lightbulb.
	I can think of several ways of doing the trick for a cinematic effect.
If I were a betting sort I'd bet that the bulbs are actually the kind one
can buy
in a marine supply store.  They look like regular household lightbulbs but
they run on twelve volts.  The next thing is you make a battery supply out
of stacked and paralelled hearing aid or calculator batteries and fit it into
the actor's mouth.  A combination pressure switch/contactor would keep
"Fester" from taking a shock.  The rig only has to drive the bulb to
appropriate
brightness for a few very short takes.
	I have been on a movie set.  The wonderful magic that RF tesla
current does around computers and CRT monitors wouldn't be welcome,
particularly when one conciders that a good deal of the equipment is rented
and insured.   Also, the studio would strip its collective gears at the thought
of having "The Talent" in a wet bathtub with anything remotely like a
running tesla coil nearby.

	John



>Original poster: "by way of Terry Fritz <twftesla-at-qwest-dot-net>"
><dhmccauley-at-spacecatlighting-dot-com>
>
>Speaking of lightbulbs . . .
>
>Anyone know how Fester Addamms performed the lightbulb in the mouth trick???
>Clearly there are no wires.
>My guess its probably a flourescent type bulb (not incandescent) and
>probably done in a high potential EM field to excite the bulb.
>
>Any one know what really went on here??  It be cool to do the same trick.
>Sure, i guess you could swallow a 4 foot flourescent tube, but it wouldn't
>be the same
>
>Dan