Abstract: An electric arc lamp in combination with an electronically controlled incandescent filament to provide auxiliary illumination during warm-up and hot restart of the arc lamp, the filament control circuit being responsive to the arc lamp voltage and current and operative in three modes, full off, full on, and switching on and off the latter so as to allow capacitive and inductive coupling of energy into the arc lamp for the purpose of starting it and bringing it into the arc mode of operation.