Controller Question

So I recently rescued a 1933 GE Monitor Top. I plugged it in and nothing, gave it about an hour plugged in and turned on and still nothing. I have no clicking, sparks or any sign of life at the controller (I think). I poked some stuff while the power was on and still nothing. Im thinking my staring resistor is bad, but its a sealed unit... do they go bad? I cleaned it up and put it back in and still nothing. Also, if the controller is detached from the cabinet, it should still do something when you turn the power switch on, right? And lastly, is there any way to run the compressor to see if it works when the controller of off the cabinet? Everything else in the controller is free and lubricated, the only other thing that seems loose is the magnetic coil on the back side of the controller. Any advice would be appreciated.