210 



Popular Science Monthly 



A Machine That Thinks Up 

 Movie Plots 



NEARLY every one of us believes 

 that in the back of his brain he 

 has a perfectly good moving picture 

 scenario that awaits only the chance to 

 be flashed upon the screen. He is now 

 given an opportunity to produce, by the 

 demand for scenarios in a field where 

 hundreds of new stories are filmed every 

 week. And now comes an opportunity, 



Turn the handle and new words appear on 

 the face of this machine — words that sug- 

 gest plots for motion picture plays 



in the form of a plot manufacturer, for 

 those without ideas, a compact little 

 cardboard box that contains more plots 

 than the moving picture people could use 

 in a hundred years. 



The "movie writer'' as it is called, is 

 exceedingly simple. Arthur F. Blanch- 

 ard, of Cambridge, Mass., who is a Har- 

 vard graduate, is the inventor, and he 

 believes his machine will revolutionize 

 literary art. The device consists of a 

 modest cardboard box six inches long, 

 three inches wid-e and two inches deep. 

 Half a dozen slots are cut in the top sur- 

 face, beneath which revolve spools of 

 paper upon which are printed several 

 thousand scientifically selected words. 

 Handles project from either side which 

 are turned at will. 



^ The word in the top slot is an adjec- 

 tive, that in the second a noun, the third 

 a verb. Next comes another noun (the 

 subsidiary character) and then follows a 

 word expressing a denouement. Each 

 knob is given a few twists, either selec- 

 tively or at random, and a complete plot. 



perhaps extravagantly impossible, per- 

 haps hackneyed, or perhaps new and 

 useful, turns up. But at all events there 

 will be a plot. Here are a few samples; 

 imagination must supply the details. 



Beautiful, stenographer, bribes, cus- 

 toms officer, adventure, recall. 



Benevolent, steward, captures, em- 

 press, aft'air, reflection. 



Chivalrous, stranger, dares, governess, 

 alliance, repentance. 



Cowardly, author, deceives, editor, 

 anguish, rejection. 



Bold, beggar, blackmails, broker, 

 brawl, banishment. 



As a toy, the mechanical plot creator 

 also has its uses. With each person at 

 a dinner provided with one of the ma- 

 chines, a story can be started by the first 

 person, the others following in turn, each 

 based upon the preceding one and car- 

 rying the story. It remains to be seen 

 how many successful picture plays re- 

 sult from the use of this invention. 



A French Motor-Tricycle Sweeper 



JACQUELIN, the French champion 

 cyclist, has conceived the idea of 

 attaching a rotary brush to the back of 

 the motor-tricycle. His novel combina- 

 tion attracts much attention, in operation 

 upon the streets of Paris. 



To a light frame, made over steel 

 tubes, the motor-tricycle is attached, and 

 this frame holds the brush and is driven 

 by a chain from the rear axle of the 

 cycle. A basket of the proper shape lies 

 next to the brush so as to receive the 

 sweepings, as the work proceeds. 



That a professional cyclist should have in- 

 vented this street-sweeper is natural. But 

 why use muscle when gasoline motors are 

 cheap? 



