Inside The Music-Box of Giant Bells

IN the bell loft of the Rockefeller church in New York it suspended the first of the tuned carrillons, the smallest bells of which are shown above. The resonance of a bell, which lasts for several moments, has previously prevented accurate tuning of carrillons, but this age-old annoyance has been eliminated by a system of bell dampers invented by G. M. Giannini.
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Poindexter really should have had one of these.

Violin Made Of New “Glass”
ANEW type of unbreakable, flexible material which has the same transparency as ordinary glass, but weighs less, size for size, has been invented in Germany. A product of artificial resins, the new material can be bent, twisted, punched, cut with a scissors, polished and sawed. As a demonstration of the possibilities of the new “glass,” the full-size violin shown above was made entirely from sample sheets, with the exception of the usual strings.

Agitators, Engineers Are Chessmen

MODERN as tomorrow morning’s headlines, a newly simplified form of the game of chess has for its game board the Modern World, and for its pieces Farmers, Mechanics, Engineers and even Agitators struggling against forces symbolized by opposing Armies, Bankers, Radio, Press, Law and Middlemen trying to become Rankers.

The play, which is solely a matter of skill, centers around opposing forces trying to dominate one neutral piece called Government while either the red or white side, as the antagonists are named, is in power.

The game may be played by either two, three, or four persons and is substantially like chess. But gone are the Pawns, the Knights, and the Kings and Queens,

Television Shows Full Size Images
MOVING television images on a screen 10 feet square, produced beautifully clear, perfectly defined, and possessing the illusion of depth, is the latest and most amazing step in the advance of television art. This new development, accomplished by Mr. U. A. Sanabria, a Chicago television expert, enables a large crowd of spectators to view a radio performance, and heralds the day of “television theatres.” Full size images are made possible chiefly by development of a new neon arc tube and a special scanning disk.

I honestly have no idea what the purpose of this piece is. Besides being incredibly racist, it doesn’t really seem to have a point. Is it supposed to be funny? And no, I didn’t leave any pages out. That’s the whole thing.

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Cobb Acts for the “Movies”

Irvin S. Cobb, the” well-known humorist, recently had the. interesting experience of acting for the “movies” in connection with “Our Mutual Girl” series—to be more exact. Reel No. 24.

In this film production, the Mutual Girl meets Irvin S. Cobb, who takes delight in telling her a story. It is a narrative of great humor and credit is due to Our Mutual Girl Weekly for the account given below.
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Hollywood Star Chaser

Tired of being a fall guy for films, this stunt man got on the phone and called up a fortune.

By Carl Crawford

MAYBE I shouldn’t admit it, but I got my big money-making idea right after falling downstairs on my head eight times in a row.

Frankly, I don’t recommend such tumbles to anyone seeking inspiration for a novel business venture. I was a stunt man in the movies at the time and took those eight falls downstairs as a professional daredevil.

That afternoon, when I was wearily picking up my battered bones, I heard the director hailing an actor who’d just come on the set: “Where the devil were you this morning, Joe? I had a nice, little part for you—four days’ work at 60 bucks a day. But when the studio couldn’t find you, I had to get somebody else.” Read the rest of this entry »

DOG SHOWS MUSICAL TALENT
EVERY now and then a dog is seen on the stage that seems to almost have human intelligence. This dog shows exceptional musical ability when he sits on the bench of an automatic piano and pats the keys, as the piano plays. That he has a musical sense of rhythm is shown by the fact that he pats the keys in time with the piece that is being, played. He is owned by a Berlin vaudeville performer.

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Haywire House

By R.W.K

I’VE been there, I’ve seen, I’ve taken pictures—but I still don’t see how such things are possible.

The Editors of MI heard some wild stories about a place called the House of Mystery. What stories! People go around ten degrees off the vertical! A golf ball thrown straight up comes down several inches to one side! A bottle rolls uphill! A broom stands by itself—at an angle to the floor! People grow taller or shorter, depending on where they stand! All this happens in Oregon, in a peculiar area called the Oregon Vortex, a circle, or rather a sphere, exactly 165 feet 4-1/2 inches in diameter up in the Gold Hill country!
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It Would Make A Swell Fan, Too

IT LOOKS like a new-fangled kind of windmill, or at least a trick water turbine—but don’t let appearances fool you. It’s an unusual aerial designed for W6XAO, the only television transmitting station in Los Angeles. The aerial is 60 feet high, and the paddle-like elements are intended to produce television pictures with better definition than former aerials have given. Made of duraluminum, it is being inspected by Harry Lubcke, its designer, and Thomas Lee, who owns the station.

EAST INDIAN MERRY-GO-ROUND
ONE of the most popular sports for young people in India is riding in merry-go-rounds of the type shown in the photograph. It seems to American eyes to he a crude imitation of the Ferris wheels which are so popular in amusement parks. Four chairs are suspended from X-like cross pieces which are mounted on uprights. The device is propelled by man power, and when it gets into action its squeaks can be heard for a long distance, since the axles are never greased. A group of Indian children are shown waiting their turn to ride.

TV camera gets power from battery pack

Using a new portable TV camera and battery pack, a telecaster no longer has to drag power cables behind him. All he needs for audio and video transmission to a booster unit a mile away is the five-pound camera in his hands and the 25-pound power pack on his back.

The Newschief system was modified, with the help of American Broadcasting Co. engineers, from Sylvania’s closed-circuit transistor apparatus. The back pack contains transmitter, broadcasting equipment, and a nickel-cadmium battery good for an hour. While it is being recharged, a new battery can be clipped on without loss of signal. Read the rest of this entry »

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Talking Devices are Revolutionizing Movies!

By GEORGE C. HENDERSON

MILLIONS of dollars are being spent by movie magnates in equipping studios for the production of talking pictures. Mr. Henderson visited a “talkie” in the making and in this article gives a fascinating glimpse of what goes on behind the scenes.

THEY’VE got to wear sneakers on their cowboy boots in moviedom now. The yelling director has been stricken dumb. His megaphone has gone back to the prop room. The big fellow with the blasting voice is outside the gates looking in, on the “extra list.” They say he “bloops.” The little lady who speaks with a hissing sibilance is out there with the blooper. She is called a “sizzler.” The hollow-voiced tragedian is told that his tones are “tubby” (as if he were speaking into a tub) and if he cannot correct the defect, he goes out too. Weak voiced persons “get the gate” with those above mentioned. They are called “juice suckers.” Read the rest of this entry »