September 1, 2009

Cobb Acts for the “Movies” (Sep, 1914)

Filed under: Just Weird, Movies — @ 11:14 am
Source: Popular Electricity And Modern Mechanics ( More articles from this issue )
Issue: Sep, 1914
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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.

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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July 9, 2009

Talking Devices are Revolutionizing Movies! (Feb, 1929)

Filed under: Movies — @ 10:31 am
Source: Modern Mechanix ( More articles from this issue )
Issue: Feb, 1929
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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 »

May 10, 2009

Africa is 60 Miles from Hollywood (in the movies) (Jul, 1931)

Filed under: Movies — @ 11:45 pm
Source: Modern Mechanix ( More articles from this issue )
Issue: Jul, 1931
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Africa is 60 Miles from Hollywood (in the movies)

by JAMES BOWLES

If you think the title of this article is rather far-fetched, you’re doing an injustice to Hollywood’s cleverest location managers, whose special brand of geography, not taught in the public schools, crowds Alaska, Ireland, Honolulu and Holland within the bounds of the state of California. FRANCE is 20 miles from the South Seas, the Sahara Desert adjoins Holtville, California, and the dykes of Holland leak into Long Beach.
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April 20, 2009

DOLLS Become ACTORS (Dec, 1939)

Filed under: Movies — @ 11:59 pm
Source: Mechanix Illustrated ( More articles from this issue )
Issue: Dec, 1939
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DOLLS Become ACTORS

DOLLS may replace drawings as actors in animated cartoon movies if the idea developed by three Italian brothers proves successful. The present way of making such films, the best example of which is Walt Disney’s Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs, is to shoot thousands of drawings separately and then piece them together so that the subjects appear to move when projected. Read the rest of this entry »

February 11, 2009

HOLLYWOOD’S FROGMAN (Nov, 1953)

Filed under: Movies — @ 11:48 pm
Source: Mechanix Illustrated ( More articles from this issue )
Issue: Nov, 1953
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HOLLYWOOD’S FROGMAN

Glen Galvin of MGM, attired in bathing suit and oxygen mask, is man behind the scenes in Hollywood’s fabulous underwater extravaganzas.

By Bob Willett

STANDING on the bottom at a depth of 12 feet, a man pulled steadily on a slender line. About 100 feet away, an object moved slowly toward him through the greenish-blue water.

As it drew near it took the shape of a beautiful young woman whose face and form could rival those of any mythical sea siren. She was bound hand and foot but, despite this apparent predicament, managed a cheerful grin when the diver finally reached out and grabbed her. Following twin streams of bubbles, they rose to the surface and he towed her to safety.
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January 9, 2009

Making Trick PICTURES with a Home Movie Camera (May, 1932)

Filed under: How to, Movies — @ 11:28 pm
Source: Modern Mechanix ( More articles from this issue )
Issue: May, 1932
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Making Trick PICTURES with a Home Movie Camera

by Walter E. Burton

Half the fun in making home movies lies in getting unusual shots that will mystify friends viewing your production. Taking such trick pictures is quite simple and easy, as told here.

IF YOU purchase, borrow, or receive as a present a motion picture camera, you will find the mere process of photographing everything in sight thrilling enough for the first half-dozen reels. Then you will look about for new fields to conquer. Perhaps you will undertake the making of your own dramas or comedies—movies with a plot or at least a basic theme. Read the rest of this entry »

November 19, 2008

James Bond’s Weird World of Inventions (Jan, 1966)

Filed under: Cool, Movies — @ 2:23 pm
Source: Popular Science ( More articles from this issue )
Issue: Jan, 1966
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James Bond’s Weird World of Inventions

007 tangles with the trickiest assortment of supergadgets ever assembled for the screen in new James Bond movie, “Thunderball”

By HERBERT SHULDINER

Gadgetry is a smash hit in Hollywood. Dozens of new films and TV episodes are filled with zany gimmicks and pushbutton devices to entertain audiences.

The thing that started this remarkable trend is the unprecedented success of the gimmick-packed James Bond movies. The first three 007 films raked in over $75 million. Gold finger alone has earned about $43 million—more than any film has ever returned over a comparable time span.
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October 27, 2008

Parlor Movie Screen (Mar, 1947)

Filed under: Movies — @ 10:41 pm
Source: Mechanix Illustrated ( More articles from this issue )
Issue: Mar, 1947
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Movie screen in the parlor need no longer be a problem with this new device known as the Pict-O-Screen. Concealed within the frame of a lithograph print, it can be pulled into place with a cord whenever your projector is ready. When the show is over, just tug the cord again and the screen disappears. It’s made by Radiant Mfg. Co., Chicago.

October 22, 2008

What Makes the Movies Talk? (Nov, 1928)

Filed under: How to, Movies — @ 1:13 am
Source: Modern Mechanix ( More articles from this issue )
Issue: Nov, 1928
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What Makes the Movies Talk?

By William F. Crosby

Electrical Expert and Radio Engineer Millions of people have heard and seen the new talking movies, but the theater-going public knows little about the machinery that makes this form of entertainment possible. In this article Mr. Crosby writes authoritatively of the development of the talking movies, being an electrical engineer who has made a study of the sound devices.

SPEECH reproduction as an accompaniment of motion pictures has been perfected to such a degree that the common variety of silent movie promises to become something of a rarity. Even the 100-seat side-street theater will soon be able to cast out its old mechanical organ and give its patrons the same high quality musical accompaniment that distinguishes the presentations in the largest movie palaces. Read the rest of this entry »

October 19, 2008

Behind the Scenes With Movie Sound Fakers (Dec, 1933)

Filed under: How to, Movies — @ 2:05 am
Source: Modern Mechanix ( More articles from this issue )
Issue: Dec, 1933
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Behind the Scenes With Movie Sound Fakers

The baying of wolves, the clackety-clack of horses’ hoofs, the creaking of auto brakes—these sounds which you hear from the silver screen seldom come from their real sources. This story by an eminent movie sound expert takes you behind the scenes and shows you how these noises are faked.

by MURRAY SPIVAK
Famous Hollywood Sound Director

ONE afternoon recently I sat in the scoring room of the movie studio where I am sound director watching a team of horses gallop down a country road. Later in the picture trees swayed in a violent wind, and then brush broke as an actor ran through a forest. But never a sound issued from the talking screen.
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October 14, 2008

Here’s a Servant Out of This World (Jan, 1956)

Filed under: Movies, Robots — @ 12:10 am
Source: Popular Science ( More articles from this issue )
Issue: Jan, 1956
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Here’s a Servant Out of This World
A seven-foot eight-inch robot does its master’s bidding in M-G-M’s new movie, “Forbidden Planet.” Made of plastic and synthetic leather, the robot is animated by electricity. Ears are rotating antennas, and its grillework month hides a loudspeaker.

September 19, 2008

Creating Illusions for the Talkies (Feb, 1931)

Filed under: How to, Movies — @ 2:08 am
Source: Modern Mechanix ( More articles from this issue )
Issue: Feb, 1931
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Creating Illusions for the Talkies

by MARY SHARON

You can’t believe everything you see in the talkies, and it’s a bit of luck for you that you can’t; for these illusions lower production costs and help keep the admission price within your reach.

“IF THE mountain will not come to Mohammet, Mohammet must go to the mountain.”

“But, most noble prophet, it costs too much to go to the mountain.”

“Then we’ll fake a mountain right here in the studio.”
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