Movie Slot Machine Shows Pictures of Latest News Events
Illustration taken from Modern Mechanix, Nov. 1932

MOTION-PICTURE newsreels are on view for a nickel in a modern version of the old penny-arcade, animated-picture machine recently displayed at a Chicago, 111., convention of manufacturers. As shown at the right, the device has a motion-picture projector installed in the base of its cabinet. Film images are thrown on a small mirror that reflects them up to a ground-glass screen near the top of the cabinet, where they are viewed through an eyepiece by a customer. Designed for hotel lobbies, railroad stations, taverns, and other public places, the movie machine is entirely automatic, running through four separate scenes when a nickel is dropped into the slot, and rewinding for the next customer when the film ends.