Urban Motion Picture Industries, NY, Spirograph *

The first motion picture disc player - The Spirograph - was patented in 1907 by U.K. inventor Theodore Brown (1870 - 1938) though he never produced it commercially. It wasn't until Brown sold the rights to his invention to a motion picture heavyweight in the U.S., Charles Urban (1867 -1942), that any real marketing and production commenced. Charles started promoting the Spirograph as early as 1915. Urban Motion Picture Industries, Inc. was created in New York City in 1921 to produce the machine, which it did for just two years. Obviously, the venture was ultimately unsuccessful and production ceased in 1922. The Spirograph is a hand-cranked mechanical device that plays 10 1/2" "motion picture records." Each record contained 1,200 frames of a silent film that was arranged into a spiral. When played at the correct rate, the films last about 1-1/4 minutes. These films were not released in theatres since the Spirograph was meant for personal home use. The offered example is in a beautiful condition, with minimal signs of age, the crank is repaired, with ten film discs, multiple spare lenses and original storing box.