I asked ChatGPT to write a movie starring Wally Cox & Marilyn Monroe

ChatGPT is a text generating AI (Artificial Intelligence): it writes like a human does.

Currently, it’s free to use. I’ve been testing it in quite a few different ways, and I wanted to share some I found particularly intriguing with you.

In the examples, just for ease of reading, I’ll put ChatGPT’s output in italics.

Me: Rewrite this in 1940s slang: “My BFF was keeping it on the down low that they were going to sneak out to meet up with this hottie they’d been chatting with online, but the ‘rents found out. It was a bummer when they got grounded.”

ChatGPT: “My pal was keepin’ it quiet that they were gonna slip out to hook up with a dish they’d been shootin’ the breeze with on the wires, but the old folks found out. It was a real drag when they got the gate.“

I was deliberately a little fuzzy with my slang, but I was pretty impressed. Slang over time has always been an interest of mine. I wouldn’t have used “got the gate” for “grounded”: it basically means to kick somebody out, or fire somebody. I might have gone with “got put on ice”, although that typically means being in jail. I’m also not sure “It was a real drag…” was used in this sense in the 1940s…I’ll double check.

Me: Rewrite the above in 1960s slang

ChatGPT: “My main man was layin’ low about sneaking out to dig this fox they’d been jawing with online, but the folks caught wind. It was a bummer when they got put on lockdown.”

Interestingly, it thought people could be socially online in the 1960s, but not in the 1940s. It also didn’t take chat to mean “typing with” but it doesn’t always, so that worked.

Me: Rewrite the original paragraph so the parents are more lenient.

ChatGPT: “My BFF was trying to keep it quiet that they were going to sneak out to meet up with this hottie they’d been chatting with online, but the ‘rents found out. They had a talk with them, but it wasn’t as bad as expected, and they didn’t get grounded.

This is the kind of thing it does that really makes it seem different from just looking things up to me. It’s not that it could give you a definition of the word “lenient”, it understood the implication. It knew that a talk would be a less severe alternative to grounding.

Me: Rewrite the following so it makes more sense to a British audience. “After I took the elevator to the garage and I got in my truck, I wish I’d worn my sweater, because it was only about 40 degrees. Fortunately, my car was down there too, and I had a jacket in my trunk, so no problem.

ChatGPT: “After I took the lift down to the car park and got in my lorry, I wished I had worn my jumper, as it was only around 40° C. Thankfully, my vehicle was there too and I had a coat in the boot, so it was all good.”

Notice that I didn’t say 40 degrees “Fahrenheit”, but it understood that. It also rearranged where I said I went “down”, & corrected my case…both good changes.

Me: Make up a movie plot for a hypothetical movie starring Wally Cox and Marilyn Monroe

ChatGPT: Sure, here’s a plot for a hypothetical movie starring Wally Cox and Marilyn Monroe:

Title: “Lost in Love”

The movie follows the story of Harold (Wally Cox), a bookish and shy librarian who falls head over heels in love with dazzling and vivacious movie star, Marilyn (Marilyn Monroe). Despite the differences in their backgrounds and lifestyles, the two of them embark on a whirlwind romance that takes them from the streets of New York to the dazzling lights of Hollywood.

Along the way, Harold discovers that Marilyn is more than just a pretty face, as she reveals her insecurities, fears, and vulnerabilities. Despite the challenges they face, including the paparazzi and Marilyn’s demanding schedule, their love only grows stronger.

However, when Marilyn’s movie studio finds out about the relationship, they threaten to end her career unless she breaks things off with Harold. With their love on the line, Harold and Marilyn must make a choice between their careers and their hearts.

Will their love survive the pressures of fame and fortune, or will they be lost in the shuffle? “Lost in Love” is a touching and comedic look at the ups and downs of falling in love in the golden age of Hollywood.”

That really works for me as a studio system B movie! They tended to be formulaic. I thought it appropriate that it gave Wally Cox a different character name, but still had Marilyn’s character called “Marilyn”. The movie is obviously a bit meta, & it lets her play a version of herself, but a fictional one. It adds to the commentary.

I see all of these as something that would assist a writer, not replace them. Yes, I’m impressed and there are circumstances where what it does would work as is. However, at this point, it feels like teamwork would be the way to go. That’s in both directions. I would think, if you’re a writer, that offering your services as an “AI Polisher” (even through a gig platform) would work. You’d want to be able to do two main things: smooth out the language and fact-checking. For example, it once wrote a blurb for me for a book and said it would keep you “on the edge of your seat”. That’s more appropriate for a movie, in my opinion…I’d change that. It also got something simply wrong in summarizing a TV show. It said that the Earthlings were fighting a particular group of aliens, when that group was actually on their side.

I’m going to keep experimenting with it and with other text generative AIs. I think this is society changing tech, and there are a lot of things to consider. I’m interested in your opinions on it. You can reply here or let me know on Twitter at

Join thousands of readers and try the free The Measured Circle magazine at Flipboard!

All aboard our The Measured Circle’s Geek Time Trip at The History Project (AKA Enwoven)! Join the TMCGTT Timeblazers!

Bufo’s Alexa Skills

This post by Bufo Calvin originally appeared in the The Measured Circle blog. To support this or other organizations, begin your Amazon shopping from a link on their sites: Amazon.com (Smile.Amazon.com)