Cross-post (39)

Soundies were musical films produced in the USA in the 40s. They were short films containing only songs, dances or orchestra performances. They were shown on a coin-operated machine, a kind of jukebox, that you could find in nightclubs, bars, restaurants, and other public spaces. pic.twitter.com/YpFE39m8Ju

— _blank (@null66913) February 23, 2021

As the intention was to reach a broad audience, the range of musical genres was extremely varied, from country to swing, jazz, gospel, folk, and even opera. pic.twitter.com/tRgnJkpw55

— _blank (@null66913) February 23, 2021

Although some conservative politicians tried to ban them, they were not porn neither low-budget films with second-rate performers. Soundies were a launching pad for dancers, actors, musicians, and singers like Cyd Charisse, Doris Day, Ricardo Montalbán, and Louis Armstrong. pic.twitter.com/z0yUCUFuIW

— _blank (@null66913) February 23, 2021

The first soundies were shot in 1940, but they were not distributed until the following year, when the projection machine, called Panoram, was better and could be used in public spaces. pic.twitter.com/XyB5YaLYbk

— _blank (@null66913) February 23, 2021

Although more than 1,800 soundies were produced and distributed in that short space of time, by 1946 the number of Panoram had dropped to only 2,000, presumably due to wartime restrictions.

— _blank (@null66913) February 23, 2021

You can find a lot of these films if you search "soundies" in YouTube. https://t.co/dVZJ3GbD1F

— _blank (@null66913) February 23, 2021