The Soundies: A History and Catalog of Jukebox Film Shorts of the 1940s

It’s an intriguing concept: an oversized, seven-foot-tall jukebox with a 22-by-17-inch screen positioned at eye level. In the 1940s, customers at a bar or restaurant could put in a dime and watch and listen to three-minute musical films called “soundies.” Musicologist Cantor, whose Celluloid Improvisations Music Film Archive is perhaps the largest privately held collection of jazz on 16mm film, provides interviews with former performers and a technical history of the making and marketing of soundies. There were competitors, but only Chicago’s Mills Novelty Company survived, making 1,880 shorts in all. Songs had to be played in the order they appeared on the reel. For 10 cents, twice the cost of a regular jukebox, people could watch celebrities, such as Nat King Cole, Gene Krupa, Cab Calloway, and Les Paul perform, and see stars such as Alan Ladd, Doris Day, Gloria Grahame, and Cyd Charisse make their first screen appearances.