Like They Say, Everything Old Is New Again!

Long before MTV...Music videos on cable...



Several decades prior to the early 80's there briefly flourished music videos seen in bars, bowling alleys and establishments across the land...


It was called SCOPITONE...







On the Scopitone website they explain the system like this...


"What's A Scopitone?


It's a "Film Jukebox" invented in France in the early 1960's (from surplus World War II airplane parts!) and also the films (the precursors of todays music videos) which played on it."

Here is the inside "guts of the Scopitone machine...

You can see the film reels...Pretty ingenious for the day...

Check out this web site and you can see some of the original Scopitone video productions produced with the stars of that era...


http://scopitones.blogs.com/scopitonescom/watch_scopitones/

Vicki Carr, Bobby Rydell, Ray Anthony, Line Renaud, Francois Hardy, Billy Eckstine and Dick and Dee Dee...

Here's a link to one I just saw on You Tube featuring Joi Lansing (WHO?)...

Well, she has big boobs and dances a super corny routine in a web of ropes as she belts out "Web of Love"...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kbv8p1YfJbI&feature=player_embedded

One thing you will note in viewing these Scopitone features is their rich color...It must have been cool to see these in action...

Here's a link to a Scopitone with Lou Rawls...Remember they were produced just for Scopitone and were exclusive to that medium...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4707ORQBoGU&feature=player_embedded#at=14

Obviously the concept ultimately failed and all the clips are now relegated to musical history, though we should be glad they caught some of the artists performing in their prime so that future generations can see how great they were back then...

Even Betty and Veronica in the Archie comics were into Scopitone...

Just remember when you see your next video on the cable or your computer, Scopitone was there long, long ago entertaining folks as they sucked up their scotch and soda or bowled their final pins in a match...

What's old is new again...Oh, yea! 

P.S..  Want to see more?

Check these out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oDM5JqnBjAY&feature=player_embedded

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJW17e-INaY&feature=player_embedded

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YNj78igXr_Y&feature=player_embedded

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-V03f74P4_o&feature=related