Scopitone

Scopitone refers to a type of jukebox that but in color worked with 16 -millimeter material with magnetic track and thus, in principle, forerunner of today's video clips. So you played not only music, but a projector essay set to music films.

The first Scopitone was produced in France by the company Cameca on Blvd Saint Denis in Courbevoie and spread from 1959 in French restaurants.

The individual pieces of music were about three minutes long, of which about 1500 variants were produced. The cost of production of the films were extremely low, nevertheless effects were achieved, the modern video clips were equal. Often the performer no more than two hours of shooting time had available. Listed example, there was Serge Gainsbourg 's " Le Poinçonneur des Lilas ", which had been filmed in 1958 in the metro station Porte des Lilas .. Johnny Hallyday sang a cover version of the Los Bravos; "Noir c'est noir" Hully Gully and showed a dance routine around a swimming pool.

Even in Germany, and gradually spread Scopitones played there, for example, from pieces of the Kessler Twins; including the song " Quando, Quando ".

About the UK, the device finally came to the United States of America. There they were introduced in 1964 by Alvin Ira Malnik and Maurice Uchitel in the bars of New York City, which should soon reach the number of 500 in the same year 1966 .. 800 pieces in bars and nightclubs across the country have already been counted, which is about $ 3,500 per unit cost.

Already towards the end of the 1960s the popularity of Scopitones fell generally clear up the production of suitable films were set in 1978.

The only remaining Scopitone in 2006, which is still available to the public in the USA, is to be located in Belcourt Theatre Nashville in Tennessee.