Comments on: And the best part is...no VJs!

And the best part is...no VJs!

MrBaliHai — Sun, 04 May 2003 06:17:09 -0800

The Scopitone was a French video jukebox that made its debut in 1960 and was imported into the US in 1964. Although they usually featured high production values, catchy melodies, and lots of gratuitous cheesecake, the singers were often relative unknowns and the music was square even by the standards of the day. Consequently, they never caught on in a big way outside of Europe, and many of the original Scopitone jukeboxes and films were destroyed. Fortunately for us, a few Scopitone enthusiasts have catalogued the songs, scanned the advertisements, and even preserved a few Quicktime clips of the original French and American Scopitone films.

By: MiguelCardoso

MiguelCardoso — Sun, 04 May 2003 06:52:38 -0800

Thanks a million, MrBaliHai - I'd be getting by with the Scopitone fix over on Sharpeworlde. I remember the Scopitone jukeboxes in the early 60s. They were very expensive and the selection was crap - at least for a seven-year old!

By: MrBaliHai

MrBaliHai — Sun, 04 May 2003 07:33:47 -0800

clips of the original French Evil, bad, naughty frames...that URL should be here. Wouldn't want you to miss your Johnny Halliday fix, Migs...;^)

By: Mo Nickels

Mo Nickels — Sun, 04 May 2003 08:35:08 -0800

I like that phrasing that seems imply that only Europeans would like square music and gratuitous cheesecake.

By: madamjujujive

madamjujujive — Sun, 04 May 2003 09:09:15 -0800

Great links MrBaliHai - the Scopitone was vital in preserving embarassing footage from the go-go girl era, a time when sex appeal was apparently measured by an enormous demonstration of energy. Anyone who hasn't viewed your last link needs to do so right now! Also, this Mother Nature, Father Time one is really scary! Thanks for the guffaws.

By: the fire you left me

the fire you left me — Sun, 04 May 2003 09:45:52 -0800

Dig those crazy hotpants.

By: MrBaliHai

MrBaliHai — Sun, 04 May 2003 10:37:53 -0800

Mo: Haha! That phrasing was inadvertent on my part, but having spent much of my childhood in Europe being forced to watch embarassingly lame variety shows on television with my parents, and listening to the milquetoast musical programming on government-controlled radio stations, I must've subconsciously let that sneak through! On my return to the States, I was amazed at how much better music and teevee seemed to be by comparison (hard as that might be to believe).

By: monkeyman

monkeyman — Mon, 05 May 2003 05:27:09 -0800

Wait a minute. Miguel used to be a seven year-old girl?

By: Vidiot

Vidiot — Mon, 05 May 2003 07:54:16 -0800

Still is, actually. He inhabits a new host every autumn.

By: sparky

sparky — Mon, 05 May 2003 14:05:12 -0800

I highly recommend you buy the video from Dennis as listed on Sharpeworld (scroll down for info) if you're interested in seeing more. It's worth every penny and chock full of rare Scopitones. MTV did the transfer work for him, so it's a nice clean copy - which is a hard thing to find!