The visual jukebox that played these "soundies" was called a Panoram. It was produced by the Mills Novelty Company of Chicago from 1939 to 1947, when television made it practically obsolete. Each unit contained eight black and white 16mm films on a continuous loop, each segment lasting about 2½ to 3 minutes long. One play cost a dime (ten cents), and there was no selector, so the customer had to view whatever the next film was on the loop. The company used RCA projectors and audio equipment. The initial production order by Mills was the largest by a single customer at the time for RCA projectors, amplifiers and speakers and it filled 17 rail cars. Each unit cost a distributor $695, and the customer was charged $1,000. As for content, over 1,800 "soundies" were made from various producers.
The format was revived in the 1960s and '70s with improvements such as color, the ability to select what film one wanted to see, and there were many more films to choose from in each unit. The machines had names like Scopitone, Cinebox, and Color-Sonic. But they had proprietary technologies and sold only a few hundred units each and were not economically successful.
The format was revived in the 1960s and '70s with improvements such as color, the ability to select what film one wanted to see, and there were many more films to choose from in each unit. The machines had names like Scopitone, Cinebox, and Color-Sonic. But they had proprietary technologies and sold only a few hundred units each and were not economically successful.
A dime for a Soundie in the early-1940s would be equivalent to about $2.15 in 2024.
Shown on Turner Classic Movies on September 7, 2022 as part of an evening of programming spotlighting Soundies.