Soundie

A Soundie was a short musical film produced in the United States, primarily from 1940 to 1947, designed for playback on a Panoram machine. The Panoram, a coin-operated visual jukebox, featured a rear-projection screen that would play these three-minute films for a dime. Soundies served as an important outlet for musicians, dancers, and other performers during the pre-television era, offering exposure to a large audience. Many notable figures in jazz, blues, and swing music appeared in Soundies, providing a valuable historical record of these musical styles. The films themselves were often low-budget and characterized by simple narratives and staged performances, typically filmed in a single day. Although the popularity of Soundies waned with the rise of television, they remain a significant part of American popular culture history.