Soundies

Soundies were three-minute American musical 16mm films, produced in New York City, Chicago, and Hollywood, between 1940 and 1946, each containing a song, dance and/or band or orchestral number. The completed Soundies were generally made available for rental within a few weeks of their filming, in film collections of eight to a reel, primarily by the Soundies Distributing Corporation of America, from which the name "Soundies" was generalized to any similar film, including later, single pieces shot as "filler" for early television. The last true Soundies group was released in March 1947. The films were displayed on the Panoram, a coin-operated film jukebox or machine music, in nightclubs, bars, restaurants, factory lounges, and amusement centers,

Several production companies filmed the Soundies shorts: James Roosevelt's Globe Productions (1940–41), Cinemasters (1940-41), Minoco Productions (1941–43), RCM Productions (1941-46), LOL Productions (1943), Glamourettes (1943), Filmcraft Productions (1943–46), and Alexander Productions (1946).

Soundies covered all genres of music, from classical to big-band swing, and from hillbilly novelties to patriotic songs. Jimmy Dorsey, Louis Jordan, Spike Jones, Liberace, Stan Kenton, Gale Storm, Kay Starr, Cyd Charisse, Les Brown, Doris Day, The Hoosier Hot Shots, Martha Tilton, Mel Torme, Harry "The Hipster" Gibson, Sally Rand, Alan Ladd, Peggy Lee, Nick Lucas, Gene Krupa, The Duncan Sisters, Anita O'Day, Jimmie Dodd, Ricardo Montalban, Yvonne De Carlo, Merle Travis, Gwen Verdon and Lawrence Welk were a few of the Soundies stars.

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