Color-Sonic was a type of visual

jukebox A jukebox is a partially automated music-playing device, usually a coin-operated machine, that will play a patron's selection from self-contained media. The classic jukebox has buttons, with letters and numbers on them, which are used to selec ...

developed in the United States in the 1960s. They were the first ones to use continuous loop cartridges, which were both more durable and more easily replaced than the film reels used by their competitors,

Cinebox The ''Cinebox'' was a coin-operated Italian 16mm film projector jukebox type machine invented in 1959 that appeared in Europe to rival the French made Scopitone that appeared in 1960. The Cinebox was manufactured in Rome by Ottico Meccanica Italian ...

and

Scopitone Scopitone is a type of jukebox featuring a 16 mm film component. Scopitone films were a forerunner of music videos. The 1959 Italian Cinebox/Colorama and Color-Sonics were competing, lesser-known technologies of the time one year before the Scop ...

. The Color-Sonic films were shot on 35 mm, as opposed to the 16 mm film used for Scopitone and Cinebox. Before Color-Sonic,

Panoram Panoram was the trademark name of a visual jukebox that played short-filmed musicals (the effect being the equivalent of 1980s music videos) popular within the United States during the 1940s. It was conceived and produced by the Mills Novelty Co ...

had already pioneered the use of visual jukeboxes in America.

Company history

In 1966, Henry A. Schwartz filed a patent for the Color-Sonic, also known as Combi 150 (a visual jukebox) which was assigned to Color-Sonics Inc. alias National Company Inc. in New York. The Color-Sonic machines were manufactured at the facilities of the National Company Inc. in

Melrose, Massachusetts Melrose is a city located in the Greater Boston metropolitan area in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. Its population, per the 2020 United States Census, is 29,817. It is a suburb located approximately seven miles north of Boston. I ...

. COLOR-SONICS, INC. was incorporated on May 7, 1966, in New York county with company number 198358. It is located at 122 East 42nd St. New York, New York, 10168. The National Company Inc. also used to own The National Radio Company of New York, NY. "Jukebox History 1952-1998", ''Juke-Box.dk''
Retrieved 16 April 2020
Retrieved 16 April 2020

Color-Sonic music videos

The video films themselves were made at

Paramount Studios Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film and television production and distribution company and the main namesake division of Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS). It is the fifth-oldest film studio in the world, the second-oldest ...

Official Films Official Films, Incorporated (Inc.) was founded by Leslie Winik in 1939 to produce educational shorts. Soon, after buying some negatives of public-domain Keystone Chaplin films, the company found itself in the 16mm/8mm home movie business. It obta ...

, which was headed by

Robert Blees Robert Blees (June 9, 1918 Lathrop, Missouri – January 31, 2015) was an American writer and producer of films and television. He died on January 31, 2015. Select filmography * ''The Glass Web'' (1953) * ''Cattle Queen of Montana'' (1954) * ''Ma ...

, a former producer of TV shows such as ''

Bus Stop A bus stop is a place where buses stop for passengers to get on and off the bus. The construction of bus stops tends to reflect the level of usage, where stops at busy locations may have shelters, seating, and possibly electronic passenger ...

'' and ''

Combat! ''Combat!'' is an American television drama series that originally aired on ABC from 1962 until 1967. The exclamation point in ''Combat!'' was depicted on-screen as a stylized bayonet. The show covered the grim lives of a squad of American sol ...

''.

Robert Altman Robert Bernard Altman ( ; February 20, 1925 – November 20, 2006) was an American film director, screenwriter, and producer. He was a five-time nominee of the Academy Award for Best Director and is considered an enduring figure from the New H ...

was hired to direct several Color-Sonics films: "Girl Talk" by

Bobby Troup Robert William Troup Jr. (October 18, 1918 – February 7, 1999) was an American actor, jazz pianist, singer, and songwriter. He wrote the song " Route 66" and acted in the role of Dr. Joe Early with his wife Julie London in the television progr ...

, a short called ''The Party'' set to the song "Bittersweet Samba" by

Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass Herb Alpert (born March 31, 1935) is an American trumpeter who led the band Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass in the 1960s. During the same decade, he co-founded A&M Records with Jerry Moss. Alpert has recorded 28 albums that have landed on the ...

, and two shorts featuring Lili St. Cyr. In addition, Color-Sonics produced a fairly sophisticated music video titled "

These Boots Are Made for Walkin' "These Boots Are Made for Walkin' is a hit song written by Lee Hazlewood and recorded by American singer Nancy Sinatra. It charted on January 22, 1966, and reached No.1 in the United States ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and in the UK Singles Chart. Su ...

" by

Nancy Sinatra Nancy Sandra Sinatra (born June 8, 1940) is an American singer and actress. She is the elder daughter of Frank Sinatra and Nancy Sinatra ( Barbato), and is best known for her 1966 signature hit "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'. Nancy Sinatra ...

which was directed by Robert Sidney. Some of the 200 music videos featured on Color-Sonics (with Color-Sonics catalog number in brackets, where known) included; # ''The Party'' aka ''In Crowd'' featuring Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass, "Bittersweet Samba" (directed by Robert Altman) (026) # Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass: "Swinger from Seville" (018) # Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass: "

Whipped Cream Whipped cream is liquid heavy cream that is whipped by a whisk or mixer until it is light and fluffy and holds its shape, or by the expansion of dissolved gas, forming a firm colloid. It is often sweetened, typically with white sugar, and ...

" (012) # Ray Anthony Show: "What'd I Say" (031) # Nai Bonet: "Jelly Belly" # Bobby Breen: "Up on the Roof" (320) # Brothers Two Trio: "Chickie" # Andy Cavell & the Boscoe Holder Dancers: "Speedy Gonzalez" # Fay Craig: "Bongo Baby" (314) # Fay Craig: "Mirage" (309) # Colorama Dancers, ''Beach Party'' featuring the Dovells, "You Can't Sit Down" (111) # The Eggheads: "Greenback Dollar" (103) # The Eggheads: "

Swing Low, Sweet Chariot "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" is an African-American spiritual song and one of the best-known Christian hymns. Originating in early oral and musical African-American traditions, the date it was composed is unknown. Performances by the Hampton Singer ...

" # The Eggheads: "This Little Lite of Mine" (101) # Lynn Elliot: "Baby Face" (004) # Shawn Elliott: "Shame and Scandal in the Family" (131) # Shane Fenton: "I Ain't Got Nobody" #

Connie Francis Concetta Rosa Maria Franconero (born December 12, 1937), known professionally as Connie Francis, is an American pop singer, actress, and top-charting female vocalist of the late 1950s and early 1960s. Called the “First Lady of Rock & Roll” ...

, title(s) unknown # Wayne Gibson: "I Like It" (310) # Johnny B. Great: "If I Had a Hammer" (307) # Janice Harper: "Love Is a Dangerous Thing" (014) # Janice Harper: "The Thrill Is Gone" (015) # Mel Henke: "Every Little Movement / The Streets of Cairo" # Dawn Holly: "Coquette" (112) # Fran Jeffries: "Ain't Misbehavin' " # Fran Jeffries: "No Moon at All" (002) # Fran Jeffries: "Show Me the Way to Go Home" (201) # Fran Jeffries: "Squeeze Me" (035) # Karen Jensen: "I'm an Old Cowhand" (029) # Lainie Kazan: "Blues in the Night" (010) # Lainie Kazan: "I Cried For You" # Joi Lansing: "All of Me" # Tommy Leonetti: "The Way You Look Tonight" # Julie London: "Daddy" # Julie London: "Watermelon Man" (024) # Shorty Long: "Night fo' Last" # Mary Jane Mangler: "She's Not There" (017) # Natali Moore: "Big Bad Bill" (044) #

Jaye P. Morgan Jaye P. Morgan (born Mary Margaret Morgan) is a retired American popular music singer, actress, and game show panelist. Early life Morgan was born in Mancos in Montezuma County in far southwestern Colorado. Her family moved to California by t ...

: "Will He Like Me" (005) # Kitty Oliver: "Kansas City" (043) # Mary Pastor: "Winning Pair" (135) # Frankie Randall: "More" (dir. by Bob Baker) (020) # Frankie Randall: "The Rules of the Road" (dir. by Bob Baker) (013) #

Boots Randolph Homer Louis "Boots" Randolph III (June 3, 1927 – July 3, 2007) was an American musician best known for his 1963 saxophone hit "Yakety Sax" (which became Benny Hill's signature tune). Randolph was a major part of the "Nashville sound" for most o ...

: "

Charlie Brown Charles "Charlie" Brown is the principal character of the comic strip ''Peanuts'', syndicated in daily and Sunday newspapers in numerous countries all over the world. Depicted as a "lovable loser," Charlie Brown is one of the great American ar ...

" (016) # Tina Robbins: "Glory of Love" (106) # Terry Ross: "My Baby Just Cares for Me" # Lonnie Sattin: "Sweetheart" (108) #

Frank Sinatra Jr. Francis Wayne Sinatra Group note. (; January 10, 1944 – March 16, 2016), professionally known as Frank Sinatra Jr., was an American singer, songwriter, and conductor. He was the son of singer and actor Frank Sinatra and his first wife, Nancy ...

: "Love for Sale" # Nancy Sinatra: "These Boots Are Made for Walkin' " (directed by Robert Sidney) (011) # Nancy Sinatra: "The Shadow of Your Smile" (directed by Robert Sidney) (008) # Lili St. Cyr: "Ebb Tide" (directed by Robert Altman) (114) # Lili St. Cyr: "“Speak Low" (directed by Robert Altman) (021) # Bobby Troup: "Girl Talk" (directed by Robert Altman) (034) # Ozel Turkbas: "Bedevilled Belly Dancer" #

Leslie Uggams Leslie Marian Uggams (born May 25, 1943) is an American actress and singer. Beginning her career as a child in the early 1950s, Uggams is recognized for portraying Kizzy Reynolds in the television miniseries ''Roots'' (1977), earning Golden Glob ...

, title(s) unknown # Unknown artist: "Agent 006" (040) # Unknown artist: " Alley Cat" (202) # Unknown artist: "Besame Mucho" # Unknown artist: "Bikini Beach" # Unknown artist: "Cobra Dance" # Unknown artist: "Derelict" # Unknown artist: "Down by the Riverside" # Unknown artist: "Every Little Movement" (207) # Unknown artist: "

The Girl from Ipanema "Garota de Ipanema" ("The Girl from Ipanema") is a Brazilian bossa nova and jazz song. It was a worldwide hit in the mid-1960s and won a Grammy for Record of the Year in 1965. It was written in 1962, with music by Antônio Carlos Jobim and Por ...

" (203) # Unknown artist: "Goldie" # Unknown artist: "Hey Look Me Over" # Unknown artist: "Lady in Red" (128) # Unknown artist: "Lemon Tree" # Unknown artist: "The Limbo" # Unknown artist: "

Mack the Knife "Mack the Knife" or "The Ballad of Mack the Knife" (german: "Die Moritat von Mackie Messer", italic=no, link=no) is a song composed by Kurt Weill with lyrics by Bertolt Brecht for their 1928 music drama ''The Threepenny Opera'' (german: Die Dreig ...

" # Unknown artist: "Night Train" # Unknown artist: "

St. Louis Blues The St. Louis Blues are a professional ice hockey team based in St. Louis. The Blues compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference. The franchise was founded in 1967 as one of the ...

" (204) # Unknown artist: "San Francisco" # Unknown artist: "Sea Witch" (205) # Unknown artist: "Seven-Eleven Go-Go" (134) # Unknown artist: "Seventh Veil" (033) # Unknown artist: "Sugar Daddy" # Unknown artist: "What a Difference a Day Makes" # Unknown artist: "

You Are My Sunshine "You Are My Sunshine" is a song published by Jimmie Davis and Charles Mitchell on January 30, 1940. According to Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI), the song has been recorded by over 350 artists and translated into 30 languages. In 1977, the Louisi ...

" (036) # Unknown artist: "You're Driving Me Crazy" (206) # Vi Velasco: "Bye Bye Black Bird" (039) # Mary Wells: "All My Lovin' " (022) # Mary Wells: "He Loves You" Bob Orlowsky, "Color-Sonics", ''Scopitone Archive''
Retrieved 16 April 2020

References

{{Reflist

External links

"Bittersweet Samba"
by Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass, Color-Sonic music video
"These Boots Are Made for Walkin' "
by Nancy Sinatra, Color-Sonic music video
''The Party''
at the Internet Movie Database Music videos