The Crystalline Vision of Soundies

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It was 1981, and the generation that was the first wave of yuppie culture was on top of the world. Everything was changing quickly--it was the beginning of the science fiction world. Times were good, at least from a material point of view. For 800$US, you could be the first kid on your block to have the crystal clear digital sound of a new invention called the compact disc player. Sony reigned supreme with the top-loading Betamax VCR and cable TV was making an impact that would have everlasting effects. A large part of that techie entertainment revolution was a music video cable station called MTV, which signed on with the appropriately titled clip "Video Killed the Radio Star."

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It was a world born fully flowered into existence by ex-hippies who had knelt dutifully at the twin altars of consumerism and short attention spans. They had reinvented the world in their own image, and it was good. This MTV thing, especially, offered all sorts of commercial potential possibilities. It could take what had heretofore been identified with teen angst and outright rebellion, and morph it into the mainstream mindset. Malls would be cool places to hang out, and every Buffy and Todd could disguise themselves as real-life stars. Record sales would boom, there'd be a Camaro in every garage and hair gel sales would shoot through the stratosphere.

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The thing is, though, there was nothing revolutionary about it. It had all been done before--over forty years before, in fact. Soundies: A Musical History (airing throughout March on PBS) proves beyond a doubt that our forebears were rockin' with their own version of MTV. It was 1940, and Americans, mostly recovered from the Great Depression, were feeling pretty good about themselves. The country was getting back on its feet and the thirst for entertainment had never been stronger. The time was ripe for the Mills Novelty Company to introduce an interesting machine called the Panoram.

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About the size of a refrigerator, the Panoram spawned a revolution in entertainment. A forerunner of the 16mm film projector, it allowed users to see for the first time the performers who they had idolized via sound recordings--and all for one thin dime. Loaded with eight 3-minute clips, the Panoram afforded viewers random opportunities to actually see performances by some of the country's most popular musicians. Duke Ellington, Louis Jordan, Les Paul, Cab Calloway, among others, are all featured on Soundies. The three minute performances are restored to pristine clarity, and provide us with not only a delightful timetrip into the entertainment of the day, but a glimpse into how quickly shifts in sociopolitical climates dramatically influence the landscape of popular culture.

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The early soundies--those made in 1941 prior to America's entry into WW2--were lighthearted, often boisterous romps that predated some of the styles associated with current music videos. They featured freewheeling dance sequences, mimed performances, minimal storylines and, of course, leggy eyecandy. Those made after America's entry into the war are still upbeat, but more conservative in style, and reflect the patriotic fervor that served the war effort. But throughout their reign, the soundies represented, however unintentionally, the flowing canvas of an ever-shifting culture.

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The last soundie was made mid-way through 1947. The soldiers were home from the war, people were spending more time at home and a new invention called television was just beginning to make its presence known. But from 1941-1946, the soundies reigned supreme as America's most accessible form of music entertainment.With over 1865 soundies produced in that time, they remain an invaluable link to what the culture was, and a hint as what was to come.

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Soundies: A Musical History is a vastly entertaining primer on the almost forgotten phenomenon of the soundies. Featuring commentary by Winton Marsalis, George Duke, Hugh Hefner, Leonard Maltin and others, this is a film that explores an era not that different from our own. Hosted by Michael Feinstein, and featured throughout PBS' March pledge drive,Soundies: A Musical History more than qualifies as "television worth viewing."