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Rise and Fall of the Scopitone Jukebox

By Jennifer Sharpe
Published August 9, 2006 at 1:00 PM EDT
The Scopitone was already a huge hit in France when it was introduced to America in 1964, at the Los Angeles Ambassador Hotel.
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The Scopitone was already a huge hit in France when it was introduced to America in 1964, at the Los Angeles Ambassador Hotel.

In the hip and swinging days of the 1960s, a strange contraption called the Scopitone jukebox seemed poised to be the next big thing.

The machine the size of a refrigerator projected short films -- precursors to modern music videos -- on a 26-inch screen.

Independent producer Jennifer Sharpe investigates the rise and fall of the Scopitone jukebox -- and finds a rare, working model not far from her home in Southern California.

Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

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Jennifer Sharpe