"I've Seen a Jukebox."
Posted: Mon Oct 20, 2014 2:04 pm
by DoghouseRiley
This was the title of a continuing thread on a British Jukebox message board site (can't find it now) where contributors could post details of where they've seen one in a film or TV show.
As jukeboxes are one of my interests, I do spot them from time to time. I'm into "film noir" and I've a collection of old films on DVD. An example is the Robert Mitchum film "Out of the Past," made in 1947, where he's in a scene in a diner where a short conversation takes place next to an immaculate Wurlitzer 1015. As it should have been in 1947.
But TV production companies looking for a bit of "period" authenticity can get it wrong. A couple of years ago there was a British TV police series called WPC56. The setting was 1956. In one scene in a café they had a jukebox, in an attempt to provide some period atmosphere. Unfortunately they chose a Ditchburn "Melody maker" not produced until ten years later than 1956.
Currently ITV are screening a detective series called "Grantchester," set in 1953, a scene in the two episodes so far has been set in a country pub, featuring a 1951 Seeburg M100B in the background. The jukebox has no significance in the plots, it's just "window dressing."
The year's OK, but it wouldn't have been there. The restrictions on the imports of "non-essential goods," prohibited USA made jukeboxes from coming into the country at that time. Such goods had to be of over 50% UK manufacture, hence the birth of Bal-Ami in the mid fifties. The act wasn't repealed until the late fifties. I'm not even sure 45rpm records would have reached "Hicksville" in 1953 England.
Re: "I've Seen a Jukebox."
Posted: Tue Oct 21, 2014 5:56 am
by Rob-NYC
One of my retro locations has employees in Tee shirts with a graphic of a W1015, while there is a real fifties VL and boxes right there. This sort of thing bothered a late operator friend. he pointed out that by the time Rock and Roll became popular, most of the 1015s were in the warehouse or landfill. In late 1989 right after said location opened I brought him to that place. When a server came over wearing that shirt he said "isn't that stupid...those old Wurlitzers were all gone by then....they were junk compared to the Seeburgs anyway." Never one to mince words. RIP, Bill.
Rob
Re: "I've Seen a Jukebox."
Posted: Tue Oct 21, 2014 9:22 am
by Psychman
Not sure if anyone on here watches the animated show family guy?
There is an episode that reminds me of this somewhat. In a "50s" diner the manager removes a copy of The Trashmens Surfin' bird from the seeburg style jukebox and throws it away, because it's a 60s record, not a
50s one!
As the shows main character becomes obsessed with surfin
Bird, it's actually rejuvenated interest in the song. Many copies on eBay are now listed with "family guy" in the title
Re: "I've Seen a Jukebox."
Posted: Tue Oct 21, 2014 12:15 pm
by DoghouseRiley
Rob-NYC wrote:One of my retro locations has employees in Tee shirts with a graphic of a W1015, while there is a real fifties VL and boxes right there. This sort of thing bothered a late operator friend. he pointed out that by the time Rock and Roll became popular, most of the 1015s were in the warehouse or landfill. In late 1989 right after said location opened I brought him to that place. When a server came over wearing that shirt he said "isn't that stupid...those old Wurlitzers were all gone by then....they were junk compared to the Seeburgs anyway." Never one to mince words. RIP, Bill.
Rob
On the subject of 1015s.
In my youth I was interested in "Traditional Jazz" (before I discovered Miles Davis).
On Saturday nights in the late fifties, we'd go to traditional Jazz clubs in the south London area where the "headline" traditional jazz bands made regular tours.
One of our favourite venues was the Eel Pie Island Hotel, near Twickenham. This was pretty run down at the time, like something out of a Tennessee Williams' play. It had a veranda on the first floor overlooking the Thames.
The jazz club was in the main dance hall, but there were a couple of other bars, which weren't well supported. But I remember there was a rather sad looking 1015 in the corner of one. I guess the owners had bought it when one of the local US air bases closed down after WWll in the early fifties and sold off the contents. I've no idea if it were working as it wasn't lit.
I've fond memories of time spent there in my teens. By the mid sixties I'd moved away and after the decline in interest in traditional jazz, the venue became the home for pop bands like The Rolling Stones.
It burned down in "mysterious circumstances" in 1971 after the owner was unable to find £200,000 for essential repairs.
This photo is probably from its "hey day" before WWll
