Scopitone

The first Scopitones were made in France by a company called Cameca on Blvd Saint Denis in Courbevoie, among them Serge Gainsbourg's "Le poinçonneur des Lilas" (filmed in 1958 in the Porte des Lilas Métro station),[4] Johnny Hallyday's "Noir c'est noir" a French version of Los Bravos' "Black Is Black") and the "Hully Gully" showing a dance around a swimming pool.

By 1964, approximately 500 machines were installed in the United States, most of which were deliberately targeted at cocktail lounges and adult establishments, in part to avoid competition with the jukebox industry for the teen audience.

[7] Several well-known acts of the 1960s appear in Scopitone films, ranging from the earlier part of the decade The Exciters ("Tell Him") and Neil Sedaka ("Calendar Girl") to Bobby Vee ("The Night Has a Thousand Eyes" and "Baby Face") and later 1960s acts such as Gary Lewis ("Little Miss Go-Go"), Jody Miller ("The Race Is On" and her biggest hit "Queen of the House") and Procol Harum ("A Whiter Shade of Pale").

Inspired by burlesque, blonde bombshell Joi Lansing performed "Web of Love" and "The Silencer", and Julie London sang "Daddy" against a backdrop of strippers.

The medium's focus on adult audiences, and the resulting avoidance of or inability to lure the superstar American or British Invasion acts of the era, was a factor in its demise;[9] for example, when The Beatles decided to enter the music video business in 1965, they opted to bypass the Scopitone and distribute their promotional films via television.

[7] Even though the popularity of the Scopitone had faded away by the end of the 1960s,[9]the same concept was still in limited use throughout the 1970s by acts such as the Carpenters and ABBA, both of whose early productions were shot on 16mm film before transitioning to videotape.