Mills Panoram 16mm Soundie Machine

[Joe Vinikow]

Moderator's note: This was originally a post in the 16mm equipment sales section. I've rarely seen these soundie machines so I wanted to preserve the information by starting this topic. Joe was kind enough to let us use his photos here.
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Vintage Mills Panoram Soundie Movie Jukebox. This rare original coin operated rear projection movie jukebox was manufactured by Mills Amusement of Chicago in the early 1940s for the RCM Soundie Corporation, and was used to show single selection 16mm musical short subjects in bars, arcades, and other amusement locations. Originally found in Everett, WA, this unit is #213, and has been carefully stored for over half a century. An excellent restoration project, the machine has a solid wooden cabinet with handsome walnut veneer, vented top dome, internal rear projection mirrors, coin box, and is supplied with two original Panoram RCA 16mm rear projector units, with original lenses. Continuous loop reel (holds 8 selections), banner hardware, amplifier and speakers are not included. Original replacement parts all available at https://millspanoram.com

[Ken Finch]

I have a few of the films used on these machines. The late Larry Pearce, of Group 9.5 reperforated them to 9.5mm. Unfortunately the sound for the machines was at the frame image so on a projector it is out of sync! The film stock used for the prints varied. One of mine is going pink. The best one I have is of Ackerman Bilk, playing Stranger on the Shore. so the sound sync is not noticeable.

[Steve Lee]

I had no idea that the Mills panoram was the predecessor to the Scopitone. As far as I have found out the panorama machine ran the film on a loop, and shuts down after the loop has finished, and awaited the next coin before running it again.

As for the Scopitone, this was a piece of genius as it allowed random access to one of the thirty six 16mm music videos at a touch of a button.


In my travels over the years in France, I have come across several of these machines and I am fascinated by them. The mechanism is complicated to say the least.
Inside the machine there is a large rotating drum that hold the films, that are already theaded onto their takeup reels. In much the same way as a jukebox holds its records.
The films are on 16mm with a magnetic stereo soundtrack, the machine runs the films in the opposite direction, so from the bottom upwards.
When a selection is made the drum rotates, and then locks that film in place. The projection mech is in two parts. The main part that includes the motor, lamp, sprockets and sound head is situated on the outside of the drum.


Inside the drum is an arm that holds the lens assembly, pressure plate and rollers. When activated this lifts up and pushes the film onto the sprockets and starts the projection. At the top there is a powered roller that presses down onto the rim of the takeup reel, the same is at the bottom for rewinding at the end of play. It projects upwards through the centre of the drum using a periscope system.



I have always wanted to own one of these machines but two things stand in the way. The price of a fully functioning machine now carry a crazy price tag and the shear size of one, as they at least three times the size of a standard jukebox.

[Ed Gordon]

Soundies: The Ultimate Collection (Blu-ray)
Directed by : Josef Berne, William Forest Crouch, Arthur Leonard, Dudley Murphy, Robert Snody, Fred Waller
Cast : Count Basie, Cab Calloway, Hoagy Carmichael, Nat King Cole, Dorothy Dandridge, Doris Day, Duke Ellington, Harry “The Hipster” Gibson, Ricardo Montalban, Spike Jones, Vanita Smythe, Gale Storm, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Merle Travis, Fats Waller
Available Date : 07/25/2023
Release Year : 1940-1946
Running Time : 600
UPC : 738329262303
Country : U.S.
Language: English
Genre : Musical

Soundies have been called the music videos of the 1940s, but that doesn’t begin to describe their cultural importance. It’s true that they feature a remarkable range of talent, from big-band luminaries like Duke Ellington and Count Basie to then-emerging stars like Doris Day and Ricardo Montalban, and lesser-known artists of the American nightclub circuit. But Soundies are also a rich, largely overlooked chronicle of American popular culture during and just after World War II. Produced for coin-operated jukeboxes in neighborhood bars and taverns, Soundies have an uncanny way of revealing what Americans were thinking about topics that weren’t discussed openly, from sexuality to ethnicity and race. Curated by Susan Delson, author of Soundies and the Changing Image of Black Americans on Screen: One Dime at a Time, this four-disc collection presents a diverse sampling of 200 shorts—jazz, country-western, folk, and the boogie woogie roots of rock ’n’ roll—newly restored from 35mm and 16mm materials preserved by the Library of Congress and other archives. Never have so many Soundies been celebrated in one collection, or presented with such care: thematically organized, accompanied by on-screen introductions and a booklet of essays, photos, and credits.

Product Extras : Illustrated 44-page booklet with essays by Susan Delson,Ellen C. Scott, and Mark Cantor
Filmed introductions by series curator Susan Delson,with Ina Archer, Media Conservationist, National Museum of African American History and Culture
“Inside the Panoram,” a filmed interview with Mark Cantor, author of The Soundies: A History and Catalog of Jukebox Film Shorts of the 1940s
“From the Vaults,” a filmed interview with Matt Barton (Curator of Recording Sound at the National Audio-Visual Conservation Center at the Library of Congress) and Mike Mashon (Head of the Moving Image Section of the Library of Congress)

Publish Date : 2023-05-02