bhowells

In the mid seventies my local cinema you use to play an audio programme called the cinediscs show where new record releases were played.

My local cinema in Merthyr Tydfil was part of the Star Cinema chai, dont know if perhaps this programme was presented solely in cimenas run by this chain.

I will never forget it because the cinema had been converted from a one screen auditorium to a twin cinema upstairs and bingo downstairs. Instead of curtains there were psychadelic lights.

The cinediscs show didnt last long, I dont think.

Happy days anyway.

alan french

Hi.
I remember cine discs in the first half of1960's. The idea being, that these were visual juke boxes. You put your money in and as well as hearing the music, you saw a film of the the record. I first read about them in The New Musical Express. The only one that I saw in action was at the seaside. It does not seem the same as what was shown in the cinema at Merthr Tydfil, but in retrospect, I view the idea as a fore runner of the pop video. Remember although video was in use on television, as far as I am aware, these were actual films possibly being projected on a rear projection screen from inside what a layman might describe as a visual juke box. They did not seem to have caught on and therefore were a novelty to those who saw them. Good idea though.
Alan French.

bhowells

Thanks, for your reply very interesting, as you say not the same as what I heard at my local cinema. My eldest brother was a an avid reader of the NME in those days,he may remember it.

alan french

Hi.
On thinking further, the visual juke boxes may have been called cine boxes. It is possible that the article in the NME may have contained a photograph of a cartoon version of John Layton. A popular british actor/singer. One of his records was, if my memory is correct, Down The Nile. I believe that a cartoon of the song had been made on a cine disc.

The cine or juke box that I saw at the seaside, was at Ramsgate, in an open amusement area near what was known as Merrie England. I am not sure how many songs I saw or watched on this machine, but I can remember at least two. One was by an Andy Cavell singing Speedy Gonzales. I think there were some young ladies dancing in this version in addition to the singer of whom I was not familiar with. I was surprised that it was not Pat Boone singing. However, the other song was performed in black and white, and was that of Dion and the Belmonts singing their hit, Runaround Sue. Both songs were live action and not cartoons. But obviously the sound track was an actual record. The year must have been either 1962 or 1963 that I saw this.

I also believe that prior to cinemas in general being built, early short films were shown at amusement arcades/fairgrounds with records playing simultaneously. It shows that sometimes technology updates very old ideas.

Alan French.

Hugo

Cinediscs was a company that supplied disco-type records to cinemas. The cinemas that subscribed to this service were supplied with a new programme of records each week, including DJ introductions, to play before the film and during the interval.
As BH says it did not survive very long as cinema patrons probably preferred blander more soothing music as they waited for the show to start.
At a time when discotheques were very popular and trendy it was a misguided attempt to latch on to their success and increase dwindling cinema audiences.
One of my local cinemas, the Plaza, Skipton, took part for a while but very soon gave it up.

bhowells

Thanks Hugo, what you described was exactly what I recalled at my local fleapit, I think that when the cinediscs show folded there was a return to the light ordhestral fayre so typical of the classic cinema intermission, accuratley parodied by Monty Python at the end of Monty Python and the Holy Grail.

Nice bit of background about the cinediscs company.

I must say that the previous two members posts were very interesting even if it was unrelated to what I was looking for, thanks anyway, made very interesting reading.