Mills Panoram "Soundies" Movie Jukebox with Hollywood Glamour Girls

Rare Mills Panoram "Soundies" coin-operated 16mm movie jukebox, manufactured by the Mills Novelty Company of Chicago, USA, circa 1940. The Mills Panoram was an early audio-visual jukebox, originally designed to show short 16mm musical films known as "Soundies." These short films featured popular singers, musicians, dancers and entertainers of the period and were shown with synchronized sound. Introduced around 1940, the Panoram is regarded as an important predecessor of the modern music video and represents a fascinating chapter in American coin-operated entertainment history. Housed in its impressive Art Deco-style wooden cabinet with rounded corners, decorative horizontal trim and lower grille work. The original coin mechanism is marked "Mills Panoram Soundies" and retains its 10-cent play indications. This example was later converted for the presentation of "Hollywood Glamour Girls – Peep Shows." The front features a twin-eye viewing hood surrounded by period-style pin-up and glamour imagery, with advertising reading "Hollywood Glamour Girls – Peep Shows" and "6 Pictures 10¢ Ea. – See Them All." Such conversions represent the later commercial use of Panoram machines after the original Soundies era. The interior appears substantially complete and includes the 16mm film transport/projector mechanism with large circular film carrier, valve/tube amplifier, speaker and associated electrical components. An original-style Film Service Chart is mounted inside the cabinet. An unusual and visually impressive survivor from the golden age of American coin-operated entertainment, combining the history of the pioneering Mills Panoram movie jukebox with its later use as a coin-operated glamour/peep-show machine. Condition: Presents in good, unrestored visual condition with wear, scratches, marks and signs of use consistent with age. The interior appears substantially complete. The machine and its electrical, projection, film and sound mechanisms have not been tested for operation and are offered as found. Please refer to the photographs for further details. Dimensions (H x W x D): 205 x 90 x 74 cm. Location: Dutch Auction Company, Tilburg, The Netherlands.

Estimate:£8,342.81

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