Wind-up Phonographs in Movies

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Inigo
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Re: Wind-up Phonographs in Movies

Post by Inigo »

This is not a windup phonograph, but an early fifties phonograph with lots of 78s being broken by the pupils of the school in Blackboard Jungle (1955).
https://youtu.be/CSzE4La01D8
What a pity, a Box record being smashed on the floor!
Notice how the music is being supposedly played while the camera displays the phonograph with the needle on the runout locked groove... Ha, ha...!
Inigo

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Re: Wind-up Phonographs in Movies

Post by AmberolaAndy »

Many of us who like to watch history documentaries about the 1920s has seen this piece of stock footage of a couple dancing to what looks to be a Grafonola machine.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mrNjsQ0 ... gs=pl%2Cwn

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Re: Wind-up Phonographs in Movies

Post by Henry »

Just watched The Maltese Falcon movie, original version 1931. At c. 30' into the film, Sam Spade (played by Ricardo Cortez) plays a record on what appears to be a Credenza. Limited view of the phonograph until the end of the scene at c. 31'30".

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Re: Wind-up Phonographs in Movies

Post by CharliePhono »

Henry wrote:Just watched The Maltese Falcon movie, original version 1931. At c. 30' into the film, Sam Spade (played by Ricardo Cortez) plays a record on what appears to be a Credenza. Limited view of the phonograph until the end of the scene at c. 31'30".
https://youtu.be/kAU8G91t5DA

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Re: Wind-up Phonographs in Movies

Post by Henry »

That's the one. Thanks for posting the link. What's the tune being played? Sounds familiar, but I can't place it.

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Re: Wind-up Phonographs in Movies

Post by CharliePhono »

Henry wrote:That's the one. Thanks for posting the link. What's the tune being played? Sounds familiar, but I can't place it.
Henry, I dug around on the web for the name of the song and, like you, it is familiar to me, but I can't just now place the title. When/if I do, I'll post it here!

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Re: Wind-up Phonographs in Movies

Post by Springmotor70 »

Henry wrote:That's the one. Thanks for posting the link. What's the tune being played? Sounds familiar, but I can't place it.

I can't place the tune but the arrangement was contemporary to '31 rather than whatever was on that acoustic Brunswick pressing. It is interesting that that record has an eccentric run-off groove, Brunswicks were typically run to the edge of label so that the pre-set auto stop would trip. The eccentric auto stop on the Credneza in the film was disabled for effect to end the scene :)
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Re: Wind-up Phonographs in Movies

Post by Henry »

OK, I located the song: "For You," by Joe Burke (music) and Al Dubin (lyrics). See https://lyricsplayground.com/alpha/song ... fford.html . Many recordings of this one, including Ricky Nelson (!). Who woulda thought? Glen Gray and the Casa Loma Orchestra did record an arrangement on Brunswick, cat. no. 6606A, in 1933: see http://www.78discography.com/BRN6500.htm . The movie release date is 1931, so it may be some other arrangement used on the sound track.

Al Dubin was born in Zürich, grew up in Philadelphia, and attended the Perkiomen School (then known as Perkiomen Seminary) in Pennsburg, PA, not too far from me. It would be interesting to know the circumstances of all that, given Dubin's history. See further, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al_Dubin .
Last edited by Henry on Mon Jul 02, 2018 8:03 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Wind-up Phonographs in Movies

Post by CharliePhono »

Henry wrote:OK, I located the song: "For You," by Joe Burke (music) and Al Dubin (lyrics). See https://lyricsplayground.com/alpha/song ... fford.html . Many recordings of this one, including Ricky Nelson (!). Who woulda thought? Glen Gray and the Casa Loma Orchestra did record an arrangement on Brunswick, cat. no. 6606A, in 1933: see http://www.78discography.com/BRN6500.htm . The movie release date is 1931, so it may be some other arrangement used on the sound track.
Great! I *knew* the song had "you" as part of the lyrics, but try as I might, couldn't get the rest of the words. Now there's one less "ear-worm" I can worry about. Thank you!

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Re: Wind-up Phonographs in Movies

Post by estott »

Henry wrote:OK, I located the song: "For You," by Joe Burke (music) and Al Dubin (lyrics). See https://lyricsplayground.com/alpha/song ... fford.html . Many recordings of this one, including Ricky Nelson (!). Who woulda thought? Glen Gray and the Casa Loma Orchestra did record an arrangement on Brunswick, cat. no. 6606A, in 1933: see http://www.78discography.com/BRN6500.htm . The movie release date is 1931, so it may be some other arrangement used on the sound track.

Al Dubin was born in Zürich, grew up in Philadelphia, and attended the Perkiomen School (then known as Perkiomen Seminary) in Pennsburg, PA, not too far from me. It would be interesting to know the circumstances of all that, given Dubin's history. See further, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al_Dubin .
Dubin wrote a lot of lyrics for Warner Brothers musicals, with a variety of partners. In "Gold Diggers of 1933" Ned Sparks picks up the phone and shouts "Cancel my contract with Dubin and Warren!"

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