>>>May 23, 2002

Scope it out

AV Club: With its genesis during the golden age of the Jukebox, the first Scopitone appeared on the scene in 1961. Precursor to the music video, the Scopitone combined a small library of 16mm sound films of musicians with a WW2-surplus projector and a 20” screen. Drop in a quarter and you could hear—and see—the Dave Clark Five doing “I Like It Like That.” Too weird for the USA, they became café staples in France and North Africa, where cheap, locally recorded Scopitones—the term for both the films and the player—gave performers a heads up. Learn more about this pop obscurity at http://scopitone.tripod.com.

Toon in: The Toonopedia is the ultimate reference for obscure (King Aroo) to not-so-obscure (Bugs Bunny) cartoon and comic strip characters. Learn the poetic origin of Little Orphan Annie, or the story of Little Nemo creator Winsor McCay, possibly the inventor of cartoons. Get animated at www.toonopedia.com. :
—Michael Citrome

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