Don't Cry

"Don't Cry" is a short film that is a 'Soundie'...an early sort of music video that was played on specially built jukeboxes from 1940-1947. These jukeboxers were unusual because they not only played music but video...like music videos of the modern era. And, if you are curious about this an other soundies, you might want to buy yourself a copy of "Soundies the Ultimate Collection"...a 4 disc set of about 200 of these films.

"Don't Cry" is a very smooth, mellow and possibly sleep-inducing Soundie featuring Vincent Lopez and His Orchestra. The singing is by Sonny Skylar and is nice...but nothign more. And, with 200 films in this set, a few can just be okay....like this one. It just needed some energy.

Vincent Lopez and his orchestra offers a lush version of the tune, with many muted horns, while Sonny Skylar offers the lyrics full of unstated promises in this soapy soundie.

Soundies were short films, about three minutes in length. The were meant to be played on a machine called a Mills Panoram, a video jukebox that was typically to be found in bars, lounges, and similar venues. You put a dime in and got a performance from the ten on the machine. The movies would be changed weekly, and from 1940 through 1946, Mills and other companies produced more than two thousand soundies.

It's really over the top.