Behind the 8-Ball

Joe Smith and Charlie Dale exhibit their wonderful comedy timing in this 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.

The vast majority of soundies were musical numbers, but there was sprinkling of comedy shorts, lending a variety air to the assortment. Smith and Dale's comedy was pure shtick, but their timing was great.