My OperaHoly Shit!! An Amazing Find - Part 1
Thursday, December 13, 2007 12:32:59 AM
Wat up people.
I just finished painting a huge old house down the street. The house was amazing, but inside even more so. It's completely filled with old collectibles and antiques. As I was leaving today, the owner asked if I wanted to take a couple of things off their hands. (They've been renovating the inside as well and have been letting go of lots of junk..) I said "Sure! Watcha got?"
"How 'bout this old jukebox? Gotta use for it?" "Hell yeah!" I said.
The history behind the jukebox is interesting. It was the original jukebox in the Half Moon Bar in the 1940's. The Half Moon is only two blocks from my house and is the neighborhood dive bar.
Back in the Forties, it was a popular hangout for the "Jet-set" which included folks like Marilyn Monroe, Frank Sinatra, Glenn Miller, Duke Ellington, Bing Crosby, Charlie Parker, ect.
So... Marilyn Monroe touched this jukebox... Awesome.
Here it is. The top is missing and the wiring for the lighting is fried but I can fix that.
I did some research and found the picture below with this caption on the Science Service website, which is a branch of the Smithsonian Institute.
They're almost identical.
Here's the LINK
"JUKE-BOX QUEEN"
E&MP 93.012
Phonograph
no date [possibly ca. 1938]
Jo Stafford, "Queen of the Juke Boxes," and the nations most popular female singing star listens to her latest recordings on the first electronic juke-box in history which has just been introduced by the Aireon Mfg., Corp.
Electronic jukes are expected to replace present-day machines which make a bedlam of the country's taverns and other social centers.
It cannot blast or blare because its volume is automatically controlled by surrounding room-noise.
(Original Caption by Science Service)
Holy Shit!
I scored a model of the first electronic jukebox in history!
Now to make the lights work...
I'll be up all night with my soldering iron re-wiring this old thing.
Also, I'm going back to that house to see if I can find more of it.
When I get it done, I'll post the pictures. [/COLOR][/FONT]
I just finished painting a huge old house down the street. The house was amazing, but inside even more so. It's completely filled with old collectibles and antiques. As I was leaving today, the owner asked if I wanted to take a couple of things off their hands. (They've been renovating the inside as well and have been letting go of lots of junk..) I said "Sure! Watcha got?"
"How 'bout this old jukebox? Gotta use for it?" "Hell yeah!" I said.
The history behind the jukebox is interesting. It was the original jukebox in the Half Moon Bar in the 1940's. The Half Moon is only two blocks from my house and is the neighborhood dive bar.
Back in the Forties, it was a popular hangout for the "Jet-set" which included folks like Marilyn Monroe, Frank Sinatra, Glenn Miller, Duke Ellington, Bing Crosby, Charlie Parker, ect.
So... Marilyn Monroe touched this jukebox... Awesome.
Here it is. The top is missing and the wiring for the lighting is fried but I can fix that.
I did some research and found the picture below with this caption on the Science Service website, which is a branch of the Smithsonian Institute.
They're almost identical.
Here's the LINK
"JUKE-BOX QUEEN"
E&MP 93.012
Phonograph
no date [possibly ca. 1938]
Jo Stafford, "Queen of the Juke Boxes," and the nations most popular female singing star listens to her latest recordings on the first electronic juke-box in history which has just been introduced by the Aireon Mfg., Corp.
Electronic jukes are expected to replace present-day machines which make a bedlam of the country's taverns and other social centers.
It cannot blast or blare because its volume is automatically controlled by surrounding room-noise.
(Original Caption by Science Service)
Holy Shit!
I scored a model of the first electronic jukebox in history!
Now to make the lights work...
I'll be up all night with my soldering iron re-wiring this old thing.
Also, I'm going back to that house to see if I can find more of it.
When I get it done, I'll post the pictures. [/COLOR][/FONT]
MichelleCapegirl # Thursday, December 13, 2007 12:47:26 AM
Stardancer # Thursday, December 13, 2007 1:50:27 AM
Have fun re-wiring. Hope you can get it into running condition soon.
Bojanrolling_thunder # Saturday, December 15, 2007 3:09:53 PM
I envy you!
Good luck in making the jukebox work x)
Rhona Kirstenrhona # Sunday, January 20, 2008 10:55:15 AM
That's awesome! I gotta go read part 2
whoopjohn # Saturday, October 10, 2009 6:23:33 PM
It had 24 78rpm selections.
It is called the 'Super de Luxe Airliner and was designed by Ernest F Thomson. It was the first of five models produced in Aireon's short life between 1946 and 1948. They were considered extremely modern in their day.
I have seen a complete working example here in the UK. Yours is missing the top half and should look like the one your picture shows. It is NOT 1938, it is 1946.
whoopjohn # Saturday, October 10, 2009 6:35:06 PM