SkegnessVideo.com

The original Juke Box Jury show was hosted by David Jacobs and included a panel of celebs who rated new release pop records as a ‘hit’ or a ‘miss’. Remember it?

Skegness staged its own Juke Box Jury at the Embassy Centre in April, 1962. The panel included local music and dance school founder, Miss Janice Sutton.

Improved on the B.B.C. ‘Jury’

POP records by Neil Sedaka, The Marcels and the Piltdown Men were axed by a local Juke Box Jury at the Embassy on Tuesday night. Only a final score of nine hits against five misses, and more favourable treatment of Mr Acker Bilk and Chubby Checker, saved them from being branded “squares.” Something that the B.B.C. Juke Box Jury does not have is an audience applause meter. This was used at the Embassy to record the audience’s opinion after the panel had cast their votes.Of the 14 records played, the panel and audience agreed on four hits and two misses.

Organised by the newly-formed and enterprising Skegness Tape Recording Society, whose first public function it was, this Juke Box Jury session was enjoyed by adults as well as teenagers, and all proceeds were for cancer research. Jurists were Marjorie Romanis, Jan Ramsden, Janice Sutton, bearded Johnny James and Marjorie Throp. Doing a “David Jacobs act” in the chairman’s seat was Cyril Catlyn, who was completely at home with his bell for sounding the hits, and hooter for the misses.

SIGNATURE TUNE

The programme began with the signature tune used on the television programme. The first record on the ultra-modern juke box was Mr. Acker Bilk’s “Frankie and Johnny.” From the panel it gained three hits and two misses and the comment from Marjorie Romanis that “for me, Acker can do no wrong.” The audience did not agree with her sentiments and registered the disc a miss! The Marcels version of the oldie “Melancholy Baby,” was voted a miss by the panel and a hit by the audience. Different views were held by Jan Ramsden who thought that with this record “the recording business has reached a new low,” and Marjorie Throp who thought it “fabulous.” Neil Sedaka’s “King of clowns,” was voted a miss by the jury and a hit by the audience. Johnny James said it was a great crib on “Little Bitty Tear,” while Janice Sutton held the opinion that the singer was struggling to make himself heard. She thought it “noisy and harsh.”

During the interval the records were auctioned, and the number by the Piltdown Men was knocked down for £1 to Johnny James. The Juke Box Jury session ended with a vote of thanks to the panel, the Foreshore office and to the juke box company, by Pete Smith of the Tape Recording Society.

Picture: A plant-pot vote from panellist Johnny James. “That’s neither a hit nor a miss,” says Skegness ” Juke Box Jury ” chairman, Cyril Catlyn. as he receives a plant-pot vote from bearded panellist Johnny James at the Embassy on Tuesday night. Far right Marjorie Throp gives this record a miss, while Janice Sutton, Jan Ramsden and Majorie Romanis vote it a hit.

• Skegness Landladies Larks
• Death of a Child by Poisoning
• Smoking Ban Hits British Pubs
• Skegness museum scoops £22,000 for development
• Death from Consumption
• University of the Third Age Cinderella
• University of the Third Age
• Fatal Rantanning Ritual
• Julie Stevens Music and Dance School Embassy Theatre Show
• Embassy Outdoor Pool opens as the warmer weather approaches