Bucks
John Schortz Juke Box
Dear Friends,
Good morning. When my friend, John Moyer, told me that he’d been to a 1755 Bucks County home with six vintage jukeboxes in the living room, I knew I had to chase this story down. Although Ed Buchinski and John Schortz have lived in the Quakertown area for only three years, they share a lifetime of stories, thanks to their jukebox collection.
Schortz is the chief information officer for a computer company in Valley Forge. Buchinski deals in real estate and owns the Grand Theater in East Greenville. The Grand features second run movies (not to be confused with second rate movies) and live performances. Both men are restoring a 1929 theater organ used in the silent movies. “We hope to have it operational at the Grand by the Christmas season,” Schortz told me, “But we keep our fingers crossed!”
Schortz gave a history of their collection starting with the 1929 prototype of an “Audio Phone Junior” which cost five cents per song. This jukebox holds 12, 78-rpm records. The record slides down a wooden ramp to the platter and, “Hopefully doesn’t shatter,” Schortz continued.
Why do you collect jukeboxes, I asked?
“I love antiques,” Schortz replied. “And I love old music and records. What better way to put the two together but through juke boxes?”
The Seeburg Company manufactured their entire collection. To the uninitiated, Wurlitzer may be a more famous name. “But Wurlitzer is a dirty name in this house,” Schortz laughed. Buchinski and Schortz have a 1946 “trash can” jukebox. “It looks like a trash can,” Schortz added, “and plays a total of 20 songs…five songs for 25 cents.” I saw a song on the list of titles from the movie “Misfits” which starred Marilyn Monroe.
Schortz pointed to a Seeburg “V” model which plays 200, 45-rpm records. “You get 12 songs for a buck,” he said. “The ‘V’ was the first jukebox to have an electronic selection process instead of mechanical.” It had five categories: All Time Favorites, Rhythm and Blues, Hi Tunes, Country and Western, and Classics and Varieties. “You shouldn’t mix Classics with Classical music,” he suggested.
The 1949 Seeburg “A” was the last jukebox to play 78 rpm's, Schortz told me. Listeners got six songs for 25 cents and there were 50 records with 100 sides. I read the names of these artists: Glenn Miller, Sammy Kaye, Artie Shaw, Benny Goodman, and Harry James…speaking about traveling down memory lane!
Buchinski and Schortz restored five of the six-juke boxes, which are in mint condition. I was intrigued by the Seeburg “Videobox.” Manufactured in 1984, laser discs show live performances on a video tube mounted on top of the jukebox. There’s a live performance of Peggy Lee and Harry James, for example. It’s fascinating.
The two men own 100 jukeboxes in various stages of repair…“Disrepair,” Schortz joked. They rented a big truck and traveled to Montreal to pick up 30 jukeboxes, which they plan to renovate.
I asked what a restored jukebox in working condition costs? “Between $5 and $12,000,” Schortz answered.
The two men have been interested in jukeboxes for many years and met at a flea market. Buchinski has been collecting and bringing them back to life for 14 years. As a youngster, jukeboxes fascinated him, he said.
But I was most taken by the 1929 silent movie organ. With pipes of various lengths and diameters, stops, hardware and console, the organ sits in a thousand pieces in their barn. I thought of my Aunt Minnie and Aunt Ruth who played theater organs in the silent movie days in Reading, Pa. I have wonderful memories of their tales of the Roaring Twenties. What fun they had!
I hope to hear it played at the Grand Theater during Christmas time. Stay tuned!
Sincerely,
Charles Meredith