Cyril Shack, the man who supplied the jukebox featured on the television programme Juke Box Jury and even appeared as a panelist on the show, has died at the age of 99. His son, Michael Shack, confirmed the death in an obituary published in The Guardian.
From Messenger Boy to Jukebox Entrepreneur
Shack was born in London to Polish parents, Avigdor Shakowitz, a milkman, and Annie (nee Gastfreund), who ran a corner shop in Whitechapel. The family spoke Yiddish at home, a language Shack continued to use throughout his life. He left school at 13 and began working as a messenger in Blackfriars, later driving a truck and teaching himself basic accountancy despite failing night school exams.
In the 1950s, while running a greengrocery in north-west London, Shack partnered with a friend, Gordon Marks, to buy jukeboxes for leasing to coffee bars. The venture eventually supplied the featured jukebox on the BBC television show Juke Box Jury, and Shack himself once served as a panel member on the programme.
Business Growth and Stock Market Flotation
The business, originally called Phonographic Equipment and later renamed Associated Leisure, expanded into pinball and fruit machines. In the mid-1960s, the company was floated on the London Stock Exchange, transforming Shack's fortunes. However, he left the business not long after the flotation.
Setbacks and Libel Case
An unwise investment in a Mayfair casino fronted by Hollywood actor George Raft led to financial difficulties. The situation worsened when Associated Leisure launched a hostile takeover bid for the holiday camp firm Butlin's. During the ensuing public dispute, the Daily Mail published an article that Shack believed insinuated the bid was a front for US organised crime. As managing director, he sued the newspaper for libel but lost the case, as the court found no specific reference to the company.
The libel case was devastating for Shack personally. He was eventually forced out as a director and major shareholder. Despite the outcome, he later befriended the trial judge, Sir Frederick Lawton, visiting him regularly in retirement.
Later Life and Legacy
After the court case, Shack used the money from his shareholding to set up and run various smaller businesses until retirement. Outside work, he enjoyed landscaping his garden and cultivating rose trees. He also helped friends design and project-manage kitchen extensions and log cabins, all free of charge.
Shack married Brenda Robins in 1953. She survives him, along with their two sons, Jonathan and Michael, two grandsons, and two great-grandsons.
