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History of Sound Motion Pictures by Edward W Kellogg Second History of Sound Motion Pictures by Edward W Kellogg Second Installment History of Sound Motion Pictures by Edward W Kellogg Our thanks to Tom Fine for finding and scanning the Kellogg paper, which we present here as a “searchable image”. John G. (Jay) McKnight, Chair AES Historical Committee 2003 Dec 04 Copyright © 1955 SMPTE. Reprinted from the Journal of the SMPTE, 1955 June, pp 291...302; July, pp 356...374; and August, pp 422...437. This material is posted here with permission of the SMPTE. Internal or personal use of this material is permitted. However, permission to reprint/republish this material for advertising or promotional purposes or for creating new collective works for resale or redistribution must be obtained from the SMPTE. By choosing to view this document, you agree to all provisions of the copyright laws protecting it. SECOND INSTALLMENT History of Sound Motion Pictures By EDWARD W. KELLOGG For the abstract of this paper which was presented on May 5,1954, at the Society’s Convention at Washington, D.C., see the first installment published in last month’s As one who shared in this misjudg- Journal. ment, I would like to suggest to readers that it is difficult today to divest oneself of the benefit of hindsight. At that time, The Motion Picture Industry “The art of the silent film had at- the principal examples of sound pictures Adopts Sound tained superb quality and the public we had seen were demonstration films, Many Commercially Unsuccessful Eforts. was satisfied. Why then, producers very interesting to us sound engineers The historical outline with which our asked, should Hollywood scrap the working on the project, but scarcely story began contains a very incomplete bulk of its assets, undertake staggering having entertainment value. None of us account of the many efforts to combine conversion costs, and force upon the had seen a talking motion picture with a sound and picture, some of which at- public a new and doubtful experimental good story, and picture and script well tained a fair degree of technical success, art? designed for the purpose. When in 1927 elicited praise and held public interest “Nor were the exhibitors equipped such a picture was shown (The Jazz for short periods. We mentioned the for sound. Many, it was argued, would Singer) the story, the music and the work of Edison, Lauste, Rumer, and not be able to meet the cost of sound dialogue were splendidly adapted to de Forest, and might add Path6 Frtres picture equipment.” produce a fascinating picture with and Lkon Gaumont* in Fran~e.~Many great emotional appeal, in which no of these were ahead of their time, for These obstacles would not have pre- element could have been spared without without amplifiers, the production of vented the producers from introducing serious loss. In short, the excellence of adequate and natural sound was prac- synchronized sound, had they been con- showmanship played no small part in tically impossible. Even after amplifiers vinced that it would give their pictures making it clear to everyone who saw became available the experimenters had greater appeal. A factor which many it that the day of “Talkies” was here. little better success in getting picture developers of sound equipment probably The Jazz Singer and its predecessor producers seriously interested. The ar- did not fully recognize, was that to Don Juan, it might be noted, had the ticle by Lovette and Watkin~~~states contribute to the illusion, the sound must benefit of a newly designed lo~dspeaker,~‘ that by the end of 1924 practically every have a degree of naturalness far sur- very much superior to those used in the major producer in Hollywood had re- passing that which had sufficed for simply Western Electric 1924 demonstrations. jected Western Electric’s sound-picture transmitting information, or making system. words understood. Warners and Fox Take the Step. Warner Brothers committed themselves to the Economic Hurdles. The same authors How It Looked in 7926-7. To many, adoption of sound pictures in 1926, give such a convincing statement of the the silent motion picture, with its freedom license contract being concluded in April, financial obstacles from the producer’s of action, its settings for much of its followed by large investments in sound standpoint that I cannot do better than action in natural backgrounds, was stages and equipment. In July of the quote them: better entertainment than stage drama, same year the Fox Film Corp. became “The motion picture producers had and when one tried to imagine what a committed, forming the Fox Case Corp. large inventories of silent films, which talking motion picture would be like, which took license for the Case Labora- had cost millions to produce. They one’s thoughts immediately turned to tory developments in April, and in had great numbers of actors and ac- examples of theater drama. I have December from Western Electric Co. tresses under long term contracts, most of already quoted some of Dr. de Forest’s for rights to use amplifiers. Both Warners whom knew no dramatic technique reflections. The prevailing thought at and Fox operated theater chains. With except that of pantomime. The industry the General Electric Co. as our system two major picture producing and ex- was universally equipped with stages and began to take shape is probably typical. hibiting organizations definitely launched studios suited only to the silent film Many, even of the most enthusiastic on a program of making and showing technique. advocates of the sound-picture develop- pictures, could the other great picture “Moreover, world-wide foreign mar- ment were not convinced that the chief companies remain on the sidelines? kets had been established for silent function of the synchronized sound would films. To serve these markets, it was be to give speech to the actors in plays. Large Producers Agree to Choose Same merely necessary to translate the words The art of telling stories with pantomime System.6 Early in 1927 the first Fox printed upon the film from English to only (with the help of occasional titles) Movietone Newsreel subjects were shown. any language desired. Finding stars and had been so highly developed, that The other picture companies must by supporting casts who spoke the various giving the actors voices seemed hardly this time have become convinced that languages of the world, or finding ways necessary, although readily possible. ssund pictures were inevitable, for a to give the illusion of their speaking Such a view was actually a very high part, if not the whole of motion-picture them, appeared to be an insuperable task. tribute to the movie makers of the silent entertainment. In February 1927, the era. However, a very large business in “big five” - M-G-M, First National, * Gaumont, in addition to many inventions synchronized sound seemed assured (even Paramount, Universal and Producers’ and other activities, was a pioneer and successful without any use of the system for dia- Distributing Corp. (or PDC), jointly leader in the motion-picture business, and prob- logue) in furnishing sound effects, back- asked the Hays organization to study ably came nearer to success with phonograph ground music, and providing voice for and make recommendation as to what sound than others. See account, and references given in the Theisen history5 from which ref. 77 lectures, speeches and travelogue com- system should be adopted. The Movie- is taken. mentary. tone and Vitaphone (disk) had already 356 July 1955 Journal of the SMPTE Volume 64 become commercial systems, Western and equipping of recording studios was Cinekhone. The Powers Cinephone Electric was offering a sound-on-film the installation of sound reproducing system was developed by R. R. Halpenny (light-valve) system, and General Electric systems in theaters. Theater chains con- and William Garity for Patrick A. Pow- had made a number of demonstrations trolled by the picture-producing com- ers, who financed the project. It was of a variable-area system (later offered panies which had already signed con- basically similar to the system of de to the industry with some modifications tracts, used sound systems of the corre- Forest, with whom Powers had permis- through RCA Photophone). There had sponding make, but the business of sive contracts. Cinephone was put on as yet been no formal standardization, furnishing sound equipment to the great the market in September 1929 and used and those participating in the conference number of independent theaters was com- for several years by Walt Disney and probably felt some uncertainty about petitive between ERPI, RCA Photo- others. interchangeability of recordings. It is phone and many other suppliers. An not strange that the picture companies idea of the rate of growth of the sound Tyke of Contract. Most of the initial thought it would be advantageous for pictures, may be had from the following contracts between the equipment-manu- all to adopt the same system. figures given in Sponable’s paper.6 At facturing companies and the picture By far the most ambitious demonstra- the end of 1927 there were some 157 producers were on a lease (rather than tion of sound motion pictures that had theaters in the U.S. equipped for sound, outright sale) basis, for a stipulated as yet (February 1927) been witnessed of which 55 were for both disk and term of years, with equipment servicing was the Warner Vitaphone Don Juan film and 102 for disk only. At the end and engineering assistance as part of the (shown August 1926),l, 4s with perform- of 1928, of the 1046 ERPI theater in- suppliers’ obligation, and royalties de- ances by noted artists and score and back- stallations, 1032 were for disk and film.
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