ARSC Journal, Spring 1991 35 Operatic Vitaphone Shorts
THE OPERATIC VITAPHONE SHORTS By William Shaman On 6 August 1926 "Vitaphone," the latest commercial sound-on-disc motion picture system, made its debut at the Warners' Theater in New York City. The feature film that evening, "Don Juan," with John Barrymore and Mary Astor, was a lavish costume picture with a pre-recorded soundtrack consisting of synchronized sound effects and a Spanish-flavored score written by Major Edward Bowes, David Mendoza, and Dr. William Axt, played by the New York Philharmonic Orchestra under Henry Hadley. There was no spoken dialogue. Eight short subjects preceded "Don Juan:" Will H. Hays, president of the Motion Picture Producers Association, welcoming the Vitaphone in a spoken address; the Overture to Tannhauser played by the New York Philharmonic, again with Hadley conducting; violinist Mischa Elman, accompanied by pianist Josef Bonime, playing Dvorak's "Humoresque" and Gossec's "Gavotte;" Roy Smeck, "Wizard of the Strings," in a medley of Hawaiian guitar, ukulele, and banjo solos; violinist Efrem Zimbalist and pianist Harold Bauer playing the theme and variations from Beethoven's "Kreutzer" Sonata, and three solos by singers Marion Talley, Giovanni Martinelli and Anna Case. By all accounts, the show was a resounding success. A steady flow of shorts and part-talking features would follow, beginning with the second Vitaphone show on 7 October 1926. On 6 October 1927 "The Jazz Singer" premiered in New York. The other major Hollywood studios, anticipating a favorable public response to sound films, had been involved in clandestine negotiations since 1926 and now were scrambling to secure a share of this lucrative new market.
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