VtTAPHDM The Biggest Thing In The Last Forty Years periments at the studio of the firm AX ORE THAN twenty-five years in Brooklyn. Then \yr C. DURANT, regarded in business as one there came a ago, H. G. Wells, in “When period of depression and likewise * the Sleeper Wakes,’’ described an of the leading figures in the security market, periods of exultation. A time came invention of the future. On a smooth when the engineers, carried predicted in 1 908 that General Motors would earn away by white surface, a yard square, “The a new lead and a new promise, for- Sleeper” saw miniature more money than the United States Steel Corpora- human fig- got to eat and worked all night. ures moving about and heard them tion. That prediction, which in 1 908 sounded fan- Screen History talk and sing. It was ‘ ‘ exactly like tastic, has become part of financial history in reality, viewed through an inverted 1927. Bit by bit things got clearer and opera glass and heard hope became stronger, with the re- through a long Recently Mr. Durant volunteered another predic- tube. ’ ’ sult that the Warners plunged deep- At that time, when both phono- tion. In an interview with B. C. Forbes that ap- er into the enterprise by taking over the huge and graphs and motion pictures were peared in Forbes’ Magazine for February, he said: expensive Manhattan doubtful experiments, Wells’s imag- Opera House in New York for the ination performed the feat of pre- continuation of the experiments and ||' I HE thing that has the biggest possibilities of dicting them, not only perfected, but as a studio for the screening of ar- tists. In combined. Wells, however, set their anything and everything I have come across in addition to this the War- ner time in the story as two hundred Theatre was called into use for is the last forty years Vitaphone.” practical years afterward—A.D. 2099. He demonstrations. There in the was 175 years out of the way. To- wee sina’ hours of the morning the day, A.D. 1927, his prediction has engineers would experiment and discuss such come to pass. Vitaphone is the ful- problems as how to keep the fillment of it beyond Wells’s most Other dreamers became active as “What a wonderful thing this sound uniform and natural extravagant dreams. soon as motion pictures became would be if it could be brought with the action in synchronization profitable. about!” exclaimed Harry M. War- with the shifting of the picture ner to his brother Sam. reels going from one projection ma- Time and again the problem of chine to another. having sound and motion in step “Well,” came the reply, “let us The Vitaphone received its first public Future seemed on the point of solution. The look into it. Maybe they are on ’ ’ hearing on August disappointments resulting were so the road to something worth while. 6, 1926, at the Following the introduction of Vitaphone many and so heart-breaking, how- Warner Theatre in New York, in at the Warner Theatre, the New York What Sam Warner found was that conjunction Times said editorially: ever, that men who were interested with the appearance of certain basic principles in despaired of ever having their am- making John Barrymore in “Don Juan.” “The future of this con- new pictures audible had solved. bitions realized. been Public and press united to acclaim trivance is boundless, for inhab- While there were many problems yet the new miracle of science. itants of small and remote places length the term, “audible pic- At to be ironed out, enough had been ’ “Marvelous! — Uncanny!” said will have the opportunity of lis- ’ anathema to the tures, became accomplished to cause Mr. Warner tening to and seeing grand of the film industry. the Times, and other newspapers opera magnates to become enthusiastic. This en- as it is given in York of them at one heralded Vitaphone as starting a new New and Nearly every one thusiasm spread to H. M. Warner and in musical centers of Europe. plunged finan- era in the screen world, an era that Be- time or another had was shared by Albert and Jack L. would revolutionize entertainment. sides, through the picturing of cially into the problem of giving the Warner. the vocalists and small groups of screen the flexibility of oral sound, The mere fact that they were fac- musicians or choirs or orchestras, and the losses these pioneers had ing something, the failure of which the Vitaphone will give its pa- suffered brought painful memories. would plunge them into financial Vitaphone trons an excellent idea of the The Warner Brothers’ Part ruin, didn’t feaze the Warners. singer’s acting and an intelligent No lotiger count the lyric art Harry M. Warner remarked that this conception of the efforts of musi- This was the condition of things A fading dream to haunt the thing which was to be known as cians and their instruments. when a hint floating about reached heart— Vitaphone, living sound, must not Operatic favorites will be able to the ears of the Warner Brothers that The singer and the song long fail. No one was to think of failure. be seen as well as heard, and the the Bell Telephone Laboratories had gone. That was all there was to it. genius of singers and musicians made a number of discoveries tend- Both in immortal youth live on. who have passed will still live.” ing to the perfect synchronization With the resources of the Warners —Harry Lee. of sound and motion. at work there began a series of ex- VITAPmw Revolutionizing the Motion Picture Industry H. M. Warner Makes a Prophecy UP TO THE PRESENT VlTAPHDM {From Motion Pictures Today— February 12, 1927) T IS Harry M. Warner speaking and here is his message to all of First public hearing, Warner The third Vitaphone production I the motion picture business, a prediction, a prophecy: a Man Loves,” starring Theatre, New York, August 6, 1926, was “When John Barrymore at the Selwyn as accompaniment to the Warner Theatre, New York. The accompani- year from today, the present wise men of the Bros, picture, “Don Juan,” starring “One ment for this production was written John Barrymore. The picture was picture industry won’t know the motion picture by Henry Hadley, the eminent Am- motion -*preceded by a Vitaphone program erican composer and director. It business—their own business. Make note of this and that included the N. Y. Philharmonic demonstrated the promise of scores in February, 1928. Orchestra, conducted by Henry Had- being written directly for Vitaphone file it away for reference ley, playing the “Tannhauser” over- that may achieve the greatness of ture; Giovanni Martinelli, singing the most important operatic writing. half ahead. In the “We are now working a year and a t from “I Among those on the Vitaphone pro- the “Vesti la giubba” and placed were Gigli, Talley, Hackett, period I mention there will have been made Pagliacci”; Marion Talley, singing gram Jeanne Gordon, Mary Lewis, De The Jazz Singer and the “Caro nome” from “Rigolet- before the public ‘Noah’s Ark , Luca and Van and Schenck. one-act opera, to”; Anna Case in a ‘Black Ivory’, each made with one-third to one-half Vita- “La Fiesta”; violin solos by Efram The phenomenal success of these three productions was followed in phone. Zimbaliet and Miseha Elman, and a New York by the installation of Harold Bauer. piano solo by Vitaphone at the Roxy Theatre, the as can make biggest motion picture theatre in the “Installations are going forward as fast we As this book goes to press, eight world. The opening program in- theatres of varying sizes this production is still them and all over the country months later, cluded a tabloid version of “Car- of running at the Warner Theatre, and men,” with Martinelli as Don Jose are making ready for the revolutionary development playing to the capacity of the play- and Jeanne Gordon as Carmen. At the pictures so that in the time I mention the whole man- house. Meanwhile, the production present Vitaphone is being installed pictures will be vitalized into has duplicated its New York triumph in theatres of varying sizes through- ufacture and exhibition of out the country at the rate of five in other cities. It played for foui- and playing institution for the provid- a week. a living, speaking montlis at McVicker’s Theatre, newer and greater entertainment, the spreading Chicago; four months at Grauman’s ing of Egyptian, Los Angeles; two months of knowledge by the spoken word as well as by the Theatre, Boston; two Facts about at the Colonial shadowed action; and only the man of imagination can months at the Shubert-Lafayette the newest and Theatre, Detroit, and two months at predict the limits of this new creation of But the Capital Theatre, St. Louis. finest of the human arts.” even more interesting results were i As the phonograph records the obtained in its runs in some smaller I voice and as motion pictures We give important consideration to this prediction because we cities. It played five weeks at the record figures in action, Vitaphone the Rialto Theatre, Newark, breaking all combines both records, solving the see before us now a twelve hundred seat house on Broadway, < of making it appear that records for length of run and gross problem Warner, grossing $20,000 a week with the Vitaphoned “Don Juan,” one is listening to the sound at its receipts for any attraction, musical doing original source.