The Coming of Sound

EARLY ATTEMPTS AT SOUND: EDISON– 1895, combined phonograph & kinetoscope to create

KINETOPHONE– It was unsuccessful, mostly due to problems with

synchronization OTHER ATTEMPTS AT SOUND IN THE

SILENT ERA– Other experiments provided sound with movies– Primary source of sound provided at theater; music,

sound effects, etc.

THE INTRODUCTION OF SOUND

Kinetophone

Kinetophone film, 1912

SYNCHRONIZED SOUND(1927-28)

ECONOMICS OF THE TRANSITION– STUDIO CONSERVATISM

» “Big 3”: Paramount, Loew's/MGM, & 1st National

» All profitable, & resisted the transition to sound

» All 3 had extensive chains of picture palaces

» Radio & telephone companies researched sound, rejected by Big 3

SYNCHRONIZED SOUND(1927-28)

WARNER BROS. & AT&T (Western Electric)– WARNER BROS.

» 1 of the “2nd tier”, had mostly 2nd & 3rd run theaters

» 1925, cooperated with AMERICAN TELEGRAPH & TELEPHONE (AT&T) on sound development

– WESTERN ELECTRIC» Subsidiary established by AT&T to research &

manufacture technology

» Developed 33 rpm turntables & records, amplifiers & loudspeakers

SYNCHRONIZED SOUND(1927-28)

VITAPHONE» Both process & holding company created to exploit process

» They began with musical shorts

» 1st big feature film success The Jazz Singer (1927)

» Had 4 Vitaphone segments, all primarily musical numbers

» Rest was silent (with inter-titles)

PROBLEMS WITH SOUND ON DISC» Difficult to maintain consistent synchronization

» Supposedly, because each disc was 10 min. long, each shot in the film also had to be 10 min. long

John Gilbert with 33 1/3 rpm record

Al Jolson in The Jazz Singer (1927)

Al Jolson in The Jazz Singer (1927)

SYNCHRONIZED SOUND(1927-28)

FOX MOVIE-TONE SYSTEM– Fox interested in sound after Warner's success

– 1927, adopted OPTICAL sound system (sound recorded on film)

– Developed by General Electric, still used today

– Superior to Vitaphone system» Always in synchronization

» Greater flexibility in editing

– But required Western Electric amplifiers & speakers

Fox Movie-Tone advertisement

SYNCHRONIZED SOUND(1927-28)

THE PATENTS POOL– Big 3 waited to see which system would succeed

– Formed a committee of Academy to choose a system

– 1928, patents pool resulted in standard system: Fox's optical sound & Western Electric equipment

– At this point, all important film companies committed to sound films using new system

SYNCHRONIZED SOUND(1927-28)

RCA & RKO– RCA developed optical sound system in

1928 called RCA PHOTOPHONE– Created its own studio, RKO (RADIO-

KEITH-ORPHEUM), to exploit its new sound system

RCA Photophone

PROBLEMS & SOLUTIONS

TECHNICAL– MICROPHONES

» Had to be hidden from view

» Eventually, mounted on mobile booms

– CAMERAS» Had to be electrically powered

» Motors were noisy

» 1st placed in sound-proof booths, later surrounded by sound-proof, mobile blimps

» Finally, noiseless cameras were developed

PROBLEMS & SOLUTIONS

PERSONNEL– Many veterans of the silent era did not make

the transition to sound– Had unpleasant voices, or voices that did not

match screen images– Assumption that writers, directors, etc. did

not "know how" to work with sound– New talent largely from Broadway stage

The Marx Brothers

Mae West

SOUND-ON-FILM An alternative to an existing option: dialog inter-titles It had other functions as well

– It helped define characters– It increased verisimilitude– Decreased costs of exhibition

3 major changes in industry:– Fox became 1 of the Big 5 due to its success with sound– Warner joined Big 5 (bought 1st National & Stanley theater

chain)– RKO completed Big 5

Big 5 (Paramount, Loew's/MGM, Fox, Warner Bros., RKO) controlled industry until at least 1950s

Self-Regulation in Hollywood

Roscoe (“Fatty”) Arbuckle

Movies seen as 1st real threat to cultural dominance of upper classes over lower classes

– Created by lower class– Patronized by lower classes– Accepted by middle & upper classes

Groups sought to reestablish control primarily through censorship

THE CREATION OF THE MPPDA

CENSORSHIP– Numerous state & local censorship boards– Each imposed different set of standards

THE HOLLYWOOD SCANDALS– FATTY ARBUCKLE CASE– DESMOND TAYLOR CASE– WALLACE REID CASE

Fatty Arbuckle

Fatty Arbuckle in drag

William Desmond Taylor

Mary Miles Minter

Mabel Normand

Love letter (in code) from Mary Miles Minter to Desmond Taylor

Wallace Reid in Joan the Woman

Wallace Reid in Carmen

THE CREATION OF THE MPPDA

MPPDA set up by industry in 1922– In theory, a self-regulatory body; in practice, a

public relations body– Created to accomplish 2 goals

» End spread of state & local censorship boards» Improve image of film industry

Will Hays served as head of MPPDA– Former Postmaster-General, ultra-conservative

Republican from Indiana, a devout Presbyterian– Much later, it became clear that Hays was a crook

Will Hays, head of the MPPDA

THE PRODUCTION CODE& THE BREEN OFFICE

In early 1930s, 2 factors renewed the criticism

– Box-office decline resulted in more violent & racier content

– Sound added a new way for movies to be offensive

1933, LEGION OF DECENCY, Catholic organization, led boycotts of Hollywood films

THE PRODUCTION CODE& THE BREEN OFFICE

THE PRODUCTION CODE– 1929, production code drafted to codify suggestions

made by MPPDA regarding content, & to deal with problems of sound

– PRODUCTION CODE ADMINISTRATION (PCA) created in 1934 to enforce code

THE BREEN OFFICE– Joseph Breen appointed director of PCA– No film not approved by PCA would be shown in a

theater owned by a member of MPPDA

THE PRODUCTION CODE& THE BREEN OFFICE

STAGES IN APPROVAL– Preliminary story conference– Approval of the script; negotiations– Production conferences– Approval of scenes as produced during

production– Approval of the completed film; negotiations– Appeal if not approved

THE PRODUCTION CODE& THE BREEN OFFICE

RESTRICTIONS– CRIME– SEX– VULGARITY, OBSCENITY, & PROFANITY– RELIGION– GOVERNMENT– REPELLENT SUBJECTS IN GENERAL

END OF THE CODE– 1950s & 1960s, Church began to lose control over younger

generation & TV threatened film industry– Code was abandoned– Replaced by RATINGS SYSTEM in 1968