The Coming of Sound

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The Coming of Sound
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THE INTRODUCTION 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.

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Kinetophone
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Kinetophone film, 1912
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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

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SYNCHRONIZED SOUND(1927-28)

• WARNER BROS. ATT (Western Electric)
• WARNER BROS.
• 1 of the 2nd tier, had mostly 2nd 3rd run
  theaters
• 1925, cooperated with AMERICAN TELEGRAPH
  TELEPHONE (ATT) on sound development
• WESTERN ELECTRIC
• Subsidiary established by ATT to research
  manufacture technology
• Developed 33 rpm turntables records,
  amplifiers loudspeakers

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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

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John Gilbert with 33 1/3 rpm record
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Al Jolson in The Jazz Singer (1927)
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Al Jolson in The Jazz Singer (1927)
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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

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Fox Movie-Tone advertisement
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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

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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

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RCA Photophone
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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

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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

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The Marx Brothers
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Mae West
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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

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Self-Regulation in Hollywood

• Roscoe (Fatty) Arbuckle

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• 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

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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

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Fatty Arbuckle
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Fatty Arbuckle in drag
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William Desmond Taylor
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Mary Miles Minter
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Mabel Normand
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Love letter (in code) from Mary Miles Minter to
Desmond Taylor
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Wallace Reid in Joan the Woman
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Wallace Reid in Carmen
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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

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Will Hays, head of the MPPDA
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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

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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

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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

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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

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