Phonofilm is an

optical Optics is the branch of physics that studies the behaviour and properties of light, including its interactions with matter and the construction of instruments that use or detect it. Optics usually describes the behaviour of visible, ultravio ...

sound-on-film Sound-on-film is a class of sound film processes where the sound accompanying a picture is recorded on photographic film, usually, but not always, the same strip of film carrying the picture. Sound-on-film processes can either record an analo ...

system developed by inventors

Lee de Forest Lee de Forest (August 26, 1873 – June 30, 1961) was an American inventor and a fundamentally important early pioneer in electronics. He invented the first electronic device for controlling current flow; the three-element "Audion" triode v ...

and

Theodore Case Theodore Willard Case (December 12, 1888 – May 13, 1944) was an American chemist and inventor known for the invention of the Movietone sound-on- film system. Early life and education Theodore Willard Case was born in 1888 in Auburn, New Y ...

in the early 1920s.

Introduction

In 1919 and 1920, Lee De Forest, inventor of the

audion tube The Audion was an electronic detecting or amplifying vacuum tube invented by American electrical engineer Lee de Forest in 1906.De Forest patented a number of variations of his detector tubes starting in 1906. The patent that most clearly covers ...

, filed his first patents on a sound-on-film process, DeForest Phonofilm, which recorded sound directly onto film as parallel lines. These parallel lines photographically recorded electrical waveforms from a microphone, which were translated back into sound waves when the movie was projected. Some sources say that DeForest improved on the work of Finnish inventor Eric Tigerstedt — who was granted German patent 309.536 on 28 July 1914 for his sound-on-film work — and on the

Tri-Ergon The Tri-Ergon sound-on-film system was developed from around 1919 by three German inventors, Josef Engl (1893–1942), Joseph Massolle (1889–1957), and Hans Vogt (1890–1979). The system used a photoelectric recording method and a non-standar ...

Exchange, patented in 1919 by German inventors Josef Engl, Hans Vogt, and Joseph Massole. The Phonofilm system, which recorded synchronized sound directly onto film, was used to record vaudeville acts, musical numbers, political speeches, and opera singers. The quality of Phonofilm was poor at first, improved somewhat in later years, but was never able to match the fidelity of

sound-on-disc Sound-on-disc is a class of sound film processes using a phonograph or other disc to record or play back sound in sync with a motion picture. Early sound-on-disc systems used a mechanical interlock with the movie projector, while more recent syst ...

systems such as

Vitaphone Vitaphone was a sound film system used for feature films and nearly 1,000 short subjects made by Warner Bros. and its sister studio First National from 1926 to 1931. Vitaphone was the last major analog sound-on-disc system and the only one ...

, or later

systems such as

RCA Photophone RCA Photophone was the trade name given to one of four major competing technologies that emerged in the American film industry in the late 1920s for synchronizing electrically recorded audio to a motion picture image. RCA Photophone was an opt ...

Fox Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush''). Twelve s ...

Movietone. The films of DeForest were

short film A short film is any motion picture that is short enough in running time not to be considered a feature film. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes ...

s made primarily as demonstrations to try to interest major studios in Phonofilm. These films are particularly valuable to entertainment historians, as they include recordings of a wide variety of both well-known and less famous American

vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment born in France at the end of the 19th century. A vaudeville was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a dramatic composition ...

and British

music hall Music hall is a type of British theatrical entertainment that was popular from the early Victorian era, beginning around 1850. It faded away after 1918 as the halls rebranded their entertainment as variety. Perceptions of a distinction in B ...

acts which would otherwise have been forgotten. Some of the films, such as '' Flying Jenny Airplane'', ''Barking Dog'', and a film of DeForest himself explaining the Phonofilm system (all 1922) were experimental films to test the system. Some of the people filmed included vaudevillians Joe Weber and

Lew Fields Lew Fields (born Moses Schoenfeld, January 1867 – July 20, 1941) was an American actor, comedian, vaudeville star, theatre manager, and producer. He was part of a comedy duo with Joe Weber. He also produced shows on his own and starred in com ...

Eva Puck Eva Puck (November 25, 1892 – October 25, 1979) was an American entertainer, a vaudeville headliner who later found success performing in Broadway musical comedies and film. Early life She was born in New York City, the middle of three ...

and Sammy White,

Eddie Cantor Eddie Cantor (born Isidore Itzkowitz; January 31, 1892 – October 10, 1964) was an American comedian, actor, dancer, singer, songwriter, film producer, screenwriter and author. Familiar to Broadway, radio, movie, and early television audiences, ...

Ben Bernie Benjamin Anzelwitz, known professionally as Ben Bernie (May 30, 1891 – October 23, 1943),DeLong, Thomas A. (1996). ''Radio Stars: An Illustrated Biographical Dictionary of 953 Performers, 1920 through 1960''. McFarland & Company, Inc. . P. ...

Oscar Levant Oscar Levant (December 27, 1906August 14, 1972) was an American concert pianist, composer, conductor, author, radio game show panelist, television talk show host, comedian and actor. He was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for reco ...

, Phil Baker,

Frank McHugh Francis Curry McHugh (May 23, 1898 – September 11, 1981) was an American stage, radio, film and television actor. Early years Born in Homestead, Pennsylvania, of Irish descent, McHugh came from a theatrical family. His parents, Edward A ...

Roy Smeck Leroy Smeck (6 February 1900 – 5 April 1994) was an American musician. His skill on the banjo, guitar, and ukulele earned him the nickname "The Wizard of the Strings". Background Smeck was born in Reading, Pennsylvania. He started on the vau ...

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

musicians

Noble Sissle Noble Lee Sissle (July 10, 1889 – December 17, 1975) was an American jazz composer, lyricist, bandleader, singer, and playwright, best known for the Broadway musical ''Shuffle Along'' (1921), and its hit song " I'm Just Wild About Harry". E ...

and

Eubie Blake James Hubert "Eubie" Blake (February 7, 1887 – February 12, 1983) was an American pianist and composer of ragtime, jazz, and popular music. In 1921, he and his long-time collaborator Noble Sissle wrote ''Shuffle Along'', one of the first Bro ...

, " all-female" bandleader Helen Lewis, harmonicist Borrah Minevitch, Nikita Balieff's company La Chauve-Souris, opera singers Eva Leoni,

Abbie Mitchell __NOTOC__ Abriea "Abbie" Mitchell Cook (25 September 1884 – 16 March 1960), also billed as Abbey Mitchell, was an American soprano opera singer. She performed the role of Clara in the premiere production of George Gershwin's ''Porgy and Bes ...

, and Marie Rappold,

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street ** Broadway Theatre (53rd Stre ...

stars Helen Menken and Fannie Ward, folklorist Charles Ross Taggart, copla singer Concha Piquer (first Spanish sound film), and politicians

Calvin Coolidge Calvin Coolidge (born John Calvin Coolidge Jr.; ; July 4, 1872January 5, 1933) was the 30th president of the United States from 1923 to 1929. Born in Vermont, Coolidge was a Republican lawyer from New England who climbed up the ladder of Ma ...

, Robert La Follette,

Al Smith Alfred Emanuel Smith (December 30, 1873 – October 4, 1944) was an American politician who served four terms as List of governors of New York, Governor of New York and was the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party's candidate for ...

, and

Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As th ...

. Smith and Roosevelt were filmed during the

1924 Democratic National Convention The 1924 Democratic National Convention, held at the Madison Square Garden in New York City from June 24 to July 9, 1924, was the longest continuously running convention in United States political history. It took a record 103 ballots to nominate ...

, held June 24 to July 9 at

Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as The Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh and Eighth avenues from 31st to 33rd Street, above Pennsylv ...

in New York City. Coolidge became the first U. S. President to appear in a sound motion picture when DeForest filmed him at the

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in 180 ...

on 11 August 1924. In November 1922, De Forest founded the De Forest Phonofilm Corporation with studios at 314 East 48th Street in New York City, and offices at 220 West 42nd Street in the Candler Building. However, DeForest was unable to interest any of the major

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywoo ...

movie studios in his invention. Phonofilm1

Premiere of Phonofilm

From October 1921 to September 1922, DeForest lived in Berlin, meeting with the Tri-Ergon developers and investigating other European sound film systems. He announced to the press in April 1922 that he would soon have a workable sound-on-film system. On 12 March 1923, DeForest presented a demonstration of Phonofilm to the press. On 12 April 1923, DeForest gave a private demonstration of the process to electrical engineers at the Engineering Society Building's Auditorium at 33 West 39th Street in New York City. On 15 April 1923, DeForest premiered 18 short films made in Phonofilm — including vaudeville acts, musical performers,

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a libre ...

, and

ballet Ballet () is a type of performance dance that originated during the Italian Renaissance in the fifteenth century and later developed into a concert dance form in France and Russia. It has since become a widespread and highly technical form of ...

— at the Rivoli Theater at 1620 Broadway in New York City. The Rivoli's music director

Hugo Riesenfeld Hugo Riesenfeld (January 26, 1879 – September 10, 1939) was an Austrian-American composer. As a film director, he began to write his own orchestral compositions for silent films in 1917, and co-created modern production techniques where film ...

co-hosted the presentation. The printed program gave credit to the "DeForest-Case Patents", but according to a letter

wrote to DeForest immediately after the event, no credit was given to Case during the presentation itself. Case also expressed his displeasure that the program credited only the "DeForest-Case Patents", as Phonofilm's success was fully due to the work of Case and his Case Research Lab. DeForest later took his show on the road, pitching Phonofilm directly to the general public at a series of special engagements across the country. The shorts shown at one such demonstration (from an original program at History San Jose, which holds DeForest's papers), exact date unknown but circa 1925, were as follows: *(Overture) *What the Phonofilm Means (Bart Doyle *A Study in Contrasts (comparing sound and silent film segments) *From Far Seville ( Concha Piquer) *Old Melodies ( Charles Ross Taggart) *The Harlequin's Serenade o_other_identification,_adaptation_of_''Harlequinade''_by_Riccardo_Drigo_(d._1930).html" ;"title="Riccardo_Drigo.html" ;"title="o other identification, adaptation of ''Harlequinade'' by Riccardo Drigo">o other identification, adaptation of ''Harlequinade'' by Riccardo Drigo (d. 1930)">Riccardo_Drigo.html" ;"title="o other identification, adaptation of ''Harlequinade'' by Riccardo Drigo">o other identification, adaptation of ''Harlequinade'' by Riccardo Drigo (d. 1930) *Stringed Harmony (

) *Parade of the Wooden Soldiers [Franco-Russian ballet troupe Le Chauve Souris] * A Few Moments With Eddie Cantor, Star of "Kid Boots" *A Musical Monologue (with Phil Baker) *President

Taken on the White House Lawn (11 August 1924) *(Intermission—Five Minutes) *

's Orchestra (" Ben Bernie and All the Lads") *''

Rigoletto ''Rigoletto'' is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi. The Italian libretto was written by Francesco Maria Piave based on the 1832 play '' Le roi s'amuse'' by Victor Hugo. Despite serious initial problems with the Austrian censors who had co ...

'', Act Two (Eva Leoni 895-1972and Company) *The Bubble Dance (

Lillian Powell Lillian Ruth Powell (May 29, 1896 – May 31, 1992) was a Canadian-born American Denishawn-trained dancer who performed in early experimental silent film musicals. She would later teach dance and physical education before embarking on a nearly t ...

) * Weber and Fields (their famous poolhall skit) *A Boston Star ( Borrah Minevitch) * DeWolfe icHopper (reciting "

Casey at the Bat Casey at the Bat is a poem written in 1888 by Ernest Thayer. Casey at the Bat may also refer to: * ''Casey at the Bat'' (1916 film), a film based on the poem * ''Casey at the Bat'' (1927 film), a film based on the poem * ''Casey at the Bat'', a ...

") *Negro Folk Songs (

and

) *Opera Versus Jazz (

and Sammy White) *(Exit March—by the Phonofilm) DeForest was forced to show these films in independent theaters such as the Rivoli, since Hollywood movie studios controlled all major U.S. movie theater chains at the time. De Forest's decision to film primarily short films (one reel), not

feature film A feature film or feature-length film is a narrative film (motion picture or "movie") with a running time long enough to be considered the principal or sole presentation in a commercial entertainment program. The term ''feature film'' originall ...

s limited the appeal of his process. All or part of the

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film and television production and distribution company and the main namesake division of Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS). It is the fifth-oldest film studio in the world, the second-olde ...

features '' Bella Donna'' (premiered 1 April 1923) and ''

The Covered Wagon ''The Covered Wagon'' is a 1923 American silent Western film released by Paramount Pictures. The film was directed by James Cruze based on a 1922 novel of the same name by Emerson Hough about a group of pioneers traveling through the old We ...

'' (premiered 16 March 1923) were filmed with Phonofilm as an experiment. (In the case of ''The Covered Wagon'', Hugo Riesenfeld composed the music for the film.) However, the Phonofilm versions were only shown at the premiere engagements, also at the Rivoli. "Siegfried", the first part of the

Fritz Lang Friedrich Christian Anton Lang (; December 5, 1890 – August 2, 1976), known as Fritz Lang, was an Austrian film director, screenwriter, and producer who worked in Germany and later the United States.Obituary '' Variety'', August 4, 1976, p. ...

film ''

Die Nibelungen ''Die Nibelungen'' ("The Nibelungs") is a two-part series of silent fantasy films created by Austrian director Fritz Lang in 1924, consisting of ''Die Nibelungen: Siegfried'' and ''Die Nibelungen: Kriemhild's Revenge''. The scenarios for bot ...

'' (1924) had a Phonofilm soundtrack, but only at the New York City premiere at the Century Theatre on 23 August 1925. One of the few two-reel films made by DeForest in the Phonofilm process was '' Love's Old Sweet Song'' (1923), starring

Louis Wolheim Louis Robert Wolheim (March 28, 1880 – February 18, 1931) was an American actor, of both stage and screen, whose rough physical appearance relegated him to roles mostly of thugs or villains in the movies, but whose talent allowed him to fl ...

Donald Gallaher Donald Gallaher (June 25, 1895 – August 14, 1961) was an American actor who appeared in 25 films between 1903 and 1949. He also directed five films, including ''Temple Tower'' (1930). His name is sometimes misspelled "Gallagher". Early years ...

, and the 20-year-old

Una Merkel Una Merkel (December 10, 1903 – January 2, 1986) was an American stage, film, radio, and television actress. Merkel was born in Kentucky and acted on stage in New York in the 1920s. She went to Hollywood in 1930 and became a popular film ...

. DeForest kept to one-reel films because he was unable to solve the problem of reel changes—and the disruption in sound which would occur—when a projectionist in a movie theater changed reels.

Development of Phonofilm

Max Fleischer Max Fleischer (born Majer Fleischer ; July 19, 1883 – September 25, 1972) was an American animator, inventor, film director and producer, and studio founder and owner. Born in Kraków, Fleischer immigrated to the United States where he became ...

and

Dave Fleischer Dave Fleischer (; July 14, 1894 – June 25, 1979) was an American film director and producer, best known as a co-owner of Fleischer Studios with his older brother Max Fleischer. He was a native of New York City. Biography Fleischer was the ...

used the Phonofilm process for their Song Car-Tunes series of cartoons—all featuring the " Follow the Bouncing Ball" gimmick—starting in May 1924. Of the 36 titles in the Song Car-Tunes series, 19 used Phonofilm. Also in 1924, the Fleischer brothers partnered with DeForest, Edwin Miles Fadiman, and

to form Red Seal Pictures Corporation, which owned 36 theaters on the East Coast, extending as far west as

Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U ...

. Red Seal Pictures and DeForest Phonofilm filed for bankruptcy in September 1926, and the Fleischers stopped releasing the Song Car-Tune films in Phonofilm shortly thereafter. Alfred Weiss acquired several of the silent Song Car-tunes including "My Old Kentucky Home" and "Tramp-Tram--Tramp, the Boys are Marching" and re-released them independently between 1929 to 1932 with new animation added using what sounds like the Powers Cinephone process. DeForest also worked with

, using Case's patents to make the Phonofilm system workable. However, the two men had a falling out, shortly after DeForest filed suit in June 1923 against

Freeman Harrison Owens Freeman Harrison Owens (July 20, 1890 – December 9, 1979) was an early American filmmaker and aerial photographer. Biography was born in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, the only child of Charles H. Owens and Christabel Harrison. He attended Pine Bluf ...

, another former collaborator of DeForest's. Case later went to movie mogul William Fox of

Fox Film Corporation The Fox Film Corporation (also known as Fox Studios) was an American Independent film production studio formed by William Fox (1879–1952) in 1915, by combining his earlier Greater New York Film Rental Company and Box Office Attractions Film C ...

, who bought Case's patents, the American rights to the German

patents, and the work of Owens to create Fox Movietone.

DeForest's use of Case patents

Case's falling out with DeForest was due to DeForest taking full credit for the work of Case and Earl I. Sponable (1895–1977) at the Case Research Lab in

Auburn, New York Auburn is a city in Cayuga County, New York, United States. Located at the north end of Owasco Lake, one of the Finger Lakes in Central New York, the city had a population of 26,866 at the 2020 census. It is the largest city of Cayuga County, the ...

. To record on film, DeForest tried using a standard

light bulb An electric light, lamp, or light bulb is an electrical component that produces light. It is the most common form of artificial lighting. Lamps usually have a base made of ceramic, metal, glass, or plastic, which secures the lamp in the so ...

to expose amplified sound onto film. The bulbs quickly burned out, and, even while functioning, never produced a clear recording. To reproduce his nearly inaudible soundtracks, DeForest used a

photocell Photodetectors, also called photosensors, are sensors of light or other electromagnetic radiation. There is a wide variety of photodetectors which may be classified by mechanism of detection, such as photoelectric or photochemical effects, or b ...

that could not react quickly enough to the varying light coming to it as the soundtrack passed through the sound gate, resulting in an incomplete reproduction of sound from an inadequate recording—a dual failure. DeForest's attempts to record and reproduce sound failed at every turn until he used inventions provided by Case. Having failed to create a workable sound-on-film system by 1921, DeForest contacted Case to inquire about using a Case Research Lab invention, the Thallofide (

thallium Thallium is a chemical element with the symbol Tl and atomic number 81. It is a gray post-transition metal that is not found free in nature. When isolated, thallium resembles tin, but discolors when exposed to air. Chemists William Crookes and ...

oxysulfide) Cell, for reproducing the recorded sound. Case provided DeForest with that major upgrade and later provided him with another Case Research Lab creation, the AEO Light, to use for recording the soundtrack. Due to DeForest's continuing misuse of these inventions, the Case Research Lab proceeded to build its own camera. That camera was used by Case and Sponable to film President Coolidge on 11 August 1924, creating one of the films shown by DeForest and claimed by him to be the product of "his" inventions. Seeing that DeForest was more concerned with his own fame and recognition than he was with actually creating a workable system of sound film, and because of DeForest's continuing attempts to downplay the contributions of the Case Research Lab in the creation of Phonofilm, Case severed his ties with DeForest in the fall of 1925. On 23 July 1926, William Fox of

bought Case's patents. In 1924,

Western Electric The Western Electric Company was an American electrical engineering and manufacturing company officially founded in 1869. A wholly owned subsidiary of American Telephone & Telegraph for most of its lifespan, it served as the primary equipment ma ...

had settled on 24

frames per second A frame is often a structural system that supports other components of a physical construction and/or steel frame that limits the construction's extent. Frame and FRAME may also refer to: Physical objects In building construction *Framing (con ...

(90 feet per minute) as the standard film speed for both the

and optical sound systems it was developing. Western Electric's ERPI division dominated the theater hardware market when the sound revolution finally got underway, so its new standard speed was universally adopted by Fox and all the other studios as each began making sound films. (See the Fleischer cartoon ''Finding His Voice'' (1929), credited to Mr. W. E. Erpi.) As a consequence, Case's tests and DeForest's early Phonofilms, shot at about 21 frames per second, gave speakers and singers laughably high-pitched "helium voices" if they were run on a standard sound projector. The

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the '' de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The libra ...

and other film archives have printed new copies of some early Phonofilms, modifying them by periodically duplicating frames and correspondingly "stretching" the soundtracks to make them compatible with standard projectors and

telecine Telecine ( or ) is the process of transferring film into video and is performed in a color suite. The term is also used to refer to the equipment used in the post-production process. Telecine enables a motion picture, captured originally on ...

equipment.

Producer Pat Powers attempts takeover of Phonofilm

By 1926, DeForest gave up on trying to exploit the process—at least in the U.S. (see UK section below) -- and his company declared bankruptcy in September 1926. Without access to Case's inventions, DeForest was left with an incomplete system of sound film. Even so, producer Pat Powers invested in what remained of Phonofilm in the spring of 1927. DeForest was in financial difficulty due to his lawsuits against former associates Case and Owens. At this time, DeForest was selling cut-rate sound equipment to second-run movie theaters wanting to convert to sound on the cheap. In June 1927, Powers made an unsuccessful takeover bid for DeForest's company. In the aftermath, Powers hired former DeForest technician William Garity to produce a cloned version of the Phonofilm system.

Hollywood chooses other sound systems

While shunning Phonofilm, Hollywood studios introduced different systems for

talkies A sound film is a motion picture with synchronized sound, or sound technologically coupled to image, as opposed to a silent film. The first known public exhibition of projected sound films took place in Paris in 1900, but decades passed befor ...

. First up was the

process introduced by

Warner Brothers Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American Film studio, film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios, Burbank, Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, Califo ...

—which used a record disc synchronized with the film for sound. Warner Brothers released the feature film ''

Don Juan Don Juan (), also known as Don Giovanni ( Italian), is a legendary, fictional Spanish libertine who devotes his life to seducing women. Famous versions of the story include a 17th-century play, '' El burlador de Sevilla y convidado de piedra' ...

'' starring

John Barrymore John Barrymore (born John Sidney Blyth; February 14 or 15, 1882 – May 29, 1942) was an American actor on stage, screen and radio. A member of the Barrymore family, Drew and Barrymore theatrical families, he initially tried to avoid the stage ...

on 6 August 1926 in Vitaphone, with music and sound effects only. On 6 October 1927, Warner Brothers released ''

The Jazz Singer ''The Jazz Singer'' is a 1927 American musical drama film directed by Alan Crosland. It is the first feature-length motion picture with both synchronized recorded music score as well as lip-synchronous singing and speech (in several isola ...

'' with

Al Jolson Al Jolson (born Eizer Yoelson; June 9, 1886 – October 23, 1950) was a Lithuanian-American Jewish singer, comedian, actor, and vaudevillian. He was one of the United States' most famous and highest-paid stars of the 1920s, and was self-billed a ...

in Vitaphone. The film is often incorrectly credited as the first talking picture. ''The Jazz Singer'' was the first

to use synchronized sound for talking sequences rather than just for music and sound effects, and thus launched the

talkie A sound film is a motion picture with synchronization, synchronized sound, or sound technologically coupled to image, as opposed to a silent film. The first known public exhibition of projected sound films took place in Paris in 1900, but decad ...

era, but DeForest's sound-on-film system was in fact the basis for modern sound movies. The

Fox Movietone Movietone News is a newsreel that ran from 1928 to 1963 in the United States. Under the name British Movietone News, it also ran in the United Kingdom from 1929 to 1986, in France also produced by Fox-Europa, in Australia and New Zealand until 1970 ...

system was first demonstrated to the public at the

Sam H. Harris Theatre The Sam H. Harris Theatre, originally the Candler Theatre, was a theater within the Candler Building, at 226 West 42nd Street, in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. Opened in 1914, the 1,200-seat theater was designed ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

on 21 January 1927, with a

of Raquel Meller preceding the feature film '' What Price Glory?'', originally released in November 1926. Later in 1927, producer William Fox introduced sound-on-film with the feature film ''

Sunrise Sunrise (or sunup) is the moment when the upper rim of the Sun appears on the horizon in the morning. The term can also refer to the entire process of the solar disk crossing the horizon and its accompanying atmospheric effects. Terminology A ...

'' by F. W. Murnau. In 1928, the sound-on-film process

was adopted by newly created studio

RKO Radio Pictures RKO Radio Pictures Inc., commonly known as RKO Pictures or simply RKO, was an American film production and distribution company, one of the "Big Five" film studios of Hollywood's Golden Age. The business was formed after the Keith-Albee-Orph ...

and by

Phonofilm in the UK

In 1926, the owner of a UK cinema chain, M. B. Schlesinger, acquired the UK rights to Phonofilm. DeForest and Schlesinger filmed short films of British

performers such as Marie Lloyd Jr. and

Billy Merson Billy Merson (born William Henry Thompson; 29 March 1879 – 25 June 1947)Richard Anthony Baker, ''British Music Hall: an illustrated history'', Pen & Sword, 2014, , pp.227-228 was an English music hall performer, comedian and songwriter. Biog ...

—along with famous stage actors such as

Sybil Thorndike Dame Agnes Sybil Thorndike, Lady Casson (24 October 18829 June 1976) was an English actress whose stage career lasted from 1904 to 1969. Trained in her youth as a concert pianist, Thorndike turned to the stage when a medical problem with her ...

and Bransby Williams performing excerpts of works by

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...

Shaw Shaw may refer to: Places Australia *Shaw, Queensland Canada * Shaw Street, a street in Toronto England * Shaw, Berkshire, a village * Shaw, Greater Manchester, a location in the parish of Shaw and Crompton * Shaw, Swindon, a suburb of Swindon ...

, and

Dickens Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English writer and social critic. He created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded by many as the greatest novelist of the Victorian er ...

—from September 1926 to May 1929. (In July 1925, ''The Gentleman'', a comedy short film excerpt of ''The 9 to 11 Revue'', directed by William J. Elliott in Phonofilm, was the first sound-on-film production made in England.) On 4 October 1926, Phonofilm made its UK premiere with a program of short films presented at the Empire Cinema in London, including a short film with Sidney Bernstein welcoming Phonofilm to the UK. According to the

British Film Institute The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves film-making and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery to encourage film production, ...

website, the UK division of DeForest Phonofilm was taken over in August 1928 by British Talking Pictures and its subsidiary, British Sound Film Productions, which was formed in September 1928, it is believed British Talking Pictures acquired DeForests primary assets, including patents and designs for theatre audio equipment. In March 1929, a feature film '' The Clue of the New Pin'', a part-talkie based on an

Edgar Wallace Richard Horatio Edgar Wallace (1 April 1875 – 10 February 1932) was a British writer. Born into poverty as an illegitimate London child, Wallace left school at the age of 12. He joined the army at age 21 and was a war correspondent during th ...

novel, was trade-shown with '' The Crimson Circle'', a German-UK coproduction which was also based on a Wallace novel. ''Crimson'' was filmed in DeForest Phonofilm, and ''Pin'' was made in British Phototone, a

process using 12-inch phonograph records synchronized with the film. However, the UK divisions of both Phonofilm and British Phototone soon closed. The last films made in the UK in Phonofilm were released in early 1929, due to competition from Vitaphone, and sound-on-film systems such as Fox Movietone and RCA Photophone. The release of

Alfred Hitchcock Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) was an English filmmaker. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of cinema. In a career spanning six decades, he directed over 50 featur ...

's sound feature film ''

Blackmail Blackmail is an act of coercion using the threat of revealing or publicizing either substantially true or false information about a person or people unless certain demands are met. It is often damaging information, and it may be revealed to fa ...

'' in June 1929, made in RCA Photophone, sealed the fate of Phonofilm in the UK.

Phonofilm in Australia

In June 1925, Phonofilm opened its first Australian office at 129 Bathurst Street in

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountai ...

. On 6 July 1925, the first program of Phonofilms in Australia were shown at the Piccadilly Theatre in Sydney. A program was also shown at the Prince Edward Theatre in November and December 1925. On 6 April 1927, Minister for Trade

Herbert Pratten Herbert Edward Pratten (7 May 1865 – 7 May 1928) was an Australian politician. He served as Minister for Health (1924–1925) and Minister for Trade and Customs (1924–1928) in the Bruce–Page Government. He became a Senator for New South ...

appeared in a DeForest film to celebrate the opening of a Phonofilm studio in Rushcutters Bay in Sydney. On 12 May 1927, a Phonofilm of the Duke and Dutchess of York arriving at

Farm Cove, New South Wales Farm Cove is a tidal inlet and shallow bay in Sydney Harbour, separated from Sydney Cove by Bennelong Point, New South Wales, Australia (site of the Sydney Opera House). Farm Cove is one of the places around Sydney Harbour that has been officia ...

was shown at the Lyceum Theater in Sydney. Unfortunately, Phonofilm had to close all of its operations in Australia by October 1927, and sold its remaining studio facilities to an Australian company in October 1928.

Phonofilm in Spain

In 1928, Spanish producer Feliciano Manuel Vitores bought the Spanish rights to Phonofilm from DeForest and dubbed it "Fonofilm". He produced four films in the process, ''Cuando fui león'' (1928), ''En confesionario'' (1928), ''Va usted en punto con el banco'' (1928), and ''El misterio de la Puerta del Sol'' (1929). The first three were short films directed by Manuel Marín starring Spanish comedian Ramper, and the last was the first sound

made in Spain. The feature film was released in Spain by Divina Home Video in 2005, after years of being thought a

lost film A lost film is a feature or short film that no longer exists in any studio archive, private collection, public archive or the U.S. Library of Congress. Conditions During most of the 20th century, U.S. copyright law required at least one copy ...

Phonofilm in Latin America

The Maurice Zouary collection at the Library of Congress holds approximately 45 films made in Phonofilm. A DVD produced by Zouary about the history of Phonofilm says that a short film of opera singers performing the Sextet from ''

Lucia di Lammermoor ''Lucia di Lammermoor'' () is a (tragic opera) in three acts by Italian composer Gaetano Donizetti. Salvadore Cammarano wrote the Italian-language libretto loosely based upon Sir Walter Scott's 1819 historical novel '' The Bride of Lammermoor''. ...

'' was made by the "Latin American division" of Phonofilm. No further information is known about this division of Phonofilm. In 1926, DeForest released a short film referred to as ''Cuban Sound Documentary'' which included the Cuban national anthem and excerpts from ''

The Merry Widow ''The Merry Widow'' (german: Die lustige Witwe, links=no ) is an operetta by the Austro-Hungarian composer Franz Lehár. The librettists, Viktor Léon and Leo Stein, based the story – concerning a rich widow, and her countrymen's attempt to ...

''. However, little else is known of this film or whether other Phonofilms were made in Cuba.

Legacy of Phonofilm

More than 200 short films were made in the Phonofilm process, with many preserved in the collections of the

(45 titles) and the

(98 titles). In 1976, five Phonofilm titles were discovered in a trunk in Australia, and these films have been restored by Australia's

National Film and Sound Archive The National Film and Sound Archive of Australia (NFSA), known as ScreenSound Australia from 1999 to 2004, is Australia's audiovisual archive, responsible for developing, preserving, maintaining, promoting and providing access to a national c ...

List of films produced in Phonofilm

1922 program cover for US tour of La Chauve Souris

# A. C. Astor with Sentimental Mac (1928) ventriloquist Astor (d. April 7, 1966) with his dummy Sentimental Mac # Acci-Dental Treatment (1929) directed by

Thomas Bentley Thomas Bentley (23 February 1884 – 23 December 1966) was a British film director. He directed 68 films between 1912 and 1941. He directed three films in the early DeForest Phonofilm sound-on-film process, ''The Man in the Street'' (1926), '' ...

with Ernie Lotinga as Jimmy Josser # The Actors' Squad (1927) short with Lawrence Anderson #

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...

(1924) portrayal of Lincoln by actor Frank McGlynn Sr. in excerpt of 1918 play by John Drinkwater #

Adolph Zukor Adolph Zukor (; hu, Zukor Adolf; January 7, 1873 – June 10, 1976) was a Hungarian-American film producer best known as one of the three founders of Paramount Pictures.Obituary '' Variety'' (June 16, 1976), p. 76. He produced one of America' ...

Introduces Phonofilm (1923) for release of ''

'' and '' Bella Donna'', two

feature films with soundtracks filmed in Phonofilm # Ag and Bert (1929) with

Mabel Constanduros Mabel Constanduros (' Tilling; 29 March 1880 – 8 February 1957) was an English actress and screenwriter. She gained public notice playing Mrs.Buggins on the radio programme ''The Buggins Family'', which ran from 1928 to 1948. As well as writin ...

and Michael Hogan, directed by Bertram Phillips # Ain't She Sweet (1928) with Chili Bouchier and

Dick Henderson Richard Henderson (20 March 1891 – 15 October 1958) was an English music hall comedian, singer and character actor. Life and career Dick Henderson was born in Sculcoates, Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, the son of a machinist. He was an a ...

; see also Mark Griver and Pilbeam and His Band entries (below) # Al Herman (1926) comedian Herman (1887-1967) performing a comedy sketch # Alexander's Ragtime Band (1926) Fleischer cartoon** # Alma Barnes the Internationally Famous Mimic (1926) # Almost a Gentleman (1928) comedy short with Billy Bennett # Alvin and Kelvin Keech (1926) brothers who are credited with the invention of the

banjolele The banjo ukulele, also known as the banjolele or banjo uke, is a four-stringed musical instrument with a small banjo-type body and a fretted ukulele neck. The earliest known banjoleles were built by John A. Bolander and by Alvin D. Keech, both ...

(banjo and ukulele) # America's Flyers (1927) filmed at

Roosevelt Field Roosevelt Field is a former airport, located east-southeast of Mineola, Long Island, New York. Originally called the Hempstead Plains Aerodrome, or sometimes Hempstead Plains field or the Garden City Aerodrome, it was a training field (Hazel ...

(29 June 1927) with Richard E. Byrd, George Noville, and

Bert Acosta Bertrand Blanchard Acosta (January 1, 1895 – September 1, 1954) was a record-setting aviator and test pilot. He and Clarence D. Chamberlin set an endurance record of 51 hours, 11 minutes, and 25 seconds in the air. He later flew in the Spa ...

, with speech given by

Grover Whalen Grover Aloysius Whalen (1886–1962) was a prominent politician, businessman, and public relations guru in New York City during the 1930s and 1940s. Early years Whalen was born on July 2, 1886, in New York City, the son of an Irish immigrant fat ...

(listed in BFI database) #

Anna Pavlova Anna Pavlovna Pavlova ( , rus, Анна Павловна Павлова ), born Anna Matveyevna Pavlova ( rus, Анна Матвеевна Павлова; – 23 January 1931), was a Russian prima ballerina of the late 19th and the early 20t ...

Swan Dance (1925) # Annie Laurie (1926)** # The Antidote (1927) dramatic short directed by

, with Primrose Morgan, Walter Sondes, and

Jameson Thomas Jameson Thomas (born Thomas Roland Jameson; 24 March 1888 – 10 January 1939) was an English film actor. He appeared in more than 80 films between 1923 and 1939. He was born in St George Hanover Square, London. On the stage from his early ...

*** # Armistice Day of 1928 (1928) produced by Phonofilms (Singapore) and released by British Sound Film Corporation # Arthur Roberts Sings "Topsey-Turvey" (April 1927) musical short with Arthur Roberts singing "Topsey-Turvey", directed by Bertram Phillips # As We Lie (1927) comedy short with

Lillian Hall-Davis Lillian Hall-Davis (23 June 1898 – 25 October 1933) was an English actress during the silent film era, featured in major roles in English film and a number of German, French and Italian films. Born Lilian Hall Davis, the daughter of a London ...

and

Miles Mander Miles Mander (born Lionel Henry Mander; 14 May 1888 – 8 February 1946), was an English character actor of the early Hollywood cinema, also a film director and producer, and a playwright and novelist. He was sometimes credited as Luther Mile ...

, directed by Mander; also known as ''Lost One Wife'' # Ashton and Rawson (May 1928) Doris Ashton and Billy Rawson; Ashton sings and Rawson plays piano (BFI Database) # At the Photographer's (1929) comedy short released by Ellbee Pictures # An Attempted Duet (1928) comedy short with Beryl Beresford and Leslie Hinton # Barber and Jackson in ''The Long and the Short of It'' (1922) with Barber and Jackson, male and female duo (first names unknown) # Bard and Pearl (1923)

Wilkie Bard Wilkie Bard (born William August Smith) (19 March 1874 – 5 May 1944) was a popular British vaudeville and music hall entertainer and recording artist at the beginning of the 20th century. He is best known for his songs "I Want to Sing in Opera" a ...

and Jack Pearl in early tests for Phonofilm (in

UCLA Film and Television Archive The UCLA Film & Television Archive is a visual arts organization focused on the preservation, study, and appreciation of film and television, based at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Also a nonprofit exhibition venue, the arch ...

database) # Barking Dog (1921) experimental film with barking dog # The Barrister (June 1928) with

George Robey Sir George Edward Wade, CBE (20 September 1869 – 29 November 1954), Harding, James"Robey, George" ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, accessed 10 May 2014. known professionally as George Robey, was an ...

, directed by Hugh Croise # Being All Alone (1927) # Bella Donna (1923)

feature film directed by

George Fitzmaurice George Fitzmaurice (13 February 1885 – 13 June 1940) was a French-born film director and producer. Career Fitzmaurice's career first started as a set designer on stage. Beginning in 1914, and continuing until his death in 1940, he directed ...

and starring

Pola Negri Pola Negri (; born Apolonia Chalupec ; 3 January 1897 – 1 August 1987) was a Polish stage and film actress and singer. She achieved worldwide fame during the silent and golden eras of Hollywood and European film for her tragedienne and femm ...

and

Conway Tearle Conway Tearle (born Frederick Conway Levy, May 17, 1878 – October 1, 1938) was an American stage actor who went on to perform in silent and early sound films. Early life Tearle was born on May 17, 1878, in New York City, the son of the ...

# Ben Bernie and All the Lads (1925) with

on piano # Bernice DePasquale (1922) Metropolitan Opera soprano # Betty Chester the Well-Known Star of '' The Co-Optimists'' (1926) Chester sings "Pig-Tail Alley" #

Singing ''Desdemona'' (1926) # Billy Merson in ''Scotland's Whiskey'' (1927) parody of Sir Harry Lauder # Billy Merson in ''Russian Opera'' (1927) #

Bleak House ''Bleak House'' is a novel by Charles Dickens, first published as a 20-episode serial between March 1852 and September 1853. The novel has many characters and several sub-plots, and is told partly by the novel's heroine, Esther Summerson, an ...

(1926) aka ''Grandfather Smallweed, the Miser'' (UK title) with Bransby Williams*** # Boat Race (1929) The Oxford and Cambridge University Boat Race of 23 March 1929 ("centenary year") listed in BFI Database # Boheme Blue (1927) musical short # A Boston Star: Borrah Minnevitch (1923) harmonicist* # The Bride (1929) comedy short with

# Bring on the Bride (August 1929) comedy short, directed by Harry Delf, with Betty Lancaster, Cecil Holm, and Edward O'Connor # Brooke Johns and Goodee Montgomery (1925) Johns plays ukulele and Montgomery sings "I'm in Love Again" and dances*** # The Burglar and the Girl (1928) comedy short with

Moore Marriott George Thomas Moore Marriott (14 September 1885 – 11 December 1949) was an English character actor best remembered for the series of films he made with Will Hay. His first appearance with Hay was in the film '' Dandy Dick'' (1935), but he w ...

and Dorothy Boyd # By the Light of the Silvery Moon (1926) the last of the Fleischer "Song Car-Tunes" with Phonofilm, released August 1926 ** # Call Me Up Some Rainy Afternoon (1926)** # Calm as the Night (1927) sung by soprano Mary Cavanova (Marie Cavan) # Canoodling (1928) Hal Jones sings song "Canoodling" from stage review ''Splinters'' # Carrie From Lancasheer (October 1928) # Carson and Shean (1926) ?Carson and

Al Shean Abraham Elieser Adolph Schönberg (May 12, 1868 – August 12, 1949), known as Al Shean, was a comedian and vaudeville performer. Other sources give his birth name variously as Adolf Schönberg, Albert Schönberg, or Alfred Schönberg. He is mos ...

(SilentEra and BFI Database) #

(1922) famous poem read by actor

DeWolf Hopper William DeWolf Hopper (March 30, 1858September 23, 1935) was an American actor, singer, comedian, and theatrical producer. A star of vaudeville and musical theater, he became best known for performing the popular baseball poem "Casey at the Bat". ...

# Cellist and Pianist (1928) two women play Saint-Saëns' "The Swan" from '' Carnival of the Animals''; ?same as Jerome and France (see below) #

Charles Lindbergh Charles Augustus Lindbergh (February 4, 1902 – August 26, 1974) was an American aviator, military officer, author, inventor, and activist. On May 20–21, 1927, Lindbergh made the first nonstop flight from New York City to Paris, a distance ...

(1927) filmed at Clapham Studios in London on Lindbergh's departure from the UK # Charles Lindbergh Reception (1927) Lindbergh receives Medal of Valor from NYC mayor

Jimmy Walker James John Walker (June 19, 1881November 18, 1946), known colloquially as Beau James, was mayor of New York City from 1926 to 1932. A flamboyant politician, he was a liberal Democrat and part of the powerful Tammany Hall machine. He was forced ...

on June 13, 1927 # Charles Ross Taggart (1923) "The Old Country Fiddler at the Singing School" * #

Charles William Eliot Charles William Eliot (March 20, 1834 – August 22, 1926) was an American academic who was president of Harvard University from 1869 to 1909the longest term of any Harvard president. A member of the prominent Eliot family of Boston, he transf ...

(1924) former president of

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of highe ...

gives speech (?at 1924 Democratic Convention) #

Charles "Chic" Sale Charles Partlow "Chic" Sale (August 25, 1885 – November 7, 1936) was an American actor and vaudevillian. Early years Sale was born in Huron, South Dakota, and raised in Urbana, Illinois. He was a son of Frank and Lillie Belle (née Partl ...

(1922) "famed monologist" # Charmaine (1928) musical short with Eric Marshall singing # Chorus Gentlemen (1926) or ''Chorus, Gentlemen!'' # Christmas Party (UK, December 1928) with

Fred Elizalde Federico "Fred" Díaz Elizalde (December 12, 1907 – January 16, 1979) was a Spanish Filipino classical and jazz pianist, composer, conductor, and bandleader, influential in the British dance band era. Biography Elizalde was born in Manila, Ph ...

and his Orchestra # Clapham and Dwyer No. 1 (1929) Charles Clapham and Bill Dwyer # Clapham and Dwyer No. 2 (1929) Charles Clapham and Bill Dwyer # The Cleaner (1928) comedy short with

# Clonk! (1928) musical short with Arty Ash and Leslie Sarony, directed by Widgey R. Newman # Clyde Doerr and His Sax-o-Phone Sextet (1923) # The Coffee Stall (1927) Mark Lupino (c. 1894-4 April 1930) and Company, directed by George A. Cooper # Cohen on the Telephone (1923) also known as ''Monroe Silver, Famed Monologist'' with monologist

Monroe Silver Monroe Silver (December 21, 1875 – May 3, 1947) was an American actor and singer who was also a comedian and monologist using a Jewish dialect-accent in his performances. Career For various record labels, he recorded 78rpm discs of parodie ...

* # Come Take a Trip in My Airship (1924) one of the first in the Fleischer "Song Car-Tune" series** #

Comin' Thro' the Rye "Comin' Thro' the Rye" is a poem written in 1782 by Robert Burns (1759–1796). The words are put to the melody of the Scottish Minstrel "Common' Frae The Town". This is a variant of the tune to which "Auld Lang Syne" is usually sung—the melodic ...

(1926)** # Conchita Piquer (1923) in dance sketch "From Far Seville"* #

(1923) Paramount Pictures feature directed by

James Cruze James Cruze (born James Cruze Bosen; March 27, 1884 – August 3, 1942) was a silent film actor and film director. Early years Cruze's middle name came from the battle of Vera Cruz. He was raised in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day ...

# Cuando fui león (1928) Spanish producer purchased rights from DeForest for "Fonofilm" # Cuban Sound Documentary (1926) with the Cuban national anthem and excerpts of ''

'' #

Daisy Bell "Daisy Bell (Bicycle Built for Two)" is a song written in 1892 by British songwriter Harry Dacre with the well-known chorus "Daisy, Daisy / Give me your answer, do. / I'm half crazy / all for the love of you", ending with the words "a bicycle b ...

(1925)** # Dandy George and Rosie (1927) Dandy George (Albert George Spink) and his dog Rosie #

Darling Nelly Gray "Darling Nelly Gray" is a 19th century anti-slavery ballad written and composed by Benjamin Hanby in 1856. It is written as from the point of view of an African-American male slave in Kentucky whose sweetheart has been taken away by slave-owners. ...

(1926)** # David Gusikoff (1924) vibraphonist # Der rote Kreis (1929) aka ''The Crimson Circle'', UK-German feature based on

novel, trade-shown in March 1929 in the UK #

Sings "I Love Her All the More" (1926) # Dick Henderson Sings "Tripe" (1926) # Dick Henderson Sings "There Are More Heavens Than One" (1927) #

(1924), part I, "Siegfried" (only at the U.S. premiere in NYC on August 23, 1925) #

Dixie Dixie, also known as Dixieland or Dixie's Land, is a nickname for all or part of the Southern United States. While there is no official definition of this region (and the included areas shift over the years), or the extent of the area it cove ...

(1925)** # Doing His Duty (1929) comedy short of Ernie Lotinga playing "Jimmy Josser", directed by Hugh Croise # Dolly Gray (1926)** # Domen (1924) Swedish language version of ''Retribution'' (1924), directed by Arthur Donaldson, Swedish actor and director # Donald Brian (1925) in ''Peggy O'Hooligan'' # Downey and Owens (1925)

Morton Downey Sean Morton Downey (November 14, 1901 – October 25, 1985), also known as Morton Downey Sr., was an American singer and entertainer popular in the United States in the first half of the 20th century, enjoying his greatest success in the late 1 ...

(Sr.) and ?Owens ("Two Boys and a Piano") sing "

Show Me the Way to Go Home "Show Me the Way to Go Home" is a popular song written in 1925 by the English songwriting team Jimmy Campbell and Reg Connelly, using the pseudonym "Irving King". The song is said to have been written on a train journey from London by Campbell and ...

" and "There Is No One Like Myself" # The Duke and Duchess of York Arrive at Farm Cove (1927) film first shown 12 May 1927 at the Lyceum in

, Australia # Dunio and Gegna (1927) instrumental comedians, play " Yes Sir, That's My Baby" on violin and cello (BFI Database) # Drink to Me Only (1926) Gwen Farrar (1899-1944) sings title song # East Side, West Side (1925) also known as "

The Sidewalks of New York "The Sidewalks of New York" is a popular song about life in New York City during the 1890s. It was composed in 1894 by vaudeville actor and singer Charles B. Lawlor (June 2, 1852 – May 31, 1925) with lyrics by James W. Blake (September 23, ...

" ** #

Edith Sitwell Dame Edith Louisa Sitwell (7 September 1887 – 9 December 1964) was a British poet and critic and the eldest of the three literary Sitwells. She reacted badly to her eccentric, unloving parents and lived much of her life with her governess ...

(1927) reads from her work # El misterio de la Puerta del Sol (1929) first sound feature film made in Spain # Elga Collins the Versatile Entertainer (1927) Collins sings "Ain't It Nice" and "Tonight You Belong to Me" # Emmie Joyce Sings "I Need Love" (1927) # Emmie Joyce Sings "Patience" (1927) # En confesionario (1928) # Ethel Hook (1926) song by contralto Ethel Hook, sister of classical singer

Clara Butt Dame Clara Ellen Butt, (1 February 1872 – 23 January 1936) was an English contralto and one of the most popular singers from the 1890s through to the 1920s. She had an exceptionally fine contralto voice and an agile singing technique, and imp ...

Plays His "Fantasy on Swanee River" (1923) #

and Sammy White (1923) doing their sketch "Opera vs. Jazz" * # Everybody's Doing It (1926) ** # The Fair Maid of Perth (1926) live-action UK film with Louise Maurel, directed by Miles Mander # False Colours (1927) dramatic short with Ursula Jeans and A. B. Imeson, directed by

# Fannie Ward (1924) Fannie Ward sings "Father Time" # Fannie Ward (1924) performs comedy sketch as the "Perennial Flapper" # Farewell Message of Mr. Levine and Captain Hinchcliffe, Just Before Their Departure on Their Return Flight to America (1927) with Charles A. Levine and Capt. Walter G. R. Hinchliffe # Femina Quartette Nr. 1 (1928) with Elizabeth Hyde (soprano), Brenda Hales (cellist), Yvonne Black (pianist) performing (BFI Database) # A Few Moments With Eddie Cantor, Star of "Kid Boots" (late 1923, early 1924) # The Fire Brigade (October 1928) with Robb Wilton # Five Minutes with

(1924)

introduces Smith at 1924 Democratic Convention # The Flat Charleston (1926) with Santos Casani and Josie Lennard # The 'Flu That Flew (May 1928) # Flying Jenny Airplane (1921) experimental film with Curtiss JN-4 ("Jenny") airplane # The Four Bachelors (1924) singing quartet #

Speech (1924) filmed at

in NYC # Frivolous Fragments (1927) comedy sketch with Alec Daimler and Dora Eadie # Futuritzy (24 June 1928)

Felix the Cat Felix the Cat is a cartoon character created in 1919 by Pat Sullivan and Otto Messmer during the silent film era. An anthropomorphic black cat with white eyes, a black body, and a giant grin, he was one of the most recognized cartoon charact ...

short, directed by Otto Messmer, produced by Pat Sullivan, released by

Educational Pictures Educational Pictures, also known as Educational Film Exchanges, Inc. or Educational Films Corporation of America, was an American film production and film distribution company founded in 1916 by Earle (E. W.) Hammons (1882–1962). Educational pr ...

; re-released in 1929 by Copley Pictures # The Gentleman (1925) first sound-on-film UK film, directed by William J. Elliott, excerpt of ''The 9 to 11 Revue'' b
Harold Simpson
and Morris Harvey #

George Bernard Shaw George Bernard Shaw (26 July 1856 – 2 November 1950), known at his insistence simply as Bernard Shaw, was an Irish playwright, critic, polemicist and political activist. His influence on Western theatre, culture and politics extended from ...

(1927) one year before similar film ''Greeting by George Bernard Shaw'' released by

Fox Movietone News Movietone News is a newsreel that ran from 1928 to 1963 in the United States. Under the name British Movietone News, it also ran in the United Kingdom from 1929 to 1986, in France also produced by Fox-Europa, in Australia and New Zealand until 1970 ...

in June 1928 # George Jackley (1885-1950), the Indignant Comedian in "A Doggy Ditty" (1927) # George Jessel (1924) comedy sketch by Jessel # Gilland Singer (1927) M. Gilland from France sings, dressed as wounded World War I soldier # Gimme the Hat (1927) # Gloria Swanson Dialogue (1925),

Gloria Swanson Gloria May Josephine Swanson (March 27, 1899April 4, 1983) was an American actress and producer. She first achieved fame acting in dozens of silent films in the 1920s and was nominated three times for the Academy Award for Best Actress, most f ...

, Henri de la Falaise, and

Thomas Meighan Thomas Meighan (April 9, 1879 – July 8, 1936) was an American actor of silent films and early talkies. He played several leading-man roles opposite popular actresses of the day, including Mary Pickford and Gloria Swanson. At one point he comm ...

directed by

Allan Dwan Allan Dwan (born Joseph Aloysius Dwan; April 3, 1885 – December 28, 1981) was a pioneering Canadian-born American motion picture director, producer, and screenwriter. Early life Born Joseph Aloysius Dwan in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Dwan, was ...

, in film for

The Lambs The Lambs, Inc. (also known as The Lambs Club) is a social club in New York City for actors, songwriters, and others involved in the theatre. It is America's oldest theatrical organization. "The Lambs" is a registered trademark of The Lambs, I ...

annual "Spring Gambol" presented at the Metropolitan Opera House, showing Swanson trying to crash the all-male club; Meighan also hosted the live Gambol event (26 April 1925) # Goodbye My Lady Love (1924)** # Gordon Freeman (1924) and his "crazy inventions" # Gorno's Italian Marionettes (1928) aka Die singenden Marionetten # Gwen Farrar (1899-1944) cellist Farrar performs " Drink to Me Only With Thine Eyes" (1926) # Gwen Farrar and songwriter Billy Mayerl perform "I've Got a Sweetie on the Radio" (1926) # Hal Brown Lancashire Comedian (1928) # The Harlequin's Serenade (no further identification of performer; in original April 15, 1923 program)* # Harrigan and Altworth (1922) early DeForest test film # Harry and Max Nesbitt (1927) film sometimes listed as "Yid Nesbitt" (Max's nickname), brothers from South Africa in "vocal, verbal, and terpsichorean tidbits" # Harry Shalson the Popular Entertainer (1927) Shalson sings "You Go Too Far" # Has Anybody Here Seen Kelly? (1926) Fleischer cartoon originally with green and orange tinting ** # The Hawaiian Revellers (1928) with Kahola Marsh and His Hawaiian Orchestra # Hedicashun (1929) monologue by A. W. Goodwin # Helen Lewis and Her All-Girl Jazz Syncopators (1925) Lewis leads her all-female band # Helen Menken (1925) Broadway star Helen Menken #

Henry Cass Henry Cass (24 June 1903 – 15 March 1989) was a British director, particularly prolific in film in the horror and comedy genres. Previously an actor, he was also a prolific stage director of classical theatre at the Old Vic in the 1930s. In 19 ...

Demonstration Film (1923)* also at the Engineers Society Auditorium in NYC on April 12, 1923 # Her Unborn Child (1930) last

made in Phonofilm, directed by Albert Ray (screen debut of Elisha Cook) # His Night Out (1924) comedy short with Fred Ardath, Bob Albright, and The McCarthy Sisters # His Rest Day (1927) comedy short directed by George A. Cooper with Matthew Boulton as Bill Gosling # Hot Tips (1929) comedy short released by Ellbee Pictures # Hot Water and Vegetabuel (1928) Leslie Sarony sings "When You're Up to Your Neck in Hot Water (Think of the Kettle and Sing)" # The Houston Sisters (1926) musical short with Billie and Renee Houston # The Hyde Sisters (1928) musical short with The Hyde Sisters # I Can't Take You Out of My Dreams (1926) Winnie Collins and Walter Williams sing title song # I Don't Believe You're in Love With Me (1926) Winnie Collins and Walter Williams sing title song # I Don't Care What You Used to Be (1927) Dick Henderson sings title song # I Don't Know (1928) Emmie Joyce sings title song # I Love a Lassie (1925) ** # I Want a Pie with a Plum In (1926) Dick Henderson sings title song by Wal Clifford #

In the Good Old Summer Time "In the Good Old Summer Time" is an American Tin Pan Alley song first published in 1902 with music by George Evans and lyrics by Ren Shields. Background Shields and Evans were at first unsuccessful in trying to sell the song to one of New York ...

(1926) ** # An Intimate Interlude (1928) comedy short with Albert Whelan # I've Never Seen a Straight Banana (1926) sung by Dick Henderson, song by Ted Waite # J. H. Squires' Celesta Octet (1928) aka "Memories of Tschaikovsky" w/The Squires Octet # Jack Pearl and

Ben Bard Ben Bard (January 26, 1893 – May 17, 1974) was an American movie actor, stage actor, and acting teacher. With comedian Jack Pearl, Bard worked in a comedy duo in vaudeville. In 1926, Bard, Pearl, and Sascha Beaumont appeared in a short fil ...

(1926) with Bard, Pearl, and Sascha Beaumont # Jerome and France (1928) cellist with pianist; ?same as "Cellist and Pianist" (see above) # Joe Termini the Somnolent Melodist (1926) specialty musician performs on violin and banjo # Joe Theiss Saxotette (1929) # John Citizen's Lament (1927) Charles Paton performs song "If Your Face Wants to Smile, We'll Let It In" from revue ''John Citizen's Lament'' #

John W. Davis John William Davis (April 13, 1873 – March 24, 1955) was an American politician, diplomat and lawyer. He served under President Woodrow Wilson as the Solicitor General of the United States and the United States Ambassador to the United Kingdom ...

Campaign Speech (1924), Democratic candidate who lost to Coolidge # Josephine Earle (UK, February 1929) musical short; re-released as part of compilation film ''Musical Medley No. 4'' (1932) # Josser, KC (1929) comedy short with Ernie Lotinga playing "Jimmy Josser" (possible duplicate of ''Doing His Duty'') # The Jubilee Four (1924) gospel quartet #

Julius Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (; ; 12 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC), was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in a civil war, an ...

(1926) excerpt from the Shakespeare play, with

Basil Gill Basil Gill (10 March 1877 – 23 April 1955) was a British stage actor and film actor. His stage career included many roles in plays of Shakespeare. Life He was a son of the Rev. John Gill, of Cambridge.Obituary, ''The Glasgow Herald'', page 9, ...

as Brutus and

Malcolm Keen Malcolm Keen (8 August 1887 – 30 January 1970) was an English actor of stage, film and television. He was sometimes credited as Malcolm Keane.Dorothy Boyd # Kollege Kapers (1929) comedy short written and directed by Bobby Harmon # La Chauve-Souris (1923) Nikita Balieff's group La Chauve-Souris performing their sketch " Parade of the Wooden Soldiers" (? with Technicolor sequence)* # Lee DeForest (1922) DeForest sitting in a chair and explaining Phonofilm # Léon Rothier (1923), operatic bass from the Metropolitan Opera #

Bubble Dance (1923)* Denishawn dancer Powell dances to a theme by Brahms; film also shown at the Engineers Society Auditorium in NYC April 12, 1923*** # Lincoln, Man of the People (1923)

Edwin Markham Edwin Markham (born Charles Edward Anson Markham; April 23, 1852 – March 7, 1940) was an American poet. From 1923 to 1931 he was Poet Laureate of Oregon. Life Edwin Markham was born in Oregon City, Oregon, and was the youngest of 10 children; ...

reads his poem "Lincoln, Man of the People" # The London Four (1927) male voice quartet # Love's Old Sweet Song (1923) two-reeler with

, and

, cinematography by

# Luella Paikin (1922) early DeForest test film of singer # Lulu (1928) musical short # Luna-cy! (1925) 1922 experimental 3-D film by Frederick Ives and Jacob Leventhal re-released with Phonofilm soundtrack 18 May 1925 # Madelon (1927) Camille Gillard in "Madelon", directed by Widgey Newman # Major Issues of the Campaign (1924) compilation of Al Smith, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and John W. Davis short Phonofilms taken at the 1924 Democratic National Convention in NYC (see individual entries) # The Man in the Street (1926) short based on Louis N. Parker play, directed by

, with Wilbur Lenton, John MacAndrews, and Bunty O'Nolan (UK title: ''Man of Mystery'') #

Margie Margie is a feminine given name, usually a short form (hypocorism) of Margaret, Marjorie or Margarita. Margie may refer to: People * Margie Ackles (born 1939), American retired figure skater * Marjorie Margie Alexander (1948–2013), American ...

(1926)** #

Marie Lloyd Matilda Alice Victoria Wood (12 February 1870 – 7 October 1922), professionally known as Marie Lloyd (), was an English music hall singer, comedian and musical theatre actress. She was best known for her performances of songs such as " T ...

(1926) starring Marie Lloyd Jr., daughter of music hall star Marie Lloyd # Marie Rappold (1922) Metropolitan Opera star # Mark Griver and His Scottish Revellers (1927) perform "She Was Just a Sailor's Sweetheart" and "Ain't She Sweet"—see also Chili Bouchier entry (above) and Pilbeam and His Band entry (below) # Max Herzberg (1924) pianist # Medevedeff's Balalaika Orchestra (1929) # Meet the Family (1929) comedy short with Harry Delf, released by Ellbee Pictures # Memories of Lincoln (1925) 91-year-old former legislator

Chauncey Depew Chauncey Mitchell Depew (April 23, 1834April 5, 1928) was an American attorney, businessman, and Republican politician. He is best remembered for his two terms as United States Senator from New York and for his work for Cornelius Vanderbilt, as ...

recalls meeting Abraham Lincoln #

The Merchant of Venice ''The Merchant of Venice'' is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1596 and 1598. A merchant in Venice named Antonio defaults on a large loan provided by a Jewish moneylender, Shylock. Although classified as a ...

(1927) the trial scene, with Joyce Lyons and

Lewis Casson Sir Lewis Thomas Casson MC (26 October 187516 May 1969) was an English actor and theatre director, and the husband of actress Dame Sybil Thorndike.Devlin, DianaCasson, Sir Lewis Thomas (1875–1969) ''The Oxford Dictionary of National Biograph ...

, perhaps the first sound-on-film reproduction of a scene from a

play # Mickey (1927) ** # Mira la Blanca Luna (UK/Czech, 1936) Rossini aria sung by tenor Otakar Mařák and soprano Marie Cavan (Mary Cavanova) # Mirth and Magic (1928) unidentified magician performs his magic act # Miss Edith Kelly-Lange (1927) violin solo # Miss Lalla Dodd, the Modern Soubrette (1927) #

Molly Picon Molly Picon ( yi, מאָלי פּיקאָן; born Malka Opiekun; February 28, 1898 – April 5, 1992) was an American actress of stage, screen, radio and television, as well as a lyricist and dramatic storyteller. She began her career in Yidd ...

(1924) famed Yiddish actress # Mother, Mother, Mother Pin a Rose on Me (1924) ** # Mr. George Mozart the Famous Comedian (1928) comedy short # Mr. Smith Wakes Up (1929) comedy short with

Elsa Lanchester Elsa Sullivan Lanchester (28 October 1902 – 26 December 1986) was a British-American actress with a long career in theatre, film and television.Obituary ''Variety'', 31 December 1986. Lanchester studied dance as a child and after the Fir ...

# Mrs. Mephistopheles (1929) comedy short with

as title character, directed by Hugh Croise # A Musical Monologue (1923) with Phil Baker and his accordion* # My Bonnie (1925) aka

My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean "My Bonnie Lies over the Ocean", or simply "My Bonnie", is a traditional Scottish folk song that is popular in Western culture. It is listed in Roud Folk Song Index as No. 1422. The song has been recorded by numerous artists since the beginning of ...

** #

My Old Kentucky Home "My Old Kentucky Home, Good-Night!" is a sentimental ballad written by Stephen Foster, probably composed in 1852. It was published in January 1853 by Firth, Pond, & Co. of New York. Foster was likely inspired by Harriet Beecher Stowe's anti-sla ...

(1926) first to use " Follow the Bouncing Ball" ** # My Wife's Gone to the Country (1926)** #Nan Wild (November 1927) directed by George A. Cooper # Nap (1928) with Ernie Lotinga as Josser, directed by Hugh Croise # Nervo and Knox (1926) perform their song "The Love of Phtohtenese" (pronounced "Hot Knees") # The New Paris Lido Club Band (1928) directed by Bertram Phillips # A Night in Dixie (1925) musical short in Maurice Zouary collection (

# The Nightingale's Courtship (1927) French clowns, the Plattier Brothers # The Nightwatchman (1928) with

singing his song "The Night Watchman" #

and

(1923) perform their song "Affectionate Dan" and "All God's Chillen Got Shoes" # Noble Sissle and Eubie Blake Sing Snappy Songs (1923) sing "Sons of Old Black Joe" and "My Swanee Home" # Norah Blaney (1927) Blaney plays piano and sings "He's Funny That Way" and "How About Me" #

Nutcracker Suite ''The Nutcracker'' ( rus, Щелкунчик, Shchelkunchik, links=no ) is an 1892 two-act ballet (""; russian: балет-феерия, link=no, ), originally choreographed by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov with a score by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikov ...

(1925) ** #

Oh! How I Hate to Get Up in the Morning "Oh! How I Hate to Get Up in the Morning" is a song written by Irving Berlin in 1918 that gives a comic perspective on military life. Berlin composed the song as an expression of protest against the indignities of Army routine shortly after being ...

(1926) ** # Oh I Wish I Was in Michigan (1927) ** # Oh Mabel (1924) early entry in the Fleischer "Sound Car-Tune" series ** # Oh What a Pal Was Mary (1926)** # Oh Suzanna (1925)** #

Oh, You Beautiful Doll "Oh, You Beautiful Doll" is a ragtime love song published in 1911 with words by Seymour Brown and music by Nat D. Ayer. The song was one of the first with a twelve-bar opening. The tune has been recorded hundreds of times by many artists from ...

(1926) ** # Old Black Joe (1926) ** #

Old Folks at Home "Old Folks at Home" (also known as " Swanee River") is a minstrel song written by Stephen Foster in 1851. Since 1935, it has been the official state song of Florida, although in 2008 the original lyrics were revised. It is Roud Folk Song Inde ...

(1925) ?dupe of "Swanee" entry below ** # Old Pal Why Don't You Answer Me (1926) also sometimes listed as "My Old Pal" of "Dear Old Pal"** # Olly Oakley (November 1927) directed by George A. Cooper; banjoist Oakley was born Joseph Sharpe (b. Birmingham November 26, 1877; d. London January 4, 1943) # The Orderly Room (July 1928) comedy short with Ernie Lotinga as Jimmy Josser, directed by Hugh Croise # Oscar Earlweiss (1924) "chorus and novelty concert" #

Pack Up Your Troubles in Your Old Kit-Bag "Pack Up Your Troubles in Your Old Kit-Bag, and Smile, Smile, Smile" is the full name of a World War I marching song, published in 1915 in London. It was written by Welsh songwriter George Henry Powell under the pseudonym of "George Asaf", and ...

(1926) Fleischer cartoon ** # Packing Up (1927) dramatic short with

Mary Clare Mary Clare Absalom (17 July 1892 – 29 August 1970) was a British actress of stage, film and television. Biography Daughter of George Alfred Absalom, Clare was educated at Wood Green secondary school, first worked in an office but a loan ...

and

Malcolm Keen Malcolm Keen (8 August 1887 – 30 January 1970) was an English actor of stage, film and television. He was sometimes credited as Malcolm Keane.Miles Mander Miles Mander (born Lionel Henry Mander; 14 May 1888 – 8 February 1946), was an English character actor of the early Hollywood cinema, also a film director and producer, and a playwright and novelist. He was sometimes credited as Luther Mile ...

# Paul Specht Musical Number (1925) # Peace and Quiet (1929) with

Ralph Lynn Ralph Clifford Lynn (8 March 1882 – 8 August 1962) was an English actor who had a 60-year career, and is best remembered for playing comedy parts in the Aldwych farces first on stage and then in film. Lynn became an actor at the age of 1 ...

and

Winifred Shotter Winifred Florence Shotter (5 November 1904 – 4 April 1996) was an English actress best known for her appearances in the Aldwych farces of the 1920s and early 1930s. Initially a singer and dancer in the ensembles of musical comedies, Shotter ...

, directed by

Sinclair Hill Sinclair Hill (10 June 1896 – 6 March 1945) was a British film director, producer and screenwriter. He directed nearly fifty films between 1920 and 1939. He was born as George Sinclair-Hill in London in 1894. He was awarded an OBE for his serv ...

, play by

Ronald Jeans Ronald Jeans (10 May 1887 – 16 May 1973) was a British playwright with a career spanning nearly 50 years. Early life Ronald Jeans was born in Oxton, Merseyside, the younger son of Sir Alexander Grigor Jeans (1849–1924), the founder and man ...

# Percival and Hill (1927) # The Percival Mackey Trio (1929) directed by Bertram Phillips # Percy Pryde and His Phonofiddle on the Phonofilm (1928) # Philip Ritte and His Revellers (1927) # Phonofilm (1923) with

Binnie Barnes Gertrude Maud Barnes (25 March 1903 – 27 July 1998), known professionally as Binnie Barnes, was an English actress whose career in films spanned from 1923 to 1973. Early life Barnes was born in Islington, London, the daughter of Rosa Enoy ...

# Pilbeam and His Band With Specialty Dance by the Misses Tosch (1927) jazzy version of "Ain't She Sweet?" (?Arnold Pilbeam, father of Nova Pilbeam). See Chili Bouchier entry and Mark Griver entry (above) which feature same song. # Pipe Down (1929) comedy short released by Ellbee Pictures # Plastigrams (1924) 1922 experimental 3-D film by Frederick Ives and Jacob Leventhal, re-released with Phonofilm soundtrack on 22 September 1924 # President

, Taken on the White House Grounds (1924) filmed 11 August 1924 # Punch and Judy (1928) # The Radio Bug (September 1926) comedy short, produced by

Jack White John Anthony White (; born July 9, 1975), commonly known as Jack White, is an American musician, best known as the lead singer and guitarist of the duo the White Stripes. White has enjoyed consistent critical and popular success and is widely c ...

, directed by

Stephen Roberts Stephen Roberts may refer to: * Stephen Roberts (footballer, born 1980), former Welsh football player * Stephen Roberts (Australian footballer) (born 1948), former Australian rules footballer * Stephen Roberts (darts player) (born 1957), English dar ...

, and co-starring Phil Dunham, Toy Gallagher and

Clem Beauchamp Clement Hoyt "Clem" Beauchamp (August 26, 1898 – November 14, 1992), also known as Jerry Drew in his acting career during the 1920s and 1930s, first worked as a second unit director in 1935, netting the Academy Award for Best Assistant Director ...

, about delivery of a new radio, released in sound and silent versions by

# The Radio Franks (May 1926) NYC radio stars Frank Bessinger and Frank Wright sing "Remember" and "Hooray for Radio" *** # The Raw Recruit (July 1928) comedy short with Ernie Lotinga as Jimmy Josser, directed by Hugh Croise # Raymond Hitchcock Sketch (1924) # Retribution (1924) directed by Arthur Donaldson, Swedish actor and director, see also ''Domen'' (1924) #

, Act Two (1923) with opera singer Eva Leoni (1895–1972) shown in NYC on 12 April and 15 April 1923; released in the UK in September 1926 * # Robert M. La Follette Sr. (1924) speech given during 1924 presidential campaign # Rocky Road to Dublin (1927) ** #

Roger Wolfe Kahn Roger Wolfe Kahn (October 19, 1907 – July 12, 1962) was an American jazz and popular musician, composer, bandleader (Roger Wolfe Kahn and His Orchestra) and an aviator. Life and career Roger Wolfe Kahn (originally spelled "Wolff") was born ...

Musical Number (1925) # Romeo et Juliette (1927) tenor Otakar Mařák and soprano Mary Cavanova (Marie Cavan) # Safety First (1928)

singing his song "Safety First", directed by Hugh Croise # Sailing, Sailing Over the Bounding Main (1925) ** # Saint Joan (1927) cathedral scene from

's play, with

# The Samehtini Trio (1927) two ballads and Hungarian dance (possibly Csárdás (Monti)) performed by male trio (pianist, cellist, and vocalist) #

Sammy Fain Sammy Fain (born Samuel E. Feinberg; June 17, 1902 – December 6, 1989) was an American composer of popular music. In the 1920s and early 1930s, he contributed numerous songs that form part of The Great American Songbook, and to Broadway theatre ...

and Artie Dunn (1923) before Fain quit to become full-time songwriter # Santa Claus (1926) with

as Santa Claus # Scovell and Wheldon (1927) UK radio stars (male duo) sing "Ukulele Lullaby" and "Fresh Milk Comes From Cows" # Scrooge (1928), a monologue from Dickens's ''A Christmas Carol'', with Bransby Williams as Scrooge # Sensations of 1927 (1927) Thorpe Bates in excerpt of

Lawrence Wright Lawrence Wright (born August 2, 1947) is an American writer and journalist, who is a staff writer for ''The New Yorker'' magazine, and fellow at the Center for Law and Security at the New York University School of Law. Wright is best known as ...

's ''Sensations of 1927''; full title ''A Few Melodious Moments From Lawrence Wright's "Sensations of 1927" at Onchan Head Pavilion Douglas, I.O.M.'' (BFI Database) # The Sentence of Death (1927) dramatic short directed by

and starring Dorothy Boyd (US title: ''His Great Moment'') # Sextet from

(1923) DVD by Zouary shows it to be produced by the ?"Latin American division" of Phonofilm #

The Sheik of Araby "The Sheik of Araby" is a song that was written in 1921 by Harry B. Smith and Francis Wheeler, with music by Ted Snyder. It was composed in response to the popularity of the Rudolph Valentino feature film '' The Sheik''. "The Sheik of Araby" w ...

(US, September 1926) Fleischer cartoon ** # The Sheik of Araby (UK, December 1926) live-action short directed in the UK by

# Sidney Bernstein Welcomes Phonofilm (1926) shown 4 October 1926 at the Empire Cinema in London # So Blue (1927) with ?Delys and Clark # Songs of Yesterday (1922) spirituals sung by Abbie (Abbey) Mitchell # Sonia Serova Dancers (1924) modern dance group performs to

Edvard Grieg Edvard Hagerup Grieg ( , ; 15 June 18434 September 1907) was a Norwegian composer and pianist. He is widely considered one of the foremost Romantic era composers, and his music is part of the standard classical repertoire worldwide. His use of ...

's "Song of Spring" # Spirits (1929) comedy short with Ernie Lotinga as Jimmy Josser # The Stage Hands (1928) comedy short # Stringed Harmony (1923) with ukulele and banjo player

* # The Sugar Step (1928) # The Superior Sex (1928) comedy short with John Henry # Swanee River (1925)** # Sweet Adeline (1926) ** # Syncopation and Song (1927) with The Coney Island Six # The Tale-Teller Phone (1928) comedy short with Nita Alvarez, Athalie Davis, and Philip Desborough # Ta-Ra-Ra-Boom-Dee-Aye (1926)** # Teddy Brown (1927) # Teddy Brown, Xylophonist (1929) # That Brute Simmons (1928) comedy short with Frank Stanmore,

Forrester Harvey Forrester Harvey (27 June 1884 – 14 December 1945) was an Irish film actor. From 1922 until his death year Harvey appeared in more than 115 films. He was credited for about two-thirds of his film appearances, but some of his roles were un ...

, and

Barbara Gott Barbara Gott (1872–1944) was a Scottish stage and film actress. In 1913 she made her West End debut in Stanley Houghton's ''Trust the People''. Partial filmography * ''Betta, the Gipsy'' (1918) * '' The Romance of Lady Hamilton'' (1919) - M ...

# The Third Gun (1929) three-reel short directed by Geoffrey Barkas # Thorpe Bates (1926) # The Three Rascals and a Piano (1927) # To See If My Dreams Come True (1927) Jack Hodges sings title song # Tommy Lorne and "Dumplings" (1927) # Tommy Lorne (1927) sings "The Lard Song" # Toot Toot (1926) Fleischer cartoon ("Toot Toot Tootsie"?)** # Topsey-Turvey (1927) comedian Arthur Roberts sings "Topsey-Turvey", directed by Bertram Phillips # The Toy Shop (1928) # The Trail of the Lonesome Pine (1927) ** # Tramp, Tramp, Tramp the Boys Are Marching (1926) ** # The Trial Turn (1928) comedy short with Horace Kenney # Troy Fassett (1924) comedy short # Tulipsky (1924) pianist (famed "peonyist") # Tumbledown Shack in Athlone (1927) ** #

Two Sisters 2 (two) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 1 and preceding 3. It is the smallest and only even prime number. Because it forms the basis of a duality, it has religious and spiritual significance in many cultur ...

(1929) with

Rex Lease Rex Lloyd Lease (February 11, 1903 – January 3, 1966) was an American actor. He appeared in over 300 films, mainly in Poverty Row westerns. Biography Lease arrived in Hollywood in 1924. He found bit and supporting parts at Film Booking O ...

and

Viola Dana Viola Dana (born Virginia Flugrath; June 26, 1897 – July 3, 1987) was an American film actress who was successful during the era of silent films. She appeared in over 100 films, but was unable to make the transition to sound films. Early lif ...

# Unmasked (1929) mystery feature film directed by Edgar Lewis (released by Weiss Brothers-Artclass Films) # The Unwritten Law (UK, 1929) two-reel short directed by

at Wembley Studios # Va usted en punto con el banco (1928) # Ventriloquist (1927) with

William Frawley William Clement Frawley (February 26, 1887 – March 3, 1966) was an American vaudevillian and actor best remembered for playing landlord Fred Mertz in the American television sitcom '' I Love Lucy'', "Bub" O'Casey in the television comedy seri ...

as peddler hawking "Hoak" patent medicine and girl (real-life wife Edna Frawley) who becomes the dummy (BFI database) # Vicarage Trio—Kerbstone Entertainment (1928) # The Victoria Girls (1928) perform "The Doll Dance", their "famous dancing medley" # Violet Heming (1925) appeared in "playlet" filmed in Phonofilm (''Variety'', September 1925) # Waiting for the Robert E. Lee (1927) ** # Weber and

Fields Fields may refer to: Music *Fields (band), an indie rock band formed in 2006 *Fields (progressive rock band), a progressive rock band formed in 1971 * ''Fields'' (album), an LP by Swedish-based indie rock band Junip (2010) * "Fields", a song by ...

(1923) doing their pool hall sketch * # Westminster Glee Singers (1927) group directed by Edward Branscombe # What the Phonofilm Means (introduced by ?Bart Doyle; in original April 15, 1923 program)* # When I Leave This World Behind (1926) ** # When I Lost You (1926) ** # When That Yiddisher Band Played an Irish Tune (1926) with Teddy Elben and His Irish Jewzaleers # When the Midnight Choo-Choo Leaves for Alabam' (1926)** # The Whistler (1926) dramatic short with Louise Maurel, John F. Hamilton, and Reginald Fox, directed by

# Why Bananas? (1926) with Teddy Elben # Wyn Gladwyn, One Person Two Personalities (1928) # Yak-A-Hula-Hick-A-Doola (1926) ** # Yorke and Adams (1927) Augustus Yorke (1860-1939) and Nicholas Adams perform '' Potash and Perlmutter''SilentEra entry
/ref> # You and I and My Gondola (1927) # Yvette Darnac (1929) radio star Darnac sings Gershwin tune " The Man I Love" (*) Included in program of Phonofilms at the Rivoli Theater in NYC on 15 April 1923
(**) Fleischer " Song Car-Tunes" series (some titles later re-released by the Fleischers in their "

Screen Songs ''Screen Songs'', formerly known as KoKo Song Car-Tunes, are a series of animated cartoons produced at the Fleischer Studios and distributed by Paramount Pictures between 1929 and 1938. Paramount brought back the sing-along cartoons in 1945, now ...

" series, through Paramount Pictures, with new soundtracks recorded in RCA Photophone)
(***) Found in a trunk in

Windsor, New South Wales Windsor is a historic town north-west of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is the council seat of the Hawkesbury local government area. The town sits on the Hawkesbury River, enveloped by farmland and Australian bush. Many of the oldest s ...

, Australia in early 1976, and restored by the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia

References

{{reflist, 30em

External links

List of DeForest Phonofilm titles at IMDB

List of Cinephone films (includes earlier Cinephone system not related to Powers Cinephone) at IMDB

List of DeForest Phonofilm titles at BFI Database

* [https://web.archive.org/web/20071005153050/http://www.scripophily.net/defophcode19.html Copy of DeForest Phonofilm Corporation stock certificate with section of film from ''The Covered Wagon'' (1923) showing soundtrack]
Australian National Film Archive website

* ttps://archive.org/details/coolidge_1924 ''President Coolidge, Taken on the White House Lawn'' (filmed on 11 August 1924) at Archive.org
''A Few Moments With Eddie Cantor, Star of "Kid Boots"'' (premiere of Broadway show ''Kid Boots'' in late 1923 or early 1924 in NYC) at Archive.org

''Sissle and Blake Sing Snappy Songs'' (1923)

''The Victoria Girls'' (1928) performing "The Doll Dance" at YouTube (clip has incorrect date of 1930) filmed at Phonofilm Clapham Studios in London

''Mark Griver and His Scottish Revellers'' (1927) filmed at the Phonofilm Clapham Studios in London

''Dick Henderson Sings I Love Her All the More'' (1926) filmed at the Phonofilm Clapham Studios in London

''Billy Merson Sings Desdemona'' (1927) filmed at Clapham Studios in London

at Silent Era website Film sound production Film and video technology History of film Motion picture film formats Phonofilm short films

Introduction

Premiere of Phonofilm

Development of Phonofilm

DeForest's use of Case patents

Producer Pat Powers attempts takeover of Phonofilm

Hollywood chooses other sound systems

Phonofilm in the UK

Phonofilm in Australia

Phonofilm in Spain

Phonofilm in Latin America

Legacy of Phonofilm

List of films produced in Phonofilm

See also

References

External links