George Groves pictured at Bell Labs in National Magazine's 1927 article on Vitaphone

'Vitaphone' is one of my eBay saved searches and it came up trumps recently when the auction site listed a fascinating, four page article in US publication National Magazine entitled Victory of the Vitaphone. This was published in its January 1927 edition and I was able to acquire it for just $10, which included shipping to the UK! As well as photographs of the four Warner brothers and Walter Rich, the rare article also contains a picture of George Groves at work in the Bell Laboratories (above).

Although his name is spelt incorrectly and it's a low quality image, this is the only picture that I'm aware of that shows George at work at Bell Labs. There is, of course, a well-known close up image of George inspecting a Vitaphone wax disc, but that was taken at the Vitagraph Studios in Brooklyn, not in Bell Labs. The gargantuan size of the equipment used at Bell in those days is the most striking feature of the picture. George is quite dwarfed by it all!

I've added the whole article to the Downloads section of this website for your enjoyment. I've also added "The Soundman", a paper that George wrote for SMPE in March 1947. Its summary states that:

"This paper outlines the tools and means that are at the disposal of the motion picture production mixer to enable him to fulfill his prime responsibility of being the director's assistant in all matters pertaining to sound."

A fabulous historical document with no mention anywhere of digital or computers!