Web Links On The History Of Movie Sound
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A comprehensive chronological history of the research work involved in the development of motion picture sound. Includes references to George Groves. Also contains links to Motion Picture Sound 1930-1989 and 1990-2000.
In 1991 a group of enthusiasts decided to seek out the shellac discs that accompanied the 1926-30 era Vitaphone films. As a result The Vitaphone Project was established with a mission to seek and restore both the discs and films.
An excellent and comprehensive account from Wikipedia - the free encyclopedia - of the history and development of the sound film with an extensive list of external links to historical recordings and historical writings.
Some excellent images in the sound development section. Also contains some interesting historical documents, including an 1928 instruction manual for a Western Electric ‘Sound Projector System for Theatres’.
A page on disc cutting and recording lathes as used by Bell and Vitaphone in the 1920s. Includes a short downloadable video demonstration. Part of the Recording Technology History resource.
A highly interesting blog written by Jeff Cohen subtitled 'Observations on film, music and imagery of the past'. Contains some great images of films which can also be viewed in very high resolution.
A cute animation made in 1929 by Western Electric to promote sound-on-film as an alternative to sound-on-disc. You can view the film as a live stream or download the complete animation in high quality as an mpeg file.
Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia’s take on Vitaphone with links to the history of sound in films, Vitagraph studios, Western Electric and the Jazz Singer etc. Additional "see also" links are at the bottom of the page.
Written by Stanley for Bell Labs in 1946 on the research undertaken at 463 West Street on both the sound-on-disc and sound-on-film processes and called Madam, will you talk? Note figure 1-7 picture links.
The California State Military Museum describes the 1st Motion Picture Unit of the Army Air Force including its origins & organisation and the Hal Roach Studio plus role of Jack Warner and Ronald Reagan.
Written by E.I. Sponable of 20th Century-Fox. A paper presented to the 1946 Hollywood Convention of the Society of Motion Picture Engineers. This chronological account can also be downloaded as a Word document.
Arthur's 1973 account of his experiences at Western Electric and Bell Labs in New York from 1918. Somewhat technical but part of the second half of the document refers to the development of Vitaphone and sound on film.
The Innovators 1920-1930: Now You Has Jazz -an article in the British Film Institute’s Sight and Sound magazine of May 1999 on how the brothers Warner became innovators in sound film production.
Contains images from the film and from promotional materials. According to the site Don Juan holds the record for the greatest number of kisses in a film - 120 apparently! George Groves was the sound recordist and music mixer.
A very comprehensive review of the seminal film which starred Al Jolson with sound recorded by George Groves. As well as analysis there's some promotional images, plus details of spoken dialogue.
An assessment by the late Bob Allen of the Association of Motion Picture Sound and called Why The Jazz Singer? A personal theory which was written, I believe, in 1997 for AMPS's journal.
A four minute clip of The Jazz Singer as Jolson's character, Jakie Rabinowitz, sings and talks to his mother only to be observed by his disapproving Cantor father. It can also be downloaded as a QuickTime movie.
Extremely comprehensive. You can find out anything you need to know about the man and his music, participate in a Jolson forum and buy Jolson merchandise. You can also join the society from within the site.
An explanation of how sound on film works from the Institute of Electrical & Electronics Engineers. Worth viewing if only for the animated film of the process which was made in the early 1930s by Bell Telephone Laboratories.
In AMPS's web site you can access an extensive archive of newsletters as well as a number of technical documents. A comprehensive sound links page is available too. Has recently been redesigned.
Subtitled "Two British engineers in at the beginning", this is Bob's assessment of Stanley Watkins and George Groves' achievements in developing the sound-on-disc system in an AMPS newsletter.
A report by the late Bob Allen of the Association of Motion Sound on the plaque unveiling to the engineering achievements of George Groves and Stanley Watkins in a prestigious Warners Cinema in London in 1996.
A list of pictures that have won Oscars for Best Sound since sound was first included in the Academy Awards in 1930. The winner that year was The Big House. George had been nominated for Say It With Songs.
George's film credits on the Internet Movie Database although very incomplete. He is actually known to have received 32 Academy Award nominations. It covers his work from 1926 until 1970.
A one page summary although it erroneously claims George was born in Liverpool and the Academy nominations at the bottom are incomplete. Their list of sound Oscar winners since 1929 can be accessed here.
Provided by the Society of Motion Pictures and Television Engineers (formerly the Society of Motion Picture Engineers). A list of memorial medal winners from 1947-2006. Includes George Groves, of course.
Includes a reference to George Grove's pioneering use of a radio microphone although he was Sound Supervisor not Sound Recordist on the film. Numerous sound clips from MFL can be accessed including Wouldn't It Be Loverly.
An extremely comprehensive site devoted to the art and analyses of film sound design. It contains an extensive collection of over 150 film sound articles as well as sound glossaries, a film sound history, bibliography etc.etc.