GEORGE GROVES-RELATED SOUND CLIPS

On this page are audio clips of George himself reminiscing on his career and the thoughts of his sister Hilda and former AMPS chairman Bob Allen. Plus a couple of soundtracks thrown in for good measure!

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SOUND CLIP #1: George Groves (Oral History pt. 1)

Play by clicking on this link: The Vitagraph Studios and Don Juan

George Groves in his AFI oral history of 1973 describes the making of the experimental sound films including the Volga Boatmen at the Vitagraph Studios in Brooklyn. He discusses how he mixed the sound in the Manhattan Opera House for Don Juan and the Vitaphone shorts and relates the problems encountered. George also talks about the shellac discs used to record the films' soundtracks.

CLIP DURATION: 7'01" FORMAT: MP3

SOUND CLIP #2: Hilda Barrow on George

Play by clicking on this link: Hilda Barrow on George's Death

Hilda Barrow, George Groves' sister, was interviewed on the 5th August 1995 by the St.Helens Film Society. She discusses George's heart condition and death in 1976 and briefly assesses his role in the development of talking pictures. Hilda was then 92 years old and had been campaigning since 1993 for official recognition of her brother's achievements. She achieved her goal in 1996.

CLIP DURATION: 61 seconds FORMAT: MP3

SOUND CLIP #3: George Groves (OH pt. 2)

Play by clicking on this link: George on The Jazz Singer

George Groves discusses how the talking sequences in The Jazz Singer took everyone by surprise. He was the recordist on the seminal talking picture and describes his relationship with the star of the film, Al Jolson. He tells an anecdote of how, through his headphones, he overheard Jolie offering to pay for an operation for a sick child. He ends by describing his own role in the making of the early sound films.

CLIP DURATION: 4'29" FORMAT: MP3

SOUND CLIP #4: George Groves (OH pt. 3)

Play by clicking on this link: Early Movie Sound Technology

George Groves describes the technology used in the early Vitaphone pictures. He explains how the camera and cameraman were housed in soundproofed booths and how the microphones were connected to Condenser Transmitter Amplifiers and suspended from ropes. George discusses how the static nature of cameras and microphones led to inaction in the early sound films and how this was gradually overcome through technological improvements.

CLIP DURATION: 6'46" FORMAT: MP3

SOUND CLIP #5: George Groves (OH pt. 4)

Play by clicking on this link: First Motion Picture Unit

George Groves discusses becoming Head of the Sound Department of the 1st Motion Picture Unit of the Army Air Force and the work undertaken by the unit during WW11. He describes the top-secret film made in preparation for the bombing of Tokyo and some of the famous actors, writers and directors he worked with. George enlisted in the Army Air Force on November 28th 1942 and was given the rank of Captain then promoted to Major.

CLIP DURATION: 3'35" FORMAT: MP3

SOUND CLIP #6: George Groves (OH pt. 5)

Play by clicking on this link: My Fair Lady

George Groves with his Oscar for My Fair Lady

George Groves discusses the making of My Fair Lady including the innovative use of radio microphones in the film due to Rex Harrison's reluctance to conform to playbacks. He describes how they hid the microphone in various scenes using a tie and a silk scarf. George concludes by describing the presentation of his Oscar for Best Sound by Claudia Cardinale and Steve McQueen at the Academy Awards ceremony of 1965.

CLIP DURATION: 11'26" FORMAT: MP3

SOUND CLIP #7: Bob Allen on George

Play by clicking on this link: Bob Allen

Bob Allen was a film sound recordist and mixer for over 40 years and in 1996 was Chairman of the Association of Motion Picture Sound. On the day of the St.Helens plaque unveiling, Bob reflected in interview on George Groves' pioneering work in film sound recording and spoke of his respect for him as the movie industry's first production sound mixer and the first film music mixer.

CLIP DURATION: 52 seconds FORMAT: MP3

SOUND CLIP #8: Don Juan Soundtrack

Play by clicking on this link: Don Juan Sword Fight Soundtrack

Part of the swordfight soundtrack to Don Juan performed by the 107-strong New York Philharmonic Orchestra. The recording was made by George Groves at the Manhattan Opera House in New York, using six microphones instead of the standard one to obtain optimum sound quality. Note the sound effects of clashing swords which were created and synchronized live to the action.

CLIP DURATION: 1' 33" FORMAT: MP3

SOUND CLIP #9: Alfred Hitchcock (OH pt. 6)

Play by clicking on this link: Alfred Hitchcock

George Groves discusses working with director Alfred Hitchcock, a man that he had great admiration for. He describes the amusing stories Hitchcock used to tell to cast and crew and how he always knew what he wanted from a film and its production staff. George concludes by relating how he was with Alfred Hitchcock when he ordered a composer for one of his films (believed to be Bernard Herrmann) to rewrite the film's score.

CLIP DURATION: 3' 20" FORMAT: MP3

SOUND CLIP #9: The Jazz Singer

Play by clicking on this link: You Ain't Heard Nothin' Yet!

A clip of Al Jolson performing his adlib "Wait a minute, wait a minute. You ain't heard nothin' yet!" which so engaged Jazz Singer theatre-goers in 1927. He then sings and whistles Toot Toot Tootsie Goodbye. The sound recordist was, of course, George Groves who said Jolson’s words in the seminal sound film were "purely ad-lib without any rehearsal. Everybody just held their breath."

CLIP DURATION: 2' 20" FORMAT: MP3

NEXT PAGE - Web Links On History Of Movie Sound

The Story of Oscar-Winning Movie Sound Pioneer GEORGE R. GROVES