The first Hollywood sound shorts, 1926-1931 / Edwin M. Bradley.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Bradley, Edwin M., 1958-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Short films--United States--Catalogs.

Short films.

Short films--United States--History and criticism.

Sound motion pictures--United States--Catalogs.

Sound motion pictures.

Sound motion pictures--United States--History.

History.

United States.

Genre:

Catalogs.

Physical Description:

viii, 551 pages : illustrations ; 27 cm

Place of Publication:

Jefferson, N.C. : McFarland, [2005]

Summary:

"The transition from silent to sound films is a fascinating time in the history of mass entertainment. In the audiences' eyes, the halting, stagebound earliest 'talkies' paled in comparison to the fluid, lyrical silents they replaced. Within another five years the technology improved, allowing filmmakers to produce pictures with the added benefits of dialogue, song and sound. However, that five-year period was long enough for careers to have ripened or been ruined and for studio fortunes to have been made or lost. This study of early sound shorts begins with an explanation of the development of sound motion pictures in Hollywood by such influential companies as Warner Bros. and Fox, with an emphasis on short subjects, leading up to the first few months when all of the major studios were capable of producing them. The next chapters discuss the impact on other mass entertainments, the development of audible news reels and other non-fiction shorts, as well as the origins of animated sound subjects. A comprehensive list of pre-1932 American[gamma]made shorts completes the volume. These shorts are organized by studio and type, but for readers starting from scratch, there is an accompanying alphabetical list of all shorts"--Provided by publisher.

Contents:

I History of the Early Sound Short 9

Chapter 1 Beginnings 11

Chapter 2 A Fox and a Pair of Jolsons 25

Chapter 3 Voices Carry 37

Chapter 4 Keeping Up 50

Chapter 5 Giving 'Em What They Want 74

Chapter 6 News of the World 83

Chapter 7 Make Room for Mickey 93

Chapter 8 More Stars Than There Are in Brooklyn 102

Chapter 9 The End of the Beginning 120

II Sound Shorts Filmography 133

Guide to the Filmography 135

Columbia 137

De Forest 147

Disney 150

Educational 155

Fleischer 181

Fox 188

MGM 207

Paramount 230

Pathe/RKO Pathe 257

RKO Radio 301

Hal Roach/MGM 313

Tiffany 327

Universal 333

Warner Bros./Vitaphone 360

Other Companies 452.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 467-475) and indexes.

ISBN:

0786410302

OCLC:

56559464