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December 22, 1928
EXHIBITORS HERALD and MOVING PICTURE WORLD
15
Her aidWorld's Campaign To Find Appropriate Name For Audien Film Praised
Have You A Better NAME?
Following are some of the names which have been suggested by the Herald-World, members of the industry, college professors and the public:
AUDIEN
CINELOG
DRAMAPHONE
PICTOVOX
PHOTOTONE
STEFNFILM
CINEORAL
TALKIES
PHONIES
CINOPHONE
A UDIFILM
VOCAFILM
Naturally, you have a suggestion to offer in this important matter. On the following page is a coupon. Fill this in with the word which you believe is most suitable and mail to the HeraldWorld.
By PETER VISCHER
NEW YORK, Dec. 18.
The search for an honest name for "talkies" begun by the HERALDWORLD, lantern in hand like Diogenes, won instant approval in the motion picture industry.
Agreement seemed general that a decent name should be found for the new pictures combining sight and sound, to relieve the industry of such unhappy titles as sound pictures, synchronized pictures, talkies, soundies, and innumerable others that are common, vulgar, cheap, unworthy of a great development in the field of motion pictures.
The search for a new name that should be fair and honorable, meaningful, trim and neat, and at the same time as comfortable as slang, was acclaimed. In all truth it must be said, hoivever, that there was more than a little skepticism as to whether or not a fair term could be found.
Because the task is difficult, the search is all the more fascinating. Motion picture executives, college professors in many parts of the country, inventors, advertising experts turned their attention to the search last week, with some highly interesting results.
Audien, suggested last week in the HERALD-WORLD, won more than a few admirers. Cinelog, the suggestion of Prof. Katherine Campbell Reiley, brought forth some approval. Others liked dramaphone, the invention of Dr. John William Draper, of the University of Maine.
A new suggestion is pictovox, the coinage of Dr. Norman Foerster, of the University of North Carolina. This means, of course, picturevoice, which is expressive, short, quick, easy to say, and fits the case decidedly. Another word brought up for discussion is the new discarded term kinetophonograph, which appears in the Unabridged Standard Dictionary but died in birth as too unwieldy and highbrow.
Probably no man has more interest in talking pictures than Dr. Lee DeForest, pioneer scientist in the new field of entertainment. When he was asked to express himself on the campaign he gave his whole hearted approval to it.
"I wish EXHIBITORS HERALD-WORLD luck in its search for a new name," he declared, "and I surely want to congratulate it. When the word 'movie' first began to roll off the tongue of the public, I was bitterly disappointed. The word failed utterly to express the greatness of the new entertainment. And now that talking pictures have come, I hear the same public speaking the word 'talkie.' Again I am disappointed.
''3ut it is not too late to rob the public of this word 'talkie.' If we can