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THE GROWTH OF SOUND 21
other artists of the stage and screen. Yet while these offerings were accepted with interest by the public, the final financial results were not entirely satisfactory, for one simple reason: the number of theatres equipped with sound-reproducing mechanisms was still limited.
Success, however, lay not too far ahead. The turning point in the fortunes of Warner Brothers, and it may be said of the talking picture, came with the presentation of Al Jolson in The Jazz Singer. It is interesting to note here that only through accident was Al Jolson given the opportunity to make theatrical history. Warner Brothers had acquired The Jazz Singer and had cast George Jessel to play the part in which he had been so successful in the stage version. A difference of opinion arose between the management and the player; he felt that he was entitled to additional remuneration, since he was to sing and talk in the screen version, which had not been anticipated. The dispute became a deadlock; Al Jolson was engaged for the part, and the result is history. Mr. Jolson sang a number of songs most effectively, and there were certain scenes which contained spoken dialogue. Never before in the annals of the theatre world had there been a success so instantaneous.
Al Jolson in The Jazz Singer made a very substantial contribution to the public acceptance and further development of the art. One scene alone showed that here was a new method of expression, pointing the way to great possibilities of the most recent art. It is when Al Jolson, playing the piano and singing "Blue Skies" to his mother, is "ad libbing" or improvising remarks to her between choruses. The monologue, spoken with the inimitable Jolson throb, afforded in one little simple scene more effective drama than had ever been conveyed by any silent picture. The possibilities of the talking cinema now became apparent. Progress in production has since been