The talkies (1930)

20 THETALKIES Animatophone and a wonderful compressed air sound device called the Stentophone, which made its appearance shortly afterwards. Mr. Hepworth was, however, able to sell the rights of his invention to America for a considerable sum, and it is of interest to remember that the first universally successful talkies — The Singing Fool and The Jat^ Singer — were recorded on the Vitaphone system, Mr. Hepworth's device having been called the Vivaphone. It is, however, of great interest to note that the idea of applying voices to existing films has of late been greatly developed, and in a most ingenious manner, and that this phase of Talkie activity has come to the rescue of many who were landed with large stocks of silent films. A great deal of experimental work was done both in America and in Europe, and had it not been for the lack of means of making the whispered message of the photo cells loud enough, there is no doubt that Talkies would have come ten years ago, because a great deal of interest was being taken in the idea about that time. It is true that various efforts had been made to devise sound amplifiers, and a good deal of that work was done in an effort to make microphones which would control sufficiently large power to