Although sound recording was invented in the late 19th century, motion pictures with sound did not begin to appear until the late 1920s. The early, experimental talking picture above was recorded in 1924.
By that time, silent film had developed its own style and set of conventions. It took talking pictures time to get established, for both artistic and technical reasons.
- Listen now:
Playlist:
Fanfare
Opening Theme
“Toot, Toot, Tootsie (Goo’Bye!)”
Composed in 1922 by Gus Kahn, Ernie Erdman, and Danny Russo. Public domain.
“California, Here I Come”
Composed in 1923 by Bud DeSylva, Joseph Meyer, and Al Jolson. Public domain.
Closing Theme
Except when otherwise indicated, the contents of this podcast are © and ℗ 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 by Mark Painter, all rights reserved. Some music and sound effects used by arrangement with Pond 5.