The New York theater critic Howard Barnes contributed some bitter-sweet words about the earthquake that was taking place within the entertainment industry called “Talkies”. Ultimately he believed that there was a future for sound movies, but as of 1931, the momentum was still on the stage insofar as genuine, thought-provoking entertainment was concerned. Nonetheless, he recognized that Talkies were changing everything in Hollywood:
“To a regular cinema-goer in the era of silent films, attendance at the motion-picture playhouse today is a continuously disturbing experience…The discovery that the shadowy images of the screen could be made articulate was as fruitful for exploitation to the captains of the cinema industry as was the realization that women would wear long skirts to the couturiers. …Paramount alone has already announced 243 releases for next season, double the number issued this year, and other companies are following suit.”
Pictured above is a Western Electric 694 “Vitaphone” Condenser Microphone. This model was used on the earliest talking film sets, it was suspended from ropes.
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