Hollywood was an attractive place for the early filmmakers
to settle, full of good weather, orange and lemon trees. For
producers who owed money on borrowed camera equipment if a
creditor came after them, they could hide among the trees.
It was a hard business full of causalities and took a
pirate's mentality to survive. Most of the studio heads were
from poor backgrounds, with limited English skills and never
forgot their childhood or a personal slight. Included were
Jack, Harry, Albert and Sam, the four Warner Brothers from
Youngstown, Ohio. They had begun with showing movies off the
side of a tent in Youngstown, borrowing all the chairs from
the local undertaker. Every time there was a funeral in
Youngstown, they had to give all the chairs back and the
film patrons were forced to stand.
As a boy Jack Warner wished to be a singer and a comedian.
His brothers, recognizing his lack of talent instructed him
to sing in the tent when they wanted the audience to leave.
He was later advised that the money was not in performing,
it was in paying performers. Among the stars that would be
under contract to him would be Betty Davis, James Cagney,
Humphrey Bogart and Errol Flynn.
The silent days were a struggle for Warner Bros. Rin Tin
Tin, a German shepherd that according to his publicity was
born in a foxhole in World War I, was their biggest star.
Heroic as he might have been on the screen, he proved to be,
like many stars, cantankerous in person. Jack Warner took
the dog on a publicity tour. As he introduced him to the
crowd, his ungrateful employee bit him on the behind,
leading to the dog's dismissal. It proved to be a prelude to
Warner's many future battles with stars.
Trying to make a name for themselves, the four brothers got
great publicity by announcing that the renowned opera tenor
Caruso would be arriving from Italy to make a film for them.
They paid him 25,000 dollars and then put him in a silent
movie.
The movie studios had the technology to make talking films
years before they made them. One of the reasons why they
resisted the idea was that they didn't want to risk losing
their overseas market. Stars like Charlie Chaplin, Douglas
Fairbanks and Mary Pickford rarely ever had a flop as their
films were shown around the world and knew no language
barriers. But in 1926 the silent films faced their biggest
competition with a new device called the radio. As movie
attendance dwindled the studio heads shut their eyes and
pretended the radio was not there. But the Warners lead by
the ambitious Sam, decided to push the envelope and try to
save their sinking studio by experimenting with movie sound.
Sam purchased an experimental sound system called
Vita-phone. They then acquired the rights to The Jazz
Singer, a popular play about a young man who had a beautiful
voice and is offered a Broadway career against the wishes of
his Old World Jewish father. In the play the son gave in to
his father but the Warner's, wishing to reach a wider
audience, Americanized the story by having the son follow
his own dreams. Star Al Jolson adlibbed the dialogue," Wait
a minute, wait a minute you ain't heard nothing, yet!" The
Warner's were only intending singing but at the last minute
they impulsively kept the line in the film. The Jazz Singer
received a standing ovation when it premiered in New York in
1927 and went on to make three and half million dollars at a
time when admission costs 20 cents. The sound revolution
was under way!
Movie audiences had often been loud and noisy while watching
silent films. Now the theater's got quiet as people strained
to hear every word. Movie Theater's had to be rewired for
sound, costing major studios like Paramount and Fox millions
of dollars. Movies now had to film mostly at night as any
passing truck noise could ruin a sound recording. " How
boring!" said Mary Pickford. "At first we moved! Now
everyone is standing around talking!" One enterprising actor
was hired for one day's work. When the director wasn't
looking he let a bunch of crickets loose on the set. It was
five days before the crew could round up the chirping
crickets, and the actor kept on hold received five times the
paycheck.
Author/Narrator Stephen Schochet researched Hollywood and
Disney stories and lore for 10 years while giving tours of
Hollywood. He had the unique idea the stories could be told
anywhere and that's what led him to create the audiobooks
"Fascinating Walt Disney" and "Tales Of Hollywood" . The
Saint Louis Post Dispatch says," These two elaborate
productions are exceptionally entertaining." Realaudio
samples can be heard at his website
www.hollywoodstories.com.