This year marks the 100th anniversary of Vitaphone, the first commercially successful method of combining sound with motion pictures.  Initially developed by Western Electric, Vitaphone was soon acquired by Warner Bros. thanks to the vision of Sam Warner, who convinced his three brothers on the promise of this new technology.   The process involved 16-inch discs played on a turntable synced to a projector, allowing for excellent sound quality that was unmatched in 1926.

Vitaphone debuted on August 6, 1926 at Warners’ Theatre in New York, with the premiere of DON JUAN, starring John Barrymore.  The film had no dialogue, but featured a musical score performed by the New York Philharmonic, along with some sound effects (most notably during a swordfight between Barrymore and Montagu Love).  The feature was preceded by a spoken introduction by Will Hays (President of the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America), along with eight musical shorts.  Don Juan played for 36 weeks at this theater, and opened at Grauman’s Egyptian in Hollywood two weeks later, but only in a silent version.  After the installation of audio equipment at the Egyptian, Don Juan had its true Vitaphone premiere there on October 17, 1926.

Below are a few related images from the Warner Bros. Archives: 

A behind-the-scenes image taken during the production of “La Fiesta,” one of the musical shorts on the Vitaphone program that preceded DON JUAN.  Soprano Anna Case can be wearing the elaborate headdress near upper left.  At center bottom (looking into the camera) is Vitaphone conductor Herman Heller, and directly behind him is Sam Warner.

Engineers H. M. Stoller and Harry Pfannenstiehl with a Vitaphone projector

Diagram of a Vitaphone projector/disc player

A street view of the marquee and giant billboard promoting DON JUAN during its 36-week run at the Warners’ Theatre on Broadway near 52nd Street.