Vitaphone

E1974

Vitaphone was an early sound-on-disc motion picture system developed by Warner Bros. that played a key role in the transition from silent films to “talkies” in the late 1920s.

AI illustration

How this image was made

AI-generated illustration of Vitaphone

This AI-generated illustration was produced by black-forest-labs/FLUX.2-dev (1024x1024) from a prompt written by openai/gpt-oss-120b from the entity's label + description.

Prompt

Generate an image of Vitaphone (Vitaphone was an early sound-on-disc motion picture system developed by Warner Bros. that played a key role in the transition from silent films to “talkies” in the late 1920s.)

All labels observed (7)

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (48)

Predicate Object
instanceOf film sound system ⓘ
sound-on-disc motion picture system ⓘ
associatedWithCompany Western Electric ⓘ
associatedWithStudio Warner Bros. Pictures ⓘ
associatedWithTerm talkies ⓘ
basedOnTechnologyFrom Western Electric ⓘ
commercialPeak late 1920s ⓘ
countryOfOrigin United States ⓘ
declineBeganInDecade 1930s ⓘ
developedBy Warner Bros. ⓘ
era early sound era ⓘ
late silent era ⓘ
firstFeatureFilm Don Juan (1926 film) ⓘ
firstFeatureFilmWithRecordedScore Don Juan (1926 film) ⓘ
historicalSignificance helped establish audience acceptance of sound films ⓘ
major milestone in film sound technology ⓘ
introducedBy Warner Bros. ⓘ
introducedInDecade 1920s ⓘ
introducedInYear 1926 ⓘ
limitation discs could wear out or be damaged ⓘ
risk of loss of synchronization between disc and film ⓘ
mediumType sound-on-disc ⓘ
notableFor being one of the last major sound-on-disc systems ⓘ
commercially successful early sound film system ⓘ
playedKeyRoleIn transition from silent films to sound films ⓘ
transition from silent films to talkies ⓘ
replacedBy optical sound-on-film ⓘ
sound-on-film systems ⓘ
requiredEquipment amplifier and loudspeakers in theater ⓘ
special turntable attached to projector ⓘ
soundCarrier 16-inch disc ⓘ
phonograph disc ⓘ
soundFormat monophonic sound ⓘ
soundRecordingSpeed 33 1⁄3 rpm ⓘ
soundReproductionMethod mechanical reproduction of sound from disc ⓘ
synchronizationMethod interlocked projector and phonograph turntable ⓘ
usedByExhibitorType first-run urban theaters ⓘ
usedFor feature films with synchronized dialogue ⓘ
feature films with synchronized music and effects ⓘ
musical shorts ⓘ
orchestral performance films ⓘ
short subjects with synchronized sound ⓘ
synchronizing recorded sound with motion pictures ⓘ
vaudeville performance films ⓘ
usedInFilm Lights of New York (1928 film) ⓘ
The Jazz Singer (1927 film) ⓘ
The Singing Fool (1928 film) ⓘ
usedInterlockSystem projector and turntable mechanically linked ⓘ

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (17)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

The Singing Fool → soundSystem → Vitaphone ⓘ
subject linked to: The Singing Fool (1928 film)
The Jazz Singer (1927 film) → filmFormat → Vitaphone sound-on-disc ⓘ
linked to: Vitaphone
The Jazz Singer (1927 film) → filmSeries → Vitaphone sound films ⓘ
linked to: Vitaphone
Al Jolson as Al Stone → associatedWith → Vitaphone sound-on-disc system ⓘ
linked to: Vitaphone
Lights of New York → soundSystem → Vitaphone ⓘ
The Desert Song (1929 film) → usesTechnology → Vitaphone sound system ⓘ
linked to: Vitaphone
Dames → distributor → Vitaphone (short subjects and sound system brand) ⓘ
linked to: Vitaphone
Fox Movietone sound system → concurrentWith → Vitaphone sound-on-disc system ⓘ
linked to: Vitaphone
Movietone sound-on-film process → competedWith → Vitaphone sound-on-disc system ⓘ
linked to: Vitaphone
Noah’s Ark (1928 film) → soundTechnology → Vitaphone sound-on-disc system ⓘ
subject linked to: Noah’s Ark
linked to: Vitaphone
Leo F. Forbstein → employer → Vitaphone ⓘ
Joseph Henabery → employer → Vitaphone ⓘ
The Doorway to Hell → distributor → Vitaphone (sound system branding) ⓘ
linked to: Vitaphone