Giovanni Martinelli

This short was released in connection with the 20th anniversary of Warner Brothers' first exhibition of the Vitaphone sound-on-film process on 6 August 1926. The film highlights Thomas A. Edison and Alexander Graham Bell's efforts that contributed to sound movies and acknowledges the work of Lee De Forest. Brief excerpts from the August 1926 exhibition follow. Clips are then shown from a number of Warner Brothers features, four from the 1920s, the remainder from 1946/47.

This short traces the history of sound in the movies, beginning with French scientist Leon Scott's experiments in 1857. Featured are snippets from early sound pictures.

Giovanni Martinelli sings "Céleste Aïda" from the opera "Aïda", by Giuseppe Verdi and Antonio Ghislanzoni.

Giovanni Martinelli & Louis D'Angelo in a Duet from Act IV of the Opera 'La juive'.

Giovanni Martinelli singing 'Va prononcer la mort' from Act IV of the Opera 'La juive'.

Metropolitan Opera star Giovanni Martinelli sings the aria "Vesti la giubba" from the opera "I Pagliacci".