The Speed of Sound: Hollywood and the Talkie Revolution 1926-1930

by Scott Eyman

It was the end of an era. It was a turbulent, colorful, and altogether remarkable period, four short years in which America’s most popular industry reinvented itself.

Here is the epic story of the transition from silent films to talkies, that moment when movies were totally transformed and the American public cemented its love affair with Hollywood. As Scott Eyman demonstrates in his fascinating account of this exciting era, it was a time when fortunes, careers, and lives were made and lost, when the American film industry came fully into its own.

In this mixture of cultural and social history that is both scholarly and vastly entertaining, Eyman dispels the myths and gives us the missing chapter in the history of Hollywood, the ribbon of dreams by which America conquered the world.

Genres: Film, History, Nonfiction, Media Tie In, Audiobook, Pop Culture, Art

416 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 13, 1997

About the author

Scott Eyman has authored 11 books, including, with Robert Wagner, the New York Times bestseller Pieces of My Heart.

Among his other books are "Lion of Hollywood: The Life and Legend of Louis B. Mayer," "Print the Legend: The Life and Times of John Ford," "Ernst Lubitsch: Laughter in Paradise," and "The Speed of Sound" (all Simon & Schuster) and "John Ford: The Searcher" for Taschen.

He has lectured extensively around the world, most frequently at the National Film Theater in London, the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and the Moscow Film Theater. He's done the commentary tracks for many DVD's, including "Trouble in Paradise," "My Darling Clementine," and Stagecoach.

Eyman has written for the New York Times, the Washington Post, and the Chicago Tribune, as well as practically every film magazine extinct or still extant.

He's the literary critic for the Palm Beach Post; he and his wife Lynn live in Palm Beach.

Reviews

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I know that silent film, and the transition from silent film, tend to be rather niche interests. I do think that with this book there is something for any curious mind. Any time I go on about some trivia or anecdote from this book to an unsuspecting friend, it doesn't take long for them completely fascinated by it all. This "revolution" had so many ramifications that were so quickly for granted, it seems we are just in the past few decades beginning to piece together what it all meant.

That being said, there are long sections of the book that could not hold my interest -- as has been mentioned in other reviews, Eyman tends to talk about unfamiliar technical aspects of filmmaking and seemingly minor or forgotten figures in early moviemaking with very little introduction or explanatory information. This issue is certainly exacerbated if the book is consumed via audio rather than text where a highlighter would probably come in handy!
There are issues of organization and focus, for sure. Many things that struck me as deeply central to his book's thesis were never explicitly stated but hinted at in author's notes or buried within a sentence explaining something else entirely.

At the expense of focus and organization, however, we gain an incredible view illustrated through both anecdotes and data, of the highly reactionary and greedy world of the film industry in transition and a sense of what was lost or perhaps sacrificed socially, financially, culturally, and for many affiliated with the industry, personally for the sudden rise of talkie films. This is one of those books that takes much of what has been passed down as common wisdom and turns it all on its head.

[James Bazen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Scott Eyman does a masterful job at recounting the cinema's several earlier failed attempts at sound films, and the later, fateful attempt that set an entire indusry on it's ear.

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

For me this was really engrossing book. If you like old Hollywood history you were certainly enjoy it. Basically it forms three areas of research. 1. the attempts to marry sound to the silent motion picture 2. how the 'talkies' were accepted by the public and the people who starred in and made, the movies and 3. the moguls and which ones were ready to leap into this unknown technology. I admit to skimming over the engineering descriptions because it is not something that holds my attention. Even the acceptance and opinions of the public/stars which normally I like I wasn't drawn into as I normally would be. The However, the moguls' reaction was compelling. It mainly deals with the Warner Brothers who, thanks to Sam Warner, embraced it wholeheartedly. Although there were at least three systems available it was Sam, mesmerized by the idea of sound pictures, who talked his brothers into backing Vitaphone and their system. How their first 'talkie' The Jazz Singer was cast and made is a great story on its own with both real life comedy and tragedy involved. The other studios thought sound was a flash in the pan. Boy were they wrong! Even considering the cost of installing the equipment for recording in the studio, then installing it in their theatres so it could be used the film turned out to be such a huge hit that if made a profit of over 2 million dollars and that was when a million was a lot of money. This book was imminently readable and I highly recommend it for old movie fans.

[Jill H. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Published in 1997, this book chronicles the "talkie" revolution in film from 1926-1930 and provides a plethora of insider knowledge of what was happening in that time of transition for Hollywood. It is very well researched by Scott Eyman who also wrote an excellent biography of director Ernst Lubitsch, "Laughter in Paradise". If you like film history as I do,then this is the one for you. Highly recommended.

[Jenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

An entertaining, facinating, well-written, well researched history of how sound changed the movies forever. A must-read for anyone interested in the history of cinema.

[David Allwood · Rating 4 out of 5]

That we can walk in to a cinema and be transported anywhere is truly remarkable. The fact that this experience comes with the intricacies of sound is even more remarkable - which is why ‘The Speed of Sound’ by Scott Eyman is an important historical book. Most people in the modern age have not seen a silent movie, and some are even unaware that, for a time, silent movies were the most popular form of mass entertainment. So, a century ago, when technology presented sound the public was in awe and the nature of movies changed forever. Movie-goers immediately ignored silent films and demanded ‘talkies’ which caused a revolution throughout the movie industry. The type of movies being produced changed instantly and many successful silent stars were left behind. Scott Eyman cleverly sets the context for the advent of ‘talkies’ and meticulously details the ongoing sensations caused throughout this transition. The story, told through the voices of those in the movie industry - from studio heads, to ingenue starlets, and from those responsible for inventing the sound revolution - is fascinating. Although unavoidably technical at times, the author writes with clarity and purpose. The history of Hollywood is mostly about transition and this book represents one of the most important chapters within that rich history of change

[Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good account of the transition from silent to sound pictures from 1929 to 1930. The book covers years beginning in 1927. Shock of filmmakers who were making highly regarded silent films they were proud of to watching terrible to mediocre films make twice as much money because they had sound. Some information that I didn’t know before includes the fact filmmakers and actors were making high amounts of money and able to produce their own works and have creative control during the late silent era. When sound came along money across the board dropped and people were given salaries that never topped the silent. Gable made much less then silent actors had. Some if it probably had to do with the Great Depression. Unions were spurred in the early sound era to make living wages and job protection. I really appreciated this book.

[Beth Cato · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is an absolutely enthralling read about the technological and cultural development of sound in movies. For all that this development was resisted by the industry, it's amazing how quickly the "fad" took hold and innovations followed to make it more usable. The ripple effects extended far beyond Hollywood--where many silent movie stars had their careers abruptly die--to Broadway, where a new crop of actors and writers were found, to foreign markets that had relied heavily on easily-adaptable silent movies. I loved this book and it's one I will happily keep on my shelf for future reference.

[John Kenrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book but typographic MESS

Scott Eyeman is my favorite film historian and he is in magnificent form here - no other book on Hollywood's transition to sound comes close to this one. However the Kindle edition is plagued by inexplicable differences in type size from one paragraph to another, making standard text look like unmarked footnotes. An authorial triumph ruined by editorial incompetence. Shame on the publishers for releasing this in such a chaotic format.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

1927 brought us great silent films like Wings, The General, Metropolis, 7th Heaven and Sunrise. It also brought us the sensation that was The Jazz Singer and for the next 3 years everyone in movies sat around drawing room sets speaking into microphones dressed as flower pots or pounding out tap steps under a proscenium arch as the camera stayed bolted to the ground.

In this book Eyman details the coming of sound (with the first experiments of sound and film coming as early as 1913), the sensation that it caused with moviegoers, movie studios and exhibitors and how, for a little while, the art of cinema was set back a decade or more.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a treasure trove of fascinating details about an easily misremembered part of film history. I learned that it was a much more complicated process than just a new technology coming along and old stars quietly fading away.

Whilst I enjoyed this book immensely, it is not without structural flaws. In places there is too much detail, as if the author wanted to cram in every bit of his research. And he tends to drop people into the story without sufficient indication of who they are, which may leave some readers a bit lost unless they already know something about Hollywood history. The events of 1927-1930 are described roughly chronologically, which is probably the best way to go about such a huge topic, but it made for a frustrating reading experience at times; an interesting plot thread (John Gilbert's first sound films, William Fox's financial gambles) would be dropped at a tantalising point and then suddenly picked up again ages later. There's a lot of jumping from one film project to another, particularly in the latter part of the book, without enough commentary to draw the facts together into an overall narrative.

The author does shine when he analyses the mood and behaviour of the movie industry and the qualities of the films it produced. He describes the key players' acting and directing styles and the features of the finished films with great clarity and elegance. Reading these comments made me start searching out some of those movies so I can see them for myself. By making extensive use of quotes from actors and production staff, Eyman tells the story of the coming of talkies through the people who lived it, which makes it more immediate and engaging.

Overall, then, this book was entertaining, informative and inspiring (so far I can recommend Sunrise and Bulldog Drummond, and check out the astonishing Jeanne Eagles in The Letter!) and I was kind of sad to leave this time period when the book ended. By then I understood not just how the upheaval of talking pictures occurred, but also why it occurred in the way it did, which means that The Speed of Sound succeeds as history.

[Bob May · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is a terrific read for the right readers, which is classic film lovers. Scott Eyman is my new favorite author. He makes a very technical and limited subject interesting, compelling, and even occasionally moving. This is the story of the first commercially viable sound films: the failed technologies, the process of trial and error (like watching the early ridiculous pre-Wright Brothers flying contraptions), and the eccentric personalities involved: Deforest, Mayer, Fox, et al. It is the story of an unwanted and unexpected industrial transition in the midst of economic collapse; the survivors and the victims, like that of once-a-star, eventual and needless suicide by booze and a broken heart of John Gilbert. The dream of sound started back with Edison, and its eventual realization led to the death of the thirty-year-old glorious art of Silents and the careers involved. This book teaches us again that there is nothing so sure as change nor so fragile as what seems permanent and finished. It is a cautionary tale and one of new beginnings. If you like early talkies like me, you will love this book.

[Christopher Tait · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was a fan of Eyman's other books on John Wayne and the friendship between Henry Fonda and Jimmy Stewart, so I was curious to see what he'd do with how Hollywood (and the world) handled the transition from silent films to "talkies." Eyman covers a lot of ground in this but keeps it about as streamlined as he can in the telling. It gets a little too technical in some spots and also spends more time that I would've liked on the financial aspects of the transition, but when he goes into the stars and directors who were impacted by this change, that's when this comes to life. Some of the stories about the early tests made for sound, the filming of "The Jazz Singer," and the mad rush to turn already completed silent films into sound films, are all ceaselessly interesting to read, at least to me. It was also helpful that I could go on YouTube and pull up clips of some of the movies referenced in this book, just to get a broader appreciation of the subject. This may only be of interest to cinephiles like myself, but it's well worth a read if you're into this sort of thing.

[Dan Port · Rating 4 out of 5]

While this is a pretty dry nuts-and-bolts rundown of the various stages of Hollywood's move from silent cinema to sound pictures, it smartly focuses a lot on the players and personalities involved therein, with clear through-lines running through the studios and with various figures.

This covers a ton of time and pretty capably balances the concurrent developments, though it never goes too far in awarding anyone with really "making" sound pictures happen. There were so many egos involved in the studio system in these days and I particularly liked the stories about actors and directors who were forced out of lucrative contracts under the guise of the studios saying they couldn't work in sound. It never gets exploitative but for a largely dry and historical book, it doesn't pull many punches in revealing how slimy the industry could be.

[Joe Stevens · Rating 5 out of 5]

After plowing through some very mediocre books and even a rare DNF in recent daze, it was fine to read a well-written account of a time and place. Having already watched documentaries about the early sound pictures along with both late silents and the early talkies I had some knowledge going into reding this book. That likely did help as i think having zero knowledge might have been a handicap to my understanding.

For a sort of early sound era 201 level book if you will this is a fine read. Much of what happened in the very late 1920s in Hollywood is explored in interesting detail. Even parts I wasn't that interested in, like clearly non-commercial artsy director Eyman loved, added some atmosphere to the book. Fans of cinema should love this book.

[CJ · Rating 3 out of 5]

With a very interesting yet seldom written about topic from the early days of Hollywood, I applaud the author’s setting these pivotal years down in print. Well worth the addition to m,y library. With all the with facts and information provided, it’s evident that this was a thoroughly researched and developed book. Despite this, I couldn’t find a good rhythm in reading and got lost in all the facts.

[Translator Monkey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Obviously not for everyone, but it sure entertained me, providing a ton of detail in the many, many challenges of the big studios (and the actors, directors, producers, etc.) transitioning to the many variations of what made "sound" pictures. A lot of careers were made or ruined at this time, and not a few lives were lost, all to cater to a fickle audience whose money would soon be restricted due to the Great Depression. Four and a half stars.

[Melanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Don't judge a book by its cover as I was sorta dreading this book until he started talking about my favorite silent film star and movie. Eyman has great sources for information and I have met a few and friends have talked greatly about others. There were times the pacing was a bit off for me, but Eyman was able to easily draw me back.

How did this book find me? I might get to meet Eyman in February so I need to get to reading his works.

[Mac · Rating 5 out of 5]

I heard Scott Eyman interviewed on the "Maltin on Movies" podcast and became interested to read something he had written. Many of his books are biographies of actors and directors, but this one is a history of the transition from silent movies to "talkies." Eyman tells the story well, introducing the reader to many colorful characters, explaining the technical innovations and limitations of the early equipment, and describing and evaluating the films themselves in a way that makes them easy to imagine. He reports the juicy show biz anecdotes, but backs them up (or debunks them) with facts and figures from balance sheets and contemporary reports in the trade papers. It's an admirable, and highly enjoyable, history of a fascinating period. Highly recommended!

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

An in depth and informative look at the arrival of sound in filmmaking and how cinemas were pushed into the change. It's interesting to hear about how much resistance there was to sound to begin with, while also noting the loss of universality and global accessibility that came with silent films. There was no 'one inch barrier' to films, they just were.

[Hal Edghill · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderfully detailed account of the technical, business, and personalities involved in the transition of Hollywood from silent films to talkies. The author has a very readable writing style that informs, references and entertains all at once. A great read!

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best books on film

This book is highly recommended for anyone seriously interested in film history. What is, essentially, a technical issue is handled with humor and in a most interesting manner.

[Jason · Rating 4 out of 5]

Exploration of talking film techniques invented in the 1910s and 1920s before the advent of Vitaphone and Movietone. The rest covers the studio's and theater's adoption of sound and it's effects across the industry.

[Deb Van Iderstine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating account of the transition from silent to sound motion pictures, the technology and how it was developed, the studio heads, directors and actors, the impact of the changing scene on their work and their lives.

[Patrick Elsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's an interesting book but a bit unfocused and jumps around a lot. Still worth your time

[Benjamin · Rating 5 out of 5]

A thorough examination of sound in cinema, with a particular focus on the key years of 1926-1930.

[Sam Dlugach · Rating 4 out of 5]

Meticulously researched with equal amounts of science, craft, and Jazz Age studio bosses behaving badly. Now I have a hundred films I need to see!

[Brian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Twinkle twinkle movie star
Being chauffeured in your car
When the talkies make the grade
You'll become as chamber maid.

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5?? 3.75??

[Straker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good overview of the period. The author's appreciation for the unique pleasures of the silent film is particularly noteworthy.