Films and Videos and CDs on Sound Recording History
About A Hundred Years-A History of Sound Recording (Symposium CD 1222) marks a century of commercial recording in the United Kingdom, from Symposium Records specializing in re-issues of rare and historical recordings on CD
An Afternoon with John T. Mullin (Audio Engineering Society, 1989) - videotape interview with the late John Mullin, demonstrating historical recording devices from his own collection, talks about his discovery of the German Magnetophon tape recorders in World War II and introducing them to Bing Crosby and to Ampex in 1946.
Chronology of American Tape Recording (Audio Engineering Society, 1999) - "8 hours of VHS cassettes that include a comprehensive historical review of the development of tape recording in the United States told directly from the original contributors who advanced recorders from mono to 40 tracks"
Conversation, The (Paramount 1974) - Gene Hackman is a paranoid electronic surveillance expert whose microphones and tape recorders eavesdrop on a young couple
Double Indemnity (Paramount 1944) - Edward G. Robinson uses a cylinder Dictaphone to solve the murder plot of Fred MacMurray and Barbara Stanwyck
Edison Effect (AandE, 1997) - 3-videotape documentary set on inventions of Thomas Edison, including phonograph (vol. 1), electric light (vol. 2), motion picture (vol. 3), 150 mins., Item Number: AAE-40050
History of Sound Recording (Classroom Video, 2000) "This video traces the history of sound recording technologies from the late 19th century to the present day. The video concentrates on the concept of energy transduction as a means to create analogues of sound and how this was applied to different sound recording media. The video features Powerhouse Museum curator Campbell Bickerstaff, explaining the various earlier technologies. Also some sociological commentary." (23 min., available from BuyIndies)
Modern Marvels: Stereo ( AandE, 2001) - video documentary "examines the inventions of pioneers like Edison, Ray Dolby and Tom Holman, the man behind THX sound. Audio engineers reveal the secrets of successful sound. See how the digital revolution has re-invented the industry" 50 mins., Item Number: AAE-42298
Mr. Music (Paramount, 1950) - Bing Crosby records into an early Ampex tape recorder in this feature film about a song writer.
Okay for Sound (Warner 1946) "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 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" (out of print, description from IMDb)
Voice From The Screen (Video Yesteryear 1980) - 34-minute videotape of films of the first demonstrations of the Vitaphone motion picture sound system introduced 1926 (out of print, previously available from Facets Multimedia)
Woman of Straw (United Artists1964) - Sean Connery is revealed to be the killer of his uncle played by Ralph Richardson when police discover a tape recording made on his yacht while he was listening to a Beethoven tape, saying he was poisoned "I record, I record"