I am again pleased that when selecting a title from the early years of sound, we managed to find another very rarely shown feature. I hope that we have found a film that recreates what must have been a very exciting experience for audiences' seventy years ago. We should remember that many would have been hearing their heroes talk for the first time.

The publicity from Warner Bros. claimed that it was "a connoisseur's collection of the supreme examples of almost every form of stage and screen entertainment".

It is by all accounts hardly a film, but rather a vaudeville show, filmed in the most part "in proscenium", so for today's audience it may seem dated. However Warner Bros were determined that the film would showcase the acting and theatrical abilities of the stars they had under contract, hence the above publicity.

Perhaps the most unexpected item is a scene from Henry VI Part III played by John Barrymore. A major silent star, this was his first talkie, and after tonight we can all say that we heard his first words in a film.

It all starts with a series of sketches, including an introduction by Rin-Tin-Tin to an ornate "Chinese Fantasy". Nick Lucas croones to an oriental princess (Myrna Loy) and there follows a production number called "Singing in the Bathtub". According to one reviewer, it "must be seen, but be sure to wear your shower cap"!

One musical routine groups eight sets of sisters (including Loretta Young, who was to go onto talkie stardom), each wearing the national dress of a different country, singing "Meet My Sister". Douglas Fairbanks Jnr leads a bunch of stars in a satire set in 1900.

.The finale stars Betty Compson and Alexander Gray, together with 15 individual acts, the whole show culminating in each of the film's stars singing "Lady Luck".

Songs by numerous composers include:

If I Could Learn to Love; Your Mother and Mine Lady Luck: ;

If Your Best Friend Won't Tell You; The Only Song I Know Pingo Pongo

Your Love Is All I Crave; Motion Picture Pirates; Li-Po-Li;

Rock-A-Bye Your Baby With A Dixie Melody; Just An Hour of Love;

I hope tonight's film enlightens us of the dramatic change that the advent of sound must have had on the public all those years ago.

Synopses of the careers of some of the cast.

John Barrymore
born 15-2-1882 (as John Blythe) died 29-5-42

Made his film debut in 1913 and was primarily in romantic dramas, comedies and swashbuckling adventures, with his performance often the highlight of the film. He preferred playing tortured parts such as his famous Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde (1920) in which he accomplished the transformation without the aid of makeup. With the advent of sound, his reputation was enhanced by a wonderful voice, and he became a huge star.

Richard Barthelmess
born 9-5-1895 died 7-8-63

He was one of Hollywood's leading stars, and was the hero in several prominent D W Griffith productions. Lilian Gish described him as having " the most beautiful face of any man who ever went before the camera". He remained popular throughout the silent era and the early talkies. However his films and roles gradually diminished in importance. He left Hollywood in 1942.

Noah Beery
born 17-1-1882 died 1-4-46

His stage career started at the beginning of the century, with his first film appearance coming in 1916. He established himself as "king of he bad guys" in such famous silent films as The Mark of Zorro; The Sea Wolf and Beau Geste. The owner of a confident resonant voice, he made a smooth transition to sound films (also appearing in 1929 in The Four Feathers, which we showed last year). He continued to play character roles until shortly before his death.

Dolores Costello
born 17-9-05 died 3-3-79

Her career was progressing slowly until she was chosen by Barrymore to be his leading lady in The Sea Beast in 1926 - they married in 1928. She became one of the leading box office stars of the late silent era, and was known as "The Goddess of the Silent Screen". Her continued success after the arrival of the talkies was despite of a severe lisp, which she worked to overcome for two years with a speech therapist. In the early 30's she retired and had two children. In 1935, following her divorce, she returned to acting. Her last film was The Magnificent Ambersons (1942) for Orson Welles. Shortly afterwards, she retired to her Californian avocado farm.

Douglas Fairbanks Jnr
born 9-12-01 died 7-5-2000

The son of his father's first marriage to Anna Beth Sully, his own film career only took off after he marred Joan Crawford, in the same year as tonight's film. Despite his dashing good looks and agreeable screen presence, he never became a superstar. Instead he seemed to thrive on his eminent social and political connections in the UK as well as America. After his retirement from the screen in the 1950's he lived for many years in London.

Beatrice Lille
born 29-5-1894 (as Constance Sylvia Munston) died 20-1-89 at Henley on Thames, Oxfordshire

Left school at 15 to go on stage with her sister and mother, she made her London debut in 1914 and Broadway bow in 1924. She soon became the "toast of two continents" and friend of Noel Coward, Winston Churchill, G B Shaw and Charles Chaplin. Despite her great popularity on stage and radio, which resulted in her often being called "the funniest woman in the world", this was one of only seven films she made, ending with Thoroughly Modern Millie in 1967.

Ann Southern
born 22-1-09 died 15-3-2001

Having been trained as a vocalist by her concert soprano mother, this was her movie debut. After a couple of other films she moved to Broadway, where she quickly rose to lead roles. She returned to Hollywood and gained popularity in the comedy adventure series Maisie, starring in 10 titles in eight years. She again quit films in the 1950's to pursue a successful television career, returning to the big screen in the mid 60's. She was nominated for an Oscar for her role in the Whales of August (shown by WNCC in May 2000).

Loretta Young
born 6-1-13 died 11-8-2000

Her big break, according to legend, came in 1927 when she answered a phone call from the director Mervyn LeRoy asking her older sister to audition for a film; she went along and got the role. As her first real leading role came in the 1929 silent Laugh Clown Laugh, she could fairly claim to be the last of the silent stars. She won an Oscar in 1947 for The Farmer's Daughter. In the 1950's she moved into television, fronting a drama series The Loretta Young Show, which ran until 1961.

IAIN McGLASHAN Chairman